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WHODONEKNIT2024 • RAT UTOPIA • WOOL & FOLK<br />

ISSUE <strong>11</strong><br />

ALL ABOUT EVE • DEAR MR. WEST • OH WHAT A TANGLED WEB WE WEAVE...


Common Knitting & Crochet Pattern Abreviations<br />

Unless otherwise indicated the information,<br />

articles, artwork, patterns and photography<br />

published in <strong>BLOCKED</strong> Magazine are subject<br />

to copyright ©2023 <strong>BLOCKED</strong> Magazine.<br />

All rights reserved.<br />

<strong>BLOCKED</strong> Magazine permits the online<br />

distribution of the magazine in its entirety.<br />

Distribution of any of the contents of this<br />

magazine for purposes of sale or resale<br />

is strictly prohibited.<br />

Editor<br />

Neil of Uknitted Kingdom<br />

For all enquiries:<br />

blockedmagazine@gmx.com<br />

Cover Photography<br />

@shaunastiches<br />

Special thanks to all the knitters who<br />

submitted cover images for consideration.<br />

A selection is shown on page 13.<br />

Contributors:<br />

Wanda North<br />

Cezanne Pellett<br />

Little Sis from @Twosistersandsomeyarn<br />

Yelena of Scythia<br />

Uknitted Kingdom<br />

Patterns:<br />

Tabitha of Murder Knits<br />

Uknitted Kingdom<br />

Proofers:<br />

Karen Juliano<br />

Laura Neubauer<br />

Cézanne Pellett<br />

Denise Pettus<br />

Design and layouts:<br />

BS Studio<br />

Knitting Abbreviations:<br />

BO – Bind off<br />

CO – Cast on<br />

Inc – Increase<br />

Inc’d – Increased<br />

K – Knit<br />

LH – Left Hand<br />

M1L – (make one left; single left-leaning<br />

knit increase) PU strand between just<br />

worked st and next st with left needle<br />

coming from front. Insert right needle<br />

into the lifted strand through back loop<br />

and knit.<br />

M1R – (make one right; single right-leaning<br />

knit increase) PU strand between just<br />

worked st and next st with left needle<br />

coming from behind. Insert right needle<br />

into the lifted strand from left to right<br />

and knit.<br />

P – Purl<br />

PU – Pick up<br />

PM – Place Marker<br />

RH – Right Hand<br />

RS – Right Side<br />

Sl – Slip<br />

SM – Slip marker<br />

Ssk – (Slip, slip, knit) Sl 1 st as if to knit,<br />

sl next st as if to knit, then knit these<br />

2 sts together through back loop.<br />

Sts(s) – Stitch(es)<br />

Tbl – Through back loop<br />

WS – Wrong Side<br />

WYIF – With yarn in front<br />

Yo – Yarn over<br />

() – Work instructions within parentheses<br />

as many times as directed.<br />

** – Repeat instructions to this point<br />

as directed.<br />

Crochet Abbreviations:<br />

() – Work instructions within parentheses<br />

as many times as directed.<br />

Ch – Chain<br />

Sc – Single crochet<br />

Hdc – Half double crochet<br />

Sl – Slip or slip stitch<br />

St(s) – Stitch(es)


Dear Readers,<br />

It’s been an interesting few weeks since issue 10 was released.<br />

Stephen West released his annual mystery knit-a-long only for a couple of knitters to<br />

declare clue 1 was a swastika! Much drama ensued. Before the “Dustlands” could settle,<br />

Wool and Folk hosted their annual yarn festival and unknowingly created a spectacle<br />

which attracted LolaBean Yarns, Magpie Fibers, and many others into the fray. (See page<br />

22 for an expose of Felicia Eve, the Wool and Folk organizer. More details and personal<br />

accounts of the Wool and Folk experience can be found on page 4.)<br />

The theme of this issue is ‘Windmills of Your Mind’. The lyrics of this 1968 ‘Thomas<br />

Crown Affair’ soundtrack end with:<br />

Like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel<br />

Never ending or beginning on an ever-spinning reel<br />

As the images unwind, like the circles that you find<br />

In the windmills of your mind!<br />

https://www.songfacts.com/lyrics/noel-harrison/the-windmills-of-your-mind<br />

The song is set after the summer as the autumn leaves fall. All very apt for this time of<br />

year (for those of us in the Northern hemisphere at least).<br />

To me, “The clock whose hands are sweeping past the minutes of its face” represents<br />

the clock changes as we leave official summertime behind.<br />

Almost all the articles and patterns in this issue can be linked to the mind, windmills,<br />

circles, spirals, tunnels, rabbit holes, eternal mobius loops, and even (pin)wheels, in one<br />

form or another.<br />

I hope you enjoy trying to find the links to the song as much as we enjoyed creating<br />

them.<br />

Yours faithfully,<br />

Neil<br />

P.S. Amongst the submissions relating to Stephen West’s 2023 MKAL was this gem:<br />

