It's a small world after all.
Here's the story. Running errands/time in the car is my "catch up on podcasts" time. So today I was listening to last week's Cast On. (Pause for a reverential love-fest about Brenda Daynes. Okay... I'm over it.) She's delightfully interested in sharing the news of other podcasts, websites, and other people's projects. I usually listen with half an ear to that part of the podcast, because I have about a jillion projects already.
But this time a name, Sandi Caldrone, caught my attention. Sandi was part of my knitting circle for a while. She caught my eye the first time I met her because she was wearing a Knitters Against Bush t-shirt. A knitter, a feminist, and a do-gooder.... clearly Sandi and her friends were a delight to me. Unfortunately, they graduated and moved away -to Japan, last I heard. But Sandi's still at it, apparently.
Through Brenda, she encourages us to knit blankets for Cast On for Kenya. The blankets are donated to HIV-positive children in Nairobi. They're a way to keep underweight and feverish children warm, but also a tangible sign that the children are not forgotten. Someone cares.
And even beyond that, Brenda and Sandi (and Marissa, who seems to be involved and is also from DeKalb) want to explore how knitters' circles really can be about changing the world. It's not just the knitting. It's the consciousness raising and the careful and respectful engagement with sometimes difficult issues. It's the statement that something slowly and carefully home-made is not just "as good as store bought" but quite a bit better, thank you very much. It's the belief that we don't have to participate in the Gross Domestic Product to make a difference.
So, go raid your stash and make a baby blanket. Tell Sandi and Marissa I sent you ;) It's a small world.
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