If you’re in or around NYC, come join us on July 15 for our first annual Christmas in July event. We’ll knit, we’ll talk, we’ll eat lunch and we’ll have the first ever Christmas at Sea Fashion Show. Be here to see which knits make the cut and which knits get cut.
Christmas in July
July 15, 2008
10:00am-2:00pm
241 Water Street
The fourth annual World Wide Knit in Public Day took place on Sunday, June 15, 2008. This world wide knitting event was started in 2005 by knitter Danielle Landes as a way for knitters to take pride in their knitting.
By knitting in public, either alone or with a group, at a park or in a coffee house, knitters will know that they are not alone because other knitters will be doing the same thing world-wide on the same day.
Danielle writes, "This is a way to help knitters feel good about their hobby, and maybe introduce more people to the craft."
Sit n Knit NYC organized New York’s WWKIP events. Knitters met, sat and knit in Central Park, telling the world "I like to knit!" Christmas at Sea was chosen as one of the service projects for Sit ‘n’Knit New York City’s WWKIP celebration, with attendees bringing handknit hats for mariners to the event. On behalf of the mariners who will receive these cozy and stylish hats this Christmas, Thanks Knitters!
Sit ‘n’ Knit New York City is a fantastic knitting group organized on Meetup. If you are a New York City knitter or crocheter and looking for some knit/crochet buddies, I can’t recommend this group enough. Organizer Ann Marie holds several events almost every week all around the city. Participation in this group requires registration and RSVP for each event, so if you are interested in joining the group–please visit the website and register.
I was not able to attend the WWKIP festivities (it was my younger sister’s wedding day!) But I metup with the group on June 25 for "Sit and Knit to Music" in Madison Square Park. I love this group and I hope to see you there sometime soon! Check out the pictures below–doesn’t it look fun?
What are you doing on your summer vacation?
My knitter friend Martha and I have been thinking about this l-o-n-g green season after Pentecost, and about how far away the mariners are from home… and how l-o-n-g they go without seeing loved ones. It can be a very lonely time.
So we started singing (via the internet and with apologies to the songwriter Hedy West) and came up with this:
a challenge to knit one hundred miles of yarn into scarves.
One hundred miles = 176,000 yards
176,000 yards = 587 scarves (~300 yards each)
So recruit your knitter friends, and get going on scarves (with matching hats, if so inclined) and let’s see if we can meet this challenge, mailing the scarves off by September 1st!
Here’s our version of the familiar old song:
If you miss the ship I’m on, you will know that I am gone
You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles,
a hundred miles, a hundred miles, a hundred miles, a hundred miles,
You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles.
Lord I’m one, Lord I’m two, Lord I’m three, Lord I’m four,
Lord I’m 500 miles from my home.
500 miles, 500 miles, 500 miles, 500 miles
Lord I’m five hundred miles from my home.
Not a shirt on my back, not a penny to my name
Lord I can’t go a-home this a-way
This a-away, this a-way, this a-way, this a-way,
Lord I can’t go a-home this a-way.
If you miss the ship I’m on you will know that I am gone
You can hear the whistle blow a hundred miles.
While you’re here, check out the progress meters–we’re doing great, but we’re not there yet…so please, keep knitting!!!
This is one of Christmas at Sea’s most frequently asked question, and I appreciate why.
Let’s take a look at the math:
A hat uses 3 ounces of yarn, a skein weighs 3.5 ounces, leaving a balll of leftover yarn weighing .5 ounces.
A scarf uses 5 ounces of wool, 2 skeins make up 7 ounces, which leaves 2 ounces of left over yarn.
A frugal knitter will want to use up those leftover bits of yarn, so what’s she to do?
STRIPES! Stripes are a great way to use up leftover balls of yarn, while adding a little design interest to your finished garment. Knitter Mary Evans Downs from South Dennis, Massachusetts, knits up the most charming vests, and incorporates all of her leftovers.
In years past, Christmas at Sea has asked that knitters use only one color in each garment.
Here is an example illustrating why this request has been made:
This scarf is knit neatly and evenly, but it is clearly made out of leftover scraps of yarn. As nicely as this item is knit, it will not be used. Our volunteers here will rip back and attempt to finish the scarf in all one color, or incorporating the beige and the red as stripes throughout the entire garment.
A little planninng can help you turn your leftover balls of yarn into attractive stripes and beautiful, dignified and personalized seafarer’s garments.
It was personal businesss, a graduation, that brought me to Saint Louis this May, but while I was there I stopped in to Laclede Oaks, a retirement community with a large and longstanding knit & crochet group. The coordinator of that program, Theresa, and the many women from the group gave me a lovely reception complete with cake, tea, coffee and of course, knitting. We posed for this picture together for their community newsletter and I just received my copy of it today. It was such fun to meet knitters and crocheters who have worked so faithfully for this program for so many years, and I know it was also special for them to put a face to my voice and name.
Let me know where you are, and I’d love to stop in and say hello when I’m in your neck of the woods (as long as you’ve got cake!)
Here’s a new challenge leading up to Pentecost 2008:
Knit one matching set of scarf and hat in red (or a yarn that includes red in the color) by May 11th, Pentecost Sunday.
Please share your pictures and I will post them here.
Ready?
Set.
PS Thanks to the Rev. Martha Berger in Wisconsin for this great knit along idea!
Christmas at Sea is hosting the New York City Ravelry Meetup!
April 10 6-9pm
Can’t wait to see everyone IRL
PS there will be cake. follow the link!
The snow is still covering the ground for St. Dunstan’s Parish in Madison, Wisconsin, but everything is coming up caps! These caps were Knit4Lent, collected and blessed on Easter Sunday. Isn’t this a great picture?
Wow!!!! The hats are pouring in! Today I’ve received more than 50 Knit4Lent packages and have gotten lots of messages that hats are on their way or will be sent later this week.
I have completed 8 hats, but I don’t plan to stop now. Knitting hats is a great way to take a break from a project that gets to be a little to tedious or complicated. And I always seem to take on projects that are too tedious and complicated! I’m hearing from other knitters and groups that they plan to continue knitting hats for Christmas at Sea throughout the year. On behalf of all the cold headed mariners we serve, THANK YOU!
These are hats knitted by a new Ravelry friend, Mary, a very talented and generous knitter. She knit a dozen hats for us and managed to use up a lot of stash yarn!
Another knitter is sending hats all the way from Germany. One knitter is using her handspun, and another incredibly prolific knitter only stopped after 22 hats!
Thanks to everyone who has participated, whether you knit 1 hat or 22!
Happy Easter!
Have you seen our Knit 4 Lent Gallery? Take a peek and see pictures of hats from all around the country. Please send in a picture of your hat to have it added to the gallery. Extra points for creative pictures. 
Happy stitching!
Jeanette
Pieces: 2,273 / 4,000 (57%)
Pieces: 6,447 / 17,000 (38%)