Dear Mr. West,<br />

You done messed up, A-a-ron.<br />

Sincerely,<br />

The Knittas<br />

3


By Wanda North and Cézanne Pellett<br />

MY DAY AT<br />

Wool&Folk2023<br />

4<br />

Much has been<br />

written, recorded, and<br />

shared about the disastrous<br />

Wool & Folk<br />

2023 Festival that took<br />

place on October 20,<br />

2023. Many details of<br />

the organization and<br />

execution of the festival<br />

have come to light<br />

in the past few weeks<br />

that call into question<br />

the competence and<br />

integrity of the organizers.<br />

This article will not<br />

be about the organizers<br />

or the background<br />

of the festival; there<br />

are already many<br />

sources for that information,<br />

even some in<br />

this issue of Blocked.<br />

Instead, this article will<br />

be about the experiences of<br />

one woman, Wanda, who attended<br />

the festival with her<br />

friend, V. At first, Wanda tried<br />

to quash her concerns over<br />

what happened at the festival,<br />

so she didn’t appear overly dramatic,<br />

something many others<br />

have embraced with gusto.<br />

Wanda wanted to instead focus<br />

on the fun she had with her<br />

best friend and not let that fun<br />

be tainted. After hearing more<br />

and more stories from other<br />

people with experiences at<br />

least as troubling as her own,<br />

and often much, much worse,<br />

she decided to share her story.<br />

Continued on next page...<br />

Wanda and V have<br />

been friends for years.<br />

They originally met in<br />

an online knitting<br />

group, then V bought a<br />

spinning wheel from<br />

Wanda, and they have<br />

been best friends ever<br />

since. “We are each<br />

other’s person,”<br />

Wanda explained, so<br />

much so that V was<br />

Wanda’s maid of honor<br />

at her vow renewal ceremony<br />

with her husband<br />

two years ago.<br />

Since they don’t live<br />

close to each other, the<br />

times they do get together<br />

are very special<br />

and eagerly anticipated<br />

by both women.<br />

In October, they<br />

planned to attend some of the<br />

festivals and activities surrounding<br />

the popular Sheep and<br />

Wool Festival in Rhinebeck,<br />

New York (USA), including the<br />

Wool & Folk Festival. The trip<br />

was not a cheap one for either<br />

woman. Between travel costs,<br />

food, entry fees to each festival,<br />

and a costly Air BnB rental, the<br />

cost added up quickly. They<br />

considered it to be well worth<br />

the price, however, because<br />

they were so looking forward to<br />

spending a weekend enjoying<br />

their mutual love of fiber arts.<br />

Unfortunately, their own planning<br />

could not make up for the


My Day... Continued...<br />

serious lack of planning on<br />

the part of the organizers of<br />

the Wool & Folk Festival.<br />

The first hint of trouble<br />

came three weeks before<br />

the event, when notices<br />

were sent out that the location<br />

had changed to a<br />

venue nearly 40 miles away<br />

from the original location.<br />

The pair had booked their<br />

Air BnB months in advance<br />

and had paid a pretty<br />

penny to get a nice place<br />

close to the festivals they<br />

wanted to attend. Wanda<br />

suffered a mini stroke in<br />

September and has subsequent<br />

mobility and balance<br />

issues requiring her to<br />

walk with a cane. With the<br />

change of venue, the<br />

women made the costly<br />

decision to change their<br />

lodging arrangements to<br />

someplace that wouldn’t require<br />

as much driving, leaving<br />

them more time to<br />

enjoy the festivals.<br />

Not long after, another<br />

troublesome email arrived,<br />

informing the registered attendees<br />

of the parking arrangements<br />

for the event.<br />

To say the “instructions”<br />

were confusing would be<br />

an understatement. There<br />

were multiple parking options listed and distances to the<br />

festival location. The options ranged from a limited<br />

amount of street parking a block away from the event to a<br />

Walmart parking lot well over a mile away. It was later revealed<br />

that the Walmart location had not given approval<br />

for their parking lot to be used or even informed that<br />

people would be sent there. It isn’t certain whether any of<br />

the other businesses were contacted about the use of<br />

their parking lots. From these notices, it was apparent that<br />

the organizers were well aware that the parking available<br />

at their new location was not sufficient for the number of<br />

people they anticipated.<br />

Even more troubling to Wanda and V specifically was<br />

the note that anyone who required handicap parking arrangements<br />

would have to notify<br />

the organizers ahead of time as<br />

there was a very limited number of<br />

handicap spaces available. They<br />

were also told that there would be<br />

enough for everyone who needed<br />

it, confusingly enough. This did not<br />

turn out to be the case.<br />

Despite their concerns about<br />

Wool & Folk, Wanda and V attended<br />

Cakepalooza on Friday<br />

morning and had a good time. The<br />

weather was drizzly with bouts of<br />

heavy rain and Cakepalooza was<br />

outdoors, but umbrellas, raincoats,<br />

and good planning on the part of<br />

the organizers meant that this festival,<br />

at least, was able to be enjoyed<br />

by those in attendance.<br />

After their scheduled time at<br />

Cakepalooza, V’s husband dropped<br />

the women at Wool & Folk shortly<br />

after it opened at 12:30 PM. They<br />

looked for the entrance but didn’t<br />

actually find it until after V’s husband<br />

had driven ten blocks to park<br />

the car and then walked those<br />

same ten blocks back to the venue.<br />

He never did find the shuttles referenced<br />

in the notices about parking<br />

posted on Wool & Folk’s social<br />

media. The drizzly, wet weather<br />

wasn’t letting up at all, but the<br />

weather hadn’t stopped them from<br />

enjoying Cakepalooza, so they<br />

were determined not to let it stop<br />

them at Wool & Folk either.<br />

The new location was an old mill that had been converted<br />

into an artist’s studio campus and event space,<br />

most typically used for weddings, with a stated maximum<br />

occupancy of 500 people. The campus is right at the bottom<br />

of a hill on the edge of Catskill Creek, just off the<br />

Hudson River. As the rain continued through the day,<br />

more and more water came down the hill to pool directly<br />

in the main outdoor vendor area of the festival. It wasn’t<br />

until later in the day, however, that Wanda and V noticed<br />

the water coming down the hill into the outdoor event<br />

space. Long before they noticed the water and the mud,<br />

they noticed that it was incredibly crowded.<br />

The main walkway through the outdoor vending area<br />

was only the width of a narrow sidewalk with foot traffic<br />

Continued on next page...<br />

5


My Day... Continued...<br />

6<br />

going in both directions.<br />

Anyone who has checked<br />

into Wool & Folk 2023 will<br />

know that they oversold<br />

tickets to the event by as<br />

much as ten times the<br />

space’s recommended capacity,<br />

so it is no surprise that<br />

the space was already very<br />

busy half an hour after the<br />

event opened. Wanda saw<br />

the Pacific Knit Co. booth<br />

and stopped in because she<br />

wanted to buy her first set of<br />

their Doodle Cards. The<br />

booth was obviously much<br />

smaller than the standard<br />

10’x10’ vendor stall and was<br />

so full of shoppers, tables,<br />

and merchandise that she struggled to keep her balance<br />

and move through the crowd with her cane.<br />

After buying her cards and some yarn to make a cowl,<br />

Wanda made her way back out of the booth to find V and<br />

her husband. They had discovered that there were more<br />

vendors inside one of the buildings on site, though it was<br />

difficult to know what was where since there were no signs<br />

or maps anywhere. As soon as they entered the building,<br />

Wanda wanted nothing more than to get back out of it.<br />

Inside the building, it was even more populous than it<br />

had been outside. It was also very warm and humid due to<br />

the combination of too many people and the continuing<br />

rain. It was difficult to move through the mobbed space,<br />

but Wanda, V, and V’s husband managed to get to a few of<br />

the booths on one side of the room. Wanda really wanted<br />

to get the Rhinebeck Weekend colorway from Dragon<br />

Hoard Yarns and was happily able to do so. They also<br />

stopped in at Yarn Cafe Creations and Sinful Yarn and<br />

really enjoyed getting to see their yarns and chat with the<br />

vendors despite the uncomfortable situation.<br />

Due to the lack of maps or signs, it was some time before<br />

the group discovered that there were more vendors<br />

up on the fifth floor of the building and started searching<br />

for an elevator. At this point, Wanda just wanted to get out<br />

of the swarming space, but she also wanted to spend as<br />

much time with V as she could, so she stayed with her<br />

friend. They finally found a small, rickety elevator that<br />

looked like it could have been built in the 19th century<br />

along with the rest of the building. Wanda quickly found<br />

herself smashed into the back corner of the elevator while<br />

more and more people pushed their way into the cramped<br />

space. When the doors finally closed and the elevator<br />

started moving up, she was struck<br />

with the alarming thought that<br />

with so many people packed in<br />

like sardines, they were quite possibly<br />

over the antique elevator’s<br />

weight capacity. At this point, however,<br />

she had no choice but to<br />

ignore her claustrophobia, close<br />

her eyes, and hope that wasn’t<br />

the case.<br />

When the doors opened and<br />

Wanda saw the layout of the fifth<br />

floor, she wanted to stay in the elevator<br />

so she could get back<br />

down to the first floor and out of<br />

the teeming building as quickly as<br />

possible. The fifth floor was so<br />

thronged that the three of them<br />

very quickly decided to leave, this<br />

time taking the stairs despite Wanda’s cane. The stairwell<br />

was about the same size as what would be found in a standard<br />

home, and they were shocked to find that there were<br />

even vendors stuffed into this space. Once they got down<br />

the stairs, the trio decided that their day at Wool & Folk<br />

was over.<br />

In the weeks since, Wanda has learned quite a few things<br />

about the event, some of which were surprising, and some<br />

which were not. No one who was there would be surprised<br />

to learn that tickets had been oversold; the event was obviously<br />

packed to the rafters…even outside! Between<br />

3,000 and 5,000 tickets to the event were sold, in addition<br />

to a vendor list of around 100, even though the venue has<br />

a stated a maximum occupancy of 500. After seeing the<br />

booths, it also wasn’t very surprising to learn that none of<br />

the vendors got the size of booth they were promised. It<br />

was, however, shocking to find out that vendors were<br />

charged different fees depending on the color of their<br />

skin.<br />

The event was obviously very poorly organized and managed.<br />

There were no signs or maps anywhere, nothing announcing<br />

who the sponsors were or where vendors could<br />

be found. There was supposed to be live music and food,<br />

but Wanda and V never saw any sign of either. Reports<br />

from other sources state that there was no music and only<br />

three food trucks ever showed up. The lack of handicap<br />

accessibility was especially shocking to Wanda as she is<br />

handicapped herself, but she couldn’t help thinking how<br />

much worse it would have been for someone who was<br />

more incapacitated than she was. Someone who needed a<br />

walker probably wouldn’t have been able to get five steps<br />

through the narrow walkways and a wheelchair would likely<br />

Continued on next page...


