Crafting for a Change: Vogue Knitting Holiday 2017

by Kim Werker | Apr 9, 2018 | Activism, Making | 0 comments

I am not a fan of the word guru. Guru is what we call people who know a lot about something but don’t have a job title related to it, or who work in or around that topic in a variety of ways but aren’t defined by any one. I’m often described as a “crochet guru.” (If I’m asked for input on the matter, I usually request they just go with author or instructor.)

So I especially love that when she wrote about me in the Holiday 2017 issue of Vogue Knitting, Lee Ann Dalton called me “crochet genius.”

I mean, I’m not a genius, but I’m not a guru either. I’ll take genius any day.

Which is all to say: You guys, Lee Ann Dalton wrote about me, and specifically about craftivism, in the Holiday 2017 issue of Vogue Knitting. She also called me an “intrepid Canadian craftivist.” I’ll take that one happily.

I meant to mention this when the issue was still on newsstands. Um, four months ago. But better late than never, right? Maybe back issues are still available?

The beret I’m wearing in the photo above is one of the patterns from my Crochet in the Round class, and the spiral hat next to it is the free Hat for Science.

Compulsory Podcast Episode 202: Betsy Greer

by Kim Werker | Jun 19, 2017 | Activism, Podcast | 0 comments

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Betsy Greer is a writer and maker who lives in Durham, North Carolina. For the past fourteen years, she’s written about craftivism, the place where craft and activism intersect, and she loves discovering the ways in which people use (and have used) the two together. Currently, her main craft project is You Are So Very Beautiful, in which people make affirmation signs then leave them out all over the world for others to find.

We talk in this episode about the value of letting what we need out into the world, and about being in a flow state when we create. If our conversation got you thinking, let us know how in the comments!

Show Notes and Links

My hat out of handspun yarn
Action + Craft newsletter
You Are So Very Beautiful
Betsy’s book, Craftivism
The article Betsy spoke about writing: ‘This company saved my life.’ The Noble Woodsman finds a life with purpose

Find Betsy on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Check out this short video about You Are So Very Beautiful:

Crochet a Hat for Science! (Free Pattern, BYO Activism)

by Kim Werker | Mar 28, 2017 | Activism | 0 comments

Crochet a Hat for Science! Show your support for the scientific community and for fact-based decision making, and learn how to crochet a 2-color spiral while you're at it!

Spirals! Spirals appear throughout the universe in spectacular displays of mathematics and science. Also, they're really cool-looking. And spirals are very nifty to crochet in multiple colours.

This hat starts with a two-colour spiral at the top, and I designed it in part to showcase this neat technique. I also designed it in the wake of the incredibly powerful visual impact Pussyhats made at the Women's Marches in January. The Hat for Science is a simple craftivist project just in time for the worldwide Marches for Science on April 22, 2017.

A chilling report that major U.S. news shows spent a combined total of less than an hour reporting on issues related to climate change in all of 2016 means we need to get seriously loud about the importance of scientific enquiry and fact-based decision-making. Those words may not sound sexy, but ignoring our dire need to address the impending devastation of life on earth isn't sexy either. So.

Grab your hook and make a statement! Better yet, wear that statement to a March for Science near you. Phone and write to your elected representatives (no matter where you live – this is not only an American issue!) and tell them you expect them to support funding for scientific research and to consider solid, peer-reviewed scientific findings when making decisions that affect our environment, education, food safety, medicine and more.

Find the free Hat for Science pattern below, or download it as a print-friendly PDF:

CLICK HERE TO GET THE CROCHET PATTERN AS A PDF

Note: A small mistake in the pattern was corrected on 29 March 2017, indicated in bold text. Another was corrected, again in bold text, on 12 April 2017. To make sure you have the corrected version of the pattern PDF, check to make sure the file name has "v3" at the end.

Hat for Science

Sizing

To fit a medium/large adult head.

Finished brim circumference: 22" (56 cm).

To make the hat smaller or larger, work fewer or more increase rounds before working even (and adjust the number of work-even rounds). If you want to learn more about sizing hats of all sorts, you’ll enjoy my class, Crochet in the Round: Basics & Beyond!

Materials

Yarn: Worsted weight, about 75 yards colour A and 85 yards colour B. Shown here in: Cascade 220 (100% Peruvian Highland Wool; 220 yards [200 m] per 3.5 oz.) [100 g], 9452 Summer Sky Heather (blue; A) and 2429 Irelands (green; B).

