Knitting for Sandy Hook

If you are wondering how you might help the surviving victims of the Sandy Hook tragedy, some group knitting projects have been organized. There's a Ravelry group making stuffed toy monsters for every child who attends the Sandy Hook elementary school.

A teacher named Jeanne Malgioglio is asking people to knit or crochet green and white scarves (green and white being the Sandy Hook school colours) for the Sandy hook students, faculty and first responders.

A web site called Snappy Tots is asking knitters and crocheters to make green and white hats to be give to the children of Sandy Hook school.

I have a few thoughts about these charitable efforts that I'd like to express, but doing so has cost me not a few minutes spent staring blankly at a blank computer screen, trying to frame what I want to say in a way that will not in any way denigrate the group efforts I've listed above.

In a time of tragedy like this one, people who weren't directly affected by the events try to process their horror and grief and often end by wondering what on earth they can do to help those who were hard hit. They are often willing to give considerable amounts of time, effort and money in order to help. This being the case, it seems a shame that, so often, these wonderful, generous, loving outpourings of time, effort, and money can get misdirected into activities that don't actually help anyone, that are the equivalent of baking an American flag cake.

I think of accounts I read after 9/11 that related how the Red Cross had so much money in their 9/11 relief fund that they wound up simply handing out money to those who just happened to live near the World Trade Center — who had not suffered the loss of any loved ones, any injury, or any destruction of their property in the terrorist attack. I think of how, in WWI and WWII, women were encouraged to help in the war effort by knitting socks and other items, though a factory could turn out more socks in a day than quite a large group of women could knit in a year. This is not to say that the hand-knitted socks were useless, as I am sure they were put to good use and were much appreciated by the soldiers who got them. One must look at the larger picture, at the fact that the war work of those on the homefront was very varied and could hardly have been greater, and that the knitting they did was probably only a way to put their little leisure time to good use. However, let it be said that the soldiers who didn't get hand-knitted socks didn't go barefoot, and that the main benefit of wartime knitting seems to have been that it made the women who did it feel useful, that it gave them a way to cope with their anxiety over the fact that the men they loved might never come back from the war. And some war-time knitting and needlework was indeed completely useless and self-indulgent. And so I consider that these efforts were at least partially misdirected, because at least in the case of the tragically pointless WWI, asking hard questions about why such a war needed to take place and lobbying for withdrawal from it would have done the soldiers who fought it far more good than any amount of hand-knitted socks.

Please don't take all this as a criticism of the charities I have mentioned. It's important that the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre receive support. There have been two deaths in my family in the past thirteen months, and I know just how much it means to people who are grieving to receive these gestures of sympathy and support. These scarves and hats and toys won't in any way make up for what those who receive them have lost and won't by itself help them recover from their traumatizing experiences, but it will demonstrate to them that there are many people out there who sympathize and care about them. When the children who attend Sandy Hook receive their cuddly knitted monsters, they'll learn that though there was one mentally ill stranger out there who wanted to kill them, there are thousands of strangers who care so much about them and what they've been through that they're willing to spend time and money making a toy especially for them.

What I would like, though, is for people to try to see the bigger picture, and to be mindful and far-seeing about the ways in which they try to work through and respond this tragedy. I'd like people to think about how they can help address some of the root causes of these horrific mass shootings: the lax gun control laws; the substandard treatment of the mentally ill; the lack of support for families trying to raise a child with mental health issues; and some of the issues with media coverage. I'd like people to really think about what they can do to change our society for the better, about becoming more politically active, or about volunteering, or organizing a group effort of their own if they've got a great idea for one.

Many who will knit for these causes are already volunteering or contributing to social or political causes, and they, or others who are already overwhelmed with their own responsibilities, may decide that all they want to do or can do is knit an item during their public transit commute or TV-watching time in evening. But there are those of us who could spare the time to work for change, and I'd like us all to think carefully before we pick up the needles. Knitting is a wonderful past-time, and it's not non-productive, but sometimes it is better to leave the needles lying in our work baskets, because there are other, more important things that we could be doing.

How Knitted are Thy Branches

Yes, that's a knitted Christmas tree, made by the members of Poulton-le-Flyde Methodist Church as well as other members of the same community in Lancashire, England.

The plan is to take the tree down after Christmas, and stitch the leaves into blankets, which can then be donated to charity.

Merry Christmas everyone!

