When I started our women’s knitting group once a week I never imagined knitting would be so popular in Cusmapa. Our group that meets every Wednesday evening for two hours started a couple months ago as three women, it is now about 15. There are also a handful of sisters and cousins and nieces that come those evenings. The women bring many knit squares every week to contribute to the blankets we are making to donate to the Casa Materna. One girl in the group, who is actually a high school student of ours as well, has begun to make little hats to donate. I love that the women are all positive about the community side of this project.
Even more incredibly, all the little boys in our neighborhood are knitting now too, them and many of their cousins and siblings and friends, maybe twenty kids all around the age of eleven. Now that they have all gotten into knitting, the word is really spreading fast. Everyday kids I’ve never seen before come knocking at the door asking to learn. Students come to me asking to learn, or to inform me that some friend or cousin or sibling of theirs wants to learn.
There are too many requests now for me to fulfill them all. I’ve asked that all the more advanced knitters teach the new knitters so that I only have to teach more difficult stuff. Little Memo, who lives across the street, is happy to help and yesterday taught four little girls the basics. I think this will work out great, it makes it all more community oriented, which was part of my initial goal.
So, now that you all know how this project of mine is succeeding, that it is inspiring and teaching so many kids in Cusmapa, that it is snowballing quickly, I will tell you I am almost without supplies. I’ve told all the kids they have to knit with pencils as needles, which works great in the beginning until they become more advanced and want to make bigger things, or more complicated things. Our supply of yarn is quickly depleting and the people here have no money to buy such luxuries on their own.
ANY money or supplies you or someone you know would like to donate would be greatly appreciated and put to good use. Callie will be in the States in a month, so she could carry supplies back with her when she returns to Nica. Monetary donations can be wired here to me, or sent to my parents who can deposit them directly in my bank account. Needles can be made from dowels, a pencil sharpener and some sand paper, and it is much cheaper. Plastic needles are fairly inexpensive especially if large sets of multiple sizes are purchased. Sometimes yarn can be found at second hand stores, garage and estate sales, and craigslist is a good place to look too.
I have to say, I think this knitting craze in Cusmapa is one of the most important things I’m doing here. I think my classes are super important, but the people involved in the knitting are INTO it. Who knows, maybe we’ll see a small cooperative grow from this that can help provide a little income to some families. That would be absolutely incredible.
