Follow-up: Charity Knitting

A couple of months ago I wrote a review of Knitting for Peace, a book devoted to what is sometimes called "charity knitting." It amazes me that I still get commenters from latecomers who have just discovered that post. In fact, I got one just about two weeks ago, and it went like this:

I was disappointed by the negative and even spiteful comments about people who knit for charity. There's enough vileness in this world already without adding to it.
It's not about ego or "ugly yarn" it's about doing something to make the world a better place.

Indeed, most of the latecomer comments are in this vein, e.g.:

I never thought I would see the day that there would be some sort of "controversy" or argument over charity. Especially the comment about a friend (with good taste?) who recieved a prayer shawl and her saying she wonders what he did with the "acryllic wonder", wow, I would be ashamed of that comment. A lot of love and hope for wishing him well went into that shawl, and hopefully he came through all right, and came through with a sense of thankfulness that strangers were thinking good thoughts for him.

This is WHY we need a book like Knitting for Peace (charity, etc) because peoples hearts have become so guarded, jaded and self interested, that we NEED instruction books for being kind and giving humans. :(

I have to say that this perplexes me a bit. There seems to be a sentiment that simply because the topic of the book is "charitable," any objective review of the book, particularly any criticism, is mean-spirited, and, likewise, that since charity knitting is A Good Thing, any discussion that is not all hearts and sunshine and :)s is mean or cynical.

Does a knitter have to participate in knitting for others to be a nice person? Or is it possible to be a kind, giving person concerned for others who simply does not to wish to participate in knitting charities? Maybe you'd rather give money or do things for people who live in your own community, like work in a soup kitchen, rather than knit stuff to mail halfway across the world. Does that make your giving acts less "good"? Or maybe you have limited time to knit and feel you'd prefer to knit for yourself or your family and friends. Does that make you selfish? or just someone with limited time who prefers to knit for her/himself or her/his family and friends?

If you do choose to participate in knitting charities, isn't it entirely appropriate to keep your focus on the intended recipient of the knitted item? Isn't it possible to say "Yes, I like to participate in knitting for others but only where I know the item will be needed and useful"? If you knit lacy pink hats for The Ship's Project, when they tell you over and over again that they can't use lacy pink hats for the mostly-male recipients and the coordinator ends up throwing them in the trash, is the fact that you knit something for someone else all that counts? If you knit scarves patterned like the American flag, and some kid in Afghanistan might get shot for wearing it, is that okay because, well, beggars can't be choosers, or because we're all being "too politically correct" these days? And can't we discuss these issues without being accused of cynicism or "vileness" -- or without being judged harshly by those who like knitting for charities?

I guess what I'm trying to put my finger on is the narcissism that I sometimes (of course, not always) see in the context of knitting for others (not to mention the heavy-duty judgment being laid on those who don't believe such causes are worthwhile or who simply choose not to participate). Knitting what you want to knit rather than what is needed. Sending stuff to get rid of it, or because it isn't "nice enough" to give to someone you know. Ignoring the guidelines or requirements that the organization sets out because you assume everyone in the world thinks like you -- or because it makes you feel all rosy inside because you're Doing Something For Others. If you are going to participate in knitting for others, then oughtn't you do it right? Or is it still all sugar and spice and everything nice when fifty lacy pink berets end up in a trashcan?

No-Bull Book Review: Knitting for Peace

I have to confess that I wasn't quite sure what "knitting for peace" was before reading Knitting for Peace, by Betty Christiansen (Stewart Tabori & Chang). Was it making afghans with intarsia peace symbols? Knitting protest signs with slogans added in duplicate stitch? Was it simply a serene state of mind?

No, no and no. The knitting in Knitting for Peace is what most knitters I know call "charity knitting" -- knitting for groups that distribute the items to people who are in need of them. I suppose some people aren't crazy about the phrase "charity knitting," since "charity" seems to have developed a not-entirely-nice context, a ring of condescension or "let them eat cake Red Heart." Whatever the reason, this book chooses to call it "knitting for peace."

Now I know that there are knitters out there who just don't like the whole "knitting for charity/peace" movement. Some of them resist the notion that anyone who knits or crochets has some kind of moral obligation to craft for others, particular others they don't know. (Do stamp collectors have groups where they, um, donate stamps to charity? Do scrappers make homeless people albums so they can remember all the warm fuzzy times in the shelter?) Some don't mind the idea of knitting for charitable organizations but they dislike talking about it, feeling that good works are best done quietly and anonymously. Still others question the utility of such groups; "I'd be more inclined to knit for a charity," one knitter told me, "if I was sure the recipients really wanted the stuff they were given."* But obviously there are many other knitters who enjoy the fellowship that these groups provide, who get motivated by sharing patterns and talking with others and playing "show and tell" with finished items. So recognizing that people in the first three categories might not be interested in the subject matter of this book, and recognizing that people in the last category will, let's talk turkey.

