Facebook / first bunch

hello everyone, 

so the first bunch is ready to Go [pictures to follow soon], i've emailed a few hospitals and organisations to feel out interest in these bunches and how they can be donated, still awaiting replies.  if you would like a bunch, either for your self or for someone you know with a long term medical condition or for someone who is expected to have a long term hospital stay please get in touch with details of who for and medical condition and we will see what we can do.  

until we get some individual requests i was thinking that at first i will send the bunches to breast cancer suffers as this condition was partly the reason the group was set up as a relative of mine has the condition. 

for those interested in keeping up to date please either follow the blog [using the links on the right] or visit our facebook page which is updated regularly as i knit more flowers, 

thankyou for visiting hope and bloom. 

helen 

help knit flowers

Help needed!

Are you an avid knitter? Or even just a beginner? Do you have a ball of spare wool and a little bit of time? Could you help?

Flowers, in any shape, colour and style wanted to compile bunches of flowers to give to people with long term medical conditions and disabilities.  This is because flowers in the hospital environment has been proven to be beneficial to patients long term outcomes, resulting in less analgesia and reduced hospital stay, as well as improved level of comfort and happiness.  However real flowers have long since been banned in UK hospitals for a variety of reasons including the increase risk of infection

All flowers will be gratefully received and will become part of these fabulous bouquets to raise a little bit of hope through bloom. Patterns can be found in a variety of places, [please see the pattern page]. We are a not for profit group and all bouquets are donated free of charge.  Please email hopeandbloom@gmail.com for a postal address or for further details on how you can help.    Unfortunately we are unable to refund any postage costs.

[The majority of flowers knitted by myself do not have a knitted stem but one added [wool covered wood stick] to ensure they can stand upright, wire is added to knitted stems to achieve same effect so flowers with or without stems are both welcome. Each bouquet is made up of between 10 & 20 flowers depending on shape and size and each bouquet is completely different, as reflected in nature.]

Thankyou in advance to help people find hope in bloom.

Helen [founder of hope and bloom]

new pattern lily

Today I was looking for a quick pattern to do with white wool and ended up googling quick patterns, I didn’t find any suitable but found a picture on how to make paper lilies out of triangles and thought how hard could it be to substitute paper for knitting. I ended up with some really nice lilies, take me about an hour to do each one, but may take more experienced knitted less time.

Your free to use this pattern for personal use or for charity, hopefully it will inspire you to help knit for ‘hope and bloom’  please credit back to hope and bloom when this pattern is used.  

Basically it’s a triangle then sewn into shape so can be made into any size.

Pattern:-

Cast on 3.

Line 2 – knit.

Line 3, k2tog, k26 k2tog [= 28 sts]

Line 4 – k

Line 5 – k2tog k24 k2tog [26sts]

Line 6 – k

Line 7 – k2tog, k22 k2tog [24 sts].

And so on till you reach 2 stitches left and which you then cast off.

Take the bottom of the triangle and mark out the middle, with the same wool sew up the side half way so you begin to get a pyramid type shade. 

Centre:-

Line 1 leaving a long length cast on 10

Line 2 :- k

Line 3. Cast off.

To make up, using the long length of tread left from making the center sew into the middle of the outer petals and secure.

Add stem if required.

i've never wrote a pattern before so any feed back much appriated, 

First knits..

these are the very first large knitted flowers which will make up part of the very first bunch! the yellow one is a peony which is meant to be the flower of health and healing so thinking of aiming to include on of these in every bunch but this as it is larger took me longer to knit, the blue is a tulip, very simple to make, three petals shown together with a button for the middle and the pink is a rose, which is a square or around 6cm by 6cm ruffled up to make a rose shape! hope you like them!

thankyou

helen - hope and bloom

FIRST bloom

hello a quick little message to let everyone know that the first flower Brooch's are currently for sale on ebay and can be found at http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=221240232523 … please have a look and help support us for the very first time as we set out!

listed under totallyhb [my personal ebayname] whilst still sorting out everything as we are still quite new but all profits will be donated between two fantastic charity's, the national autism society and childflight.

there is several different styles up on offer and all postage is combined if you wish to purchase more than one, [please also look at the other items for sale] 

i have also set up a facebook page to go with this group.
https://www.facebook.com/HopeAndBloom

i have nearly finished my first bouquet. pictures will follow when i can. for those of you have asked if i could give you patterns to help knit some flowers, thankyou very much for this offer and a pattern page will be up soon! thanks again to everyone who has donated wool , [im also after fabric if you have any going spare]

thankyou , helen from hopeandbloom!

Research

i have been researching away and found a couple of articles around flowers in hospital, will read up more when I get chance but found this from  oncologynirseadvisor.com “Studies have reported that flowers have immediate and long-term positive effects on emotions, mood, social behaviours, and memory for patients. In fact, one study found that hospital patients in rooms with plants and flowers required significantly fewer postoperative analgesics; had lower blood pressure and a lower heart rate; had lower levels of pain, anxiety, and fatigue; and had more positive attitudes than patients in the control group” which shows the importance of bringing flowers into hospital environment where possible as they can improve the outcome for the patient and also their families.

I’ve also been reading a lot around why real flowers are not allowed in most hospital environments due to risk of infection from standing water and from injury from broken glass and split water etc.

 I’ll soon post a page with links to all research ad I’m also about to post an about us page. 

also thankyou to those who have already offered to help knit / make flowers and those who have donated wool!

so stay tuned!

hope and bloom.

Finger knitting good...

Today I have been busy away finger knitting in the sun and have managed to produce the first batch of flowers.  I think the initial plan is going to be to sell them as broaches and accessories to raise money for charity as a basis to bring hope through blooms to other people whilst raising awareness of our own cause and aim to provide bouquets to those in need.  

I’m currently waiting for the broach backing to be delivered and then we should be up and running.  As I said in a previous post all help we be greatly received so just let me know if you wish to help out and make a couple [or a few] flowers yourself,

When flowers are donated to myself,  I will ask when contact is made if you will be happy for these to be sold as well as made into bouquets in order to raise funds to pay for postage etc. No problem if the answer would be no, I will make sure they are kept separately to the other flowers and used in bouquets only.  

details also to follow where you can get your flower broach [proberly ebay]

lets bloom a little hope. 

HOPE and BLOOM

Hope and bloom.

Hello and welcome to HOPE and BLOOM,

We are a new small organisation that has recently been set up which makes bouquets of flowers [and single flowers] out of craft items for those who are disabled or have a long term illness such as cancer due to the fact that real flowers are no longer required in the hospital setting due to harbouring infections. 

Hope and bloom aim to make flowers that can be easily washed / cleaned and therefore are suitable to keep at the bedside in place of real flowers.    

Small flower brooches and other accessories will also be sold to help raise money to pay for materials and postage of these bouquets, [flowers may also be made to raise awareness as part of donation to alternative charity we support, however this will be clear when buying the flower] if you buy one please wear with pride at supporting this great cause.

More details will come in the next few weeks on where you can purchase these flowers.

If you know of anyone who may benefit from a flower bouquet, please get in touch with further details, including their name, date of birth, medical condition/s and location by emailing hopeandbloom@gmail.com.

Please note we cannot guarantee bouquets for everyone who makes contact but hope to help as many people as possible.

Furthermore to this, if you wish to help with making these flowers or providing materials, please get in touch with myself on the above email. All help will be greatly received.  

Thankyou for taking time to read.

Helen from Hopeandbloom.