Getting Started
When lockdown started back in March 2020, life slowed down for me. I home educate my two children (11 & 13) and usually we were out of the house every day attending classes at the Village Home Education Center, Beaverton, Oregon. I also taught some High School writing classes there, and worked as a teachers’ aide in the 5- 7 year old program. Suddenly, that all stopped. Lessons went over to the virtual world, and we no longer left the house.

Without the rush of the “old normal”, I decided that it would be good therapy for me to do some sort of craft. I thought about knitting – but I remembered the weird shapes with holes that I’d conjured during childhood. Stumbling across the concept of knitting looms, I wondered if I’d found my niche. Twenty beanie hats later, I’m still stunned that I can produce items that actually look good enough for people to wear. The looms are so easy to use – my daughter has knitted some beanies and a scarf.

Labels
As part of our Knit2Gether initiative, we’re trying to source labels to put on our items, so that knitters across North America feel part of a greater whole – as we knit together to provide warmth for those affected by homelessness and newborn babies affected by poverty.

When I receive my labels and stitch them on the hats, Lord willing, I plan to donate them to the HomePlate charity in Beaverton, which supports young people, aged 12-25 who are experiencing homelessness.

Virtual Knitting Group
The Garden will be running bimonthly knitting groups through the power of Zoom. We’d love to see you – and yes crocheters are also welcome! Find out more here.

Post Lockdown
God willing, when we’re back in our halls, an easy outreach project would be to set up an “in-real-life” knitting group. This is an ideal way to invite people from the local community to a non-threatening event, and thus provide them with companionship, whilst knitting for those who desperately need our help.

For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who is not partial and takes no bribe, who executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and who loves the strangers, providing them food and clothing. You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt (Deuteronomy 10:17-19).