My first impression of Knitting for Peace was how the size (about 8 1/2 inches square) and the feel of the binding reminded me of a photo album or journal. Probably this was deliberately done to evoke a rosy, intimate glow. The second thing I noticed -- and this is a very tough one to overcome -- is that from a typeface standpoint, Knitting for Peace is one of the most difficult knitting books I've ever tried to read. The print is, to put it bluntly, microscopic.



Check out that footnote: I defy anyone except Superman to read that sucker without a magnifying glass or the zoom function on their monitor. It makes the words on the penny look big.

Unfortunately, two stylistic choices make reading the teeny text even more challenging: the ink isn't black but rather a lighter shade of gray, and many of the pages are not white but are colored. (Heavens, do I mean "pages of color"?) I have decent vision and don't regularly wear glasses, but I struggled to read this book in the evening, sitting right next to a good reading lamp. This is a real shame, because I think a lot of readers are going to find the optometric strain an insurmountable challenge to this book.

On to content.

The first chapter of the book, called "Peace and War," is devoted to wartime knitting, beginning with an historical overview of American knitters contributing to various war efforts. The author then highlights several organizations whose knitting mission is loosely themed around war: organizations that provide knitted socks for soldiers stationed overseas, a woman who uses tiny knit sweaters to create an installation piece memorializing the number of American casualties in Iraq, even a group which stages knit-ins to protest globalization. The chapter ends with a pattern for a felted messenger bag; though it's a perfectly serviceable pattern, it seems a bit out of place since there isn't any logical connection between knitting a bag for oneself and knitting for peace (at least not that I could discern).

The second chapter is called "Knitting on Earth," and looks at organizations that try to benefit needy or impoverished citizens across the world. It was an interesting choice to include two knitting-related businesses, Peace Fleece and Lantern Moon, due to their outreach-oriented business philosophies. (Peace Fleece sells yarn that is made by blending American wool with Russian wool, as well buttons and knitting needles produced by overseas artisans. Lantern Moon seeks to provide economic opportunities for Vietnamese women and their families by selling handmade needles, baskets and other accessories.) In addition, organizations like Afghans for Afghans, which provides warm clothing for Afghani citizens, and RwandaKnits, which seeks to create economic opportunities for African women by teaching them knitting skills, are profiled. Patterns for an Afghans for Afghans approved vest and a pair of socks made from Peace Fleece are included, as well as contact information and requirements for these organizations.

"Peace at Home" profiles such diverse organizations as prison-knitting programs, knitting chemo caps, knitting for native american elders, prayer shawl ministries, knitting snuggles for shelter animals and knitting for the homeless. Appropriate patterns, e.g., a prayer shawl, an afghan, a chemo cap, are included.

The next chapter is "Peace for Kids" -- highlighting, you guessed it, organizations that benefit children, such as preemie knitting and Caps for Kids. You can see where this is going, I'm sure.

The last chapter is "Knit for Peace," and provides some tips for finding charitable knitting groups either via Internet or locally. A basic mitten pattern and rolled-brim cap pattern are provided in this chapter. And I am pleased to say that there is no how-to-knit section in this book (at last!).

This is a perfectly nice book, and it is devoted to a topic that is near and dear to many (but not all) knitter's hearts. It is very much designed to whet the knitter's appetite for charity knitting and to provide some basic tips for how to get started. That's fine as far as it goes. You wouldn't buy this book for the patterns (and I mean no disrespect to the author); the patterns presented are extremely basic and a quick internet search would yield you free versions (in some cases, identical versions) of them. While the historical background of charity knitting is interesting and nicely written, reading No Idle Hands and a few on-line or magazine articles about charity knitting would net you most of the same information. And when it comes to specifications for the charities themselves, a conscientious charity knitter would want to check the organization's website anyway, to make sure that (s)he is following the most up-to-date requirements for the group, in case needs change. Perhaps the best result of the book is that some worthwhile organizations will get some publicity and some donations to further their work. Is that enough to convince you to buy the book? You'll have to decide.



*A propos of this, I can tell you that some charitable groups who collect knitted and crocheted items are regularly given items that do not comply with their specified guidelines, like scores of lacy pink hats for (mostly male) soldiers, or lightweight cotton caps that won't help in an extremely cold climate where all-wool items are requested. To add insult to injury, the donors sometimes say things like "Well, beggars can't be choosers," or "they should be happy with anything we give them." Real charitable, huh?