A sense of community

I’ve been thinking about communities and what they mean to us a lot this Summer. In June I was all excited about World Wide Knit in Public Day; I had been picking out my projects to take to the park for days, coordinating with people, heck, even choosing what to wear. When that Saturday morning rolled around, I woke up with a migraine of epic proportions. There was no leaving the house that day. What to do? I was the coordinator! I grabbed my phone and contacted a couple of people in our community of stitchers, and in a few minutes, I had the whole afternoon covered. (Thanks Lindy and Karen!!)

Later this Summer, I was hanging out at Sifu Design Studio (as many of you know, I spend some time there helping my buddy, Lisa, out around the store, and you know, fondling the yarn) figuring I would give her a hand preparing for the Yarn Crawl. But, when I came in, I was in for bad news: Lisa was in danger of losing the shop over some shifty accounting by her previous accountant. When Kim from Chicago Knits Magazine heard the news, she jumped into action and started a Go Fund Me drive to save the store and pay off those back taxes. The outpouring of love (and money, in donations and purchases) was overwhelming. Sifu, like every yarn store in the area, is much more than a yarn store. It is where we go for knit nights, classes, help with our projects, and to meet up with our friends. These are more than stores, they are our club-houses where we gather with like-minded people and make new friends. It is where we share news, plan new projects of a variety of scales, and take a break from our everyday routines to create something new.

I feel honored to be a part of this community of makers. YarnCon is one way in which Sara, Lindy and I get to contribute to the larger community in the Chicago area, and throughout the Midwest. My life is richer because of the connections I have made with so many of you. Thanks for saving the day, in so many ways.