I hope you have great plans for July 4th! I am really looking forward to my annual picnic with extended family. Our picnic has a long family tradition and so my thoughts have been swirling around family, traditions and our country's history.
Our group started because of two amazing women who are mother and daughter and knitters. Shanti writes the blog Adventures in Paradise. Shanti is in the Navy and had the idea to provide a handmade hat to every sailor serving on the ship she would be commanding. Lynne, her mom, helped make that idea a reality. People heard about it and Lynne started receiving hats from all over the world. I was one of those people and when I emailed Lynne for the mailing address, we discovered that we live a few miles apart. I offered to help and so I joined many others to sort and pack boxes. There had been such a great response, that we wanted to keep it going and Hats for Sailors was born.
Many of us are also tied to the US Navy or military by family members. We hear your stories and I have my own. We provide hats not only to show gratitude to the sailor who will receive our hat, but also in a personal way for those we know and love who have worn a uniform. Our group's history extends beyond the two incredible women who started it. It includes each of our stories and it goes back in time and extends out to others who serve.
Knitters and crocheters also have a great history and amazing women and men who have come before us. There is a tradition of knitting for our soldiers and sailors. As I was searching for a new hat pattern, I came across this Navy Watch Cap. It is an American Red Cross pattern from World War II. That pattern and others from the American Red Cross are on this page. I love the pictures that you can scroll through to the right. On one of the posters, it says Knit Your Bit. That's what we do, isn't it? We knit our bit.
P.S. If you are interested in reading more about World War II knitting, click on the link.
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