Simply Saturday - The Women's March

My pussy hat in the making as others march, so that in my heart I can support them.  It'll eventually be changed over to a regular hat with a pom pom so I can show how all those Pussyhats can be recycled and donated. (Details, pattern, yarn used and how to convert your hat on the bottom).

     While it seems like everyone is marching in DC or elsewhere I'm at home.  So in solidarity with my Sister's I'm knitting my hat today.  I went out to Joann's today and bought a lovely salmon colored yarn.  I'm knitting my "Pussy Hat" today in Lion's Wool-Ease Thick and Quick in Raspberry.  A nice salmon pink that compliments my grey and black and white wardrobe for this winter season.  

Actually I can barely walk and I'm in perpetual pain (more on why that matters now and how politics will play with that issue in my life).  I have many friends and family that are there now marching in Washington, and I was moved to tears when one Facebook buddy said they would march for me and other's that might lose their health care.

 

  Today the most important issue is Women's Rights and the Respect we deserve.  Tomorrow and the next day that will also still be important.  But mark my words, when the dust settles from this and Congress and the new President gear up to dismantle our health care, a new cry will loudly emerge.  The cry for our health care rights!  If we have any at all.  

The new Administration plans on dismantling so many good and progressive causes, it actually will be one thing after another: Women's Rights, then Health Care and then what? Education? Global Warming? A kaleidoscope of so many issues that are vital and important.  Each one would be deserving of a large march.    

 Think of our environment?  We will be falling behind a race to save this planet by four more years, and can we even afford to lose any ground in what some scientists say is almost a losing fight already? 

 I think of immigrants, the youth of immigrants, who came to this country young and Obama wanted to protect!  There is actually a large group of them that attend colleges like Harvard and up till now, while they were in college they were safe.  Now what?  Will they be deported too? 

Too many issues to grasp!

  I hope the masses of women (and really cool, guys!) protesting today will wake people up to the many needs that are not being met by the new administration.  Women are marginalized, our needs are not only set to one side, but also we are fodder for the man who became president to mock!  To demean in a sexual way.  If the president doesn't get it, I hope those in Congress must see that the women are a powerful group to win or lose.

     Next week when Congress starts dismantling The Affordable Care Act think on me.  We lived for years without insurance, a question of pay for insurance or rent.  When the law changed, we complied, got insurance and suddenly couldn't afford life.  We became homeless for awhile.  Tenting it with a teenager.  A friend, really an acquaintance bought our old wooden porch rocking chairs for hundreds, so we would have a deposit on an apartment.  My husband was given his job back and, by a miracle, we bounced back.  Never forgetting the kindness of strangers.  When we applied for foodstamps, not expecting it we received Medicaid. 

  
       Then my health got hit!  A decade of working in a kitchen store, lifting Kitchen Aids and assisting Cooking Classes (lifting heavy pots) caused back problems and a bulge in my back which creates pain in my leg and stops the blood flow and basically fools with the nerve endings in that leg.  Finally after months we have a diagnosis.  Weeks it took to find a surgeon who can treat me with Medicaid.  At first there was no one.  Now I wait for an April appointment, but we might lose coverage by then.  To make it sadder, the surgery is most effective when done right away.  So I wait, in pain while my leg literally shrinks, and I wonder will I get the surgery?  Will I walk again?  Hike like I loved?  I hear the surgery immediately, that day, stops the pain in my leg.  Rehabbing my legs will take weeks, I excitedly await that day!

    I honestly cannot imagine life without pain.  Or actually being able to walk again.   So if they cancel the Medicaid (we are at the very edge, the Extension created by Obamacare) we will have to buy insurance.  No big deal you say.  Well, meanwhile I'm in pain, (and I refuse to use opiates) and I don't think we can afford anything extra till August when my husband plans to do a working retirement.  Get benefits and work at the same time.  Meanwhile I'm in pain.  Sometimes I just laugh, I can't believe it's me, it's bad and I'm caught in this body.  It seems strangely absurd, my body turned on me.  A body I did work hard to take care of.  I've been a health food nut since the 70's, I walked daily.  My genes caught up with me.

      I'm being honest, more honest then I'm comfortable with.  Truth be told, because often we hear of political moves and then the figures of how many people are affected, I wanted to put forth the reality of the dismantling of ACA and how it'll affect me.  I'm one of 10 million affected by the cutting off of the Medicaid extension (if that happens, as threatened).   I'm painting a picture so you can voice your protest,  make your shout heard!  For just like little old me, there must be thousands like me who'll won't get the care they desperately need.  Lives Matters, Lives will be affected.  Please don't be silent.

My Pattern and Redo Plans

     I'm following the beginning of The Big Hat pattern and instead of the decreasing step after  8" I'm going to stitch the top together to give me ears, just for fun!!!  And for a few pictures.  Then later I'm going to undo my stitching, put my hat back on needles and finish the Big Hat!  With a pom pom! 

 Recycling your Pussyhat (if you can let it go, totally cute!)

     I want to encourage others to work on their kitty hats afterwards and change them back to conventional hats and donate them.  To women's shelters, Homeless women, as a way of recycling your hat.  Many hats have been made as a rectangle first. The original pattern PussyHat Project has the fold at top, looks massively cute like the others and might be harder to convert.  Possibly they can be sewn inside in a U shape and trimmed. Other hats with a top sewn closed an experienced knitter could alter by picking up the top edge after pulling out the closing stitches, and then that would give you stitches to work with and you can decrease every other row to get a rounded top.  You'll need double pointed needles of your size to do this.  Lots of tutorials available if you get stuck.  But recycling all those pink hats would be awesome!

Thanks to all that Marched today!

1913 Women's March on Washington for Women's Voter Rights 

I'll post my finished"Pussy Hat" pictures when I get more cocoa and turn on the NBC video feed of the march (Women's March in Washington, DC Jan. 21, 2017) and listen to more stirring speeches!  This is one fast hat!  I started this morning at Starbucks with a latte, in front of a fireplace.  I finished my brim in the car coming home, but I got kind of sidetracked when I did this blog.  So I'll knit and watch and listen and pretend I was there.  I'm also looking for my best friend from the East & Knitting Expert in the crowd (kinda hopeless, I know).  It must be so awesome just to have been there.  Thanks again!