Hook: 5.5mm (US I/9).

Notions: Removable stitch marker.

Gauge

14 sts and 9 rows = 4” (10 cm) in alternating rounds of dc and hdc.

Abbreviations

American terms are used.

A = colour A (shown here in blue)

B = colour B (shown here in green)

ch = chain

dc = double crochet

hdc = half double crochet

rep = repeat

sc = single crochet

sl st = slip stitch

tch = turning chain

Notes

Hat is designed to have each colour worked in a different stitch (A in dc, B in hdc), so that one colour is slightly more dominant than the other. Choose whether you’re, say, more inclined to advocate for land-related science (green) versus water-related science (blue), and make that colour your dominant colour A. The other will be colour B. (Obviously, you can make this hat in any colours you want, not only in blue and green!)

You will not join each round at the end, but rather work in a continuing spiral.

Use a removable stitch marker to indicate the final stitch of the round; move the marker up as you go.

Pattern

With A, begin with an adjustable ring.

Round 1: Insert hook in ring and pull up a loop, ch 1, work (2 sc, 2 hdc, 2 dc) in centre of ring, remove hook from A (pull the loop long to prevent unraveling); leaving a 6” tail, join colour B by pulling up a loop, ch 1, work (3 sc, 3 hdc) in centre of ring, place marker in stitch just made (this is the last stitch of the round) — 12 stitches total.

How to crochet a 2-color spiral: first round

Round 2: Continuing with B, [2 hdc in next stitch] 6 times, remove hook and reinsert in loop of A; with A, [2 dc in next stitch] 6 times — 24 stitches. (Note that a pattern has been set up: You will always work B into A, and A into B.)

Round 3: Continuing with A, [dc in next stitch, 2 dc in next stitch] 6 times; remove hook and reinsert in loop of B; with B, [hdc in next stitch, 2 hdc in next stitch] 6 times — 36 stitches.

Round 4: Continuing with B, [hdc in next 2 stitches, 2 hdc in next stitch] 6 times; with A, [dc in next 2 stitches, 2 dc in next stitch] 6 times — 48 stitches.

Round 5: Continuing with A, [dc in next 3 stitches, 2 dc in next stitch] 6 times; with B, [hdc in next 3 stitches, 2 hdc in next stitch] 6 times — 60 stitches.

Round 6: Continuing with B, [hdc in next 4 stitches, 2 hdc in next stitch] 6 times; with A, [dc in next 4 stitches, 2 dc in next stitch] 6 times — 72 stitches.

Continue in colour pattern as established, without increasing, as follows:

Round 7: Continuing with A, dc in next 36 stitches; with B, hdc in next 36 stitches. (Bold indicates corrections to mistakes in the original pattern. It's all good now!)

Rounds 8-16: Continue to work even without increasing, working A stitches into colour B and B stitches into colour A.

Now smooth out the jagged end-of-rounds and begin the brim, as follows:

Round 17(ish): (This is really a half round, for reasons that will become clear.) Continuing with A, dc in next 27 stitches, hdc in next 3 stitches, sc in next 3 stitches, sl st in next 3 stitches, fasten off A, move marker to final sl st (this will be the new “end” of the round).

Rounds 18-20: Continuing with B, sc all the way around (do not join your rounds); at the end of Round 20, sl st in the next 2 stitches, fasten off.

Weave in loose ends.

When you share your finished hat, make sure to tag me (@kpwerker) and #hat4science!

Pussyhats and Photos from the Women’s March

by Kim Werker | Jan 25, 2017 | Activism | 0 comments

What a thing, the Women’s Marches, eh? What a day. What a force. What a feeling. (My photos from the Vancouver march are below.)

I first learned about the Pussyhat Project right after it launched in late November, 2016, and though I cast on for a knitted hat right away, it was only when the project reached its tipping point in the couple of weeks leading up to the marches that I felt compelled to do way more.

The crocheted Pussyhat pattern I released was downloaded a few hundred times before the march, and a few hundred times the actual weekend of the march. As of the time I’m writing this, it’s been downloaded well over 700 times.My blog traffic has nearly double over the last week. As far as I can tell, the Pussyhat is more popular than any crochet pattern I’ve ever published.

There was a time when I felt I had to be very, very subtle about my feminism in my crochet work, and I’m proud, relieved and downright excited that those days are over.

