Project Craftivism

See the finished project “Container Love”, which brought a little cheer to Christchurch, NZ, earthquake victims.

Use your crafty skills for good!

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” –Theodore Roosevelt

“Wool isn’t quite as natural as the industry would have us believe.”

Please choose cruelty-free: plant-based and/or synthetics. If you are concerned about the environment, choose recycled or organic plant threads. There are so many alternatives out there that don’t require the abuse of these beings. This abuse is not limited to sheep. That’s why I *choose* to knit vegan in all my projects. What’s your choice?

Yes, I do knit and make other crafty things :D Unfortunately, my arm is still not doing 100%. I’m not allowed to do much with it under doctor’s orders, booooo!! As a result, I don’t have many projects to share, but I still plan on finishing all the aforementioned projects in my previous posts. I hope you will join me.

Remember you can always submit project, ideas, questions, etc to this blog. They are very welcome.

In the mean time, here’s the nifty vegan knitting video (Sh*t Vegan Knitters Say) I made last weekend once again (in case you missed it!). If you like it, give it some love! Thanks to this video, I have realized there are still many myths, misconceptions, and misinformation re: veganism and why a vegan does not knit with animal fur (wool) or silk, for example. If you have any questions on this topic, feel free to drop me a line.

Happy weekend knitting! :)

Sh*t Vegan Knitters Say

…coz vegans knit too, but we do it cruelty-free!

hehe, this is what I was working on the last few days…

Hope you enjoy!!

In my craftivist knitting adventures, the comment that I’ve heard most is, “I don’t have an issue with using wool, it’s more environmentally-friendly that using soy yarn, for example.” However, is this really true? Many times, the fact is that rearing, raising, keeping, feeding, transporting, slaughtering, and ultimate processing of livestock and other animals exploited and abused for their fur has quite an environmental impact in itself.

The above video provides examples of eco-friendly vegan alternatives for those that *choose* to forgo the animal fur and silk in their projects with environmental consciousness. Know of any others? Please share…

Except it is categorized as sprayed graffiti…(see article link).

Is it the same for other countries?

BTW, looking for craftivists and/or charity knitters in Switzerland. If any happen to come by this blog, get in touch :D

I’m still not 100% sure how I feel about “yarnbombing.”  In truth, i’m not overly excited about it. I guess some things that put me off about it is that I’ve seen posts with “yarn ornaments” made from things like plastic garbage bags. A big concern for me is the use of non-biodegradable fibers being left to add to the degradation of our already suffering environment and wildlife via pollution. If you are using natural fibers, are they plant based? Or did they come from the fur of an animal? If so, have you stopped to consider the fact that chances are that non-human animal was abused, kept captive for the entirety of their short life, and exploited for money? I choose to not use fur in my projects, but can anyone really justify wasting this blood stained fur (animal wool = fur) merely to hang around a bike rack? I certainly would not be able to. Click here and here for more info on this cruel industry. Oh, and here if you want to see how they treat rabbits (angoras) when they rip their fur off their bodies. And yes, there are SO many alternatives just as beautiful and cruelty-free….Anyway…

My other concern is the fact that people have started covering trees in yarn. As a fellow tumblr blogger posted, there’s no reason to cover trees or any other natural structures. In their own rights, they are already beatiful. However, from an enviromental aspect, doing this just is not healthy for the tree nor the plants and animals that depend on these trees for their survival. For example, did you know there are moths and other ecologically important insects that depend on the color of bark to blend in and hide from their predators? What about birds whose tiny, fragile legs can get caught in the yarn? Or what about all the other wildlife that make their homes on that tree? Then, there’s the tree itself, some trees drop new “shoots” from the trunk but this may be inhibited by the yarn or air plants that grow on some trees/tree trunks maybe be prevented from taking root, which would affect the plant itself and all the wildlife dependent on them (seriosuly, everything is connected!). Then there’s the growth of the tree itself - how tight is that yarn? I can keep listing reasons, but I am sure you get the picture. In essence, adding non-natural things into a natural environment, where they do not exist, is bound to f*ck up some natural process or interaction.

My next concern is feeling like I am wasting perfectly good yarn that could have been made into something for someone in need (whether human or non-human). Now, I am trying to keep an open mind about it, and even looked through some yarn bombing books, but found myself less than inspired when one of the books described the point of “yarnbombing” as a way to keep your hands busy, allows you to creating other than clothes, it’s portable, allows for little planning, etc….these are hardly reasons that excite me to take part in yarnbombing when there are so many other projects that fit into the same category, and I can justify.

I DO like the idea of making something lackluster into something bright and bringing a smile into someone’s face by surprising them with a little bit of color and cheer. I did see a project where they created little knitted pockets filled with hardy plants and hung them around the city in very ugly areas. However, I still feel a bit of concern over the above listed reasons.

I can also see it as a means of making a political statement though, but so far, I have not seen any yarnbombing other than around bike racks, etc….

SO, i’m asking you guys….do you “yarnbomb”, why, and how is this changing the world? If you coud inspire me to take part in it, what would you say to me? I’m looking for your opinions…

All this typed up with one good arm..boooyaaaaah ;P

Knitting Behind Bars is such a great project!

I find it really inspiring that this lady decided to approach jails and propose this project to bring/teach peace, relaxation, patience, etc. to men serving time in jail. Talk about reaching out to an individual and creating change in your community!

Here’s the KBB blog: http://knittingbehindbars.blogspot.com

They are also on Facebook, here.

I’ve encountered a few individuals that insist that making things for people in need makes no difference, doesn’t change anything, or help anyone. They tell me that donating sums of money does.

Well, I (still) beg to differ. I received the following letter from the shelter where I donated the knitted and crocheted items I collected last fall for a homeless project drive. I donated all the items to my local shelter. I’m sharing because I want to make sure that everyone involved reads it and also, to hopefully inspire you…

Donating sums of money is perfectly valid for some, but it is also valid to reach out to the forgotten individuals in our community and let them know we care through our craft.

Even though it may be a small gesture, individuals are touched through the fact that someone out there cared enough to try to help them/make them something without expecting anything in return.

January 29th, 2012, Switzerland (they speak French in this region; I want to point out that a Gentleman also took part in this project, so please ignore the “ladies” bit! I didn’t want to (and did not) edit the letter at all…)

“It is of all my heart that I wish to express you my gratitude for all the beautiful socks, hat which you knit for the persons of Marmotte.

On December 24th, during our Christmas celebration, the “Father Christmas” came to distribute to each of the users on of your Knitting. The users were extremely happy to be able to choose the Knitting they wanted. They were also very touched that we knit them clothes since the United States, Canada and Switzerland.

Ladies, I am very touched by your movement, which testifies of your spirit of solidarity to the most deprived and the trust that you have to the Salvation Army.

By your support, you contribute to the improvement of the everyday life of the persons who stay in our shelter.

While repeating my thanks, I send to you, Ladies my kind regards and a happy New Year 2012.”