13 Fridays

Hats on the last day

noreply@blogger.com (13 Friday-ers) — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 11:35:00 +0000

Over the course of this project, counting 4 hats that I missed getting pictures of, our wonderful group of knitters and crocheters made a total of 142 hats. Below is the collection of hats that we hung for our last day, January 28th. Lovely Blogger has taken away the ability to caption the photos, so here is a count of our last day contributors: Linda Kennedy- 10 hats, Bobby Daley- 12 hats, Deborah Downs- 2 hats, Valerie and Haleylu Richardson- 1 hat, and me with 2 hats.

Ended as I Began (but not quite)

noreply@blogger.com (13 Friday-ers) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 23:11:00 +0000

Today is January 28th, the last official day for the 13 Fridays project. Faithfuls Cattryn and Susan joined me for the W.O.W. group. Susan has been working with Sallie, who, with guidance from Susan finished a hat for herself today! Sallie is a master at coloration, and was very particular about the exact mix of colors and textures she used in the hat. It really turned out great. Piphany has made 2 purses out of the crocheted fabric she has made. She forgot them today, but I hope to post them soon. Piphany has been a real regular during our sessions and she is finally seeing the results of her work. Jeanne has joined us again, and she is a natural crocheter. She is making a white scarf with red stripes so she can visit her son in Reno. And Tillie is telling tales of her Emerge AZ experiences. Today, Piphany and Tillie began to reminisce about their childhood - the food they would eat, the gatherings they would go to, their mothers. A fellow popped in (which is unusual - the word is out that this is a "ladies only" group), but he had heard there was sewing going on. He asked if we could sew the buttons back onto his jacket, which me and Cattryn happily did for him. A familiarity seems to have set in.

Later, outside, I spent my last couple of hours as I began this project - working alone. I photographed the last group of hats that would be hung for the residents today and was greeted by familiar and unfamiliar faces - but always with enthusiasm for the hats free for the taking. Today, I finished a pure red hat, a special request from one of the residents. I had teased him in the weeks prior that I'd make the hat, but I'd probably never see him again. So as I finished up hanging the hats, leaving the all red hat off the line, I started to look around for my "special order" client. Sure enough, I looked over, and there he was. I called to him and held up the red hat. He told me his name was Mike, and he put the hat on right away.

I looked out over the campus, where I now feel strangely at home. I know I'm delusional - I still get to go to my car, and go home for the night. I cringe to think of what it would be like each night down here. But, when I began this project, I was nervous when I arrived here - unsettled and feeling very out of place. But as each week has progressed, a small space has been carved out for me to be here on Friday mornings.

I decided I would knit awhile on one end of the campus, then move to the other end, just to make sure the hat clothesline would be seen by more residents. I noticed one of our regular ladies - we all call her the Judge. She is sweet and polite - and when you speak with her, she engages with you when you speak. She always has lots of necklaces on, her straw hat, and she really looks quite dapper everytime I see her. But she usually sits alone - well she looks alone, but she carries on full, complete, and very interesting conversations. So I doubt that she is ever "alone". During the W.O.W. sessions, the Judge has her very own, unique style of crochet and she manages to make alot of fabric! Today, after our group session, there she was, sitting outside, sewing away. I walked over and noticed that she was using some of the "crocheted" ropes she makes to embellish a polka-dotted stuffed animal. So I sat down beside her, and just watched her, and listened to her for a while. I asked her what her name was and I think she said Erliss. But, I'm not sure. I like "the Judge" better anyway. She is just one of the gems I've come to recognize here.

There are several ladies we've come to know:

• Tillie, of course - our strong leader, but fragile at the same time
• Dee, a tiny sprite of a woman, who is a truck driver - against all odds
• Piphany, quiet, says "yes maam" when you talk with her - so proud of the purses she is making
• Jeanne, the kindest face you'll ever see - I hope she finishes that scarf and makes it to Reno
• Dana, 2 years homeless, kind, but still lost - sometimes just comes to sit with us
• Sallie, the fashionista, colorist, and regular at our sessions
• Marilyn, we lost her to a job - I guess that is a good loss to have
• Erliss, the Judge - content within her own world, but open to entering yours once in a while
• Rosalie, an amazing artist - I purchased 3 of her images
• Mai, a little Asian woman who came in the beginning - we see her, but not at W.O.W.
• Celeste, still on campus, but not a regular in the W.O.W. group
• Ruth Ann - she came once to crochet, really wish we could see her again

There's others whose face I would recognize if I saw them again - some I see regularly, others, I've spoken with and have never seen again: David, Charlie, Mike, Darrell, Jay, Robert, Dolores, Elisa, Maria, Mac, James, Jackie, Jenny and so many others whose name I don't know, but whose face I do.

