2. establish Needles to Say (32x32)

The idea behind Needles to Say has been germinating in my brain for a minute now and it's starting to actually sprout. My grandma taught me how to crochet when I was five years old and it didn't take (I was too busy dressing up as a gypsy and ruining my mother's makeup, dancing to Michael Jackson's Beat It, and being a general terror to the family cat, Rhoda, to really take to much). When I was social program coordinator in 2005 at the Clubhouse, I asked a friend of mine to come and teach the members how to knit; this is when it took. I haven't put down my needles since. In fact, I've picked up more needles, pins, and hooks since then to qualify as a crafty basterd. The reason I love this craft so much is that it makes something practical and necessary to keep people warm and let them know they're loved - all at the same time. It is effective AND efficient, what more could a wonk like me ask for?!



I've knit surgical masks, hats for homeless people, scarves for friends, socks for my god mother, sweaters for babies and a single adult-sized sweater (because that shit is difficult), a leg warmer for a friend who broke her ankle and was in a cast in the winter, a monstrous garden-needle blanket for my cat-sitter, baby blankets for Erin, Bobby, Harper, Cole, Julian, Lily, Daisy, Henry, Matilda, and Marc, baby hats for stillborns, dog sweaters that rarely fit, and headbands for Spaniards. I've made memory quilts for Jason, Kristina, Tiffany, Lee, and Judy; and hand-stitched quilts for Matt & Mart and Xy. The only things I kept for myself is a patchwork knit blanket from remnants of skeins and a hat that I knit for a guy which, uh, well, didn't get a chance to give it to him before we split (I thought it would send a mixed message, "I don't think this is working out... here's a parting gift I made for you." what the what?)

What I've noticed about knitting and knitters, is that we're inherently give-awayers. Whenever I've put up a post on freecycle for left over yarn, I always get an avalanche of fibre. When I teach people how to knit, they're always planning a project to make for a loved one. Even the poorest of the poor are thinking of what they can give. Clubhouse members were always knitting scarves and crocheting blankets for the homeless in the shelter a few blocks away; when Hurricane Katrina hit they held a food-drive to collect canned goods to take down to the DC Armory for the displaced families. The generosity of the meek is always the most humbling.

Another thing about knitting, it gets people talking. Swapping stories, sharing tribulations, learning from others' mistakes, passively acquiring communication skills, especially among women. Women used to sit around a table in a quilting hive, they used to be able to talk to each other and work cooperatively rather than competitively. Not to say that yarn is some sort of magic that eradicates defects of character; but because fiber crafts can take a while to complete it creates patience and almost requires a group to maintain itself longer in order to reach project goals. People can be catty, no doubt, but you can build trust in a group of givers and teach each other how to set boundaries and how to nudge salty people into sweetness in the most loving and compassionate way. I believe in the pervasive power of giving and how it can transform a being.

...and now I have to boil all of that down to a mission statement... ha!

BUT BUT BUT I do have an idea of how I would run the operation! Basically, a mix between Books for America and a bike co-op. Books for America is this tiny non-profit that this guy in Virginia started out of a storage unit in Clarendon. He collected donated books and distributed them among places that needed them. All kinds of books. I had a client who was an avid reader and if there was something that he needed to do but lacked motivation to do, I'd dangle a trip out to the storage locker as a reward for task completion (Everyone has their own incentive system). This organization grew so much so that it now has it's own store in Dupont Circle and it's legit! I'm thinking that I could collect donated yarn and teach people how to knit in exchange for the projects going to worthy causes like baby hats for stillborns, blankets for the homeless, sweaters for children, etc. I'll sell partial skeins of yarn, or donated fabric remnants, patches, whatever people donate. Maybe set up Spring Cleaning drives, International Yarn Bombing Day night-time graffiti event, knitting marathons, quilting classes paired up with the career center or DC rec centers... it'll be my Spring project once I'm done with fundraising for the triathlon.

AND I already set up a blog for it ... of course! http://www.twoneedlestosay.blogspot.com/

the next thing to do is to go down to Arlington County courthouse to see what I have to do to make this an official 501(c)3 so that when people donate yarn and materials that they can get a write off. I'll keep updating this, but I think establishing the blog makes it count for the 32x32 :)