My Day... Continued...<br />

have been impossible to maneuver and<br />

even dangerous to attempt in the muddy<br />

and especially congested areas.<br />

Wanda has spoken with vendors who are<br />

attempting to get their money back from<br />

the organizers of Wool & Folk. Their<br />

requests have not only been ignored, but<br />

they have been blocked on social media by<br />

the event organizers. Wanda attempted to<br />

get her ticket refunded from Eventbrite, as<br />

she was barely able to participate in the<br />

event, but every time she has tried, the website gives her<br />

an error when she hits “submit.” Wanda isn’t as concerned<br />

about getting her $45 ticket refunded when she thinks<br />

about the vendors who paid $900 (or $450 for the nonwhite<br />

vendors) for a 10’x10’ booth who found themselves<br />

on a tiny patch of muddy ground for their brand new yarn<br />

to fall onto, in a tiny, hot, and sticky stairwell, or directly in<br />

the fragrant entrance to the over-worked restrooms at an<br />

event with up to 5,000 people in attendance.<br />

Vendors and attendees alike were promised a place to<br />

sit, knit, and mingle, but nothing like that was to be found<br />

at Wool & Folk 2023. The event organizers did issue an<br />

apology, but most people, Wanda included, found it to be<br />

half-assed at best and seemed to blame<br />

everything on the rain. Whether the<br />

weather had been fair or foul, the event<br />

would still have been oversold and underplanned.<br />

Even if the day had been bright<br />

and sunny, there were many concerning<br />

signs leading up to the event that were<br />

largely ignored until it was far too late to<br />

do anything about them.<br />

Despite the overly full location, the bad<br />

planning, and the fact that she was barely<br />

able to participate in Wool & Folk 2023, Wanda was happy<br />

she got to spend time with her best friend and make new<br />

friends during her time in Rhinebeck. I’m sure we would all<br />

love it if the organizers of Wool & Folk 2023 would not<br />

only do a better job next year, but also take responsibility<br />

for the abysmal job they did this year, but I, at least, would<br />

be satisfied if everyone could try to take a lesson from<br />

Wanda. When a bad thing has already happened and cannot<br />

be changed, let’s try to focus on the good parts and<br />

hold on to those memories. However, going forward, I<br />

think it would serve us all well to learn to keep our eyes<br />

open for the red flags that were evident well before Wool<br />

& Folk took place.<br />

7


DISHIDENT #13<br />

by UKnitted Kingdom<br />

PATTERN DESCRIPTION<br />

Each issue of Blocked will contain a ‘secret’ pattern.<br />

The design will only be revealed as you knit.<br />

The instructions might uncover an image; a<br />

design, or a word/message.<br />

When using cotton these secret squares make<br />

excellent dishcloths. If you make 4 or 5 of each<br />

square in wool or acrylic they can be seamed<br />

together at the end of the year to make a small<br />

Afghan or lap blanket.<br />

GAUGE & MATERIALS<br />

Each dishident uses approximately<br />

41 to 43g of worsted weight 100% cotton.<br />

Follow the yarn manufacturer’s<br />

recommended needle size.<br />

DIRECTIONS<br />

← Row 1 [RS]: K45<br />

→ Row 2: K45<br />

← Row 3: K45<br />

→ Row 4: K45<br />

← Row 5: K45<br />

→ Row 6: K45<br />

← Row 7: K45<br />

→ Row 8: K4, p16, k5, p16, k4<br />

← Row 9: K45<br />

→ Row 10: K4, p16, k4, (k1, p4) 2X, p7, k4<br />

← Row <strong>11</strong>: K45<br />

→ Row 12: K4, p16, k5, p2, k3, p<strong>11</strong>, k4<br />

← Row 13: K45<br />

→ Row 14: K4, p16, k10, p<strong>11</strong>, k4<br />

← Row 15: K45<br />

→ Row 16: K4, p16, k8, p13, k4<br />

← Row 17: K45<br />

→ Row 18: K4, p16, k6, p15, k4<br />

← Row 19: K45<br />

Dishident Continued on next page...<br />

8


Dishident Continued...<br />

→ Row 20: K4, p15, k6, p16, k4<br />

← Row 21: K45<br />

→ Row 22: K4, p13, k8, p16, k4<br />

← Row 23: K45<br />

→ Row 24: K4, p<strong>11</strong>, k10, p16, k4<br />

← Row 25: K45<br />

→ Row 26: K4, p<strong>11</strong>, k3, p2, k5, p16, k4<br />

← Row 27: K45<br />

→ Row 28: K4, p<strong>11</strong>, k1, p4, k5, p16, k4<br />

← Row 29: K45<br />

→ Row 30: K4, p16, k5, p16, k4<br />

← Row 31: K45<br />

→ Row 32: K4, p16, k5, p16, k4<br />

← Row 33: K45<br />

→ Row 34: K4, p16, k5, p16, k4<br />

← Row 35: K45<br />

→ Row 36: K4, p5, k27, p5, k4<br />

← Row 37: K45<br />

→ Row 38: K4, p5, k27, p5, k4<br />

← Row 39: K45<br />

→ Row 40: K4, p5, k27, p5, k4<br />

← Row 41: K45<br />

→ Row 42: K4, p16, k5, p16, k4<br />

← Row 43: K45<br />

→ Row 44: K4, p16, k5, p16, k4<br />

← Row 45: K45<br />

→ Row 46: K4, p16, k5, p16, k4<br />

← Row 47: K45<br />

→ Row 48: K4, p12, k13, p12, k4<br />

← Row 49: K45<br />

→ Row 50: K4, p12, k13, p12, k4<br />

← Row 51: K45<br />

→ Row 52: K4, p12, k13, p12, k4<br />

← Row 53: K45<br />

→ Row 54: K4, p16, k5, p16, k4<br />

← Row 55: K45<br />

→ Row 56: K4, p16, k5, p16, k4<br />

← Row 57: K45<br />

→ Row 58: K45<br />

← Row 59: K45<br />

→ Row 60: K45<br />

← Row 61: K45<br />

→ Row 62: K45<br />

TIPS<br />

If preferred, slip the first OR the last stitch of every row to create a<br />

neater edge. When purling a stitch immediately after knitting a<br />

stitch; pull the excess yarn out of the purl stitch before knitting or<br />

purling on. This helps to reduce loose/baggy knit stitches.<br />

NOTES<br />

Occasionally a dishident or secret square might not be<br />

suitable for children and ‘polite company’. Where this is<br />

the case it will be made clear.<br />

If you would like to receive notifications of our next issue!<br />

Check out our Patreon!<br />

www.patreon.com/join/BlockedMagazine<br />

9


10


Join Two Sisters and Some Yarn in our<br />

Think you have what it takes to solve a mystery?<br />

WhoDoneKnit<br />

MAL 2024<br />

https://www.youtube.com/c/TwoSistersAndSomeYarn<br />

How Can You Participate?<br />

Read and create!<br />

In early January 2024, watch our Instagram<br />

and YouTube for the sign-up form to join the<br />

fun! Each week(ish), we will release part of a<br />

murder mystery whodoneknit to be sent to<br />

you via email. All you have to do is read along<br />

with the story and enter your guess each week<br />

along with any details of what you are making<br />

via the form that will be sent with the story.<br />

The story will be released in 4(ish) parts. You<br />

do NOT have to guess each week, but<br />

you must fill out the form each week to declare<br />

your official participation in the make-along.<br />

Some of your favorite podcasters will also be<br />

sharing clues, as well as Blocked Magazine! So<br />