Don’t get me wrong – my work isn’t going to stop being about the fun of creative exploration and turn into 100% activism all the time.

It’s just that I may bring activism – which is a big part of my personal life and has been for a long time – into my work a bit more than I used to.

But also separately. If you’d like to get occasional emails from me about simple steps to take and about the intersection of art/craft and activism, sign up right here.

Anyway. It feels simultaneously like the worst of times and the best of times. I have so much to make, and so much to do.

Onward!

#womensmarch in Vancouver, BC, Canada – http://www.kimwerker.com/blog

Family in #pussyhats at the #womensmarch - http://www.kimwerker.com/blog

Her first crochet project: a #pussyhat – http://www.kimwerker.com/blog

Service before the #womensmarch in Vancouver, BC, Canada – http://www.kimwerker.com/blog

Women's Rights Are Human Rights #womensmarch #pussyhat – http://www.kimwerker.com/blog

My Take on a Crocheted Pussyhat

by Kim Werker | Jan 11, 2017 | Activism, Making | 29 comments

With a super stretchy, simple to make ribbed brim, you can whip up this crocheted #pussyhat in no time!

Updated 1/13 to add a video on how the hat is constructed (see below!)
And again on 1/19 to add a troubleshooting video. And this link.

Perhaps you've heard about the Women's March on Washington on January 21st, with solidarity marches planned in hundreds of cities around the world? And perhaps along with that you've heard about the Pussyhats people are feverishly making to wear?

The official Pussyhat Project site offers patterns both for knitters and crocheters, but I don't love the look of the crocheted hat. I'm not a big fan of post-stitch ribbing, see. So I made my own using my preferred kind of ribbing, and I figured I'd share the pattern here in case you, too, prefer a ribbing that's good and stretchy (I've offered to send a PDF to the official project, too). Find the text version below, or download the PDF by clicking here:

CLICK HERE TO GET THE CROCHET PATTERN AS A PDF

If you have questions about your ribbing curling at the corners, or your edges coming out all wonky, watch this (and feel free to ask me for help!):

Pattern

Sizing

To fit an average adult head. It’s very stretchy, so will fit a range of sizes. And it’s easy to adjust: make the ribbing sections shorter or longer than 8” to fit smaller or larger heads, respectively.

Materials

Yarn of any weight in a sufficient amount to complete the hat, and an appropriately sized hook. Shown here in worsted weight yarn (Cascade 220, about 180 yards), worked with a 5 mm hook.

Gauge

Varies based on the yarn weight you use. Just work to the dimensions specified.

Special Stitches

Single crochet through the back loop only (sc-blo): In next stitch, insert hook through back loop only and pull up a loop, complete single crochet.

Sc-blo ribbing: Work sc-blo in each stitch of every row.

Abbreviations

American terms are used.

ch = chain

hdc = half double crochet

sc = single crochet

sc-blo = single crochet through the back loop only (see above)

First Ribbing Section

Make a chain slightly longer than 4” (10 cm). Work in sc-blo ribbing as follows:

Row 1: Skip first chain, sc-blo (see sidebar) in next chain and in each remaining chain across, turn.

Row 2: Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), sc-blo in first stitch and in each remaining stitch across, turn. (Note: The final sc stitch can be hard to see – be sure to dig for it and not skip it!)

Repeat Row 2 until piece measures about 8” (20 cm) from foundation-chain edge. Fasten off and set aside for now.

Second Ribbing Section

Make as for First Ribbing Section but do not fasten off. Without turning at the end of the last row, begin working Middle Section of the hat as follows:

Middle Section

Ch 2, rotate work 90 degrees to crochet across the ribbed edge. Placing your stitches consistently as you go, hdc in each row-edge across, turn.

Hdc Row: Ch 1 (does not count as a stitch), hdc in first stitch and in each stitch across, turn.

Repeat Hdc Row until piece measures about 13” (33 cm) from bottom edge of ribbing, fasten off.

Note: The hdc section of the hat will be wider than the ribbing section. It’s supposed to be that way!

Finishing

Layer First Ribbing Section behind Middle Section, lining up one long edge of the ribbing with the last row of hdc.

Holding both pieces together and working through both thicknesses at the same time, with a yarn needle sew the two sections together using whipstitch. Use stitch markers if needed to distribute the narrower ribbed fabric across the wider hdc fabric as needed if the stitches of each piece don’t line up perfectly. Don’t sweat it! When you get to the end, fasten off. The total length of the rectangle from one ribbing edge to the other should be about 17".

