Stitches and Thrills

One of my knitting friends asked our help for giving some ❤️ to healthcare workers. During the first wave of Covid there was applause. Today the people are faced with impatience and verbal and physical abuse. Below I will describe in Dutch our mission to give some love and appreciation to the people working in health care, at homes for the elderly, in public transport and other front lines during the 2nd wave of Covid in the Netherlands. Via Inge : Deze Corona tijd is eenzaam, vervelend, angstig en frustrerend. Samen houden we vol, maar de zwaarste lasten liggen bij de zorgverleners. En juist zij hebben de laatste tijd te maken met agressie en bedreiging. Velen voelen zich in de steek gelaten en ervaren geen waardering meer voor hun grote inzet. In plaats daarvan moeten ze langs bewaking naar hun werk en verzoeken ze hun patiënten via het keuzemenu op de telefoon of met posters om vriendelijkheid en geduld. Laten we de zorgverleners Hartverwarmers sturen, als teken van onze ...

"I am just here for the knitting." "Does everything have to be about politics?" These remarks often pop up in conversations in the yarn and knitting community. I am sure other communities will have the same comments from their members. Maybe you feel the same sometimes. Weary of the news on internet and television. You just want to clock out and relax with your knitting. You can do that. It is good for your mental health to switch off all the information input. But it is also a privilege of able bodied White women to be able to do so. Awareness is key here. Be grateful that you can, and strive for a world where this is an opportunity for everyone. When you step outside that bubble of 'yarn&you' into the community, then you can and should expect politics. Because whether you step into a yarn shop, follow a dyer on Instagram, or comment on a forum: everyone's experience is grounded in politics. The personal is political.  Maybe you think you are non-p...