be sure to pay attention to emails and our social<br />

media so you don't miss any clues!<br />

What do you have to make?<br />

Whatever your murderous heart desires! Any<br />

craft, any pattern, anything! Sure, there are<br />

extra points for using the patterns and<br />

supplies of our sponsors, but we aren't picky!<br />

This should be no stress murdering!<br />

You will be warned prior to the final part of the<br />

story being released to give one last guess on<br />

who you think the murderer(s) is! Please keep<br />

your guesses off social media so that you don't<br />

spoil the fun for others! Beta readers have<br />

been sworn to secrecy! The story will be published<br />

in full at a later date!<br />

So, read, create, share the fun on social media<br />

(minus your suspicions!), put on your best detective<br />

hat and join us for the WhoDoneKnit-<br />

Mal!<br />

~Two Sisters and Some Yarn<br />

Extra “points” will be tallied for using the<br />

hashtag #whodoneknitmal on Instagram, as<br />

well as using the patterns, and yarn featured,<br />

or any other murder mystery-y themed items.<br />

Details on those vendors coming soon!<br />

<strong>11</strong>


Tilting at<br />

by Yelena of Scythia<br />

Swastikas<br />

My dearest friends, I hope you are enjoying this<br />

transition into knitting season.<br />

I had a very busy spring and summer at my dacha.<br />

Now that the harvest is complete and stores have been<br />

replenished for winter, I am back to writing on occasion.<br />

I look forward to cozying up by the wood fire with my<br />

knitting and enjoying the fruits of my labors.<br />

This brings me to one of the most anticipated<br />

events that essentially kicks off knitting season – the<br />

West Knits MKAL( mystery knitalong). Stephen West<br />

has marketed himself as an open and inclusive knitting<br />

designer who is positive and encouraging to all. He encourages<br />

creativity and not worrying about<br />

mistakes. His designs push boundaries and<br />

encourage everyone to learn new techniques<br />

and embrace challenge. His positive<br />

demeanor and creativity has made him<br />

wildly popular and successful. He is a prolific<br />

designer who obviously works very hard.<br />

His annual MKAL is a very popular event,<br />

where thousands of knitters participate.<br />

Many participants save money throughout the year so<br />

they can splurge on the “good yarn” for the MKAL. It is<br />

certainly one of the most popular events in the knitting<br />

community each year.<br />

With the culture wars raging in the knitting community,<br />

West had long been “neutral ground” where everyone<br />

can knit his designs, participate in his MKAL and<br />

other events regardless of which boxes a knitter checks.<br />

Neutral space is important for a healthy culture. It allows<br />

everyone to participate in and enjoy communal<br />

activities without engaging in political infighting. Many<br />

of our cultural institutions traditionally have been neutral<br />

spaces where everyone, regardless of ideological<br />

affiliation could participate and be friendly with others.<br />

However, over the years more and more cultural institutions<br />

have fallen to extreme left wing Marxist ideology.<br />

Very little neutral space remains. In the knitting community,<br />

West and his MKAL was one of the last large<br />

areas of neutral space. Alas, West has fallen.<br />

As a white man, West has long been in the cross<br />

hairs of the culture warriors. He had evaded their fire<br />

until the 2023 MKAL. The first clue of the MKAL is a<br />

gorgeous and interesting modular design, which is<br />

shaped like a pinwheel – a very common motif in quilts.<br />

No one should be surprised that a man who lives in the<br />

Netherlands found artistic inspiration in the windmills<br />

that dot the Dutch landscape. The design also reminds<br />

me of St. Brigid’s Cross which has significant cultural<br />

significance in Ireland.<br />

However, some people saw a swastika in the pinwheel<br />

design West created. Knitters, who swore they<br />

weren’t trying to cause trouble, just had to talk about it<br />

and cause trouble. Ravelry forums and the<br />

Craftsnark subreddit on Reddit exploded<br />

with knitters who started to whine and moan<br />

about seeing Nazis and swastikas everywhere.<br />

They all swear that they don’t think<br />

Mr. West meant to design a swastika, but it<br />

was still there. It doesn’t matter that the majority<br />

of knitters never saw a swastika, including<br />

Jewish knitters. They saw the<br />

pinwheel/St. Brigid’s Cross as West obviously intended.<br />

But of course, their opinions and experiences don’t<br />

matter and none of this mattered to the mob. West<br />

quickly, and rather pathetically, bowed to them.<br />

It wasn’t long before West issued an apology and<br />

added an alternate clue 1. However, the mob was still<br />

not satisfied. West then removed the original clue 1 and<br />

banned the posting of any images of the original clue 1<br />

to his Ravelry group and no MKAL shawls with the original<br />

clue 1 would be considered for prizes. He even had<br />

the audacity to expect people to REKNIT clue 1. It<br />

didn’t matter if MKAL participants had already completed<br />

clue 1. It didn’t matter that his design is NOT a<br />

swastika. It didn’t matter if the knitter is less well-off<br />

and couldn’t afford to rip out many small sections of cut<br />

yarn. It didn’t matter if someone is a loose knitter and<br />

could potentially run out of yarn. It didn’t matter if the<br />

knitter did not have extra time to knit clue 1 again. He<br />

still expected everyone to engage in obeisance to the<br />

mob. And on top of all this, the new clue 1 is BORING.<br />

12


Tilting Continued...<br />

West couldn’t even write the word swastika in his explanation.<br />

His caving to the mob was weak and cowardly.<br />

He destroyed his own brand that he had carefully<br />

developed over the years. He used to be tolerant and<br />

encouraging of creativity and adjustments to make a<br />

design the knitter’s own. However, this time, he expects<br />

all participants to bow to the mob with<br />

him and knit the new clue 1. If we<br />

don’t, we are intolerant and hateful.<br />

Yes, West even accused those who enjoyed<br />

the original clue 1 of being intolerant,<br />

insensitive, and hateful.<br />

While the mob cheered West’s capitulation,<br />

many ordinary knitters became<br />

upset. Granted, as someone who<br />

has no love for Marxist ideology and is<br />

an explicit anti-communist, I don’t expect<br />

left wing knitting designers to<br />

cater to me. I expect to be routinely<br />

disparaged and falsely accused of<br />

being a hateful bigot. However, I was<br />

