knit and resist- the launch
February 17, 2017Pussyhats- what started off as a symbol for the Women's March on Washington in January has become a symbol of resistance for the policies of the current administration. I did not realize this at first. I knit three hats for marchers that were going to Washington. It was a way that I felt I could make something to be part of the movement. Crafting is a defining element in my life and I was excited to have an opportunity to make something that would be part of something so big.
I knit one hat for myself for a sister march in my community and made my first donation to the ACLU within a week of the march. What appealed to me as I have mentioned was that this was handmade- you either made one or you connected with a maker to get one. And yes the wordplay- it is more than just the clever interplay of "pussycat to pussyhat" for me it is a symbol to not let anyone forget the way in which our current POTUS used this term in a derogatory demeaning way. To remind through this symbol is power.
After the Women's marches it became evident that this was just the beginning, just a warm up of the activism that is going to be needed. I wanted to continue to make a difference through my making. So I mirrored what began in January with making some hats with one other element. I am entering my fifth year as a knitter and I have been on a big fiber journey trying to locate and source out yarns that match my desire to support local, support sustainable agriculture, and keep this in my knitting.
I drew most of my inspiration and research from a few different sources, The Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook, American Spun, and the great website and podcast Woolful. They continue to inspire me on my fiber journey.
The first hats I made were done with Brown Sheep Co. wool- I have admired their business model and multi generation family approach to their yarn company. I also like their color range and price points on their yarn. I was happy to make my first 4 hats from this yarn. Since then I started continuing my research with different yarn companies and decided to launch the Knit and Resist line.
It is pretty simple- once a month I will make a pink Pussyhat in a highly curated yarn and will donated the proceeds to an organization that I feel is helping resist and make a stand against the current administration and the policies that I feel do not honor who we are as Americans and humans. What do I mean by proceeds? That means that after the cost of the yarn and shipping all the profit will go to that charity/organization. All of my time knitting is pro bono- to make the hat. Because I love to play with wood and wool, each month I am also including a wood pussycat key fob because grassroots resistance is the key to change.
Each monthly feature I will also feature a picture snapshot of the making process as well so you can get a sense of how I work as a maker, where I carry my work and what I put into it. So that is the knitty gritty- and now I am excited to share the first Knit and Resist auction in the next post! Thanks for joining me!
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