May 2005

---

Welcome!

Welcome to my new blog, Knitting for Change. Scroll down and you'll find this month's postings:

• Discussion: Building a Knitting Community. Knitters have a unique chance to build community and foster collaboration and friendship through our craft. This essay looks into the possibilities for using our needles and yarn toward those goals.
• Knitting Lesson 1: The Knit Stitch. In this lesson you will learn how to get stitches on the needles, knit garter stitch, and bind off the stitches when you are finished. This is all you need to make this month's projects.
• Pattern: Garter Stitch Scarf and Origami Hat. This scarf and hat set is easy enough for brand new knitters, and the selection of yarns I've used will let knitters of all skill levels enjoy the feeling of the fibers flowing as the simple, meditative stitch progresses.
• Links: Ideas for Charity Knitting. Every month I will post a few links to interesting sites to give you ideas for how you can knit for change. This month, I've included some national and international sites that accept donations of hand-knit items.

I'm working on an intarsia felted purse for next month, to give advanced knitters something more challenging to work on while those of you who are new knitters finish up your scarves and hats.

I hope you enjoy the site. Feel free to share the patterns, lessons, and other materials with others. You may hand out printed versions if you have a knitting circle, but please include my name and web address on the copies.

Enjoy!

Donna Druchunas

---

New Online Knitting Circle

In the wake of a bitter presidential election, it can be hard to remember that there are many things all Americans agree about, and many ways we can work together to make this world a better place. When I heard the results of the election, I felt completely drained. Writing letters to my representatives, sending money to activist organizations, and even volunteering to help in local campaigns had left me feeling helpless and weak. The more I thought about the events of the past four years, the more desperate I became to find something positive that I could do.

Surprisingly, it was an article in the Fall 2004 issue of Vogue Knitting that renewed my energy and gave me an idea. The article described knitters making peace-sign arm bands to wear at rallies, members of Codepink knitting a giant banner to display on International Women’s Day, and a woman in New York City knitting red worms to promote composting. This is something I could relate to, because I have been knitting since I was a child. I was inspired to start an online knitting circle dedicated to the ideas of

building community,

fostering discussion,

and promoting peace.

I posted the idea on several local yahoo groups to see if there would be any interest. The response has been overwhelming. Both experienced knitters and those wanting to learn have written to me to let me know they are interested and excited about the idea. As a result, this blog, “Knitting for Change,” was born. Each month I will post a free knitting lesson, a free pattern, links to organizations accepting donations of hand-knit items, and a short essay to spur discussion.

I hope this site will be visited by knitters of many different backgrounds and viewpoints so we can have an open and honest dialog. As knitters, we have a unique opportunity to join together in our communities to make small changes that can have large repercussions in our nation and beyond our borders. One stitch at a time, we can build bridges that bind us together instead of allowing our differences to tear us apart.

A few days after the election, I told a friend, “I am frustrated that ‘what little I can do’ won't make any difference.” She replied, “I also get frustrated, but I think that grains of sand ultimately make mountains (under a bit of heat and pressure). I can be a grain of sand. I can maybe be a few grains of sand.” Please pick up your knitting needles and join me in being a grain of sand!

---

Lesson: Learn to Knit

Lesson: Learn to Knit

Garter stitch is the easiest stitch in knitting. In this lesson, you’ll learn everything you need to know to make a garter stitch scarf and hat.

Holding the Yarn and Needles

There are many ways to hold the yarn and needles in knitting, but the Continental method is the one I prefer. It works well for both right- and left-handed knitters.

Hold the working yarn (the yarn attached to the ball) in your left hand. To control the tension, wrap the yarn around your index finger several times. Drop a wrap from your finger whenever you need more yarn to complete a stitch.

Casting On

The backwards-loop cast on is the easiest way to get stitches onto the needles for new knitters.

1. Make a loop with your thumb.

2. Insert the needle into the loop, remove your thumb, and pull the loop gently so it tightens around the needle.

For practice, cast on about 24 stitches.

The Knit Stitch

Now that you have stitches on a needle, you can begin knitting.

1. Hold the needle with the stitches in your left hand and the empty needle in your right hand. With the working yarn in back of the left needle, insert the right needle under the left needle and into the first stitch from front to back.