amazed, and heartened, to see so<br />

many ordinary knitters upset. They didn’t<br />

take well to being called hateful for<br />

seeing and appreciating a lovely pinwheel<br />

design. I am encouraged by so<br />

many knitters just knitting what they<br />

want!<br />

While I don’t know what the fall out<br />

will be, I don’t think West will walk away<br />

unscathed in the long run. I am aware<br />

of West actually issuing refunds. I do<br />

think he did the right thing to issue refunds<br />

because there are knitters who<br />

felt deceived. It remains to be seen,<br />

but I expect a lot less participation in<br />

the MKAL next year. This will not be<br />

good for West Knits nor for the many<br />

yarn dyers who put together unofficial MKAL yarn kits.<br />

Times are tough with our Build Back Better economic<br />

policies in the United States, and I don’t see as many ordinary<br />

knitters wanting to spend money to participate<br />

in an MKAL that could change after it starts. West is no<br />

longer neutral space, and those who want neutral<br />

space will simply avoid it in the future.<br />

What does this all mean? I think this means that<br />

West needs to engage in some serious self-reflection.<br />

If his design really is such a hateful symbol, why didn’t<br />

he and his many test knitters see it? What kind of culture<br />

is he fostering where a test knitter who sees something<br />

troubling doesn’t feel comfortable speaking up?<br />

This whole saga tells us far more about him, the people<br />

he surrounds himself with, and all those who see Nazis<br />

and swastikas under their beds than it does us who see<br />

pinwheels and St. Brigid’s Crosses.<br />

Other implications are quite troubling.<br />

West is an artist who didn’t defend his art. A<br />

free society needs artists who are able to<br />

create freely and do not self-censor. He<br />

erased his own art. He is no better than the<br />

Soviet censors who removed people who ran<br />

afoul of Josef Stalin from photographs. West<br />

did this to himself. He sent himself to the<br />

gulag.<br />

Mr. West, you, sir, could have stood up to<br />

the mob. There are many of us who would<br />

stand up beside you against the mob. We<br />

would have supported you. We have done it<br />

before for others and will gladly do it again.<br />

We choose to not live by lies. Mr. West, I<br />

leave you with some words of the great Aleksandr<br />

Solzhenitsyn from his work “The Gulag<br />

Archipelago.”<br />

“And how we burned in the camps later,<br />

thinking: What would things have been like if<br />

every Security operative, when he went out at<br />

night to make an arrest, had been<br />

uncertain whether he would return alive and<br />

had to say good-bye to his family?<br />

Or if, during periods of mass arrests, as for<br />

example in Leningrad, when they arrested<br />

a quarter of the entire city, people had not<br />

simply sat there in their lairs, paling with<br />

terror at every bang of the downstairs door<br />

and at every step on the staircase, but had<br />

understood they had nothing left to lose and<br />

had boldly set up in the downstairs hall an<br />

ambush of half a dozen people with axes, hammers,<br />

pokers, or whatever else was at hand? … The Organs<br />

would very quickly have suffered a shortage of officers<br />

and transport and, notwithstanding all of Stalin’s thirst,<br />

the cursed machine would have ground to a halt! If…<br />

if…We didn’t love freedom enough. And even more –<br />

we had no awareness of the real situation…. We purely<br />

and simply deserved everything that happened afterward.”<br />

Whatever the consequences of bowing to the mob<br />

are, Mr. West, you deserve the fallout.<br />

13


SALTSTRAUMAN COWL<br />

DESCRIPTION<br />

The Saltstraumen Strait is a series of whirlpools (maelstroms)<br />

located in Norway. The strait is one of the strongest tidal currents<br />

in the world. Each module of this cowl represents one of the<br />

Strait’s whirlpools.<br />

By Uknitted Kingdom<br />

14<br />

MATERIALS<br />

• 162g (470 m) of King Cole Riot in 3440 - Waterways<br />

• 4mm/F crochet hook<br />

• Stitch marker<br />

• Tapestry needle to weave in loose ends<br />

GAUGE<br />

The diameter (edge to edge at the widest point) of each<br />

circle/octagon should be approximately 9cm (3.5”).<br />

FINISHED SIZE<br />

Approximately 27 cm/<strong>11</strong>” high x 40.5cm/16” wide<br />

NOTES<br />

All terminology is US standard crochet.<br />

Each circle/octagon uses approximately 6g of DK yarn.<br />

Do not join any round with a sl st. Work in a continuous spiral.<br />

Use a stitch marker to show the end of each round.<br />

After round 1 all stitches are made into the very back loop of the stitch.<br />

This forces the front and middle loops forward to create the spiral pattern.<br />

The 2nd round can be tricky as the back bump of a sc is often tight and<br />

hard to see.<br />

ABBREVIATIONS<br />

Ch<br />

Sc<br />

Hdc<br />

Sl<br />

St/sts<br />

chain<br />

single crochet<br />

half double crochet<br />

slip or slip stitch<br />

stitch(es)


Saltstrauman Cowl Continued...<br />

INSTRUCTIONS<br />

(MAKE 27)<br />

Make a magic circle (or ch 4 and join into a circle)<br />

Round 1: Ch 1, sc 8 into the circle. Pull circle tight.<br />

Round 2: 2hdc into the bump at the back of each sc. (16 sts)<br />

Round 3: (2hdc, 1hdc) repeat around. (24 sts)<br />

Round 4: (2hdc, 1hdc, 1hdc) repeat around. (32 sts)<br />

Round 5: (2hdc, 1hdc, 1hdc, 1hdc) repeat around. (40 sts)<br />

Round 6: (2hdc, 1hdc, 1hdc, 1hdc, 1hdc) repeat around. (48 sts)<br />

Round 7: (2hdc, 1hdc, 1hdc, 1hdc, 1hdc, 1hdc)<br />

repeat around. (56 sts)<br />

Round 8: 2hdc, 1sc, 1sc, 1sc, sl1, sl1, sl1, sl1.<br />

(only work 9 sts of the final round)<br />

Break yarn and weave in the ends.<br />

To make up<br />

Place the circles with the right sides facing inward.<br />

Using the very back loops only, sc the back loops of the<br />

circles’ corresponding stitches together (8 sc).<br />

Join the circles into 3 strips of 9.<br />

You will now have 3 strips.<br />

Join along each strip: 1 to 10, 2 to <strong>11</strong>, 3 to 12, 4 to 13, 5 to 14, 6 to 15, 7 to 16, 8 to 17, and 9 to 18.<br />

Repeat: 10 to 19, <strong>11</strong> to 20, 12 to 21, 13 to 22, 14, to 23, 15 to 24, 16 to 25, 17 to 26, and 18 to 27.<br />

To finish, join the edge of piece 1 to the edge of piece 9, join piece 10 to piece 18, and piece 19 to piece 27.<br />

Wash and block.<br />

SALTSTRAUMAN BLANKET<br />

To use the same circles/octagons to make a blanket, make as many pieces as you need to create the width of<br />

your blanket. Then repeat in strips, joining as you go, until the blanket is the size desired.<br />