There's the brave and kind knitters who have come to participate in this project:
Meghan Olesen
Cattryn Somers
Greta Somers
Susan Casillas
Lisa Takata
Kate Benjamin
JT
Angela Cazel-Jahn
Linda Kennedy
Deborah Downs
Gandolfa Stegmann
Valerie Richardson
Haleylu Richardson
Ellen Davis
Sarah Traylor
Tané Clark

Off site knitters:
Bobbie Nash
Bobbie Daley
A. Brooke Heuts
Kelsey Wiskirchen

Thank you does not cover how I feel towards everyone who participated and expressed interest in this project. But I will say it - a sincere thank you to you all. I've learned so much from all the people and events that occurred over the course of this project. For now, I am processing these experiences with an eye toward future efforts. But, for now, my most immediate plan is to have lunch on Sunday with Tillie and discuss the possibilities.

Stay tuned.

Hats on 1/21

noreply@blogger.com (13 Friday-ers) — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 22:51:00 +0000

Today, January 21st, was a rushed day, I actually had to leave early - the first time since the beginning I haven't stayed until 1:00. Today, a former colleague Valerie Richardson and her daughter Haleylu came down. They brought 13 hats with them, and were committed to finishing one more on site. I was so distracted by the rush of residents wanting hats when we hung them out, I let Valerie and Haleylu's hats slip away before photographing them! By chasing after several residents, I was able to recover all photos except for 3. Rats. But here are the hats we all hung out for today's recipients.

Count down

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Morton) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 22:53:00 +0000

Today was January 14th. Our time with WOW was quiet, but we really are beginning to bond with the ladies that know us now. Piphany and I got her started on a new project. Dee promised she would practice! Good connections all around today. We were missing one familiar face - Marilyn. You all might remember Marilyn in one of the earliest posts by JT. It was our first group visit to the HSC and JT came for the 13 Fridays kick off. Marilyn and her husband Mac had only been at the campus for a few days.

I'm happy to say that the reason Marilyn wasn't at WOW is that she got a job! I hope it isn't the last we see of her - for one reason, she's become an awesome crocheter! But we all enjoyed Marilyn's hope and optimism in the midst of her situation. Greta especially has bonded with Marilyn. After teaching her to crochet, Greta made a point of coming each Friday, just to spend time with Marilyn. She has been one of the inspiring characters we've all had the pleasure to meet during our time with 13 Fridays.

We only have a couple more weeks before the 13 Friday project comes to a close. I feel sure my connections will last beyond.

This is Greta on 12/03 (in red) when she first taught Marilyn to crochet. She was a fast learner!

Kate Benjamin and Meghan Olesen - faithful regulars of 13 Fridays.

Greta

Kate

Changes

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Morton) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 22:37:00 +0000

I missed posting for our visit on January 7 - so here I am. It's not that I'm getting complacent. (I won't mention that I've been waiting for some much needed images from that day (-: .) There have just been lots of changes a foot.

Our morning knitting circle at the HSC.


My hat on one of the residents here. Nice feeling to see your work on someone's head.

Ann

Cattryn

Gandolfa

Greta

Lisa #1

Lisa #2

Lisa #3

Lisa #4

Lisa #5

Meghan

This visit was our first for the new year. We had a couple of new visitors on the 7th - Deborah and Gandolfa. So glad to see new faces along with the familiar - Cattryn, Greta and Meghan. Our time with the ladies on the 7th was quiet, but always fruitful. Tillie was tired. And with good reason.

Because Tillie has really been a stand out, generous folks who have the means, want to find ways for women like Tillie to lift themselves up - and out. So, Tillie has been invited to apply for a class run by an organization called Emerge AZ. This is a group of "power women" considering public service, and their organization is contemplating taking Tillie under their wing. So - Tillie was invited to a cocktail party before interviewing for acceptance.

As we left the WOW session, Tillie turns to me and says, "The attire is supposed to be 'business casual'. What does that mean?" I answered her, with not much thought as I would any friend contemplating such an invitation. I went on with the rest of the visit that day, but as I thought more clearly about this later in the day, it occurred to me that Tillie probably had absolutely nothing to wear for this event, nor the means to be properly dressed. So I called her and sheepishly asked if I could come over on Saturday and take a look at what she had and help her put an outfit together. My daughter Meghan and I showed up the next day with dressing-your-body-shape-correctly-print-outs off the internet. (I've watched enough episodes of What Not to Wear to know there is a science to this!)

Well we ended up going shopping. After a couple of stops, I began to worry. Tillie is, as she says - "healthy", and the shops we tried just did not have anything suitable for her body type. Turns out, she knew about a wonderful resale clothing shop on 7th Street just south of Indian School. They had a whole section just for plus-sized women. It was fun applying the clothing rules for Tillie and handing her in lots of outfits to try. Those rules really work, and almost everything she tried looked fantastic! We ended up getting her several outfits - all for under $70.00. We traveled on to Last Chance and found a couple pairs of shoes to finish off the ensembles.

It was fun, and we heard Tillie showed up looking amazing and was readily accepted into the Emerge AZ program. Her life is in deep change, a transformation few of us will ever go through to the extent that Tillie is posed to do. I never knew I would find such strength in such a place as the HSC. Now, I do - that's my change.