What Not to Knit For the Holidays

Christmas sweaters always get such a bad rap. Bostinno.com has assembled a slideshow of holiday sweaters that will help you understand why.

The Materialistics: making material art in a material world

In 2011 a group of 40 women known as The Materialistics exhibited a collection of their art work called "The Grand Tour", at the Customs House in South Shields, England. "The Grand Tour" comprised 50 pieces of art work and it took The Materialistics a year to create them. What made this collection remarkable was the medium used to create these art works: they were not painted or sculpted, but knitted, crocheted, and embroidered. Through needlework, The Materialistics had recreated 50 well-known works of art in painstaking detail: Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe, Edvard Munch's The Scream, Vincent Van Gogh's Sunflowers, Pablo Picasso's Woman in Garden, Rembrandt's self-portrait, Dante Gabriel's Rosetti's Daydream, Gustav Klimt's The Kiss, and many more.

"The Grand Tour", which travelled to various venues in England for exhibition, was not the first nor the last of The Materialistics' exhibitions. Their first two were "A Coat for a Boat" in 2009 (which involved an actual boat covered in knitting) and "Victorian Christmas" (a full scale room including window, Christmas tree, and Santa by a fireplace all in victorian style) in 2010, and in 2012 their exhibition was a recreation of fairy tale characters and scenes entitled Once Upon a Time. Their current project, which is a work in progress, is called Home Sweet Home.

There's everything to love about The Materialistics and their work, but my favourite thing about The Grand Tour project is that no one who sees it can ever deny that needlework is as much, and as variable, an artistic medium as paint or clay or metal.

Oh, Deer

A reader named Karen (thanks Karen!) enlightened me as to the existence of a fornicating deer motif pattern on Ravelry. It was designed by Anne Rutten, and is available as a free download here. It has really added considerably to the joy of my holidays to see that, as of this writing, the motif has or is being used in 1380 projects on Ravelry. Most of the projects are hats, but there are also socks, scarves, and a few sweaters. Here are a few pictures.

I especially love that there are Christmas stars shining down over the deer in three of these.

If you don't celebrate Christmas but procreating animals are your thing, you might want to check out some of the other naughty animal motifs on Ravelry: there are cows (for the Black Angus farmer convention), kangaroos (for that trip to Australia), elephants (for that relative in Africa), penguins (for that expedition to the South Pole), bunnies (for Easter), and unicorns (for that friend of yours who really likes unicorns).

You Say Knitting, I Say Crochet, Let's Call the Whole Thing a Sweater

Holy Taco has put together a slideshow of 25 of the most disturbing knitting projects ever (do take care when and where you view this, as much of it is NSFW).

The slideshow is even more disturbing than the Holy Taco editors think, though not for the reasons they imagine, because I don't think there are more than nine actual knitting projects in that slideshow at the most. The other items are crocheted, or consist of just strands or skeins of yarn. This kind of thing is common, however. Whenever I do any googling involving the word "knitting", at least 20% of the search results items are crocheted.

Twist Collective's Winter 2012: A Review

Twist Collective is yet another online knitting magazine that I had never heard of before I launched this blog and that was a happy discovery. It's a thoroughly professional production, unlike some online-only magazines, which tend to have that start-up or grassroots look. Incidentally, if there's a knitting magazine you'd like me to review, flip me a link via email. Just keep in mind that the magazine will have to have a website and preview pictures for me to be able to do my thing.

Let's have a look at Twist Collective's Winter 2012 Issue.

It always amazes me how the simplest little touch, like the lace stitch used on the cowl and double pocket on this sweater, can make a very basic pattern look fresh and distinctive.

I'm not a fan of buttonless cardigans, but putting a belt tie on this one makes it look really pulled together in both the literal and the figurative sense.

When I saw this cardigan I was going to not include it because it didn't look like anything special, but when I looked at the close up shot I saw some interesting detail. I'd maybe make this one in a solid colour yarn because any variation in the colour will compete with the design.

Nice little pullover with some interesting detail. Though it looks like a summer sweater to me. Lengthening the sleeves and making it a richer colour would "winterize" it.

This very, very delicate wrap looks at first glance more like tatting than knitting, and could probably double as an evening shawl.

Great use of self-striping yarn. It adds complexity and sophistication to what would otherwise be a pretty standard fair isle hat and mittens set.

