April 1, 2025
The March wrapping party was last Friday. We had an excellent turnout (25, maybe 27 people including 2 new attendees) and wrapped every scarf in the house, much to my surprise. I was surprised only because there were so many scarves. You can see photos from the wrapping party in our Photo Gallery. The next wrapping party will be Friday, April 25. I hope we have a tremendous number of scarves to wrap in anticipation of our Mother’s Day shipping set for the week after the wrapping party. Mother’s Day shipping is the second largest on Handmade’s calendar. Mother’s Day is always a hard time for residents at the shelters. They miss their families and are tempted by the warm feelings surrounding the holiday to return to their abusive environments. For this reason, many shelters go all out celebrating the occasion. Our scarves are part of the way they encourage women to stay!
We wrapped so many scarves last Friday that shipping today was a snap. Chris N, Ann, and I packed 640 scarves and sent them to 14 shelters. A “small” shipping, but very important to all those who receive them. To illustrate, I have a few more appreciation letters to share with you.
Sarita Kohli, President and CEO of AACI (Asian Americans for Community Involvement) in San Jose, wrote: Thank you so much for your gracious donation to AACI Asian Women’s Home! Domestic violence is a hidden problem in every community, but your generous support provides help to survivors who might otherwise suffer in silence and isolation.
Rebeka Moeljono-Israel, Gifts in Kind Representative at Union Rescue Mission, replied when I asked if she wanted more scarves (we sent 200 in February!): We can use another 250 scarves if you have them available. I gave all the scarves (from last month’s shipment) to Hope Gardens, our family center. They were so happy to receive them. I will send this (month’s shipment) as our Easter present to the single women ministry here. . . Our guests come and go, but we are so grateful for the way you touch their lives or care for them through the scarves you send. I have distributed them to our different locations based on the needs we have here. Thank you so much! Please send my gratitude to the ladies too. I appreciate you too for faithfully coordinating these scarves shipments.
From her note, we see Union Rescue Mission has separate facilities for families, children, and single women. I’m glad to know we serve so many different targeted groups there. Union Rescue is one of the most appreciative shelters to which we send comfort scarves.
Shipping is always so exhilarating. It makes me happy to think about the positive impact receiving our scarves makes. It inspires me to keep my needles clicking. Hope it inspires you too.
Last week I read about the passing of Rose Girone. She was 113 when she died. The reason I want to share this news with you is that Rose was an “intrepid” knitter, and the oldest Holocaust survivor. She started out in Hamburg, Germany where her aunt taught her to knit. She fled to Shanghai after Kristallnacht in 1938. Her love of and skill in knitting served her well. There she supplied an elegant boutique with her knitted items, which were so popular she had to set up a workshop and hire Chinese women to help her fill orders. After the war, she made her way to New York, where she instantly got a job—yes, knitting—in the lobby of a hotel in the Adirondacks. That was a stepping stone for her to open her own business in Queens. She went on to teach knitting. She continued knitting until she was 105, when she could no longer make a slip knot to start. CNN did a feature on her: https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/27/us/rose-girone-obit/index.html Rose is a good role model for us. I hope we will keep knitting comfort scarves so long as we can make the slip knot!
Love, Leslye
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Mar 25, 2025
Good news for Handmade. Ridgecrest Intermediate School (here in PV) had a school wide fundraiser on behalf of Handmade. They collected 54 pounds of assorted yarn! Paula picked it up today and photographed the students in front of her SUV full of the yarn they delivered. Afterwards, Ann, Paula and I sorted it. So much good yarn. So good for making comfort scarves. I’ve divided a lot of it for the volunteers who measure Bs. We should start seeing it in our Magic Ball kits in 2-3 weeks and in finished scarves hopefully in time for Mother’s Day! Thank You kids, parents, and staff, who donated all the yarn. Special thanks to Shawn Desrosiers, Social Studies & Leadership Teacher, who organized the fundraiser.
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Mar 18, 2025
More snippets from shelters’ letters of appreciation for the comfort scarves we sent in February (seems so long ago):
The Fred Jordan staff sent this handwritten message: Thank you for our generous donation of the handmade scarves! We’re so grateful to have partners like you join our mission and make a difference in the lives of those hurting.