Jenny and Luke

noreply@blogger.com (13 Friday-ers) — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 02:32:00 +0000

The holidays are over yet I have been thinking about Jenny and Luke since my participation with 13Fridays on Christmas Eve. I must admit that upon approaching the CASS homeless shelter I felt a bit intimidated and overwhelmed when I saw the amount of people outside of the entry along with the 60+ visible on the campus grounds. I had uneasy feeling and a moment of uncertainty as I drove past the couple playing frisbee at the gate and the others sitting on the curbs in various groups on surrounding streets.

It was a beautiful day and the weather was perfect. Ann and other dedicated members of the project and the W.O.W. had just celebrated their Christmas Eve celebration, lunch was being served in the cafeteria and there was much commotion but it was well organized. I took a box of leftover donated items out to the lawn and proceeded to sit on the grass and situate myself with the scarves, coats, sweaters and other miscellaneous goods.

As soon as I sat down I was approached by a woman in her 60's who was curious about the items. She asked me how long I had been at the shelter and I no longer felt different or out of place. I told her I was not homeless and briefly explained the 13Fridays project and she began to help me lay out the scarfs and other items for others to use. A few minutes later a gentleman approached and was looking for a coat as it had been extremely cold the night before. The first one we tried was a bit ill fitting as it was too short in the sleeves but the next one was perfect and lined with soft black fleece. The three of us sat down and began talking. The woman, Jenny, was originally from Connecticut and had been homeless for a few months and was hoping to get back on her feet soon. She had been in an out of mental institutions as she suffered from schizophrenia so this often made her life challenging. She found a sweater with an deer in a winter forest scene embroidered on the front and told us how the scene reminded her of winters she had back east as a child. She also asked us if we were believers and proceeded to tell us about a miracle that she witnessed as a friend of hers feet were healed. Many stories were exchanged.

Luke was from Sudan and had an interesting tribal scarification design on his forehead. He was calm, soft-spoken and kind. He said he had lived in Arizona for several years. He spoke of the difficulty he had the night before sleeping outdoors in the cold. He did not have any socks so I found some in one of the bags and he chose one of the hats I made in a teal color. He thanked us and then said he needed to go find someplace to stay because he did not want to sleep outside again.

Jenny sat with Ann and I as the day closed. We continued to talk and I had one of the most relaxing afternoons I have had in a long while. When I left and said goodbye to Jenny she asked me to pray for her. I can still see her standing there... So many faces and circumstances fill the campus lawn each day. The time I shared with Jenny and Luke was a connection, although brief, that I hope to make again. Tane Clark

SO COLD!!

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Morton) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 19:54:00 +0000

Today, 12/31 - New Year's Eve Day, was quiet, especially considering the huge event on Christmas Eve the week before. This is the coldest day of the year to date, and we certainly felt it.

As usual, we were to spend the first 2 hours inside with the ladies of W.O.W. Running late, I called Tilllie to give her a heads up and found her usually boisterous self on the other end of the phone, weak and really feeling under the weather. I convinced her to stay home and rest, so when I arrived, several ladies were waiting outside the room waiting for our usual fearless leader, Miss Tilllie to come. We found our way in, and had a toast to the New Year with sparkling apple cider and sparkling grape juice.

The conversation turned to all the personal items the ladies lose on a regular basis - our yarn and crochet needles for sure, bras, toiletries, all kinds of things get confiscated and thrown away. Really? I can understand the remote possibility of an aluminum crochet hook being sharpened into a dangerous object, but a bra? Come on. These women have every obstacle beyond our imagination to navigate. Really, is it necessary add this to the burden? So cold!

One reason our time is up at 11:00 inside the building called the Lodestar Day Resource Center (the LDRC) is because they close up the building between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. Certainly there must be rationale for this, but on a day like today - it is cruel to shove everyone out the door into this severe weather. So cold!

So, once our time inside was done, I moved outside and sat with a faithful knitter, Lisa Takata. We talked with a resident, Jackie. I'm going to admit it, the whole time, I'm trying to knit with gloves on (not so successful), and thinking how nice it would be to just get in my car, crank up the heat and go home. But both Lisa and I knew that just was not going to happen. For Jackie, her next relief was to get into the LDRC, the least we could do is to wait out those 2 freezing hours with her. I'm telling you - IT WAS SO COLD!

That evening, I put an extra blanket down for my dogs (inside, mind you), and put covers over my garden because of the extreme cold. I thought about my time with Jackie earlier that day and came to the disturbing realization that my dogs have more comfort than Jackie does tonight.

Here are the new hats for today:

Jackie holding a hat made by Susan

Ann

Christmas Eve with W.O.W.!

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Morton) — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 22:22:00 +0000

When I sat down to conceptualize this project, and the idea of the 13 Fridays came to mind, as I looked over each future Friday, I knew that one of them was going to fall on Christmas Eve. In my mind, I thought, well, OK, I'll sit and knit in the morning - then on to the family celebration that night - our family has a big get together and a gift exchange on Christmas Eve. Little did I realize that A.) the family celebration was to land at our home!, and B.) the quiet session of knitting at the HSC would become something quite different!

