Craftivism

A few weeks ago, friend of the shop Edwina was heartbroken over the detainment of children at the border. Someone said to her with a shrug "well, what are you gonna do about it?"

Lesson: never challenge a maker.

​Edwina decided she would do what she could. She would use her heart and her hands to do something for immigrant children in Texas, and children in need here in Syracuse. 
On Sunday, she and nearly 20 other makers took over KGY to start sewing stuffed teddy bears for children coming out of detention centers in Texas. In about 5 hours, they created nearly 100 of these adorable little stuffies, each with a message attached.

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I'm constantly reminded of the giving nature of makers, and how we use our hands to show love. We make blankets for new babies entering the world, prayer shawls and chemo caps for unwell friends. Clothing for husbands, girlfriends, grandkids and parents living near and far. We put an incredible amount of time, love energy (and money) into gifts for people we love, when we it would be easier, faster and cheaper to buy a sweater for $19.95 at TJMaxx. But we do it because we are makers. On the rare occasion we make things for ourselves, we refer to it as "selfish knitting." 

And Edwina and her crew aren't the only ones:

• Anne is teaching free knitting classes at the Central Library.
• Chris makes baby blankets for newborns at Galisano Children's Hospital.
• Ellen is leading Loopy Lunches on Tuesdays at Wildflowers downtown to make squares for blankets to give the homeless (and will also teach anyone who doesn't know and wants to join in).
• Sarah is teaching elementary school kids to knit between class periods.

I know this only scratches the surface of the charity knitting and crafting happening in our community. 

And we want to help.

If you have stashed yarn you're never going to use (maybe you'll never use the color, maybe you hate the content, maybe it was left to you and you never would have purchased it yourself) and are looking for a way to dispose of it, we are happy to accept donations. Acrylic from the 80's is great for industrial laundry systems. Your grandma's needles may not be what you want to work with anymore, but to a new knitter, they're gold.

If you are doing charity knitting, teaching free public classes, or any other version of fibery giving-back, I invite you to come in and pick up some donated skeins. These skeins and needles were donated to us, and we would love to see them go to a good cause.

Taking us up on this offer? Show us how! Knitting is so often a private endeavor, it's important that we show the world who and what we are as crafters. I want to celebrate all the knitters and crocheter's giving back to the community. Email me pictures, tag the shop on social media, but please share. It's not bragging, its celebrating.
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-Kerry