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August 30, 2008
Stitch for Senate exhibited in Florida
Last week I installed the Stitch for Senate helmet liners at Ritter Art Gallery in Boca Raton at Florida Atlantic University, where Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton stumped for Barack Obama just four days before.
The helmets are exhibited in the seating chart of the Senate Chamber. The exhibit opens on Sept 5, 2008 and will close just three days before Election Day on November 4th, when they will be post-mailed to the Senators offices.
Many many thanks to the contributing knitters who made helmet liners for the project:
Alyssa Wilson (Pittsburgh, PA) for Senator Specter
Ann Crawford (Bloomfield, CT) for Senator Lieberman and Senator Dodd
Ann Morton (Phoenix, AZ) for Senator Kyl
Anthea Daugherty (Rockford, IL) for Senator Obama
Betsy Greer, (Carrboro, NC) for Senator Burr
Cathy Dowd (St. Peter, MN) for Senators Klobuchar, Murray and Durbin
Chelsea Gunn (Providence, RI) for Senator Reed
Chris Tigner (Portland, OR) for Senator McConnell
Danica King (Seattle, WA) for Senator Feingold
Debra L. Stroud (Fallon, NV) for Senator Reid
Eleanor Castle (Kalamazoo, MI) for Senators Brown, Casey and Stabenow
Eliza Jane Curtis (Gorham, ME) for Senator Collins
Erin R. (Albuquerque, NM) for Senator Bayh
Heather Pristash (Bowling Green, OH) for Senator Voinovich
Jaki Thurman (Salinas, CA) for Senator Kerry
Jennifer Augello (Portland, OR) for Senator Smith
Jessica Godden (Brooklyn, NY) for Senator Bingaman
Julie Groat (Monument, CO) for Senator Allard
Karen L. Mohler (Littleton, CO) for Senator Smith
Kathy Warner (West Linn, OR) for Senator Wyden
Kristin Noel Rivers (San Jose, CA) for Senator Boxer
Leslie Sudock (Philadelphia, PA) for Senator Casey
Linda Harroun (Colorado Springs, CO) for Senator Salazar
Linda Muri (Watertown, MA) for Senator Kerry and Senator Lincoln
Linn Perkins Syz (Montpelier, VT) for Senator Leahy
Meghan Olesen (Phoenix, AZ) for Senator Roberts
Melissa Reynolds (Albuquerque, NM) for Senator McCain
Mike Topper (Huntington Woods, MI) for Senator Levin
Patrick D. Kettner (Federal Way, WA) for Senator Cantwell
Virginia deRochemont (Santa Fe, NM) for Senator Feinstein
Posted by cat at 04:17 PM
August 17, 2008
Stitch for Senate Helmet #100:
Knitted for Senator Voinovich
As a lifelong Ohioan who is also a liberal, I haven't agreed with Senator Voinovich about a great many things. However, I do believe that he cares about this country, even though he expresses this caring differently than I do. It is my fervent hope that this project might help him see that the best way to care about this country and all its people right now is to help end this war and bring our soldiers home.
- Heather Pristash, knitting in Bowling Green, OH
Posted by cat at 05:07 PM
Connecticut Senators Lieberman and Dodd
This war is a waste of lives on all sides. A knitted protest has immense strength, growing out of traditions of creating objects of use and comfort and traditions of concern for and support of individual members of the military. Perhaps at least one of the senators will don their knitted helmet, and think for a moment of another real person who might wear a helmet and the value of that human being's life.
- Ann Crawford knitting in Bloomfield, CT
Posted by cat at 05:01 PM
Stitch for Senate Helmet #99:
Senator Carl Levin
- Helmet knitted by Mike Topper, from Huntington Woods, MI.
This helmet liner is for our long time senator, Carl Levin. A fixture on the Armed Services Committee as well as serving as the chair of that body more than once, he supports our men in service about as well as anyone you can name. He did not support Joint Resolution 114, of which I am proud as he truly represented my vote. In sending this helmet, I do it in the faith that he will continue to support Barack Obama and seek to return all of our young men home quickly and help, in the fuure, to not involve our services in such acts of aggression but keep peace with friends around the globe. We must return to friendly relations and lead other nations to a peaceful world. This liner can be used by a peacetime army just as handily as one who is involved with the sadness of the last five years.