If you've been following this blog, then you know that on November 19th, we met Tilllie (with 3 "L"s). With the holidays approaching, Tilllie gave me a wish list for the ladies in the W.O.W. group. I in turn sent a copy of that list out to the 13 Fridays group and my general email "art alert" list. I didn't know what to expect, but the generosity was over-the-top amazing! We amassed so much to give! Soaps, shampoos, conditioners, toiletries of every kind, first aid supplies, make up, brushes, combs, sanitary products, socks, gloves, scarves, underwear, coats, and Lisa Takata out of the blue stepped up to make cloth gift bags, which became invaluable! My sister-in-law Gayle made 50 scarves! Also, Angela Cazel Jahn and Frances McMahon came in with their own 13 gifts bags to add to the fest. (in honor of 13 Fridays) Having these extra gifts was a GOOD THING because . . .

We were prepared for about 27 ladies, thinking our core group was about 20 and we'd have some "extras". Well, once the word got out, some estimated there were nearly 100 ladies who came to the party! The W.O.W. ladies were allowed to go through the food line first and get their gift choices first - miraculously, everyone walked away with some food and with a gift of some kind.

Here is a list of known donors to this fun day. (in no particular order) There are others, who, through someone on this list made contributions - I thank you all - I'm truly overwhelmed.

Janet Traylor
Angela Cazel Jahn
Frances McMahon Ward
Josie Young
Jill Spear
Robin Speranza
Paula Kornegay
Louise Roman
Nancy Wanek/Telerana Weaving Guild
Diane Wolf/Telerana Weaving Guild
Bobbie Nash/Telerana Weaving Guild
Lisa Takata
Kimber Lanning et.al.
Michelle Mayfield
A. Brooke Heuts
Kelsey Wiskirchen
Gayle Timmerman
Lauren Casillas
Gracie Timmerman
Anonymous woman at Target:
who, upon hearing about the project bought 10-$10 gift cards on the spot!

And the brave and consistent Angels of this project:
Meghan Olesen
Susan Casillas
Cattryn Somers
Greta Somers

The photos below show our prep in pulling the items for the bags together, and scenes from the party. I'm going to say right here, that most of the food and the blankets and pillows for each lady were all from Cattryn, Susan and Cattryn's mom Greta. In addition, my daughter Meghan made a big order of chicken per the W.O.W. ladies' request. When I walked into the party room, I couldn't believe my eyes! What a spread. I knew we were in for something special!

Tilllie's Wish List

My dining room table before filling the bags!

The angels of this project! (Meghan, Susan and Cattryn - minus Greta!)

Re-filling travel-sized bottles with shampoos and conditioners - these ladies cannot carry the large bottles with them.

Lots of great coats and sweaters.


Underwear, gloves, socks and scarves.


Filled bags ready for transport.

Scenes from the party . . .

There's Greta finishing the gift tables - we had to hide the bags under to table to make sure the W.O.W. ladies got them first!

The food tables - we are ready to serve!

The party crowd - and this isn't everyone!

The bags went SO FAST!

A lucky recipient

Another sweet lady, loaded up.

We LOVE TiLLLie! We all had our own gifts for her after the chaos of the party was over.

Hats on Christmas Eve

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Morton) — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 20:49:00 +0000

Today was a special day for sure - with the W.O.W. party and all the prep leading up to it. But we still had hats to share, some new visitors to the project and some time to sit in the sun before heading home to our own family celebrations. Today's participants for knitting/crocheting were Meghan (ever faithful), Kate Benjamin was back again!, Tané Clark came for the first time today, and my youngest daughter, Gracie (no knitting, but lots of good cheer!) We had more visitors today at the big party, so be sure to check out the post - Christmas Eve with WOW!

Here are our hats for today:

Cattryn (or Susan?)

Gracie (made by Grandma Cheryl)

Lisa

Tané

Tané (headband)

Tané (matching scarf)

Tané

Hat shopper.

Meghan, Kate B. and Gracie

Me and Tané

Tilllie in the hat Cattryn made for her for the party.

Gotta Love this Woman!

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Morton) — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 15:41:00 +0000

Here she is, Tilllie with her reindeer antlers. She was a bundle of energy today - helping with the big party in the Day Center and juggling the W.O.W. group. (And us knitting teachers too!)

She is one special lady, this Tilllie (with 3 "L"s). Triple "L"ove.

Hats, Hats, Hats and Celebration

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Morton) — Sat, 18 Dec 2010 15:36:00 +0000

Today was a festive day at the HSC. In preparation for the holidays, there was a big party in the Day Center and awesome music outside. So the place was bustling with people and temporary joy. Our hats definitely added to the mood. A new 13 Friday-er, Linda showed up with 26 hats - yes 26!! She and her husband knit hats for charity, and so she was generous to bring many of those for today's 13 Friday session. And, I might add, she finished number 27 while visiting today!! Other wonderful contributions abounded today from Bobbie, a Telerana Guild member, Louise with Will Bruder Studio, Kelsey W., a fibers grad at ASU, and of course from our sweet and consistent knitters - Susan and Cattryn; and I had a couple to add to the group today too. So our grand total of hats today - 38!!