2. Move the tip of the right needle behind the working yarn from right to left, then bring it to the front again to catch the yarn.

3. Pull the yarn through the loop on the left needle.

4. Drop the old stitch from the left needle.

5. You now have one new stitch on the right needle. Repeat until all of the stitches are on the right needle.

6. Turn to start a new row. Put the full needle in your left hand and the empty needle in your right. Make sure to bring the working yarn under the needle to the back as you start each new row. If you bring the yarn over the needle to the back, you may accidentally add an extra stitch.

For practice, knit until your swatch is about 4 inches long.

Binding Off

When you’re finished knitting, you need to bind off the last row of stitches.

The decrease bind off is worked two stitches at a time, with each stitch being put back on the left needle after it is knit. Make sure to work the bind off row loosely. Use larger needles if necessary.

1. Knit two stitches together: insert the needle through two loops on the left hand needle at once, and work them together as one stitch.

2. Move the new stitch on the right needle back onto the left needle.

3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 until there is only one loop left on the needle.

Cut the working yarn from the ball, leaving a few inches for weaving in. Take the last loop off of the needle, and pull the end of the yarn through the loop. Tug gently to tighten.

Congratulations! With what youv'e learend. you can make the Garter Stitch Scarf and Origami Hat.

---

Pattern: Garter Stitch Scarves and Origami Hat

This easy scarf and hat set makes a perfect gift for someone homeless, or anyone needing an extra bit of warmth on a cold winter day. For washability, the black and multi-colored scarf is made out of a machine washable wool/acrylic blend. For an extra bit of luxury, perhaps to brighten the day of a young mother in a women's shelter, the burgundy scarf is made of soft baby alpaca. The mohair yarn comes in a large skein, so you can make a scarf and a hat with just one skein.

Materials

1 ball of any bulky-weight yarn with at least 110 yards. I used:

Burgundy scarf
Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande
100% Superfine Baby Alpaca
3 sts = 1"/US 10 1/2 and US 8 needles
110 yds/100g ball

Black variegated scarf
Plymouth Encore Chunky Colorspun
75% Acrylic, 25% Wool
3 1/2 sts = 1"/US 10 needles
143 yds/100g ball

Green mohair scarf and origami hat
Plymouth Outback Mohair
70% Mohair, 26% Wool, 4% Nylon
3 1/2 sts = 1"/US 10 needles
218 yds/100g skein

Instructions

Garter Stitch Scarf

Cast on 48 sts.

Knit every row until scarf measures 48" or approx 2 yards of yarn remain.
Note: For the burgundy scarf, use one needle of each size.

Bind off and weave in ends.

Origami Hat

For the hat, in addition to the size 10 needles you used for the scarf, you also need a pair of size 8 needles for the brim. The hat is made from the bottom up.

Brim: Cast on 50 sts with smaller needles. Knit every row until piece measures 1 1/2". Change to larger needles.

Body of hat: Continue knitting until piece measures 13". Bind off.

Sew back seam. Sew top seam. Fold points at ends of top seam to the center and sew them down to the center of the hat. Weave in ends and fold up brim.

---

Sharing Your Knitting

If you're new to charity and activist knitting, here are some ideas for finding welcoming homes for your hand-knit gifts.

Your local yarn shop may have a charity knitting group or work with local charities. If you can't find anything in your area, check out these national and international organizations:

• Afghans for Afghans. A humanitarian and educational people-to-people project that sends hand-knit and crocheted blankets and garments to the beleaguered people of Afghanistan.
• Craftism: Because Craft is Political. A knitting blog with a huge list of resources for charity and activist knitting.
• Revolutionary Knitting Circle. A Canadian group using knitting as a peaceful demonstration against corporate greed and to try to increase social justice and the health of the environment.
• Project Linus. A non-profit organization that provides hand-made blankets and quilts to children of all ages in need.
• Warming Families. A group serving the needs of the homeless and displaced by donating blankets and other warm items to shelters.
• City Worm. An inspiring site about using knitting to promote awareness about the environment.

Each month, I will post new links and profile one oustanding knitting activist or charity knitting organization. If you have anyone to nominate, please let me know by adding your nominee to the comments page. Please include your email address so I can contact you with follow-up questions.