Hats for the Homeless

When I closed The Knitting Loft, I wanted the community previously supported by the shop to be able to continue gathering, creating, and encouraging one another.  So I chartered The Capitol Hill Knitting Guild, under the umbrella of the national organization, The Knitting Guild Association.

We enjoy sharing our projects and learning from one another.  In addition, one of the things that we do on a regular basis is charity knitting.  Last year, we made hat and scarf sets for homeless children at The Playtime Project,  This year, in addition to providing yarn to Bread for the City for their crochet classes, we have chosen to support a local homeless shelter.  We are making hats for the men that they serve.  Our small group learned that the shelter serves 500 men.  But we haven't let that deter us.  The organization is grateful that we are helping and they will receive whatever we are able to provide.

So we've begun.  We are working in between our other projects and we are making progress.  We've also reached out to other charity knitters and crocheters on Ravelry and invited them to join us in our efforts.  And they have answered the call.

Today, it is warm outside in Washington, DC.  But we know that cold weather is right around the corner.  Knitting and crocheting hats is a small gesture.  But it's one that we gladly make.

If you'd like to help, you may find details in our Ravelry group thread.  Or, send an email to theknittingloft@gmail.com.

Until next time... 

A Cry in the Wind...

There's a cry in the wind.  If we paused for just a moment, we'd hear it.  It's calling you and it's calling me to stop being complacent.  With each appalling incident where an innocent life is lost, it gets louder and louder.

There's a rustle in the wind.  If we took our eyes off of our devices for just a moment, we'd see it.  It's the step we can take, the thing we can do, the difference we can make.  It doesn't ask for much.  But it does ask.  With each appalling incident where an innocent life is lost, it gets more and more urgent.

 So here's my first, baby step...

It angers me to live in the United States in the 21st century without a vote in Congress.  I love being a native of Washington, DC.  I love the culture and the pulse of the city.  I love the diversity and the food.  I even love the rhythm that politics creates.  But I hate paying taxes with fewer rights than those who live in one of the fifty states.

There's a cry in the wind.  And it's calling for my voice and the voice of over 600,000 citizens of the nation's capital to join in.  But we have no voice because we are not a state.  We are governed by people that we did not elect.

"District citizens pay full federal taxes and serve in the military and die for our country but have no say in whether we go to war, what those taxes are, who serves on our federal courts or in the President's cabinet, or whether the United States should enter into various treaties and international obligations. We can't even spend our own local tax money freely. Congress is implicitly our 'state legislature' and does whatever it wants here, even things it would not dare to impose on their constituents back in their home states."  Excerpt from DC Statehood Yes We Can. 

There is a move for DC statehood.  And every citizen of the US can play a part.  Read "Why We Need DC Statehood" and "The Case for DC Statehood".  Then, write or call your representative and urge them to support statehood for the District of Columbia.  Sign the petition and ask everyone you know to do the same. 

To learn more about DC Statehood and what you can do to help, click here.

I'm back...

#dcstatehood