Pussyhats- 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!