March 11, 2011 marks a catastrophic day in history. Japan was hit with a 9.0 earthquake and again by a resulting tsunami. A freak incident of nature. And later it was hit with a freak incident of technology when a nuclear reactor malfunctioned. Never would I have imagined that a country as prepared as Japan would be so devastated by the forces of nature and humanity.
I was profoundly affected. There have been numerous natural disasters around the world that have left me feeling helpless and devastated, but not quite like this one. What if…what if I could somehow raise a bit of money to help those affected by the earthquake and tsunami? What could I do, here in my comfortable home, thousands of kilometres away? As many crafters out there know, one way to contribute is to craft.
I remembered coming across a beautiful knitted bangle pattern by Mags Kandis via Knitting Daily. And knew that it was the perfect item to knit and sell. So I started to knit. And I knit. And knit. I recall thinking to myself, “If I could sell 10 and raise $100, that would be great.” In the grand scheme of things, I knew that my contribution would be a mere drop in the bucket. But for me it was cathartic: it was a way for me to deal with the tragedy of the many lives so helplessly affected by the craziness of both nature and of mankind. It was also an opportunity to demonstrate to my child and the community that we live in that we can all help in our own ways, be it little or big.
My Bangles for Japan project was met with hugely positive response and support. Thank you so much to all those who cheered me through my efforts or bought bangles. I encourage all to help out a cause you feel worthy, and do as little or as much as you can. It makes a difference.
I’m happy to report that I was able to raise over $600 for the Canadian Red Cross Japan Earthquake Relief. Never would I have imagined.
And I *still* have yarn in my stash.
This scarf is finally done!! I cast on in April, knit 2/3 of it and put it aside to knit something summery. I couldn’t allow myself to cast on anything new until this was complete and now it is!
I absolutely love the texture and rhythm of the fabric. The texture would probably pop more if I used a less fuzzy yarn but I wanted it ultra-cozy. Basically it was an easy knit…all knit or purl but it took forever since I had to follow the chart for each and every row.
-Rowan felted tweed (blue for my dad, brown for Roland)
