Tuesday, September 7, 2010
My Knitting Inspiration
Hey guys! Since learning to knit, I am finding myself very inspired by all of the opportunities to provide for people in need. Donna introduced me to this idea through the Red Scarf Project. I have been pursuing this further through ravelry. There are several groups that knit for breast cancer victims, children's hospitals, etc. if you look for them! Thinking about all of these organizations and friends and family that I could create for is inspiring me more than I expected. I am so excited to learn new stitches and patterns! If anyone knows of any groups, stitches, or patterns, I would love to hear about it!
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You'll soon be reading about this kind of thing in "Knitting for Good." If you have any good links to share, please edit your post to include them ... we crafters are always looking for people with whom to share our creations, and all the better if it can be helpful, useful, or comforting to someone in need.
ReplyDeleteI'm very, very interested in volunteer knitting/crocheting. I heard that at New Life Church in Conway, people are crocheting a blanket made from plastic bag for homeless people. The blanket is waterproof because it is made with plastic. Isn't it such an amazing idea?
ReplyDeleteHowever, I've gotta say that I do often find it difficult to make something for charity, because I have to put a lot of my time and yarn for other people that I don't even know. Even though I'd love to contribute to charity, getting motivated to make something (usually not so interesting design and not so fun to make) is hard. What do you think is the solution for this? What should be done to motivate more people for such charity knitting?
Tamami, I think your question is an interesting one. Did you read my blog post about "it's ok to knit for yourself"? I think we have the opposite problem, so we make a good pair. :)
ReplyDeleteI get motivated by using my imagination to think about an actual person and how they'll use and benefit from what I've made for them. Or, since I've been able to make food for and meet homeless men a couple of times, and I can just remember one of them and I feel motivated to make a hat.
Also, if you enjoy working with more interesting designs, there's no reason you can't make fancy things for people in need. Fancy can still be warm and practical! Think about how people in need may not have access to many beautiful things, and how much more special your detailed, beautiful, hand-made item would be to him or her.
I don't know how many people of you know Amber Kaufman, but I had the privilege of working with her this summer, and I greatly admire her work ethic and desire to help others. She would talk about how so many people donate money in order to feel charitable, when what people really needed to flourish was to know that someone cared. I liked your point that these people do not have many possessions that they can cherish; however, their imagination of the creator could be as important as the product. When my brother was in the hospital as a child, the nurses gave him a pillow sewn by local church women. I was fascinated that people used their hands in this way, and as a consequence, started my first sewing project.
ReplyDeleteYou might want to look into the Christmas at Sea program run by the Seamen's Church Institute. According to the site, the program has been around since 1898!
ReplyDeleteThis is my new favorite charity, because it's such a smart way to finish all my partially used skeins of yarn that would otherwise go to waste. It's also a quick and portable project to take on errands, and I don't have to worry about following a pattern when I need to be watching the kids.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.knit-a-square.com/