WOOL SHALL OVERCOME is an incredible new initiative started by Lindsay Rutland and spreading fast. It is precisely the kind of thing we hoped would arise from our work with We Shall Overcome, people bringing what skills they have to the table and turning them into something revolutionary, imaginative and genuinely incredible.
I’ll let Lindsay spell it out:
“So, Wool Shall Overcome™ is now really a thing!
We have no logo as yet – yes that is a hint – and only one knitter (me), but we hope to follow in the footsteps of our much bigger and louder sibling, We Shall Overcome and…er…grow a bit.
What we do need are knitters.
And crocheters.
And buyers.
We know there are a lot of you out there who are already knitting and crocheting scarves, hats, gloves and socks for people who need them – mainly homeless people. And a lot of these woolly items of loveliness are being distributed by Pauline Town. We want you to carry on doing this as it is already making a huge difference. Most of the stuff we make to give away is made from leftover yarn, and therefore costs us nothing but our time to make. Some of us buy yarn to make the stuff we give away, just because we can and it is a nice way to donate. Not all of us can afford to do that indefinitely, but we need to feed our woolly crafting habits somehow.
But here’s where we are veering off slightly.
Sometimes a warm woolly isn’t quite enough; sometimes some cold hard cash is needed, and this is where we are going to step in to to help Pauline keep helping the people who need it badly.
The sheer talent amongst our woolly crafters (from here they will be known as WSOCs) is quite astounding, so we would like the WSO family to be given the opportunity to purchase unique, lovingly crafted woolly stuff of their very own.
We aim to sell items that have been made on spec as well as commissioned items.
So…if you would like to commission a hat, scarf or pair of gloves (or maybe socks if we get anyone talented enough to be able to make them, all you need to do is post a photo of what you would like here. Our WSOCs will then respond with a price and a timeframe (please do bear in mind that we can’t breach copyright, so some logos or designs might not be possible). The price offered will most likely include the cost of the yarn as well as the donation – we aim to make the donation part £5 or £10, depending on the time each item will take to make. If you are happy with the price – and any alterations to the design that might have to be made, then the WSOC will get to work. Once your item is finished, send the money to the woolly WSOCs and they will send you the goods and the donation to Pauline.
Postal costs may be a problem as we go forward, so we may ask our friends and families to help us with that – a lot of supporters travel regularly, and we might be able to put together some sort of door-to-door relay type thing, if anyone can suggest a good way of managing this?”
Joe Solo 