I have just two nitpicks to make about this cardigan: that it's wrap-front and that the mini shawl collar isn't quite working in front. I have my doubts about how both the front of the cardigan (see how the model is clutching it?) and the collar would sit (or rather, not sit) over the course of the day. Otherwise the sweater is beautiful and the back looks fantastic, although the collar is rolling up in the back.

Love these mittens. Twist Collective seems to be really good at picking colourwork hat and mitten patterns that look like they're intended for adults. Usually intarsia hats and mittens look like they're strictly recess wear.

Simple, pretty pullover with a bit of interesting detail.

Nice striking vest. You could put this with a plain white shirt and black trousers and it'll make your outfit.

Nice classic coat, if a little hard to wear because of its tendency to bulk up a woman's figure. Make sure you make it big enough, because this kind of textured stitch has a slightly elastic quality — you can see the button bands pulling a little apart on this model.

Oooh, love this cardigan. The pictures for the patterns in this grouping are all tagged with the word "vintage", and I can see why when I look at this one. This looks like one of the sophisticated, striking, detailed yet wearable pieces worn by 30s and 40s movies stars. My one criticism, which unfortunately is not a minor one, is that the neckline is so poorly designed. There's no way that sweater could be buttoned to the top without half-choking the model. If you want to buy this pattern and don't like feeling like your neckline is cutting into your neck, make sure you've got the skills to adjust that neckline. It's not going to be at all easy to do that without ruining the effect of the leaves around the yoke.

I don't know why this cardigan was included in such a good collection of designs. My guess is that the little buttonless opening at the waistband is supposed to echo the collar's design, but this isn't a collar you want to draw attention to, and the sweater just looks crude and unfinished.

I do really like this jacket, but again, the texture is going to give it bulk and a tendency to contract, so make sure you knit it big enough, because the button bands are pulling open on this model.

This one looks like the perfect around-the-house sweater, and it'll be quick and easy to make. You can go with a playful colour combination like this one here, or upgrade the look by choosing a more classic colour and style of buttons.

Nice cardigan! The stripes and cables pattern is smart, and I like the buttons that continue across the ends of the collar.

I'm not a fan of the Peruvian cap, which tend to look just too goofy on non-Peruvians over 30. In The Language of Clothes, Alison Lurie wrote something along the lines that inappropriate headgear tends to make people sillier than any other odd wardrobe choice, perhaps because it's so close to where they think. I included this for the sake of the yarn, which I love... ahhh, those rich blues and golds are in such wonderful harmony.

Perfect hoodie. It actually has full-length sleeves, which is rare in knitting patterns. Sometimes I wonder if there was a sleeve-length revolution that I missed out on.

I like the texture of this piece and it's striking and original, but I find myself wondering if it wouldn't work better as a throw on a couch in a very cool, modern, loft apartment than as a wrap for a woman. It doesn't help that we can't tell from these pictures whether it has any shaping at all.

I quite like this simple pullover that's been turned into something striking with the use of just a little detailing at the neckline, cuffs and hem, but the neckline is folding in half on the model, which doesn't bode well for how it may sit on you in real life.

There are some striking details on this cardigan that really make it look distinctive: the cable pattern at the one shoulder and opposite side, and the curving tops of the pockets.

I'm not a big fan of cardigans that only button at the top (very few women are all that comfortable with the feeling that their sweaters are acting as theatre curtains parting and leaving their stomach area centre stage), but this one is so beautiful otherwise that it'll do. The back, with its sideways cables, is really stunning, and it looks like the hood has some interesting detail as well.

Another pretty hat and mittens set.

I wasn't going to include this one until I noticed the cable detail at the waist. That might give the sweater some waist shaping, but it's impossible to tell from this picture if it does.

Mismatched socks wouldn't normally be my thing, but such is the power of really good design that these actually look eye-catching and fun without looking the least bit silly.

I love this sweater, which looks amazingly flattering and well-shaped for such a heavy knit, but, well, toggles. Some engraved steel buttons would have looked amazing on this item.

This hat and cowl set is only half successful. The hat looks great, and the cowl just looks too insubstantial to sit properly or to be warm. Judging from the cowls I've seen, they do need to have a certain bulk to them to look right. When the edges show, when they are just a single thickness of knitting sitting limply around someone's neck, they just look too wimpy to be up to the task of being a cowl. If you want to make something to go with a hat that's knitted in, say, a DK weight yarn or anything lighter (and this set is in Shalimar Yarns' Breathless, which is a fingering weight), make a scarf, not a cowl.