Covering South Africa with blankets

Hooker (and knitters) in South Africa might remember 2014 as The Year of The Blanket Yarnbomb.

or

When We Covered South Africa With Blankets.

We're still happily reminiscing about the Voortrekker Monument Yarn Bomb
(630 blankets going to charities):

Bean there, helped laying it out :-)

Yeay, it made the front page of Sunday Times!!

(Trust me, the monument, crochet, and English newspaper in one sentence...it's something to yeay about)

Wool for the people

...and then the next one happened!

Guinness record attempt, Polokwane
(Photo: www.beeld.com)

Congregation members of the Duth Reformed Church in Welgelegen, Polokwane, crocheted 568 blankets, attached these to cover 1020m2 on a local school's rugby field and will distribute these all over the country.

Here's some stats:
5112 balls of yarn used (100g each)

Cost of yarn  = R81 792

Men, women and children got together on Monday nights to work together; one lady hooked four blankets with the use of only one hand, another hooked fifty blankets on her own.
(Source: www.beeld.com)

This attempt has just been submitted to the Guinness World Record's office, and we're waiting with bated breath.

But that's not all...

Another group, Caring with Crochet, is finalising their attempt to be displayed at Loftus Versfeld rugby stadium!

(Plus there was the highly successful 67 Blankets for Mandela Day project).

Lots of people are going to be very happy receivers of all these blankets.

This was Yarn Indaba 2014!

What a beautiful day!  What a beautiful event.

This was Yarn Indaba, and the yarn bombing of the Voortrekker Monument and today, I'll just share a few pictures of this great event.

Those steps are looking a bit bland and dreary, don't they?  

But we're going to fix it!

Bags full of blankets, ready to go

Marléne and Esté were the two driving forces behind the Yarn Indaba and yarn bomb:

"Opening the floor"

Ah, we were a bit teary-eyed.

Joy and relief. 

There were enough willing helpers, and soon some of us were jogging up and down the stairs with the heavy bags (a good workout!), while others were unpacking.

Let's get going then!

Marléne had the dream and the vision for today:

...and she's looking happy!

Smiling for the TV cameras:

Esté had the honours of laying down the last blanket:

And then it was done.

We did it.

We covered all the steps leading to the monument with blankets that will be distributed to various institutions. 

Your think we were excited?
You should have seen the tourists.  Busload after busload stopped in their tracks and couldn't stop taking pictures of the yarn bomb!

The morning turned into an extended photo session for tourists :-D

"Smile, love"

We had great fun looking at the individual squares, finding quirky ones like the tractors that was also posted on Ons Hekel before begin sent off.

Nothing runs like a Deere.  John Deere.

That's my sisi, on holiday here from Ireland. She might have been the attendant who came the furthest! 

Thanks for helping out, my sisi.

We found squares that her MIL sent from Ireland!

Here it is, Ann!

And three of my green squares:

(Test-pattern for the yet-to-be-decided-on Summer Throw...)

It was great to meet up with various friends from Ons Hekel:

...friend and fellow cappo addict Riesl

...an angel, Mara, whose Maak 'n Verskil (Make a Difference) group took on the massive job of joining these squares and will be distributing the blankets.

...Anneke - she of the T-shirt yarn doilie rugs and twisties

...Alet, who sat in great pain and with a shoulder strap and worked to the end, fastening blankets

  All figures to be confirmed, but here's what you can work on...

± 30 000 squares crocheted and knitted.
± 630 blankets assembled.
Three flights of stairs yarn bombed.
Many tired legs.

Thousands of Rands spent on yarn
(I haven't said a word yet about the yarns...)

Hundreds of Happy Hookers.

My feet are busted!