Julie Vargas, Development Specialist at Interface Children & Family Services in Camarillo, wrote: We are incredibly grateful for your recent donation. . . Your support plays a crucial role in helping us serve those in need in our community. . . This valuable contribution helps us achieve our goals and further our impact. Individuals like you inspire hope and positivity in our community. . . .We are truly thankful for your contributions.
Carol Williams, Executive Director at Interval House in Seal Beach, added this handwritten message to her more formal note: Dear Friends, always so heartwarming to receive your wonderful scarves. Our clients are enjoying them. . . Thank you to all the volunteers for their hard work and dedication!
Our mission of providing comfort scarves to abused women who have sought the protection of a shelter has really touched a chord, not just in the hearts of recipients, but also in the hearts of makers. As you may remember, Annie’s Publishing sponsors Annie’s Caring Crochet Club. Members buy kits, make them, and then donate what they made to us. We have been working together for a long time. Often the makers attach notes to what they contribute. I found these two very touching.
Laura, in Sacramento, wrote: May this shawl offer you a hug when it doesn’t feel safe to be touched by another. Jill, in Woodhull, NY, wrote: I hope this shawl brings you comfort and lets you know someone is thinking of you. Making these has helped me through a rough couple of years. I began crocheting and crafting again after a big life change. . . I wish you all the best.
No question but that shelters love our comfort scarves and we love making them. Our needles are so powerful. I am inspired to keep my needles clicking when I read these notes. I hope they move you too.
Love, Leslye
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Mar 4, 2025
My husband recently returned from a trip to Cambodia. He was checking out conservation projects for a board where he is a new member. The trip was productive. He learned a lot and had a good time. While he was there, he visited The Cambodian Museum in Phnom Penh . There he saw the “world’s longest scarf.” Honest. It was made on a loom (woven). Of course, he couldn’t resist photographing it. The scarf is over 3,772 ft (almost 3/4 mile) in length. Here it is on its loom and stretched out on the streeets of the city. I am glad to share the photos with you.
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Luckily, comfort scarves are not ¾ of a mile long—only 60 or so inches. They are so beautiful I think they should be displayed in museums. Their main purpose is to lift the spirits, improve the self-esteem of abused and/or homeless women who have sought the protection of a shelter. The beauty of our scarves really counts with these recipients, many of whom have never before received a personal gift, much less a handmade personal gift. We have been knitting/crocheting comfort scarves for a long time, since the end of 2008. Yet the need for them hasn’t lessened. In fact, demand for our scarves has increased over time, especially as personnel at the shelters sees the positive effects they have on the recipients.
Love, Leslye
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Feb 11, 2025
Back in Jan 2015, in the early days of Handmade when we still met at Concepts in Yarn, Sister Anne Kelley came to one of our meetings and spoke to us about the work the Good Shepherd Shelter did to end the cycle of domestic violence. Her view was that boys learned how to be abusers from the male figures in their lives and girls learned how to be victims from their moms. At the Good Shepherd Shelter, they had many programs to reeducate the children so they would unlearn these roles. It was a unique point of view, and one that has subsequently become predominant. Sister Anne died recently. The LA Times ran her obituary on Sunday, February 9, 2025. Here's a partial text from it:
In 1996, Sr. Anne stepped into her most influential role as Director and CEO of Good Shepherd Shelter in Los Angeles, where, for 19 years, she transformed a modest refuge into a nationally recognized model for healing and empowerment. She built a community where survivors of domestic violence could reclaim their lives with dignity and strength. She also raised funds, cultivated volunteers, and ensured that every mother and child who walked through the doors found a path to independence. She believed in the power of education, opportunity, and faith to break the cycle of abuse and worked tirelessly to give survivors the tools to thrive.
You can read the full obituary at this link: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/latimes/name/anne-kelley-obituary?id=57504667
Given her point of view, Sister Anne’s talk to us at Concepts in Yarns made a big impression on me as well as on others in attendance. We still donate (50 scarves each quarter) to The Good Shepherd Shelter. And this shelter still works with the children as much as the women who come there.