15


By Uknitted Kingdom<br />

Rat Utopia, Mouse Paradise,<br />

AND KNUTTER NIRVANA<br />

16<br />

Disclaimer: I’m not a medical professional, the<br />

points made following are not armchair diagnosis, but<br />

rather, opinions based upon observation and a layman’s<br />

knowledge of mental illness and personality disorders.<br />

Anxiety, depression, panic attacks, and suicide are<br />

not new. Mental health issues can and do affect<br />

anyone without prejudice. However, there’s been a<br />

different form of mental illness taking hold almost exclusively<br />

in Western countries. It is this I will be referring<br />

to, not the common, every day, ordinary,<br />

pedestrian, “boring” mental health issues<br />

we’ve all come to accept and recognize.<br />

We’ve often said, or heard it said, that<br />

the knitting world is a concentrated microcosm<br />

of the insanity that is befalling<br />

the wider Western world. There are other<br />

microcosms out there but, arguably, the<br />

knitting world has been particularly observable<br />

from under a bell jar for some<br />

years.<br />

Whether we like to acknowledge this<br />

or not, there appear to be two very distinct,<br />

and, in the main, diametrically opposed<br />

knitting camps (there may well be<br />

a hidden silent majority supporting<br />

either of the camps).<br />

1. A larger, very vocal, very militant<br />

group of political left-wingers.<br />

2. A smaller, less vocal group, more<br />

conservative or centrist in their political beliefs.<br />

There is a trend amongst the “internet influencers”<br />

and prominent businesses from the first group; a willingness,<br />

nay, a joyful compulsion, to self-declare mental<br />

illness, personality disorders, and/or body dysmorphia,<br />

and to project the diagnosis as an essential aspect of<br />

character. Every single one of the Group One You-<br />

Tubers and public-facing businesses (that I have seen)<br />

has proclaimed a mental illness of one or several forms.<br />

This isn’t to say no one in Group Two has any mental illnesses;<br />

I’m sure many do. The notable difference is the<br />

figurative “pride parade” of over-sharing.<br />

There are a myriad of theories and explanations for<br />

these illnesses. However, I want to focus on the most<br />

disruptive and damaging (to those around them) - narcissism,<br />

queerness, and gender dysphoria.<br />

To clarify the terms.<br />

NARCISSISM<br />

When discussing narcissism, I do not mean<br />

low level vanity. I’m referring to Narcissistic Personality<br />

Disorder (NPD). This is characterized by:<br />

• A grandiose sense of self-importance.<br />

• Preoccupation with fantasies of unlimited<br />

success, power, brilliance, beauty,<br />

and/or ideal love.<br />

• Believing that they are “special”<br />

and unique and can only be<br />

understood by, or should associate<br />

with, other special or high-status<br />

people (or institutions).<br />

• Requiring excessive admiration.<br />

• A sense of entitlement (unreasonable<br />

expectations of especially<br />

favorable treatment or automatic<br />

compliance with their expectations).<br />

• Being interpersonally exploitative<br />

(taking advantage of others to<br />

achieve their own ends).<br />

• Lacking empathy (unwilling to<br />

recognize or identify with the feelings<br />

and needs of others).<br />

• Often being envious of others or believing that<br />

others are envious of them.<br />

• Showing arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes.<br />

Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders:<br />

DSM-5 (5th ed.). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association.<br />

2013. pp. 72–669. ISBN 978-0-89042-554-1.<br />

OCLC 830807378<br />

Thinking of some of the most prominent Group<br />

One yarn dyers and YouTubers, and their posts, behavior,<br />

and attitude, do you think these characteristics fit?<br />

Far be it from me to assert my own opinions as fact, but<br />

I do have my suspicions.<br />

Continued on next page...


Rat Utopia Continued...<br />

QUEERNESS<br />

“Queer” is a term used (often without consent or<br />

agreement) for any person who is not traditionally heterosexual<br />

or whose gender identity does not align with<br />

the person’s primary and secondary genitalia.<br />

It is important to note that most older homosexual<br />

men and women, and most older transgender people,<br />

do not align themselves with the “queer” identity.<br />

Please do not assume that men and women who define<br />

themselves as gay or lesbian are part of this movement.<br />

It is those who identify as “queer” who believe in the<br />

“queer agenda.”<br />

The queer identity emerged from an academic off<br />

shoot of post-structuralist critical theory called “Queer<br />

Theory.” Regardless of denials by the uneducated proponents<br />

of queerness, queerness does include and accept<br />

bestiality and pedophilia, as well as any<br />

non-traditional sexual kink, persuasion, and perversion,<br />

including scat (please don’t Google this if you don’t<br />

know what it is) and blood. Only sex and sexuality considered<br />

heteronormative (aka “normal”) is excluded.<br />

Where once Queer Theory involved reimagining<br />

popular culture through a queer lens * for an example,<br />

see “Batman, Deviance and Camp” by Andy Medhurst,<br />

Ref. 1) It is now a political and social movement with<br />

the aim to queer the world. For an example, see the<br />

“Queering the World Workshop” with Lo Moran.<br />

https://fiveoaksmuseum.org/queering-the-world-workshop-with-lo-moran/<br />

As a response to religious conversion therapies<br />

which claimed to “cure” homosexuality, this event<br />

openly plans ways to convert heterosexuals into becoming<br />

queer.<br />

“This project invites Queer people to give instructions<br />

for exercises and therapies to bring more queerness,<br />

openness and fluidity into a cis heteronormative<br />

dominated world.”<br />

Other examples follow:<br />

In this campaign the aim is to “queer the field [of<br />

science]” https://jcom.sissa.it/article/pubid/JCOM_2001_2021_C05/<br />

Friends of the Earth Australia even want us to believe<br />

the very Earth is queer!<br />

https://www.foe.org.au/queering_the_earth<br />

In her “Dismantling Hierarchy, Queering Society” article,<br />

Andrea Smith calls for a complete dismantling of<br />

the family, society and culture, and rebuild a Queer<br />

Utopia. https://muse.jhu.edu/article/609372<br />

In the knitting world we are seeing otherwise heterosexual<br />

individuals aligning as “queer” without ever<br />

having a homosexual experience.<br />

GENDER DYSPHORIA<br />

Gender dysphoria is currently at the forefront of the<br />

queer movement, closely followed by pedophilia, so it<br />

is important to define what it is in isolation.<br />

Prior to the queer movement there were different<br />

categories of “trans”:<br />

A drag queen is usually a homosexual man who<br />

mocks women by dressing and performing in highly exaggerated<br />

sexual ways. The more convincing he is as a<br />

woman the more he is described as “fishy,” or a “fish.”<br />

This is an extremely offensive term used in drag to<br />

imply women’s genitalia smells of fish.<br />

A transvestite is usually (but not always) a heterosexual<br />

man who obtains sexual gratification from wearing<br />

women’s clothing.<br />

A transexual is a homo or heterosexual person who<br />

has physically and/or hormonally altered their bodies<br />

to live as the opposite sex.<br />

A transgender person does not identify as the sex<br />

observed at birth, though surgery is not always something<br />

a transgender person will undertake. Individuals<br />

may or may not look like either gender or a composite<br />

of the two genders.<br />

When considering men, all the above may or may<br />

not be autogynephilic: a man who is sexually aroused<br />

imagining he has breasts, female genitalia, menstruates,<br />

becomes pregnant, etc.<br />

There is a similar diagnosis for women who become<br />

sexually aroused at the thought of being a man (autoandrophilia),<br />

but this is currently disputed.<br />

Since the queer movement became established;<br />

the umbrella “trans” moniker is preferred by most of the<br />

above. (Ref 2.)<br />

Non-binary is a term used by (mostly) young people<br />

to set him or herself outside of the biological reality of<br />

male and female. Often using made up pronouns (most<br />

famously the singular they/them), neopronouns (such<br />

as ze/zir, or frog/frogself) and xenopronouns (which<br />

cannot be pronounced or understood by humans – I<br />

can’t believe I’m actually writing these words!). More<br />

often than not, the non-binary person acts and presents<br />

as obviously male or female yet demands to be addressed<br />

by their constructed pronouns both in person<br />

and when not there. This is a social contagion which has<br />

spread like wildfire through high schools, colleges, and<br />

universities.<br />

Ref 1: https://academic.oup.com/mississippi-scholarship-online/book/15631/chapter-abstract/1703824<strong>11</strong>?redirectedFrom=fulltext<br />

Ref 2: https://www.thepinknews.com/2018/03/19/transsexual-transgender-transvestite-what-should-you-call-trans-people/<br />

