Knitters for Critters

Knitters are all about seeing connections. Maybe it’s because we are so into figuring out how to take a strand of fiber and make it into something beautiful. We who knit want to make connections to those who are doing such great work on our behalf in response to the oil spill that occurred earlier this month.

Therefore, we are delighted to announce the launch of the Knitters for Critters Project in response to the San Francisco Bay Oil Spill that occurred earlier this month.

This project is both by and for knitters, but non-knitters can support the project through purchasing. We are delighted to have the support of Warren Agee and Marin Fiber Arts in San Rafael!

Knitted Ornaments

Knitters for Critters is focusing this week on knitting the ornament pattern from the Holiday issue of Vogue Knitting – it’s essentially a knitted tube that can go over a Styrofoam ball. It would be better to make the smaller sizes, especially the two-inch size, given the cost of the Styrofoam balls.

Please bring your contribution by Friday, Nov 23rd, 12 noon to Marin Fiber Arts.

These ornaments will be sold this coming Friday from 4 – 8 pm at the Marin Fiber Arts booth at San Rafael’s annual Parade of Lights and Winter Wonderland in downtown San Rafael. Look for the Marin Fiber Arts booth!

What we need:

• A total of about 50-75 knitting ornaments, initially
• A donation of a “tree” (about 3 feet tall) that we can put the ornaments on
• Help in putting together the balls on Friday morning and early afternoon at Marin Fiber Arts
• Assistance in selling the ornaments at the Winter Wonderland on Friday, November 23rd.

Yarn Basket Drawing

Contribute by December 14th—midnight!

Our knitters and Marin Fiber Arts are together putting up their stash and tools for a wonderful drawing for a basket of yummy stuff, just in time for you to have wonderful stuff to knit during the holiday time. Photo of the basket will be coming soon! We invite you to make a donation to one of the three organizations assisting locally in the clean-up listed below. We will have a drawing on Saturday, December 15th . For every $25 you donate, you will get one slip in the drawing itself.:

To participate in the drawing, click on the organization, make your donation directly to the organization, then send an email to "knittersforcritters@gmail.com" with:

1. your name
2. your city (we’d like to be able to know where the donations are coming from)
3. how much you donated (so we can track the donations as a whole, and put in the correct number of slips into the big drawing).

Charities we are supporting!

Wildcare

Wildcare is one of the key organizations that has accepted and treated oiled birds found on the beaches, and a proud member of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) They provide immediate treatment of birds, and transportation to the regional hospital for further treatment.

Baykeeper

Baykeeper’s boats have been on the Bay surveying the impacts of the spill and reporting back key information about the clean-up, both positive and negative, keeping the pressure up on those responsible for mitigation. They are posting reports on their website about volunteer opportunities, and will be on the job for the coming months to survey the damage and provide information for responders.

Golden Gate Parks Conservancy
The Golden Gate National Recreation Area north of the Golden Gate bridge was one of the most heavily impacted areas. The Parks conservancy is a non-profit that will be monitoring the impact of the spill in the weeks and months to come.

International Bird Rescue Research Center

Located in Cordelia, IBRRC is set up to treat, maintain, and release oiled birds, particularly water birds, which were most affected by the spill.

News about the spill

To see updated information about the oil spill's impact on the coastal beaches and wildlife, please visit the Marine Mammal Center's news page.