Here are photos of Sister Anne meeting with us. Our first entry in our Photo Gallery (Jan 2015) include more photos of Sister Anne meeting with us.
Love, Leslye
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Feb 4, 2025
I think you remember how excited we were last week when we heard KitchenMama wanted to donate large numbers of soft, fluffy scarves to several of our shelters, including those who had taken in evacuees from the recent fires. Good news continues. KitchenMama did deliver the scarves and the shelters are really thrilled with the donations. Here’s their replies, just to warm your hearts:
Lucia Vega, Director of Development at the East Los Angeles Women’s Center, wrote: Thank you so much they are beautiful warm fun and cozy. Our clients will appreciate them so much.
Jobi Wood, Director of Youth Services, at Family Assistance in Victorville CA wrote: We received the 200 boxed scarves today; thank you SO much! The participants will so appreciate them. Thank you so much for always thinking about our agency.
Rebeka Moeljono-Israel, Gifts In Kind Representative at Union Rescue Mission, wrote: We received all the donations both scarves and the beanies. Thank you so much for your help. They are all here already so I will offer them to the family floor together with the beanies for DTLA location first before sending them to Distribution Center for our other locations.
It was so generous of Kitchen Mama to donate and ship so many scarves. We, along with the shelters, appreciate their generosity. I took a look at their website https://shopkitchenmama.com/ and saw several gadgets I could use.
We finished our January shipping and shelters are sending so many letters of appreciation. I know you like to read them (it certainly gives me a lift when I read them), so I will share a few with you:
Julia Martinez, Office Assistant at Humboldt DVS in Eureka, was answering another question when she added: Thank you and your team/volunteers for all your hard work in bringing warmth in these cold seasons! (It is very cold in Eureka!)
Laura Lull, CEO at Rainbow Services (Handmade’s first shelter) in San Pedro, wrote: I want to thank you for generously supporting Rainbow Services during this difficult time. . . .Your gift of comfort scarves is deeply appreciated and will sustain survivors of domestic violence and their children. . . Please know that your thoughtfulness is greatly appreciated and is helping survivors move beyond trauma, towards safety and stability.
Gina Vargas, Executive Director at WomanHaven in El Centro, wrote: Your contribution (of 50 comfort scarves) plays a vital role in our efforts to end domestic violence in the community and to provide our shelter clients and children with cozy scarves. Thanks again for your contribution.
Check out our Photo Gallery page for photos from the Jan Wrapping Party.
Love, Leslye
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Jan 28, 2025
Thank goodness for the brief but strong rainfall over the weekend. Evacuees from the various fires are finding safe places in quite a few of our shelters. Someone recently asked me why an evacuee from a fire would go to a shelter for abused women and the answer is simple: there was space. Hotels, motels, AirBnBs, friends’ couches all were full. Any shelters that had space took people in. Many created space. Happily, the fires seem to be doused and people are finding places to be safe.
In the course of dealing with the fire and the people fleeing from them, the Downtown Women’s Center contacted me requesting 350 scarves to give to evacuees from the Hurst fire. I felt we wouldn’t be able to supply so many scarves. Reading further in my emails, I read a message from Janet Chen, with KitchenMama. She offered to ship 600 scarves to Handmade because she was so impressed by the work we’ve done already and wanted to contribute. The scarves KitchenMama donated were made in Taiwan. They arrived 20 in each box, all of one color. There are 10 colors in all. Each scarf in every shipping box is individually boxed. The scarves are made of soft, fluffy fabric. They are cozy wraps. They remind me of the feeling our friend (whose house burned down wrote us) had when someone sent his family “soft pajamas and fleeces and clothes that felt so good to put on. They made me truly understand what you and Handmade have been giving to so many people in crisis for so many years, the simplest tactile comfort is so powerful.”
Janet told me if more shelters want these scarves, she has more and would be glad to ship them. As of today, she is sending 900 to 3 of our shelters: Union Rescue, East LA Women’s Center, and Family Assistance (in Victorville). Impressed by their generosity, I wondered what KitchenMama is and checked out their website. They sell assorted sustainable kitchen gadgets. Take a look: https://shopkitchenmama.com/.
