Oct 03 2017 3 mins 7
Not a normal episode. It’s less than 36 hours since the horrific shootings in Las Vegas and as of last night I wasn’t going to record this week, I was going to put it off a week. My kindergartener just had his first lock-down drill at school and I don’t even know how what to say to him.
I’ve had that stunned, frozen, deer-in-the-headlights feeling since yesterday. Heck, for the last week or two what with everything that’s been happening in the world recently. I couldn’t sleep last night and sometime around 4am I remembered that Mr Rodgers meme that goes around after every tragedy, in times of trouble look for the helpers.
From the PBS website “Fred Rogers often told this story about when he was a boy and would see scary things on the news: “My mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers — so many caring people in this world.” “
I decided at 4am this morning that I am NOT going to sit here feeling helpless and afraid and frozen. I am going to help someone. I may not have a million dollars to donate to Puerto Rico or be able to drive to Vegas to donate blood, but I can knit a NICU baby a hat. I can donate blood here. I can make a knitted knocker for a breast cancer survivor. I CAN HELP.
And I want you to help, too. Today I’m starting a charity KAL and I want you to join me.
There is something you can do. BE A HELPER. Donate blood locally. Make a Knitted Knocker for a woman with breast cancer. Knit or weave a scarf or crochet a blanket for a homeless shelter. Knit a hat for refugees. Make a preemie hat for the local NICU. I don’t care what you do, just do something for someone else. Have another great charity idea? Wonderful! Share it in the Ravelry group in the chatter thread.
Go do something for your fellow humans.
Here are the knittiy gritty details: One entry per FO or photo proof of blood donation. Wips are fine. Double dipping in other KALs is fine. Knit, crochet or weave anything you want, just post a picture in the Finished Objects thread in my Knitting on The Run / Windswept Designs group on Ravelry and tell us what charity you are donating it to.
I’ve already got a gradient kit from Birdies Knits and a skein of silk from Ito Yarns as prizes, and Sarah from KnitWit Designs and CC from JavaPurl designs have graciously offered pattern prizes. I will list all the prizes in detail in my next episode.
Interested I donating a prize or know someone who might? PM me on Ravelry or Instagram, I’m WindsweptMonique on both.
Now go out there and do some good in this world.
