And the winner is…
Donna S. ! Congratulations to the lucky winner! The scarf will be on its way to her soon.
Thank you all so much for donating and participating in the drawing!

Remember, the pattern is free on Ravelry for anyone who wants to knit it. Thank you all so much! ☮️ #ukrainianscarf #wck #potentialendeavors #knittersofinstagrsm #knitting #dianelaugustindesigns #hiravelry

Ukrainian Scarf
I am Ukrainian.
My maternal and paternal grandparents all emigrated from Ukraine to the United States in the early 1900s. They left behind modest homes in small villages west of Lviv, very close to Poland. My grandmother was one of twelve children, and only three of them came to live in the US. Our last family elder that had a connection to the family in Ukraine says there were some boys out of the twelve that died in the war. I don’t have any information about my maternal grandfather’s siblings, although I remember he had at least one brother. My parents were divorced when I was a baby, so I don’t have any information about my paternal grandparents, only that they were Ukrainian. Our family member here, now in her 90s, is certain we have some family there, but has lost touch with any remaining family. Her father had kept up with correspondence and sending them much needed goods and funds.
My grandparents lived in Pennsylvania for a time where they started their family. My mother and two uncles were born there. They eventually settled in Chicago, which is where I was born.
I went to St. Nicholas Catholic School from Kindergarten through
8th grade. We attended mass on Sundays and holidays and learned about Ukrainian heritage, culture, and the struggle for independence. Easter is a special time for many and particularly honored and celebrated by Ukrainians with many prayer services and traditions. My favorite was blessing the baskets at church on Saturday evening before Easter. We would prepare ample baskets filled with portions of the Easter meal, artfully colored pysanky and decorated paskas to be blessed. Each basket was a family’s work of art.
As I watch daily news reports about the horrific attack on Ukraine, I cry and pray for it to end. It’s so hard to believe what the world is witnessing. The culture, the iconic buildings, the PEOPLE are all disappearing. It must be stopped!
I donate and do what I can. There are so many people who have lost everything and need so much.
I’m offering this pattern free with the request that you kindly make a charitable donation for the cost of what it would be (typically $6), or whatever amount you like, to one of these charities listed or another of your choosing that is helping Ukraine survive. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Pattern Notes
The scarf is knit flat with selvage edges. I chose blue and yellow to represent the Ukrainian flag colors. The entire scarf has a seed stitch border. The beginning and end sections have a few more rows. It starts with yellow and alternates between eyelet and basket weave stitch patterns, with section dividers throughout. The blue half does not have any eyelet patterns. Each section is named for a city in Ukraine and is embraced by prayers for PEACE.
Thank you to my dear friend, Barbara, for modeling.

Charities
This pattern is free. Please consider contributing, in the amount of what the pattern would cost (typically $6) to these, or any other charities helping Ukraine. Here are suggestions.
I know Beth’s mother, Donna, from knitting classes. She and her group have been sending aid to Ukraine for several years. This is a note she sent to me recently when I asked about her charity work:
We’re still involved in Ukraine, and we’re devastated by what is happening. We have daily contacts with our friends.
The war has split so many families, with women taking children and going to other countries. Some have stayed in Ukraine and churches have become Refugee Centers, and transit hubs to the west. As they bring people to the west,
they return to the east with vehicles filled with humanitarian aid.
Our daughter and son-in-law, Beth, and Rick Post, have a non-profit organization called Potential Endeavors. They have been involved in Ukraine for over 20 years and started their own organization 5 years ago.

Potential Endeavors
Potentialendeavors.com
Beth and Rick Post
Our mission continues to be to help people reach their full potential, but there is a time when you must meet needs of people to help them reach their potential. With the war in Ukraine, this is one of those times.
Our focus of late has been to find ways to provide resources to the churches and pastors that we work with in Ukraine. We accept donations for our ministry, but also accept donations to support the humanitarian needs of the people impacted by the war in Ukraine. Just note Ukraine Aid on your donation and 100% of those funds will go directly to Ukrainian pastors and churches that are providing support for those impacted by the war.

World Central Kitchen
wck.org
WCK is first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises.
We build resilient food systems with locally led solutions.

Thank you!