Today we continued our January shipping. We had an excellent day. Due to the great turnout at our wrapping party, we had many, many scarves (thanks to our scarf makers) ready to send to the shelters. We sent 1,020 comfort scarves to 35 shelters. In addition, we sent 200 hats and 4 blankets. It all went so smoothly. I guess after 18 years of shipping comfort scarves to shelters, we’re getting good at it. 18 years! Wow. The time has just sped by.
Love, Leslye
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Jan 21, 2025
The fires are on all our minds. I think we all know someone who was affected by them. One of our dearest friends lost their house in the Palisades fire. Happily for them, they now live in N CA but their son and his family lived in the house. The young family are musicians so not only did they lose their home, but also their livelihoods. We have been in contact with them, trying to be supportive, and they sent us the loveliest note, which has bearing on what we Handmaidens do. Here is an excerpt:
We met some of our dearest friends last night who bought us dinner and gave us 3 suitcases’ worth of basics. Everything is so practical and useful but beyond that, there are so many soft and snuggly items in there. It just made us cry to hold these soft pajamas and fleeces and clothes and it felt so good to put them on. It made me truly understand what you and Handmade have been giving to so many people in crisis for so many years, the simplest tactile comfort is so powerful.
I thought about what he wrote all day today. After all, we started shipping for 2025, a week late, but at least we started. We had a good day. We sent 705 comfort scarves to 25 shelters. Several of our shelters have let me know that they have been taking in fire survivors. So we chose to ship to those shelters first and we added extra scarves because we understand how comforting our soft, beautiful scarves are—to fire survivors or abuse survivors or trafficking survivors. Ann, Chris N, Elizabeth N, and I did the shipping. Just part of what we want to do. We’ll do more next week when we have more wrapped scarves.
As you know, the shelters love receiving our comfort scarves. I have been saving thank you letters to share with you since the end of last year. These handwritten notes express how valuable our scarves are to the shelters and to the women who come to them.
I hope you can read them. They will warm your heart. They certainly warmed mine. WSLB is from WomenShelter Long Beach, WCHD is Women’s Center High Desert, in Ridgecrest, and the third note is from Interval House in Seal Beach. Handmade ships all over CA!
Love, Leslye
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Dec 14, 2024
Handmade just had its holiday party. I said a few words at the party and hope you will enjoy reading them. The party was lots of fun, as you will see in the photos below.
Every year I tell you “It takes a village” to make a comfort scarf. And it does. We’re the village. It takes all of us to achieve the huge accomplishment Handmade has done this year: 8,735 scarves, 1,470 hats and almost 600 other items. 186,300 scarves alone since we started in 2008.
How does our village do this? We start with generous yarn donors—both yarn companies and committed individuals, who contribute fabulous yarn, all textures and colors. We go through miles and miles of yarn every week, kind of like the “hungry Caterpillar” on her way to becoming a beautiful butterfly.
Once we have yarn. What happens next? It goes to the measurers. We have two groups. One group measures the Bs and another group measures fun fur. Once we have these two essential components, we’re ready to make Magic Balls.
I assemble the three parts to every kit: the A yarn, the B yarn and the fun fur. Another group of volunteers winds these 3 yarns into “Magic Balls,” the essence of Handmade’s scarf making program.
What do we do with all these Magic Balls. First, we share them with knitters who come to Michael’s on Wednesday afternoon. Some scarf makers pick up Magic Balls at 3 other locations: Anneliese’s, Rose’s, and Theresa’s. Special volunteers make sure these locations have plenty of kits and pick up the finished scarves.
We also ship Magic Balls to knitting groups in CA, such as the Bonita Friends of Handmade, and to individuals throughout the US.
There are many more volunteers involved in Handmade. Some open boxes containing scarves, yarn, and other items that come from volunteers throughout the US. Others prepare finished scarves for shipping, making sure they all have signed gift tags. Then another group of volunteers “wraps” the scarves at our fabulous wrapping parties. Finally, the “shippers” pack the wrapped scarves into boxes that we send to 70 + shelters for abused and homeless women throughout CA.
