Heroes and Villains: Some new free patterns are in the works!

My sweet brother the Merchant Marine sent me this
after I sent him some masks as he is home but
quarantined on his ship. He said, "I'll be proud
to wear these, sis."

Hello, all! I sincerely hope you all are doing well, and your families too. We are healthy in our family right now (we think my son had Covid-19 but he is too young to be tested at 26. He was sick a long time, but is now doing well.)

 In addition to doing the homeschool-mom-thing with 11-year-old daughter, I have been working hard on finishing as many designs as possible in the time I have here at home. Working hard also forces focus and helps to control the anxiety that was, at first, always at the front of my mind when the pandemic started, is now usually playing in the background, so to speak, but also which occasionally tries to come out and attempt to wreak havoc on my attempts to feel somewhat normal in this time. Sound familiar to you too? I am sure it does.

Reading social media posts about the anxieties of others, talking to concerned friends and family over Zoom and even the weird new behavior of neighbors crossing the street as they approach you when you take a walk (or perhaps you cross the street first, but I digress...) are all a snapshot, not only of a moment in time, but possibly also of a forever-changed world; one that we don't know the shape and size of yet. The uncertainty is palpable.

And the current atmosphere doesn't just feel like a bizarre exercise in social distancing. It feels very often to many of us like war. Like WWII, to be precise.

Also from my bro, the man for whom "A
Seafaring Man" was designed.

I can't tell you the number of times I see someone making masks on social media--or make some
myself--that calls to mind Rosie the Riveter and her posters from "back then." Now, we have some similar images for the war on this disease, where one of our only defenses is to back away from one another. Stay away from each other and don't breath each others' air, they tell us. As crafting community, we have made so many masks that JoAnn's is now reporting totals nearing 68 million masks, all made to donate by crafters. And that doesn't  even count those of us who do it on our own, helping family, neighbors and friends with some! WOW!

Crafters!! YOU ARE MIGHTY!! 

Yet, even with this positive force in the crafting world, I found myself inexplicably wanting to do something else. Something to help those in need -- especially financially at this time. I keep thinking about those who are poorest, the kids with no school lunches right now to be their one meal of the day, and I keep wondering about those who had Covid-19 and were hospitalized ... but lived. Now what for them? Possibly a huge medical bill with no job? A way to pay?

So I got thinking.

Here is the link to my Ravelry project page for a little more info!

There are charities right now helping these very folks. Lots of them. The food banks being in great need, first of all. Feed America is the biggest one in the US, for example. Then there is another charity I was fascinated by: Give Directly's Covid-19 response. They actually give cash to those who need it most. And they've been doing it for a long time. The third organization I thought of was the hospitals themselves. Did you know that individual hospitals have funds to help those in need pay their medical bills? They do!

All of these worthy organizations had my attention. I thought, what if I created a knitting pattern? One that could depict the situation right now? I could sell it and the proceeds to go to one of these organizations. Or I could break up the proceeds and give to all three.

Then I thought, no. I wanted anyone who wants to knit a pattern like that should be able to have it.

Here is a link to my Ravelry project page for more info

For free. If anyone who makes one of these patterns would like to help in any way, please donate to a charitable organization of your choice.

As I mulled over what image might shows today's troubles, the one pattern turned into two. I chose to focus on the Villains and the Heroes. The virus itself is the Villain, obviously, and the Heroes I chose to focus on are the medical professionals who battle this thing day and night (incidentally, a close classmate of mine from college -- she is an RN and I am an RDH -- just recovered from this Covid-19. She is one of many, I realize.). I acknowledge there are many other heroes: the kids working at fast food places; the people in the grocery stores.The Postal workers, police and firemen. All amazing humans. I honor them as well!

They were all on my mind as I worked on these two patterns. Who knows? Maybe I have a few more patterns in mind. If people are interested, then I'll create more!

Villains and Heroes are in pattern testing right now, and I am hoping to release them in my Ravelry shop by mid-May. Until then, be safe, do good work, make masks and do whatever else makes you feel helpful and useful.