knitting for good!

What Makes You Happy.

| betsy

Reading about the kindness of the Bea and Keith Krokes makes me happy.

His selection of television to watch when knitting for good is especially endearing: “Lawrence Welk, you don’t have to look up too much for that,” he says. But “This Old House” and “Antiques Roadshow” present more of a distraction.”

And speaking of knitting for good, I’m about to start working on a few scarves for a local drive that’s collecting scarves for Veteran’s Day for Knit Your Bit, an initiative of the National World War II Museum.

This weekend I’m going to compile a big ol’ list of knitting for good inspirations to have you thinking about whipping up a few donations sometime soon. My first scarf for Knit Your Bit is going to be done gray wool (exact yarn to be determined later today) with an off-center cable. What about you? Have any lovely wool kicking around that would make a cozy scarf?

Other things that have been making me happy lately:
*Zoo Atlanta Panda Cam: Enough said.
*Free Farm Stand: Agriculture Awesomeness
*What’s Writing Like for You?: Writers on Writing
*Metric’s album “Fantasies”: Best for summer driving!
*Craftig (Craft is Good): Social Networking for Crafters
*Not Your Grandma’s Needlepoint: Lovely not-so-normal needlepoint.

It’s the Thrill Of the Fight.

| Betsy

Growing up in the 80s, there was a lot talk about Rocky Balboa. My dad still breaks into song sometimes and sings Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger.” (No, really. Still.) One year we went to Philadelphia to visit my aunt, and we ran up the Rocky Steps and did this:

I know you weren’t there to see this historic Greer family moment, but let me tell you, we were one excited family once we got to the top. It was the mid-80s and “Rocky” was the coolest dude ever, so it was awesome. Actually, if I was in Philadelphia right now, I’d probably run up the stairs and jump around with my hands in the air, too.

Anyway, a friend of mine once noted that she had this quote (from the original “Rocky” film) on her refrigerator:

Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It’s a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done. Now, if you know what you’re worth, then go out and get what you’re worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hit.

It’s been on my mind this evening, well, the “moving forward” part, not the “hit” part. Sometimes the easiest of things, like moving forward, seems like the most difficult to keep in mind. And now, as luck would have it, I’m singing “Eye of the Tiger,” too. Maybe I should take a victory run up my townhouse stairs before I go to sleep?

Thanks to all the super wonderful people that came out last night to the Barnes & Noble in Cary to hear me talk! Wow! You ladies were so awesome! I was so happy that there was someone on hand to talk about Project Linus, too! I already have Make-a-Blanket Day on my calendar for February 22 at Marbles Kids Museum!

And thanks, too, to the people who listened to my interview on The State of Things yesterday! (If you missed it, you can listen to me here. Right before I was interviewed, Laila El-Haddad was on talking about Gaza, which is definitely worth a listen.

Merry. Merry.

| Betsy

Today was going to be one of those days where I really crossed things off my to-do list. Then I was called last minute to work for someone who’s home sick.

This morning I got most of my list done as I rushed around town and dropped things off, picked things up, sat at the mechanics and wondered if my “holiday list” is ever going to get finished before Christmas.

So instead of writing about some lovely people who knit jumpers for chickens who’ve been in battery farms, I shall post this for now. It’s the story of one lucky chicken, although she’s not the only hen to be given the gift of the handmade this year:

The video is from a tiny little blurb in The Daily Telegraph. I can’t believe I’m just seeing chicken sweatery goodness now and not when it first came out, but it’s still wonderful nonetheless.

Oh, and if you are stressed out by the holidays, I wrote a few crafty holiday mantras and give you permission to relax over here.

TODAY!

| Betsy

So I used caps up top because, this is a BIG announcement… the book that I have been working on for the last year and a half is out in the United States TODAY!

The book is about how you can use your knitting (or your creativity) to help yourself, your community and your world. It was so wonderful to have the chance to write it, and can’t believe it’s finally out! You can see more information here.

I couldn’t have done this without the help of the kind people at Shambhala, and everyone who contributed something to the book:

Patterns:
Katie Aaberg, Li Boesen, Janice Bye, Naomi Johnstone, Aneeta Patel, Fawn Pea, Linda Permann, Judith Shangold, Kelly Wooten

Pattern Illustrations:
Joy Gosney

Sidebars:
Sage Adderley, Susan Beal, Kate Bingaman-Burt, Heather Cameron, Cinnamon Cooper, Cathy de la Cruz, Donna Druchunas, Rayna Fahey, Kari Falk, Felicity (Felix) Ford, Sally Fort, (Sister Diane) Gilleland, Bryant Holsenbeck, Faythe Levine, Cat Mazza, Valerie Soles, Wendy Tremayne, Otto von Busch

Thank you all for all of your hard work, and for believing in the power in the handmade.

knitting for good!

| Betsy

So, yes, I wrote a book that will be out in a mere 5 days! And yes, this book is called Knitting for Good!

But this is not the time to talk about what I’ve done, it’s the time to talk about just a few of the many knitters who inspire me each and every day.

Last week, the Saddleworth Salvation Army Thrift Shop in South Australia celebrated the collection of over 10,000 knitted items during the past 18 months. The photo above shows some of the knitters wearing some of the donations. The quote below was taken directly from the article which pretty much encompasses why I believe that knitting can (and should) be used for the greater good.

“At Bramwell House (supported accommodation for women) a woman and her four children who had left everything they owned behind, they received a very large knitted blanket among the goods they were given. It was made in lots of different colours a

Just a few of the other knitters recently in the news for their knitting and their giving:
*The CareWear project in New Castle County, Delaware
*A lovely group of knitters in New Bedford, Massachusetts
*Knitters in Truro who aim to cover Afghanistan like a blanket
*The Knit Wits of St. Edward’s Episcopal Church in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
*The Baby Blankies Makers of the Seabrook active-adult community in New Jersey

What are you doing with your two hands at this moment? (When you’re not online, that is.) Do you have any idle time? Could you be using that time to make someone’s day better? This someone doesn’t have to be a stranger, even. This someone just needs to be a someone who may just need a little extra love, attention, care, pat on the back or hug. This someone needs to be a someone who could use a little hope or joy or comfort.

If you know someone who fits the bill and have some idle time on your hands, you could be helping them the next time you’re waiting for an appointment, watching television, riding public transportation, or in line at the bank. We all think we have no idle time, but if we really look, it’s always there. Waiting to be filled by kindness. I’m not suggesting that you need to be spending all of your spare seconds altruistically, I’m just suggesting that maybe some of them could be more wisely spent.

Knitting for good (the construct) not necessarily the book, is about looking beyond ourselves and the little bubbles we’ve created with our lives. The knitters noted above are examples of that quiet kindness that always exists in us always. Quiet kindness is in the tiny actions like a smile to a stranger, letting cars in front of you in traffic, telling someone they have toilet paper on their shoe. Teeny tiny actions that are rooted in infinite kindness. It’s there, I promise, all you have to do is look.