Generous donors contribute money to defray the cost of shipping. My biggest experience with inflation has been the dramatic increase in the cost of shipping, which has almost doubled, and of Caron One Pound yarn, the major source of the A yarn in our kits whose has increased from $5.99 to $11.99 a skein. Luckily we have very generous donors.
Volunteers also maintain the website, keep the books, issue reports, work on publicity, print the gift tags, and on and on and on.
Yes, Handmade is a huge village. We always have space for more participants. You don’t have to be a knitter or crocheter to join. We’ll include you.
What’s the impact of our scarves? We do all this work, but what’s the result? We receive personal thank you letters from many of our shelters. They tell us how important our scarves are. Here are some comments from the shelters, each emphasizing a different aspect of what’s wonderful about comfort scarves and Handmade:
Kamila Oseka, at the Downtown Women’s Center, says our scarves help overcome isolation: The scarves are wonderful. Your generous donation is a heartwarming gift for our Residents. Many of them are estranged from their loved ones and handmade items have a very special meaning to them during the Holidays.
Carol Williams, Executive Director at Interval House in Seal Beach, wrote a formal thank you letter and included handwritten notes from a few of the women. Here’s part of one from Cecilia who stresses her love for the scarf: I want to say a special thanks. I tend to get really cold, really easily, & when we came into the shelter, I didn’t bring my coat. I was so grateful for the warm, cozy scarf I received there. I’ve not gone one day without wearing it. It has really helped me & I want you to know that. Thank you so much!
Gary McDonald, Executive Director of Stand Up Placer in Auburn, says our scarves make his clients feel remembered: We would like to thank you for your donation of scarves and a shawl. These items are so appreciated by our Clients especially at this time of year. The warmth of a soft scarf lets them know they are thought of.
Ariel Reyes, CEO at Women’s Resource Center in Oceanside, says our scarves give her clients hope: When families come to WRC for help, they often have nothing but the clothes on their backs. As they begin to rebuild their lives, they need continued support. . . We can never thank you enough for your donation of 25 handmade comfort scarves. . . Through your support we are able to say yes to families who need our help.
Carla Charraga, Executive Director at Siskiyou DV & Crisis Center in Yreka, says her clients love that the scarves are so beautiful and how they are wrapped: Thank you for your donation of 25 comfort scarves made by Handmade volunteers. . . The timing of this gift was impeccable. We are now experiencing freezing temperatures, and more people need items to keep warm. We are receiving so many compliments, including compliments on how they are wrapped as a lovely gift. We appreciate these wonderful scarves. Our clients could not be more thankful. We are so grateful to hand out these beautiful scarves all because of your hard work, dedication and talent. Thank you for thinking of us and the clients we serve.
Wow. Each note one was so moving, each in different ways. All confirm the importance of our scarves for those who receive them. Making comfort scarves for abused women and hats for their children makes them feel valuable and it makes us feel pretty good too. We feel creative, productive, helpful, impactful. Hearing how shelters love what we send makes me feel elated. I am so proud of what we all do together.
In addition, we enjoy each other’s friendship and companionship. We are busy. Yes, we are retired, but we’re still in the thick of life, making important contributions. We’re a wonderful team! I feel so lucky to work with you.
In general, Handmade tries to avoid “politics” because many in our group have so many different opinions. I don’t want to offend anyone, but I feel I must speak out and urge you to support abused women in two political ways as well as by making comfort scarves. First, support abortion legislation and work against legislation limiting abortion. Abused women experience partner rape, date rape, incest, etc. Pregnant, they do not want to give birth to a baby conceived during an abusive encounter. Abortion is a crucial option for them. Second, support limiting gun availability and urge requiring background checks as a precondition of a gun purchase. Statistics show that when a weapon is present during abuse, the woman is 50% more likely to be killed.
Finally, thank you all, again and again, for all you have done and do for abused women by participating in Handmade. I know we make a difference, and the difference we make is important. Keep up your good work. As of today, we have delivered 186,300 comfort scarves. Maybe we’ll reach 200,000 in 2025. Please KEEP YOUR NEEDLES CLICKING!
Love,
Leslye
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