I just found out about this rehab facility in Philly that uses knitting and crochet as part of their rehab program.  I suppose knitting is a safer addiction than whatever their patients come in with.  I think this is a great idea!  Most of us have at least a little yarn in our stash we wouldn't mind giving away to a good cause... For more information, check out their blog.

On June 4th Planned Parenthood sent out a Mother's Day Fundraising letter written by Judy Blume:

If you are the daughter whose mom had the guts to give you the answers to questions you couldn't quite figure out how to ask...

If you are the son whose mother raised you to love and respect your sisters and wives and daughters...

If you know a mother who is struggling to raise strong, independent, and confident children in the face of unbelievable odds...

...Say thanks. Say thanks this Mother's Day with a gift that honors her courage by making a donation to Planned Parenthood in her name. I guarantee you that she'll be pleased. I know I would be.

I'm a mom, and I'm also a writer and an activist. Nothing has made me prouder than seeing my own children — and really, all young people — grow up to be healthy, educated, and in charge of their bodies and their lives. That's where Planned Parenthood comes in. There is no organization that I know of that supports motherhood and all that it means more than Planned Parenthood. That's why I'm honoring moms everywhere with my gift to Planned Parenthood today.

It's not easy to be a mother these days. And right now — with more and more women seeking care from Planned Parenthood health centers — we need to do all we can to support them. By honoring a mother in your life, you'll be making a gift to millions of mothers and families who seek care from Planned Parenthood. That's a gift any mother will appreciate.

Sincerely,

Judy Blume

Since then she has been innundated with hate mail, phone calls and even some death threats from anti-choice extremists. Click here to send a supportive note to Judy Blume. And then click here to support Planned Parenthood in honor of your mother. The best thing that could come out of this is if every outraged woman who adored Judy Blume's books as a teen donates and makes this campaign an overwhelming success.

.

Margaret Wertheim discusses her amazing viral crochet project that raises awareness about climate change and its impact on coral reefs, making math accessible through art!

Publishers Weekly (who themselves laidoff their high-profile Managing Editor and a bunch of other top level editors a couple of weeks ago), published this article about the craft industry's success in this bad economy. The article talks about crafters using their skills to repurpose and remake things, the frugalness of crafters, the sense of community found on Etsy and other craft web sites, the number of young people involved in crafting as an alternative to the electronic world and the increasing use of green materials in craft. The fact that all of the quoted craft publishers are enthusiastic about the near future speaks multitudes in a month when the two oldest presses in the world (Oxford and Cambridge University Presses) have announced big layoffs.

So, I'm always a month behind on things, it seems, but I saw an ad today for the Ford F150 where they speak mockingly of using the truck to haul yarn. Combined with the previous sexist ad  in which they laud the engineers who designed the F150, and refer to them as all being male, when I know for a fact that some women engineers worked on that project. Seems like a ripe opportunity for some guerilla theatre, with some burly women and big boxes from Webs.... 

Find more videos like this on I Am Progress

Steven Colbert talked about radical knitting on Wednesday's show. The featured artitst does mostly crochet, but it's common for non fiber people to confuse the two. We still love you Steven. And we would welcome the liberal crocheters out there to our fold.