Also knitting with us today was Kate and Meghan - and Kate - we did not get a shot of your hat before it traveled away with Jay - rats! - first shot I've missed. Meghan was making a hat from her handmade yarn that she makes out of old knit shirts. And Peter Bugg came down, but we were inside doing our morning workshop with the ladies of W.O.W. So sorry to have missed you, Peter!!

All and all - it was a good day.

Linda

Ann

Bobbie

Cattryn

Kelsey

Susan

Our hat line with some recipients in the distance.

Hats on 12/3 and 12/10

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Morton) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 20:58:00 +0000

Here is a collection of hats from both 12/3/10 and 12/10/10. Cattryn's are included on her own blog post. To date - 35 hats have been made!

Meghan

Lisa

Our makeshift display which promptly disappeared when we went in to teach our workshop. We need to be smarter next time.

Ruth Ann

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Morton) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 20:45:00 +0000

Well, I've met a master crocheter - her name is Ruth Ann. She came to our session this past Friday. Ruth has obvious problems. She is relegated to a motorized wheelchair which is packed to the brim with her things. She explained through her repetitive speech pattern that she is here because she cannot find a place to live that she can afford with her disability payments because . . . the doors are not wide enough in most places to accommodate her wheelchair. Being a motorized one, it is about 4-6" too wide for the standard door jam. Now, there could surely be more issues with Ruth, you might guess this from her way of expressing herself. But in some ways, she was so excited to just be ABLE to express herself, she couldn't help but stumble over herself trying to speak.

The one thing about Ruth is that she has been crocheting since she was a girl - so she always carries a crochet needle with her. But in checking into the sleeping room at CASS, it seems it was confiscated - could be used as a weapon. So her one solace, the one thing that she can still do was taken away. To those of us who knit or crochet - it is painful to hear this.

So it is no surprise that she showed up at our workshop on Friday - and boy can she crochet!! I hope we see Ruth next week.

Catching Up

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Morton) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 20:35:00 +0000

Meghan with Mai - talking about crochet

I'm so behind in posting such an important group of photos from our W.O.W. knitting and crochet workshop! We've actually had 3 sessions now - these images being from our second class on 12/3.

Teaching is rewarding, lots of these women may have crocheted before, but not since childhood. The one frustration is that often we work with someone one week and the following week, they aren't in class.

We hope that as time goes by, there will be continuity in some of the participants in the class.

With not having a way for the ladies to practice between sessions, it is difficult to maintain a connection from class to class.

Still, after class, I stayed on campus a bit to knit my own work and was able to give Marilyn, and a new friend, Ruth (who I will write about separately) their yarn and needles back and they actually worked out on the lawn for a while.

In truth, though, the ladies like it better inside the classroom. At first I thought, "Come on, we'll sit outside, why won't you?" But it didn't take me long to realize that this room is an escape for the women. A quiet, warm place to be together, away from the realities of the crowd outside. No profanities, no yelling, no heavy conversations. Just a place away to feel the yarn between their fingers and hear Tillie constantly building them up, telling them they are beautiful, they are worthy.

I need Miss Tillie during my day sometimes too.

Greta teaching Marilyn to crochet

Marilyn feels so excited about her progress!

Celeste and Jeanne getting the hang of crochet.

So Many Choices

noreply@blogger.com (13 Friday-ers) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 15:35:00 +0000

Not sure who got this hat... but it's very warm!

I brought my mother to our second teaching day. She worked with Maryann who ended up crocheting a good 5 inches of scarf in a really nice shade of light blue. Maryann had walked into the Art room with one of the hats I’d knitted at home that week… I had tried out a new pattern where the combination of knits and purls knitted in the round created a pretty cool spiral effect. She seemed really excited by the hat, but so was the woman working with Susan and by the end of the meeting I noticed Sarah was wearing the hat. I was a bit surprised and asked Maryann what had happened. She said, “I believe I must have chosen that hat for her.” Graciousness: that’s what came to mind. Her words and actions were pure graciousness. I’m going to try to knit her another one and I hope she’ll be at the next meeting.

The woman I’d worked with the week before wasn’t in attendance and my first thought was that the fears that had been dogging me had been confirmed. It's not an easy thing to do... learning to knit or crochet. And I'm discovering it's not an easy skill to teach. I left our first W.O.W. meeting on 11/26 worried that I/we might have scared the women away with this new activity. The woman I’d worked with had told me it was her first time attending W.O.W. and I was really worried the frustration she seemed to be feeling trying to get the stitches from one needle to the other would translate into frustration with the entire W.O.W. support process. When I didn’t see her among the faces sitting around the tables on December 3rd, I was sure I’d scared her off. But Ms. Tilllie was thrilled that we were back. She told us that the women had had a wonderful time and couldn’t stop talking about what they’d learned. I noticed that many of the faces were new to me yet at least four were from the week before. I was sorry to see that Rose wasn’t there. I had sat with her for a short while the week before and we’d talked about knitting and where she was from and what she did enjoy doing. She told me she likes to quilt and was working on a denim/jeans quilt. I asked if she needed material. She said there were always enough jeans in the donation parcels but that she could use some batting. I’d brought some with me to this meeting… and I’ll keep bringing it in case she reappears.

