There's some 50s song that sounds like the post-title. (OK, it's early and I'm having a bit of a brain cramp. Excuse my bizarre sense of humor.) What it really is, is the Mongolian word for warmth.
Well, that and a charity knitting project. The Dulaan Project is an effort to send tens of thousands of warm knitted garments to children in Mongolia. You can read more about it here: Mossy Cottage Knits. The general idea, though, is that Mongolian children face insanely cold winters and frequently have too litle to wear. Winter lasts from November to April, and the average temperature (the AVERAGE, mind you) is -13 degrees Fahrenheit. The infant mortality rate is 52 deaths per 1000 live births. In the United States it's on the order of 9 or 10, with wild disparity due to race and economic status.
So okay, those 52 babies don't all die because of exposure. The Mongolian embassy reports, in fact, that it's sanitation (or the lack thereof) that is responsible for most of the problem. But still... there are children living in the heating ducts that run under the city in Ulan Bator. This is just wrong. And if my knitting will help, then knit I shall. Besides, how can you NOT knit for the little sweetie in the picture; don't your fingers just ache to start knitting when you see her? Or.... maybe that's just me.
The idea is to make 5 children's garments by July, 2007. For heaven's sake, I can do that. I've just made two of the Cottage Creations Lillie sweater, for twin friends of mine. I can whip another one of those out in no time, just to get me started. I'll keep you posted as to my progress.
Anyone want to join me?
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