National Treasure Tom Hanks Finishes Crochet Project with Loose Ends!

April Fools!

In our dreams, Tom Hanks finishes a project with Loose Ends—though we can’t say we know much about his textile skills! If you happen to know Mr. Hanks (or any other craft-loving public figure) who might be up for a good deed, please pass this along. With JOANN’s closure, we could use an extra hand. Our dream crafter list? Ryan Gosling, Meryl Streep, Michelle Obama, Vanna White, Julia Roberts, Kate Middleton, Ken Burns, Ella Emhoff, and Martha Stewart.

1. Wingspan

“I am an avid knitter, crocheter, and tatter. Or I was, anyway. I’ve had stage IV metastatic breast cancer since 2011 and have been on some kind of chemo or medication since then. My doctor told me last week I’m running out of possible treatments, which I knew would come, but I’m so not ready. My ability to do any complicated pattern has gone out the window.

I’m slowly wrapping up some simpler WIPs, but this one is beyond me now. I’ve made so many items for others, this one was going to finally be for me. I would like to wear it before it’s passed on to my sister and my daughter.”

— Stephanie

This project was finished by Loose Ends finisher and knitting celeb, Roxanne Richardson. Hear about her experience here, on her channel - our bit starts at 17:20

“The experience couldn’t have been better. I live just 2 blocks from the project owner, so I just walked over to her house to pick it up and drop it off. Communication was very easy with the email chain. I was very worried about not having enough yarn to complete the project, but another Loose Ends finisher knew the original dyer of the yarn and she dyed up more than enough yarn in the final color of the gradient yarn.” — Roxanne

Roxanne documented her progress through her channel, and discovering that there was not enough yarn to finish, supplied some from her own stash (matching the fiber content to the original). When there was not enough, she reached out to the original yarn dyer to procure some more (@thebluebrickish a Canadian dye house that dyed supplemental yarn for this project to match the original materials).

2. JOANN’s closure and what it means to us.

Welp, it’s official: JOANN is closing (or has closed) all 850+ stores and is no longer our sponsor. Their support brought in 80% of our 2024 operating budget, and to boot, they supplied materials free of charge to help finish scores of projects. Plus, they were truly nice people. It’s been rough over here.

Loose Ends’ budget is modest but necessary to cover salaries and operating expenses. The downsizing from JOANN’s closure has meant a slower matching pace and a waiting list for project submissions.

We continue to pursue other funding: exploring grants, welcoming new corporate sponsors, reminding folks to consider Loose Ends in their donor-advised funds, in their wills, and “in lieu of flowers.”

And we’re asking folks to support us with donations. If you love what we do, please consider a gift today. Any size is appreciated, and recurring donations allow us to plan ahead. THANK YOU!

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3. Connect us.

If you know of a person, business, or organization that might like to know about Loose Ends, please connect us. Email info@looseendsproject.org to make an introduction or share our website (flyers are available at LooseEnds.org in 20+ languages). Thanks, Village!

4. Welcome, Jean Sideris, Loose Ends Project Manager

Jean learned to cross-stitch in high school and made many gifts for her family. She taught herself to knit (using books!). She now flips between these two fiber arts. Her favorite items to knit include mittens, washcloths, table runners, and placemats. Jean is an avid cyclist and loves to hike, kayak, and enjoy the many other ways to be outside.

With over two decades of nonprofit experience, she is excited to be part of Loose Ends! In addition, Jean has a communication consulting business, focusing on helping nonprofits with writing, editing, and strategic planning. Visit Jean’s website here.

5. Loose Ends in Numbers

Finisher Count: 32,649
Project Submitters: 2,822+
Projects: 4,000-ish
Countries with Finishers: 73
Countries with Projects: 14
Average Hours Donated Per Project: 51

Social Media Milestone: Loose Ends surpassed 100K followers on Instagram last week, in large part due to the video of Ezra opening the cat pirate that his Gramma Pam had started (finished by Lisa Smith, @gettohookingcrochet)

6. Once upon a time, at Jen’s dining room table…

This is how the story goes.

Not long after launching Loose Ends—using Google Forms, Sheets, and Docs for everything (because it was free, and we were just testing the waters), Jen’s friend and neighbor, Mark Swardstrom, sat at her dining room table, listening to how we were managing the process. Rumor has it that later that night, he turned to his wife (Hi, Megan!) and said, “I don’t have time to help with this—I just can’t—but they need an app.”

By the next morning (this part is absolutely true), Mark was back at Jen’s table. He sat down and said, “Okay, here’s how we’re going to do it.”

The rest is history.

Well, maybe not history, more like current events. On September 14, 2023, the app went live, just as our shared spreadsheet struggled to keep up, right around the time finisher number 17,000 signed up.

This app saved us. Without it, and without the incredible programmers who have volunteered their time pro bono, we wouldn’t have been able to keep going. Today, every finisher is cataloged and linked to a mapping system, and we can quickly match volunteers to projects.

Now, we’re on the verge of the next big step: moving projects into the app and integrating email, making everything even more seamless, organized, and accessible.

To Mark—thank you for saying yes that first day. And to every brilliant, generous programmer who has stepped up since, we cannot begin to express our gratitude.

Meet some of the exceptional humans making our app:

7. Talking about end-of-life stuff can feel awkward.
The Conversation Project makes it easier.

Mark your calendar for April 16! The Conversation Project is an initiative of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement that helps people have conversations about what matters most in care through the end of life. Their free Conversation Guides can help you have conversations with the important people in your life about your – or their – wishes. Learn about their services here. April 16 is National Healthcare Decisions Day.

8. Cozy Thank You Corner

THANK YOU & three cheers for Nash Yarn Fest and Modern Daily Knitting for hosting Loose Ends as your guest at your inaugural event! An indoor market, workshop with Arne and Carlos, music, and a “weather event” (ahem, tornado). Extra special thanks to the Nashville-area finishers who showed up to volunteer and represent Loose Ends at our booth. We are truly grateful!

THANK YOU to Purl Soho for popping a “call to donate” on every page of their website, encouraging their customers to visit our site and make a gift (it’s down now, but you can still check them out).

THANK YOU to Quince & Co. for giving us several bags of yarn to share with our volunteers (we’re looking at you, Chicago helpers coming to H+H in May)!

Speaking of H+H, use our special code for free tickets to the event in May (and come say hi, our booth is #820)!

THANK YOU to Felicia Lo of the SweetGeorgia Show for hosting us on your podcast.

9. The following people had donations made in their honor or “in lieu of flowers” since our last newsletter.

Barbara Shurtleff, Betty Gibbs, Carla Reagin Ousby, Carolyn Neiman, Deborah Hardy, Dot Duncan, Eleanora Henk & Margaret Gorney, Gerda Morda, Grandma Root, Grandma, whose knitting supplies went to the local library, Gwenda Parker, In celebration of the Life of Lana, Francis Tucker and In gratitude for the skill and devotion of Kelsey Dallman, In Honor of Aiden Juge, In memory of Dorothy Pyle Cochran Stauffer - who inspired me to love others through food and yarn, Jasmine Ford, Jean Ann Gardner, Jean Carrs, Jeanette Robinson, Jonathan Roussos, Karen Palmer, Kathy, Maria Cornell, Mary Ann Mulcahey, Mary Thomas, My grandmother, My mother, My mother, Albina Montione, My mother, Betty Somppi, My mother, Estelle, My two best friends Meredith and Lyla great crafters who both passed away but live on in my heart, Peggy Stone (a finisher), Rita Keckler, Ruth Provance, Sherrill Werling, Vicki Schwam, Yannis Alimonos

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