The Knit Before Christmas

SCI’s President & Executive Director, the Rev. David Rider, visited Christ Church, Ridgewood, NJ on Sunday, September 27 to lead the adult forum, preach and receive nearly 400 knitted scarves, caps and vests for this year’s Christmas at Sea outreach to seafarers.

At the adult forum, Fr. Rider discussed Church missionary societies in the 1830s, including SCI’s origins on the docks of lower Manhattan.  He quickly fast-forwarded to today’s ministry of ship visiting and a hospitality center in Port Newark, along with SCI’s justice and advocacy work via its Center for Seafarers’ Rights (CSR).  Parishioners had many questions about the current upsurge in piracy hijackings, and Fr. Rider explained CSR’s initiative to promote guidelines for the medical and mental health evaluation of merchant mariners and their families during and after piracy events.  “On its best days,” Fr. Rider said, “the Church does everything to promote human freedom and dignity.  When that cannot happen, the Church works tirelessly to minimize human suffering and promote reconciliation.”

After Fr. Rider preached at the 10:15 service Christ Church’s rector, the Rev. S. Elizabeth Searle, thanked volunteers for their labors of love.  She blessed the colorful knitted gifts that beautifully surrounded the church’s pulpit, also asking God’s protection on all who would wear them in the cold months ahead.  Fr. Rider expressed appreciation, too, and promised parishioners that the gifts would quickly find their way into Christmas boxes bound for Port Newark.

This year, some 40 Christ Church knitters have created 670 knitted objects, about half of which were sent to SCI over the summer.  The knitters gather regularly on Saturdays, including parishioners and neighbors of all ages.  All agreed that knitting creates a wonderful sense of internal community while serving those beyond themselves.  Recently, the group did the math and estimated that 670 gifts represent more than 5 million stitches.  Talk about a labor of love!

Each year, 4000 SCI volunteers around the country knit and pack gifts for more 17,000 mariners in Port Newark and the inland river system.  This year, SCI will include gifts at its new International Maritime Center in Oakland CA, too.  If your church or community service group would like to join Christmas at Sea, contact Jeanette DeVita at this blog.

Hi everyone!

Most of our donations come in during late fall, but you can help our program a lot by shipping early and continuing to knit and collect through fall and early winter.
We published 2 new scarf patterns in our newsletter; take a peak–maybe you’ll be inspired to knit a few extra items this summer. These patterns are for colorful striped scarves made with leftover yarn. Perfect for all of those little leftover bits in the bottom of the knitting basket.
Right now our greatest demand is for hats and mariners scarves, but most important is that you enjoy what you are knitting–so pick a pattern you like and cast on!

Are you in our ravelry group? Visit: http://www.ravelry.com/groups/christmas-at-sea
Have a great day!

Many of you have asked how we can care for the victims of piracy. Aside from continuing to pray for all mariners and especially those at risk…what else can we as individuals really do?

SCI has crafted an open letter to governments, international organizations and the overall maritime industry requesting that attention be given to the victims of piracy and their families. SCI has been working for years to orevent and supress piracy and that work will continue, but this petition focuses attention on the real human lives that are affected by this violence.

Please read the whole story on our website and sign the petition here.

Each year our handknit gifts are distributed by chaplains working in Port Newark NJ, Port of Houston, and all along our inland waterways. They are so lucky to hear and see the reactions of the mariners who receive these gifts…don’t you think so? I’ve asked Chaplain Marge Lindstrom to share some of her 2008 stories with us…so we can feel a little bit of what it’s like to be there with them and to know what our gifts really mean to those who receive them.

Last January I finally caught up with one of the Horizon ships, an American ship that traveled between Puerto Rico and U.S…. It was the first week in January, and we were catching up with ships that we had missed earlier.  At any rate, I brought two and a half boxes of CAS to the gangway, and one of the deck hands helped bring the boxes up.  The Chief Officer was waiting for me at the top of the gangway, greeted me and said, “Seamen’s Church!  It is always a pleasure to welcome you  on board.  Are those Christmas presents for us?”  I said yes, and apologized for not getting them on board before Christmas.  The C/O smiled broadly, and said, “Oh, that doesn’t matter.  It means so much to the crew just to be remembered at this time of the year.”  Then he reminisced, “ I remember my first voyage as a cadet.  It was Christmas time, and I was really homesick.  I was miserable.  And then one of your chaplains came on board and delivered Christmas presents.  My C/O gave one to me, and I was just so grateful—no one else had given us anything, and I felt, well, cared for.  So thank you once again.  We have a cadet on board now who is also on his first voyage and is very homesick.  He is going to get the first present out of the box.”

Lots of SCI staff members lend a hand to make sure gifts get made and distributed. Take a gander at Deborah Blanchard, an attorney for the Center of Seafarers Rights as she protects one seafarer’s right to be warm.

Staff attorney Deb Blanchard knitting her first seafarer's scarf

Hi all,

Well, we are all hussle and bustle in the Christmas Room these days. So far we have collected 15,057 gifts and we’ve packed 13,557 of them as of today. So, the cupboards are starting to look a little bare, but we’re still receiving lots of packages every day.

Here’s a breakdown of our current inventory:

Mariners Scarves: 4506
We need: 494 more!
Mariners Caps: 3205
We need: 895 more!
Seafarer’s Sets: 5604
We need only 411 more!!!!
Socks, Vests & Helmets: 1774
We need 761 more!

We received a generous donation of handknit afghans, which are not easy for us to distribute to seafarers–its hard enough for our chaplains to make their way up the gangway bearing caps and scarves.   We have decided to gift these items to retired seafarers living at Snug Harbor in Nelson Bay, NC.

Snug Harbor was founded in New York and 1801 with the mission:

to always provide a home for “aged, decrepit and worn out seamen”

We’ve never given gifts to these mariners before and I am excited to have the opportunity to reach out to them this year.

If you’re in the New York City area, please join me for our annual volunteer holiday party on December 16th from 3-7pm. It’s an open house, so please bring your knitting and join us for whatever part of the evening you can. Hope to see you then!

Packing season has begun here in the Christmas Room and so far we’ve packed 4851 gifts for mariners.  Woohoo!  That sounds like a lot–but we still have 12,599 to go!

Here’s a breakdown of the inventory in the Christmas room and a count of what we still need to reach 17,500 mariners :

Mariners Scarves: 3041
We still need: 1959 more!
Mariners Caps: 2273
We still need: 1727 more!
Seafarer’s Sets: 4419
We still need 1596 more!
Socks, Vests & Helmets: 1381
We still need 1154 more!

Have a great weekend & happy knitting!!!
Jeanette

Chrismas at Sea is thrilled to be hosting a monthly event for Sit ‘n’ Knit NYC, New York’s most popular, diverse, fun and active knitting groups (crocheters also welcome!).

The third Wednesday of each month will be Sit ‘n’ Knit at SCI, from 6-8pm in the Christmas Room at 241 Water Street. You must be a member of Sit ‘n’ Knit to attend, so pop over to the website and become a member. Sit ‘n’ Knit events fill up fast, so once you receive the announcement, scoot on over and sign up!

We’ve got great lighting, seating and great company–what’s stopping you?

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?

A hearty thanks to Lion Brand Yarn for featuring Christmas at Sea in their newsletter and big Hello to anyone visiting through that link. We’re so happy you’re here!

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.

While you’re here, check out the progress meters–we’re doing great, but we’re not there yet…so please, keep knitting!!!