- Testimony by Eleanor J. Castle of Kalamazoo, Michigan who also knitted for Senator Debbie Stabenow
Posted by cat at 03:04 PM
Stitch for Senate Helmet Final Stacks
Including:
Senator McCaskill
Senator Whitehouse
Senator Tester
Senator Webb
Senator Snowe
Senator Sessions
Senator Pryor
Senator Menendez
Senator Ben Nelson
Senator Rockefeller
Senator Bill Nelson
Senator Lautenberg
Senator Landrieu
Senator Barrasso
Senator Murray
Senator Sanders
Senator Stevens
Senator Wicker
I also knitted back ups for knitters who signed up for:
Senator McConnell, #38 Senator Dodd, #42 Senator Lieberman, #11 Senator Boxer.
Posted by cat at 01:50 PM
August 10, 2008
Stitch for Senate Helmet #81:
Knitted for Senator Jack Reed
I am only a recent Rhode Island resident, but I am beyond pleased to have a senator who opposes the war. Having a former Army Ranger oppose this war speaks volumes, and other leaders should be listening. One of my nearest and dearest is overseas until September; I'm knitting this with him in mind.
- Helmet Knitted by Chelsea Gunn of Providence, RI
Posted by cat at 11:27 AM
Stitch for Senate Helmet #70:
Knitted for Senator Pat Roberts
As chairman of the intelligence committee at the time the United States invaded Iraq, I believe that Senator Pat Roberts had a responsibility to the American public and the country of Iraq to get it right. If he is dedicated to sweeping reform and ratting out the problems in our nation's intelligence community then he should have been more diligent to find the difference between true intelligence information and pure propaganda by a corrupt administration. It is now clear that this war was and is only for the personal satisfaction of a few elites and it only serves to settle up some unfinished business that has nothing to do with protecting freedom. I knitted this helmet liner to show that not all americans believe that this is a just war and that some of us actually believe that it is wrong for our government to play a "missionary of democracy" to the rest of the world . I believe that one should always turn the other cheek.. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. It is time for the United States to start to look at our "American Dream" and realize that not everyone in the world grows up wishing they could be us.
- Helmet Knitted by Meghan Olesen of Phoenix, AZ
Posted by cat at 11:20 AM
August 09, 2008
Stitch for Senate Time Cards and Post Mail
Since the deadline to get to 100 helmets is August 16th, I'm getting the last few helmets in the mail... I'm also starting to record on a timecard the rate at which the helmets are being made. The last 10 helmets were made from August 4 - August 8. They take about 2-3 hours each including documenting. I'm using my new favorite kind of wool that comes in hanks - Peruvia, which is a soft texture, great for machine knitting.
Posted by cat at 03:11 PM
Stitch for Senate Helmet #71 - #80
Senator Shelby votes YEA on Joint Resolution 114 and Senator Byrd votes NAY on Joint Resolution 114
Senator Cardin votes YEA on Senate Vote #137 and Senator Hatch votes NAY on Senate Vote #137
Senator Ensign votes NAY on Senate Vote #137 and Senator Hutchison votes YEA on Senate Vote #137
Senator Alexander voting records here and Senator Corker voting record here ... Corker mentions contemporary art in March '08 interview here.
Senator Johnson and Senator Kohl voted the same on:
Joint Resolution 114: YEA
Levin Amdt. No. 4320: YEA
Senate Vote #137: YEA
Posted by cat at 02:30 PM
August 04, 2008
Eight Stack - Class III helmets
69% helmets complete
Senator DeMint (R - SC), Senator Gregg (R - NH), Senator Inouye (D - HI), Senator Isakson (R - GA), Senator Martinez (R - FL), Senator Mikulski (D - MD), Senator Murkowski (R - AK), Senator Vitter (R - LA)
Posted by cat at 04:17 PM