Fold the hat in half so the ribbing sections are lined up. Whipstitch the two sides of the hat together (or use whichever seaming technique you prefer), keeping the bottom edge of the ribbing open – that’s where you’ll put your head!

Weave in loose ends.

If your seam is on the outside but you want it on the inside, turn the hat out, et voila.

Wear your hat with pride!

Is It an Emergency?

by Kim Werker | Nov 11, 2016 | Activism | 4 comments

I don’t usually copy my weekly newsletter into my blog, but this week is different from most weeks, and my email provider doesn’t make copies available for linking. To give you the full newsletter experience, I copied the text in full, including the links at the end. To get my emails every Friday, sign up here.

Hey,

I smelled gas this morning when I was walking the dog. It was around the same place in the next block over that I thought I’d smelled it last week, but had dismissed it as a false alarm.

I walked back and forth a few times, trying to figure out if my mind was playing tricks on me. I couldn’t figure out where it might be coming from, but I smelled it. I did.

Too big a risk, I forced myself to accept. Too big a risk.

So I phoned the city’s non-emergency line, just in case they have a way to check in on things like this that doesn’t rely on emergency services. They don’t. They told me to call 9-1-1.

Even though I knew it was the right thing to do, even though I had the blessing of the city, I still hesitated for a beat. What if it’s nothing? What if I’ll have wasted the fire department’s time? What if my neighbours feel put out?

Stop. Make the call.

I made the call.

It was the right thing to do. Even if I was mistaken, even if I felt uncomfortable that I wasn’t certain. I did the right thing.

I got a concussion once. I was in college.

It was my first year, I think, and there was an upperclassman who liked to flirt with me. I didn’t reciprocate, but he was harmless.

He was the first (of, astonishingly, several) college men who would, at one point in conversation or another, interrupt to tell me, “Your eyes are green!”

No shit, Sherlock.

I didn’t date much in college.

One day I was walking through the common area of my floor in the dorm, and he was walking by in the other direction. He asked for a hug. I said no.

He demanded a hug. I told him I had somewhere to be. He was in my way.

He said aw, c’mon.

I was like fuck it. Fine.

He swung me around during this hug, and lost his balance. We both went over, him on top. The back of my head smacked the floor and I literally saw stars.

I didn’t get to wherever it was I was headed.

I left the dorm in a neck brace, strapped to a backboard.

I’ve been thinking a lot about that stupid hug these last few weeks. And about the hug a guy at camp forced on me when I was in high school, which I met with a swift and well-aimed kick to his genitals.

I’ve been thinking about what’s benign and what’s malignant. What’s acceptable and what must be met with even uncomfortable intervention.

What’s normal and what’s not normal. And what shouldn’t be normal.

We’re in charge.

We’re the only ones who can force ourselves to do the right, often very uncomfortable thing.

To use our words to assert ourselves. And if our words fail, to use our feet.

To suspect that something’s not right, and to do something about it even if we’re not sure.

We can convince ourselves sometimes that life can be convenient, but this past week became a stark reminder that convenience is an illusion.

Let us all accept the inconvenience, for failing to is simply unacceptable. Let us get our hands dirty in the mess.

It’s the only hope we have of ever cleaning it up.

Onward.
Kim

In my haze of grief and dismay this week, I finally finished my new ebook. It’s a compilation of all the emails I sent to you in 2014, including all the links. That year was a big one for me, and many of the seeds of my whole creative life were planted during those months. Grab a copy now on Amazon or in my online shop!

(Patrons at the $5 and $10+ levels, you should have already heard from me with your download or discount. Let me know if you didn’t get the info!)

Try This Once:

I’m having a hard timing coming up with the fun this week, my friends. I’m going to skip this one, and get myself into better shape to bring it hardcore next week.

Items of Note:

Let’s begin with this.
“This week we mourn. Next week we rise”
Be vigilant.
“This is why I write.”
I’d like to make this.
Illuminating.
Making: A linocut.
Watching: Anything to ease my mind.
Reading: I’m finishing up the YA drivel, and will soon start The Goldfinch, which I’m confident I’ll either love or hate. With the kid: The Year of Billy Miller, which is just lovely.

If you enjoy the newsletter, forward it to a friend, and support it over on Patreon!

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Hi! I'm a writer and editor, and also like a camp counselor for grownups. I help people have way more fun making stuff. Learn more about how right here .