Knitting for Climate

Are you concerned about the climate?
Are you interested in taking action, but don’t know where to begin?
Do you have a passion for yarn, and love to create with your hands?
You are not alone.

Think of this gathering as one part climate cafe, one part initiative awareness and all parts knitting circle!

Join us on Thursday, October 1st, at 6 PM in the Third Place Commons to share our collective eco-concerns, learn about climate initiatives and to knit, knit, knit.

According to polls, roughly 60 - 70% of people in North America are concerned about the climate, yet less than 20% feel safe enough to talk about it with friends or family more than a couple of times a month. Furthermore, many underestimate the actual concern of those around them. As a result, we stay silent and still, leaving us isolated, alone and struggling to make sense of it all on our own.

During this gathering we are invited to hold space for our collective eco-concerns. Too often we are told to channel our feelings into actions, silently conveying that emotions are meaningless and non-productive. Such views perpetuate feelings of guilt and shame when we recognize that we feel deeply and intensely, yet believe the world doesn’t want to hear. Let’s rewrite that script by acknowledging the healing power of naming and expressing our thoughts and feeling as valuable actions in themselves.

Local, state and federal initiatives will be shared for those with time, energy and space to engage further. We want our elected officials to know that caring for our planet remains a vital concern.

And we will knit/crotchet! Bring whatever project you have on your needles and hooks. Modeled on the work of Tempestry Project we will explore knitting an embodied representation of our lived experience of our warming planet - a temperature wallhanging, scarf, or blanket. As our current administration continues to purge scientific records and data (including climate research, we can create a physical record through fiber. For those interested, we plan to make and deliver temperature wallhangings or scarves to our elected officials to remind them that their constituents still care about the planet!