It is difficult for the women to attend W.O.W. meetings regularly and Ms. Tilllie enthused over each and every woman present, greeting each by name and taking coffee orders. The women fill out a form at each meeting. Sections range from the familiar ‘NAME' and ‘DOB’, to the more abstract ‘BARRIERS’. That’s the section that seemed to stump Amanda, my new student who had worked with Meghan the week before. I spent the first few minutes of the meeting approaching women and asking if they’d like to learn to crochet or knit. It was refreshing to realize they had a choice and some didn’t want to learn either and were content to just be at the meeting while others found pleasure in considering the options and choosing from the great selection of yarns Ann had brought. Amanda had forgotten her bag of supplies from the week before and picked out a dark blue yarn and a crochet hook to make a scarf for her boyfriend. She struggled to hold the yarn and the needle and was moved to tears and/or laughter each time she formed a stitch. She’d hold up her sample to show Ms. Tilllie or one of the other women and they’d yell back their support and sometimes come over to see her work. She shared a lot about her life – most of the stories very personal and painful.

There is never enough room to write about all the amazing moments at each of these gatherings at CASS. (Well, there is enough room but it would mean writing pages and pages of text.) I’m grateful for every one of these moments and am looking forward to more people choosing to join us at Ann’s 13Fridays. Come on down!!!

Cattryn

Bright and Fuzzy

noreply@blogger.com (13 Friday-ers) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 21:46:00 +0000

Wiley guarding my knitting chair...

Knitting hats is a total blast. First, you search through your pile of knitting books for the perfect hat pattern. Or maybe you go on-line or you check out the patterns Ann has sent you. Then you begin to dig through your ever-expanding stash of neglected yarn for the perfect color, the perfect softness, the perfect feel and maybe you add a second yarn and in this pairing a more sublime yarn is created. You pull out the right sized 16” circular needles and cast on a specific number of stitches and are careful not to twist any as you join the round and knit, purl, knit, purl, knit, and a hat begins to grow. You imagine the delight of the recipient of this hand-knitted hat. Who wouldn’t want a bright pink, fuzzy, soft hat to ward off the winter chill?

I was really happy to receive Ann’s invitation to participate in this project. I enjoy knitting and, in the distant past, have sent blankets and sweaters and hats to various goodwill organizations. This would be the first time, though, that I would be knitting for someone I might actually meet.

I wasn’t sure what to expect on my first visit. I did know that I wanted to arrive with a completed hat. I wanted to knit a hat that was bright and fuzzy and warm. I was sure that was what someone living at the shelter, or visiting from the streets, would want. It was what I thought I would want. But I wasn’t living in a shelter or on the streets. I really couldn’t know and so I arrived on my first visit with my friend Susan and found out bright and fuzzy was not what was wanted.

Driving down 12^th Ave. from Washington St. we passed many people walking towards the front of CASS. Several carried dark knapsacks or duffel bags or plastic bags. Some held blankets. All were walking towards the entry gate. We eventually made it through the gates, parked, and found Ann and her daughter on a bench behind a tree graced with several completed hats. I placed my pink fuzzy hat on one of the branches and then Susan and I made our way to some boulder ‘seats’ and pulled out our knitting supplies. I was glad for Susan’s company.

A man, holding a red rose, was lying on the fake turf not far from our seats. A woman sat beside him. Some of the residents/visitors gathered in pairs or small groups. Others found places to sit or lie on their own. A man sat silently on a boulder near us. After about 15 minutes he got up and walked away and James arrived to take his place. James wore ear-buds and was listening to a news channel. He began talking about the killing that had occurred that morning. A woman had shot a taxi driver and the police were attempting to find her at some apartment complex. Several people in the area spoke with him on this topic and he seemed very comfortable sharing his views and opinions about the matter. And then he started to talk to Susan and me, commenting on our knitting and telling us that he used to make crocheted beer can hats. His mother had taught him. He told us he had just dropped in to the center to wait for ‘his girl’ who worked there. He mentioned this several times during our visit. I was never really sure if he lived at the shelter or on the streets or elsewhere. We learned that he always listened to news stations and had a bunch of fresh batteries (and vitamins) in his backpack. He said he used to write jingles for advertisements on the radio. He took a fancy to the hat I was knitting and asked if it had already been claimed. I told him it was his as soon as I completed it. He said the colors reminded him of a tie he used to have. James told us about many aspects of the center. He said if a resident or visitor had a sore tooth, they could put their name on a list at the dental clinic and their name would be called at some point during the day so they could receive treatment. The same thing held true for the health clinic. At around 11:30 we noticed a line forming and James told us it was the line for lunch. He invited us to join him and extolled the food pointing out that the staff also ate the lunches there because it is so good. I told him we’d pass this time and that I wanted to complete his hat. Most of the talk revolved around the work James had done or was doing. He claimed he was working with young people with histories of drug use. He was pro-marijuana and against what he considered to be hard drugs. He did smoke and told us it was the one thing he just couldn’t quit. Most of his talk was calm and playful until he began talking about President Obama. He said things have only gotten worse since he took office, that President Obama hasn’t completed a single task since he took office. I told James I was making the hat for him and if he really wanted it he needed to get off the Obama-bashing. He laughed and then agreed, said he really didn’t think it was okay to bad-mouth anyone in the extreme. James returned from lunch and introduced us to a woman who was with him. They sat off to the back of the center and when I finished his hat, I took it over to the two of them and he seemed very pleased as he put it on.

