CompassionKnit

Get Your Knit On!!!

Greetings Jan Term Knitters,

This week, you will learn the fundamentals of making something out of two sticks and a really long piece of string.   If you already know the basics, then you can move on to more challenging techniques.  In any case, the ultimate goal is to create a product that can help someone else in someway;  keep them warm or just let them know they are cared for!

From this activity (both learning and creating a finished product), you can earn community service hours (1 for each hour spent in class this week).  You must be present and working on your assignment to get service credits.

Below are the charities identified to receive your knitted item:

The Snuggles Project - Most shelter animals are kept in areas with stainless steel braces and hard plastic flooring or even bare concrete floors. The Snuggles blanket you knit would allow them to have a little reprieve from the coldness of the pen they are kept in.  Research has shown that an animal that has a blanket in its cage is more likely to get adopted!  We will donate our blankets to a local Animal Shelter. Go to the website and click on the "Get the Project Sheet", download the pdf and you are good to go.

The Duulan Project - Dulaan is the Mongolian word for warm. Think of it not just being physically warm, but also the warm heart of human love, and the warm feeling that grows from knowing that you have touched a life, even on the other side of the world.

The Dulaan Project is an effort of the Flagstaff International Relief Effort (F.I.R.E., 501c3) This project seeks to inspire the generous spirit of the knitting community to help meet the urgent needs of Mongolia's impoverished people.

Knit One, Save One - Why Your Cap Matters

Did you know that 60 percent of newborn deaths in developing countries can be prevented? 
It just takes a simple package of basic health measures provided to mothers and babies.

Keeping a newborn warm is one of the simple steps for saving lives. 
That's where your cap comes in. Knit One, Save One is part of Survive to 5, Save the Children's commitment to saving the lives of babies and children.  We will modify this slightly to benefit local preemie babies in Santa Cruz county.

When Knitting Nuns Go Bad

Nuns on the Run

Looks like that dream we knitters have of taking our hobby/passion and making it into a paying proposition has some serious drawbacks with unfortunate consequences. Well, for some it appears.

Knitted Anatomy

Knitted Uterus
So now that I'm planning for my Anatomy & Physiology course, maybe I should include knitting body parts for extra credit (honors students only).    I could use them in the following years as teaching tools, such as the one below.....the knitted womb.

If one can knit a Ferrari, then there's no end to the possibilities that can be applied to that wonderful structure, the human body!

Gutsy Knitting

I am totally grooving on this notion of using knitted examples to learn science concepts. Here, for your edification, is the Knitted Digestive System!

In its entirety:

Lower G.I.

Stomach and Accessory Organs

The Tongue

Winter Break Ends

I have a new job! I'll be teaching Human Anatomy & Physiology (general and honors) to juniors and seniors at the local (south county) Christian high school. Part time this semester and if all goes well, it may extend to full time next year. Looks like my winter hiatus has come to an end. Good thing I didn't start another sweater....guess my knitting will get whittled down to the 20 sock pairs on my goal list for this year.

Knitting in nanometers

But wait, there's more! It seems there's an indra's net of knitting and science relationships out there. Can you imagine knitting with yarn that's only nanometers in diameter? Apparently, they can be used to knit together artificial muscles for robots.

Crafty Geometry

As I was rifling through my mail pile this morning, I came across a recent edition of Science News - the subscription for which I retain cuz I just KNOW it'll be useful in the classroom someday. The title article, 'No yarn! Crocheting (and knitting) Math' caught my eye. It begged further investigation, and lo, there was a whole spread about men and women of numbers using knitting and crocheting to visualize complex structures! Awesome. So, for those of us who can't recall (or never knew!) a hyperbolic plane from a Lorenz manifold here are a few examples showing how art supports science. I wonder if physic's string theory has also come from off the needles?

Check out Knit Theory! for another view on this nexus between math and the stringed arts.

Lorenz Manifold

A crocheted Lorenz manifold brings the shape's swirls into sharp relief.

Hyperbolic Fabric - Many of the lines that could be inscribed on this crocheted hyperbolic plane curve away from each other, defying Euclid's parallel postulate.

Doughnut Math - The two tori below display a network (left) and a colored map of countries (right) that can't be depicted on a flat sheet of paper without crossings and overlaps.

Hyper Growth - Because the hyperbolic plane grows exponentially, the violet outer boundary consumes as much yarn as the deep-purple center section does.

Sweater Curse Conquered

My friend Margie has shown me that the sweater curse can be conquered. It's taken 42 years and a tenacity to hang onto yarn that rivals even my own stash obsessive nature. She's taken the remains of a sweater originally intended for her ex-husband and has lovingly recycled the yarn for a much better purpose (and person, one would assume). She's using the yarn to knit up a lovely warm scarf to donate to those in need. Now that's making lemonade, I would say! Love truly conquers all (eventually).

Son, Jesse, brought along his cable skull sample to show me at Christmas. He's been working out a way to create the front of a pirate themed sweater (for himself, presumably) and wanted to work out the details on the skull and crossbones inset. He's as far as the cranium, but was unhappy with the gap where the cables close off to form top. I thought he did a fine job (but then again, I AM his mother!). As far as the subject matter goes.......well, I'd prefer he find a more uplifting topic. Oh well. I pray alot for this one.

He also brought along his girlfriend, Amanda, a new knitter. She's taken off like a house afire. Apparently his teaching her to knit was part of their courtship......how sweet!

Bleh......

Feeling too puny to punt. I guess that bone-weary tiredness the last few days wasn't from running 4 miles plus each day. Today,I'm not even getting out of my jammies. Sit by the fire, drink hot tea/soup, and giving in to being sick. I tried to work on the fake isle hat I started last night, but even that seemed too much effort. Ugh....