Continued on next page...<br />

17


Rat Utopia Continued...<br />

There is one other term, “cis,” or “cisgender,” used for,<br />

what most people would describe as, normal or usual<br />

for men and women. Cis was first claimed to have been<br />

used in 1994 by Dana Defosse “I Coined The Term 'Cisgender'<br />

29 Years Ago. Here's What This Controversial<br />

Word Really Means” HuffPost. Archived from the original<br />

on February 18, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2023.<br />

The idea behind the term is to avoid using the usual<br />

terms of “man” and “woman” to differentiate from “trans<br />

man” and “trans woman.” It is an attempt to stop society<br />

from seeing trans people as other or abnormal.<br />

The term cisgender originates from the Latin prefix<br />

cis-, meaning “on this side of,” which is the opposite of<br />

trans-, meaning “across from” or “on the other side of.”<br />

Many view “cis” as an offensive term used specifically<br />

to decentralize what is actually normal (standard,<br />

usual, typical, or expected). If we look at statistics (this is<br />

not meant to be derogatory) queer people can in no<br />

way be described as standard, usual, typical, expected,<br />

or normal. You may have had an indoctrinated, visceral<br />

reaction to the term “normal.” It has long been frowned<br />

upon to acknowledge typicality. “What is normal?” I<br />

have often heard when someone uses the word. The<br />

answer to this is “Anything standard, usual, typical, or<br />

expected.”<br />

Returning to the knitting world.<br />

As mentioned earlier, Group One businesses and<br />

influencers will declare him/herself to be “queer” (one<br />

example uses “they” pronouns, is heterosexual, but<br />

likes to have multiple concurrent sexual partners) or<br />

make a huge deal of his or her proximity to a queer<br />

person (usually a son or daughter). Other times, in a<br />

vain attempt to appear atypical, the influencer/business<br />

will declare he/him or she/her pronouns in some misguided<br />

attempt at allyship.<br />

Again, it is important to acknowledge that Group<br />

Two businesses and influencers might also be homosexual<br />

or have queer/non binary relatives, but will rarely<br />

use this as leverage to appear more virtuous in some<br />

way. They will rarely if ever, declare pronouns, instead<br />

trusting people to see they are men or women.<br />

RAT UTOPIA, MOUSE PARADISE,<br />

AND BEHAVIORAL SINK<br />

With the terms and definitions established I can<br />

now proceed to the actual point of my observations.<br />

Between 1958 and 1962 John B. Calhoun made a<br />

series of repeatable experiments on rats. He placed<br />

them into safe enclosed spaces, protected from<br />

weather and predators, where the rats had access to<br />

unlimited amounts of food and water. As the rats bred,<br />

more food and water were made available, yet the enclosure<br />

remained the same size.<br />

As the population grew larger the following behavior<br />

was observed:<br />

“Many [female rats] were unable to carry pregnancy<br />

to full term or to survive delivery of their litters if they<br />

did. An even greater number, after successfully giving<br />

birth, fell short in their maternal functions. Among the<br />

males the behavior disturbances ranged from sexual<br />

deviation to cannibalism and from frenetic overactivity<br />

to a pathological withdrawal from which individuals<br />

would emerge to eat, drink and move about only when<br />

other members of the community were asleep.<br />

Calhoun, J. B. (1970). "Population density and social<br />

pathology". California Medicine. <strong>11</strong>3 (5): 54. PMC<br />

1501789. PMID 18730425.<br />

Between 1968 and 1972 Calhoun conducted<br />

further experiments, this time on mice.<br />

[The mice] exhibited a variety of abnormal, often<br />

destructive, behaviors including refusal to engage in<br />

courtship, and females abandoning their young. By the<br />

600th day, the population was on its way to extinction.<br />

Though physically able to reproduce, the mice had lost<br />

the social skills required to mate.<br />

"The Behavioral Sink". Cabinet Magazine. Summer<br />

20<strong>11</strong>. Archived from the original on 2020-02-15. Retrieved<br />

2012-08-24.<br />

The mice split into several groups: dominant males,<br />

subordinate males, homosexuals, extremely passive,<br />

fertile females, infertile females, and the Probers.<br />

“The aggressive, dominant animals were [observed]<br />

going berserk, attacking females, juveniles and the less<br />

active males, and showing a particular predilection -<br />

which rats do not normally display for biting other animals<br />

on the tail.”<br />

“Although they [the subordinate males] never at-<br />

18<br />

Continued on next page...


Rat Utopia Continued...<br />

tempted to engage in sexual activity with any of the females,<br />

they were likely, on those rare occasions when<br />

they encountered the dominant male, to make repeated<br />

attempts to mount him. Generally, the dominant<br />

male tolerated these advances.”<br />

“Below the dominant males both on the status scale<br />

and in their level of activity were the homosexuals-a<br />

group perhaps better described as pansexual. These<br />

animals apparently could not discriminate between appropriate<br />

and inappropriate sex partners. They made<br />

sexual advances to males, juveniles and females that<br />

were not in estrus. The males, including the dominants<br />

as well as the others of the pansexuals’ own group,<br />

usually accepted their attentions.”<br />

“A group of extremely passive mice emerged.<br />

Usually left alone by the other groups these mice, on<br />

appearance alone, “would have appeared to be the<br />

healthiest and most attractive members of the community.<br />

They were fat and sleek, and their fur showed<br />

none of the breaks and bare spots left by the fighting in<br />

which males usually engage.” These mice seemed to<br />

only be interested in self-grooming, eating, and little<br />

else.<br />

The most dangerous of the mice were labelled<br />

“Probers.” These hyperactive males would forgo all the<br />

usual mating rituals and, to put it bluntly, rape the females.<br />

“They were the most active of all the males in the<br />

experimental populations, and they persisted in their<br />

activity despite attacks by the dominant animals. In addition<br />

to being hyperactive, the probers were both hypersexual<br />

and homosexual, and in time many of them<br />

became cannibalistic.”<br />

https://gwern.net/doc/sociology/1962-calhoun.pdf<br />

In the simplest terms, the Rat Utopia and Mouse Paradise<br />

experiments showed that rodents with unlimited<br />

resources, no predators, but living in a limited environment,<br />

will, eventually, always descend into “behavioral<br />

sink.”<br />

The females will become one of the following:<br />

• Infertile<br />

• Fertile but neglects her offspring (extremely low<br />

survival rate)<br />

• A harem member where the “sister-wives” care for<br />

each other’s offspring (yet only a 50% survival rate)<br />

The males will become one of the following:<br />

• A dominant heterosexual aggressor with a harem<br />

of females yet tolerant of homosexual advances.<br />

• A subordinate male who is no longer interested in<br />

sexual activity with females but often tries to mount the<br />

dominant male.<br />

• A pansexual male, who engages in sexual activity<br />

with infertile females, other males, and juveniles.<br />

• An asexual, overweight narcissist engaging in<br />

constant self-grooming.<br />

• A hyperactive, rapist cannibal.<br />

In every case the societies collapsed.<br />

I can’t help but draw parallels with modern Western<br />

societies living in cities and overpopulated environments.<br />

Perhaps, apart from cannibalism (even this has been<br />

documented in modern humans), all of the above behaviors<br />

are becoming more and more prevalent across<br />

both genders in our society.<br />

Pedophilia, child neglect, infanticide, abortion, infertility,<br />

homosexuality, pansexuality, polygamy, obesity,<br />

narcissistic transgenderism, even the rare emergence<br />

of hyper dominant males, such as Andrew Tate, our<br />

world is accelerating toward “behavioral sink.”<br />

In the microcosm of the knitting world these behaviors<br />

are even more apparent. We even see figurative<br />

cannibalism where knitters from Group One “eat their<br />

own” in frenzied bullying attacks. At what point, if at all,<br />

will they eventually decide to chomp down on Andrea<br />

Mowry or Stephen West?<br />

This raises dozens of questions, such as: “Do the<br />

mice, and in turn we, have any choice in our behaviors?”<br />

“Are we destined to become one of the groups<br />

observed?” Or “Will these behaviors emerge in our<br />

children, or our grandchildren?”<br />

Only one thing can be certain, those displaying<br />

these behaviors want to spread the malaise. They abhor<br />

any form of traditional societal norms. Even if they<br />

didn’t choose this behavior, they do not want to adopt<br />

traditional, long-accepted behaviors.<br />

With almost every Group One knitter living in<br />

“Knutter Nirvana,” displaying one or several of these<br />

deviant traits, are we about to witness societal collapse?<br />

Is the antidote to this “doomsday scenario” to escape<br />

over population, with its relative safety and abundance<br />

of food, and go to live in a sparsely populated<br />

environment where nests have to be built, food has to<br />

be grown, reared, and worked for?<br />

I can’t say. Although I have my suspicions.<br />

19


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Tools, Notions & More!<br />

