Shetland MRI Scanner Appeal

Learn (or practice) fair isle knitting for a REALLY good cause –
and help get this project across the finish line!

Harriet Middleton, a resident of Shetland, volunteered her knitting as a way to help raise funds for the Shetland MRI Scanner Appeal.  The quick version: the community hospital in Shetland doesn’t have an MRI scanner, so residents must make a long trip off-island, across the North Sea, whenever they need this test.  It’s a 14-hour trip in GOOD weather, if the seas are calm.  If they’re not, you might miss your appointment.  And if your appointment runs late, you might miss the ferry home… so then there’s child care, work arrangements, etc. to sort out, all from a distance, all while you’re feeling really crummy.

Some intrepid nurses at the hospital started a fundraiser so they can buy their own MRI machine, and save their patients all the things we take for granted when we can hop in a car and get to our doctor on the same day.  AND they’ve done the math – the savings in travel costs will pay to maintain the machine and the staff who run it.  They just need to get the scanner to the hospital and have it installed.  That will take £2 million – and as of this writing (October 2020) they’re within £100,000!

Harriet and her knitting group, the MRI Maakers, knit many a thing to sell for the appeal.  After a while, someone suggested that Harriet write down the pattern so that could be sold, enabling knitters everywhere to take part, have a great project, and raise funds at the same time.

Harriet’s son Billy did just that!  So we get a great pattern, we get to learn or practice Fair Isle AND get a jump on our gift knitting, some special someones get awesome knitted gifts, and the Scanner Appeal gets closer to its goal.  How cool is that?

Here’s how you can help:

1) Get your PDF patterns right from the MRI Makers or we have the hard copies available if you want a really beautiful keepsake!  Either way, all proceeds from the pattern sales go directly to the Shetland MRI Scanner Appeal.

Choose from the Harriet’s Hat, Headband, Mittens, Fingerless Mitts, Gloves, or the stunning Cowl.

2) If you’re so inclined, you can make a donation directly to the Scanner Appeal.

3) Want to make yours in the softest yarn around?  Choose your yarn colors in our 2-ply sport!
We’ve put THIS BUNDLE of 6 skeins together for you – they’re the Morehouse version of the colors used in the original Harriet’s Hat and Harriet’s Headband.  This much yarn will make you 3 or 4 hats or headbands, depending on the color distribution you choose.  So while it’s an investment, it’s several holiday gifts for less than $25 a piece. 

Want to try it in just 2 colors to make things less complicated?  That’s how I did my swatch (see below – scroll to the end), whatcha think?

4) And don’t forget to Join our knitalong group at www.Facebook.com/groups/MorehouseFarm.  We have daily work goals, how-to videos, and very often, a special guest star instructor!  Ted Partridge (you might know him from the Craft Yarn Council video “Humans that Yarn“), and Anne Stevens Frost (she’s the host of the ‘I Thought I Knew How’ Podcast) have joined us this year, and we’ve got more exciting projects lined up.

Glad to have you with us!

P.S.  Here are a few other color combinations I happened upon…

And two-color version (my swatch) in plum and natural soft white: