Prayer Shawl Received in Thailand
We just received word that the prayer shawl sent to the Child Day Care Center in Thailand was received in the autumn of 2024. In 2023, Knitting in Solidarity created and sent 15 prayer shawls to communities around the US and the world. Check out their photos and message of gratitude!!
จากศูนย์พัฒนาเด็กเล็กตำบลอุทัยสวรรค์ From Thailand เราได้รับของขวัญจากท่านแล้ว เรารู้สึกดีใจมากและต้องขอบคุณในทุกความห่วงใยจากท่าน เด็กๆที่นี้รู้สึกดีใจและประทับใจมากที่มีผู้ใหญ่มอบของขวัญให้กับพวกเขา
From Uthai Sawan Subdistrict Child Development Center From Thailand We have received your gifts. We are very happy and would like to thank you for all your concern. The children here are very happy and impressed that adults have given them gifts.
Each prayer shawl we send is a prayer made tangible. With every stitch, we hold in our hearts the survivors who will one day receive these threads of care. We give without expectation. Just as with prayer, we lift the shawls up, trusting that the love stitched into them will be received.
But every now and then, we hear back. A message, a photo, a story, a sign. And in those moments, we are reminded of just how powerful solidarity and prayer can be. It affirms that what we do matters, and that our creative acts of kindness have impact, crossing the chasm of loss and connecting grieving hearts.
#EveryStitchAPrayer
February 2024 Newsletter
Quartlery Newletter 1
Who is KIS?
We are a grassroots group of knitters responding to the violence of mass shooting by creating prayer shawls of healing for survivor communities.
Year in Review: 2023
As we conclude our big year in 2023, we want to say a big THANK YOU to our knitters for creating all 15 prayer shawls. All 15 prayer shawls have been sent and received by their communities. We had over 100 knitters and stitchers involved. We exhibited the shawls publicly in two locations in Los Angeles so that people could learn about the movement and put their own prayers into the shawls before being sent. Here is a list of the recipients from the 2023:
Tops Friendly Markets, Buffalo, NY
Robb Elementary School, Uvalde, TX
Saint Francis Hospital, Tulsa, OK
Independence Day Parade, Highland Park, IL
Child Daycare Center, Thailand
Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, St. Louis, MO
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Club Q, Colorado Springs, CO
Walmart Supercenter, Chesapeake, VA
Star Ballroom Dance Studio, Monterrey Park, CA
Half Moon Bay, San Mateo, CA
Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
The Covenant School, Nashville, TN
Old National Bank, Louisville, KY
The people of Ukraine
Why We Knit
Knitting prayer shawls is not a hobby for us. Knitting is art. Knitting is a healing gift for survivor communities of mass gun violence. Knitting is a personal form of therapy, a way to heal. Knitting is a reminder that we are not alone. Despite the pain and the heartbreak caused by mass shootings, Knitting in Solidarity is a community that cares, seeks to understand, and stands in solidarity with survivor communities. Join the movement today!
An Invitation to Join Knitting in Solidarity
Each one of us here has a story to tell. A story that adds to the rich tapestry of our communities. We invite you to be a part of this textile narrative. So pick up your knitting needles and join us in our cause. To knit, to heal yourself and others, to stand in solidarity with those whose communities have been devastated by gun violence. Because together, we can make a difference. One stitch at a time. Every stitch a prayer.
KIS and the “4 S” Process
Step 1: Stitch!
We begin our response with knitting as an act of healing and prayer. Click the links below to get the instructions on what kind of knits we need. The instructions pages (LINK) will tell you where to send or drop off your squares. If postage is an issue, please reach out to connor@knittinginsolidarity.org.
Step 2: Sew!
Squares are knitted into shawls.
Step 3: Show!
Shawls are exhibited in a sculptural installation. This allows local communities to interact with and input their own prayers into the shawls.
Step 4: Send!
After the showing, shawls are given canvas backings with a sleeve that allows them to be displayed as tapestries. Packages are then sent to the designated survivor communities.
#EveryStitchAPrayer #PrayerShawls4Peace #KnittingInSolidarity
