About Million Squares
The Million Squares for Dementia project is an initiative that aims to build communities across all races, cultures, ages and gender.
The vision is to crochet or knit a million – 4 inch squares with a view to increasing dementia awareness within communities in the UK. Currently there are estimated to be about a million people living with dementia here in the UK and only about 66% of them are diagnosed.
Please click on the following links to access further information on this project
The ‘million squares for dementia’ is a project I conceived at the end of last year. My mother taught me to knit when I was 10 years old and I would spend many happy hours knitting scarves, sweaters, cardigans and socks for family members. In the last 6 months of her life, I spent many an afternoon knitting with her and it is one of my favourite memories of her.
However, after she passed away, I just could not bring myself to knit again. I don’t know what it was, possibly just the connection to knitting that I had with her. My sister-in-law knew that I loved to knit and knew how I was feeling so she suggested crocheting. My mother had taught me to crochet around the same time that I learnt to knit but I never took to it!! I decided to check out Youtube to see if there were any crochet tutorials that were simple and easy to follow, after all I hadn’t even picked up a crochet hook in decades. Indeed, there were a whole host of videos out there, so I watched and learned. I started crocheting simple things and then went onto more complicated items of clothing. I found it to be hypnotic at times, and it took me to a happy place very similar to how I felt whenever I baked, but without the added calories. I made things for friends and family and haven’t looked back.
Fast forward to sometime in winter when I was crocheting a simple square for a blanket, I had a thought that maybe crochet could become a community building exercise matched with a cause.
The Cause
The Alzheimer’s Society website suggests that almost a million people are living with dementia in the UK right now, a third of whom are undiagnosed, and dementia is the biggest killer in the UK, more than cancer, and more than heart attacks. Yet the general public are not aware or choose not to be aware of this debilitating disease. Most people in my opinion think of dementia as part of growing old. On the contrary growing old is part of life, dementia is a disease of the brain and destroys lives both, of the person living with it and their loved ones. I was no different until I experienced the carer side of dementia and realised the importance of creating awareness and this is what I hope to do with this project.
The Project
My vision for this project is to build communities and create awareness through the crocheting/knitting of a million 4-inch squares. Each square should be dedicated to a person either living with dementia or who has passed away from the disease. Some of you may not know someone directly affected by dementia. However, you may be willing and able to make the squares. You are most welcome to join the cause!! Your squares will be added to a digital square pool and, at a later date, allocated to someone who has dementia or has passed from it. It doesn’t matter what item you decide to make; a coaster comprising of 1 square or a blanket comprising 100 squares. It is the number of squares that count towards the 1 million that matters. If you already have something made, that can count too.
Project Outcome
The outcome of the project is to crochet/knit a million squares. Once the physical item has been made it can be gifted to
- a person living with dementia,
- a hospital/hospice with dementia patients
- a dementia charity
However before gifting the item, please take a photo of the individual square/s and email them to 1msquares@dementiasphere.com and upload them to the 1msquares social media handles on instagram and facebook. The handles below are specifically for this project.
How to Participate
The process is simple. You click on the button below and register so that a number will be assigned to you for each of the squares you make and please do add in the four attributes of the person you want to dedicate it to.