Several times during James’ visit, I glanced over to the ‘gifting’ tree and noticed pink and fuzzy was still there – all alone. After he walked off I noticed several female voices coming from a seating area near us. A woman spoke loudly to one of the other women. “Anytime you need to use my phone you just ask me. It’s okay.” Her tone was clear and enthusiastic and then I heard a woman yell towards Susan and me, “You’re crocheting. I used to crochet. What are you making?” And I told her we were knitting and that we were making hats for whoever might want one and wouldn’t she love a bright and fuzzy hat… that fuzzy hat over there, on the tree. And she said, “Nah, I already have a hat in my backpack. I don’t need another one.” I told her she could take it and give it to someone else and she said, “I could take it for my daughter!” She wandered over to the tree and that’s how my next visit became a little different from the first. This woman, who at last found a recipient for brighy and fuzzy, was a member of W.O.W. and introduced Ann to Ms Tilllie. Ms Tilllie of the wonderfully big and enthusiastic voice!

PS The residents seem most drawn to hats of subtle color and elegant patterns. I've kept that in mind while knitting my last three hats. But I still have some bright and fuzzy yarn left and just know I'm going to have to use it!!!

Day 3...

noreply@blogger.com (13 Friday-ers) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 05:32:00 +0000

I have been at CASS for three Fridays now... At first I was nervous, not only for safety, but just what I would find there. But now a few weeks later, I see through different eyes. There is so much going on in one space. I am starting to feel comfortable. There is a community here. People say hi, they want to know what you are doing. They look out for one another, they support each other and the truth is (on the surface at least) this situation is no different then you would find anywhere. There are humans and humanity here.

m

Teaching and Learning

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Morton) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 19:17:00 +0000

Today was our first knit and crochet workshop with the ladies of W.O.W. (Women of Wealth). As you might have read, last Friday, we met Tilllie (with 3 "L"s) who organizes women residents at the HSC to come together for support and resources. We agreed to begin lessons in knitting and crochet for the W.O.W. group. Myself, my daughter Meghan, Cattryn, Susan and Ellen served as today's teachers (and learners). In all, there were about 10 W.O.W. women in this workshop.

In my group, I was teaching (and learning how to teach) knitting - starting with casting-on. Eager to learn (and unwittingly, teaching) were Kimberly, LeAnne, and May. This is the most difficult step in learning how to knit, and there were equal parts of frustration and success! Before we knew it, our time was up, and although we wanted to let the ladies take the yarn and needles for practicing, for some, it wasn't feasible. Seems the needles might be construed as weapons for those on campus that are in the Level One sleeping room*. So, we need to work on that situation because practice is pretty essential to establishing your own hand movement memory for knitting.

We'll be back though, and I hope that they'll be back. They will be establishing their hand movement memories, and we'll be establishing memories of these women that I suspect we will keep forever.

*At CASS, there are 3 levels of nightly shelter. In Level One, it is first come, first serve after 4:00 pm. - and out by 7:00 am the next morning - no beds are reserved. All these beds are bunk beds arranged in rows in a large, non-private room. If a resident decides to participate in "the system", they are assessed and given a program to follow that is designed to help them to self-sufficiency. Once in the program, they are eligible for Level Two shelter, which is another room divided by low partitions - two beds to each cubicle. These beds are reserved, but if you don't show by 8:00 pm, you lose your Level Two bed. Continuing on and reaching certain program goals, residents can become eligible for Level Three shelter which consists of the same partitions as Level Two, but in a different room and with only one bed per partition, a desk and a lamp. From there, successful participants leave the HSC and the hope is that they are on the road to self-sufficiency.

Hats on 11/26

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Morton) — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 18:51:00 +0000

Made by Ann

Made by Ellen (small)

Made by Ellen (medium)

Made by Ellen (large)

Made by Ellen

Made by Cattryn

Made by Susan

Made by JT

Made by Sarah

Meghan made 2 hats for today also, but she always likes to include hers in her posts. Wow - hard to keep up with all the hats being made and given to our friends at the HSC!

Day After Thanksgiving: A Family Affair

noreply@blogger.com (13 Friday-ers) — Sat, 27 Nov 2010 20:57:00 +0000

I invited my brother and his daughter Sarah -- visiting from Iowa -- to join me for my second visit to CASS. Sarah had learned how to crochet from some family friends. She started working with some beautiful blue yarn and quickly finished her first hat as I finished my second.

It was a beautiful day and the three of us enjoyed sitting in the sun together as we worked and talked to one of the residents, a young man who had approached our table and seemed happy to talk. He was waiting for his check so he could buy a bus ticket and return to the Pacific Northwest, where he had lived before he decided to seek adventure in Arizona. With some encouragement from us, he found a bright red hat for himself among the tree branches where Ann had placed the finished hats. It matched his red jacket. I hoped it would help him find his way safely home.

The warm sunshine and the repetition of the stitches conferred a sense of calm and order. With relative ease, many small stitches bring forth a piece of fiber, creating both form and function from a length of yarn. Quite a feeling of accomplishment and wonder!

As we left the campus, we admired the handiwork of the other women in the 13Fridays group, most of whom have taken on more complicated patterns -- but we weren't sorry we chose the easy route of a single crochet stitch and single color.

Hats on 11/19

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Morton) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 14:19:00 +0000

From top to bottom:

Charlie's hat,

Elisa's hat,

Recipient unknown, made on site by Cattryn,

Pink hat for Maria's daughter, guarded by Cattryn's dog before making it's way to the HSC!

And Meghan already posted her hat (below, entitled "my second friday . . ."), which went to Maria for herself - Maria called it a reverse Charlie Brown hat.

Tilllie with 3 "L"s - W.O.W. !!

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Morton) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 21:41:00 +0000

Like I said, it was a busy day on November 19th.

Front and center, meet Tilllie, (with 3 "L"s)!

As we sat knitting, a young woman came over and took 2 hats - one was a beautiful bright pink hat, (made by Cattryn who you saw in the last post), and one was black with a striking green/yellow stripe, (made by my daughter Meghan). This woman told us her name was Maria and that she was taking a hat for her daughter (the pink one), and one for herself. She talked with pride about her daughter - about how she is going to school and making good choices for herself. So, I asked her if she might like to learn how to knit or crochet. She got very excited at that prospect, but told me that I needed to talk to Tilllie! So, not knowing who that was, I was led over for "a meeting".

Seems that 2 years ago, Tilllie was once a resident here at the HSC, but part of her plan to self-sufficiency was to join Americorps - like the Peace Corps, but the work is done here in the U.S. This led her to form a women's support group here at the HSC called Women of Wealth - W.O.W.!! They meet every Friday from 9:00 - 11:00 am. (We go to the HSC, every Friday from 9:00 - 1:00 , you can see the coincidence forming, right?)

Well, the mere mention of the possibility of teaching knitting or crochet to "her girls" had her singing "Halleluiah, and I don't care who knows it!" I explained our project and that we planned to be here through the end of January, and that, well, we were committed to coming to knit hats, but . . . . . To that, she replied, "Well, I'll just bring the women outside next Friday for a lesson!"

So, I guess, next Friday, the day after Thanksgiving - we'll be teaching some new ladies how to knit and crochet - says Tilllie, (with 3 "L"s).

Charlie and Elisa

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Morton) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 21:24:00 +0000

Last Friday, November 19th was a busy day at the HSC. We met a number of people, and I was joined by 4 other 13 Friday knitters!

Meet Charlie and Elisa, 2 lucky recipients of our hats. (Elisa lucked out, that was really a nice hat, just sayin'.) Charlie stayed for sometime and talked, and talked. He had a very positive outlook on things, but a guarded one too. At his age, he has seen it all, and he still lives on the street. He didn't share his history with us, but he did share that he's "seen a lot of miracles, a lot of miracles happen". I hope we see him again.

And here is Elisa. She was happy to get her hat. She came around early and got a hat that matched the, uh, colorfulness of her outfit. Elisa didn't have much to say, but she was happy for me to take her picture.

Later, I looked across the yard. Elisa was napping, and you can see two knitters, Cattryn and Susan, working away and carrying on their own visit. I don't know the gentleman's name to whom they are talking, but he is a familiar face, and the knitting is a familiar scene for him. He claims his mom taught him as a kid. He likes to hang around us knitters.

Back to Elisa, I'm going to be honest, I was worried about her losing that hat!! But I kept my eye on her as the day wore on. When she awoke for lunch, she bent down, picked it up and put it back on. It's officially her hat now.

my second friday...

noreply@blogger.com (13 Friday-ers) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 04:28:00 +0000

this is the second hat that I knitted. I started it the first Friday at CASS, it took me all week to finish it. It seemed to me that JT had it right with the crochet so the second Friday I came with a hook instead of needles. This week I will have two hats to give.

M

JT's Hat for Marilyn

noreply@blogger.com (Ann Morton) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 07:00:00 +0000

Here is the hat that JT gave to Marilyn. She had spent about 1 1/2 hours before coming down, and about 1 1/2 hours on site. Settled - crochet is faster!