www.knittymcpurly.com<br />

Hand-dyed yarns, Opal yarns, patterns, tools, and notions.<br />

https://www.etsy.com/de/shop/AnnaKnitterYarns<br />

New Zealand yarn store.<br />

Ships worldwide.<br />

www.skeinz.com<br />

Knitting Patterns<br />

https://www.ravelry.com/designers/liz-clothier<br />

Anne Pinkava<br />

Knitting Patterns<br />

www.lovecrafts.com/en-us/user/maker/fdba7e1e-93b6-4b6f-9f82-06ef18d0ec8c<br />

Knitting Patterns<br />

https://galilee-life.com/vendor/deplorable-knitter/<br />

20


Amigurumi/Crochet Patterns<br />

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Wise Owl Knits<br />

Knitting Patterns and Tutorials<br />

www.wiseowlknits.com<br />

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Blogger<br />

& Knitter<br />

Fabrics, Sewing Patterns,<br />

and Tutorials<br />

https://littleragamuffin.com/<br />

Knitting Patterns:<br />

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Knitting Patterns and Tutorials<br />

https://www.ravelry.com/stores/birdie-beanie<br />

Love Stitched<br />

https://galilee-life.com/vendor/love-stitched/<br />

21


By Uknitted Kingdom<br />

All About (Felicia) Eve<br />

Much has been said and written about the recent<br />

Wool and Folk knitting festival (including within these<br />

very pages). I know many will be expecting me to discuss<br />

the event and many of the incidents which happened. Although<br />

these incidents are worthy of coverage, I’m more<br />

interested in the Wool and Folk organizer, Dr. Felicia<br />

Stenhouse Eve, and her privilege and political connections.<br />

Felicia Stenhouse was born in New York state in 1967.<br />

Not much information about Felicia is publicly available,<br />

however, in an interview with Kristy Glass,<br />

https://youtu.be/eZka8ogG4zY?si=31tEItQcp7y245Sf Felicia told of how<br />

she met her husband when they attended school together,<br />

lost touch during their college years and reconnected<br />

as adults. Felicia and Eric married in June 1997.<br />

The pair were married in St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral in<br />

Buffalo, New York. The wedding reception was held at<br />

the nearby Brierwood County Club in Hamburg, New<br />

York. The couple honeymooned in Greece and, upon<br />

their return, moved to Washington, D.C. so Eric could<br />

commence working in the White House.<br />

https://buffalonews.com/news/dr-stenhouse-eric-eve-wed-travel-to-greece/article_9e0666f7-01ae-5d66-bfdf-fd10226208a9.html<br />

POLITICAL POWER AND CONNECTIONS<br />

Felicia’s husband, Eric V. Eve, and his family, are<br />

prominent players in the Democrat Party.<br />

Felicia’s father-in-law, Arthur O. Eve, served as a Democrat<br />

member of the New York Assembly from 1967 to<br />

2002, and Deputy Speaker of the Assembly from 1979 to<br />

2002. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Eve<br />

Felicia’s sister-in-law, Leecia R. Eve, is a New York attorney<br />

and has worked in both Federal and New York<br />

State government positions. Leecia was a candidate for<br />

Lieutenant Governor of New York during the 2006 election.<br />

She worked as an aide to both Joseph Biden and<br />

Hillary Clinton when they were U.S. Senators. Leecia<br />

served as a senior advisor during Hillary Clinton’s 2008<br />

election campaign. She was Deputy Secretary for Economic<br />

Development in the Executive Chamber of New<br />

York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. Leecia was defeated<br />

in the 2018 Democrat primary election for Attorney General<br />

for New York State.<br />

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leecia_Eve<br />

Felicia’s husband, Eric V. Eve, worked as Special Assistant<br />

for Political Affairs to President William Jefferson<br />

Clinton. He currently heads Ichor Strategies with his<br />

sister Leecia. https://www.ichorstrategies.com/eric-eve<br />

Felicia ran the “Friends of Leecia Eve” election campaign<br />

and has been extremely active in the Democrat<br />

Party. However, she certainly doesn’t appear to have<br />

been a braggadocious name-dropper in the yarn world,<br />

so one can only speculate if she or her husband knew<br />

Cuomo, Biden, or the Clintons socially.<br />

At some point prior to her marriage to Eric, Felicia<br />

qualified as a Doctor of Podiatry. There has been much<br />

speculation on knitting forums as to whether Felicia was<br />

being untruthful about being a Doctor of Podiatry. I can,<br />

however, confirm that she worked at the Washington<br />

Foot Health Center from May 2006 until August 2007.<br />

After leaving this position, she didn’t practice as a podiatrist<br />

until she launched her own business in December<br />

2014, Stenhouse Podiatry, PC, where she practiced for 8<br />

years.<br />

After the death of her mother in 2015, Felicia inherited<br />

$250,000 in cash, which she chose to invest in a yarn<br />

store. In the summer of 2017, she opened String Thing<br />

Studio in an exclusive area of Brooklyn, NY.<br />

https://www.stringthingstudio.com/<br />

As touched upon earlier, Felicia came to prominence<br />

in the yarn world after her November 2017 appearance<br />

on Kristy Glass’s YouTube channel. Felicia overlapped<br />

running the yarn store with practicing podiatry for several<br />

years.<br />

GOFUNDME<br />

In 2020, during/after Covid lockdowns Felicia, like<br />

many small business owners, appeared to be in financial<br />

difficulty. Alongside Gaye Glasspie (GG) and Shelbey<br />

Glasspie-Logan (GG’s daughter), Felicia launched a Go-<br />

FundMe fundraiser to “Keep String Thing Studio Open.”<br />

The campaign description read:<br />

Who will benefit? - The fiber community at large, but<br />

specifically the Black Fiber community. Black yarn shop<br />

owners are far and few in between. StringThing Studio is<br />

the only Black owned yarn shop in NYC and we want the<br />

shop to continue to exist.<br />

What will the funds will be used for? - To pay the rent<br />

and prepare to make the changes to be compliant so the<br />

shop can re-open.<br />

How soon do you need the funds? - As soon as possible.<br />

What does this support mean to me? - This will mean<br />

the world to me. My people have shown support already<br />

but at this particular point it will be monumental.<br />

22<br />

Continued on next page...


All about...<br />

To step up at this time means you not only support<br />

String Thing Studio, but you are also supporting this<br />

Black woman, this Black business owner. I need the<br />

community if I am to keep String Thing Studio alive and<br />

would be devastating if the shop is lost.<br />

I will be so eternally grateful to continue to build<br />

this space that is so welcoming, so inclusive and open<br />

to all craft levels. I will be most grateful to continue to<br />

shine a light for other Black owners to follow their<br />

dreams. String Thing Studio is more than a yarn shop,<br />

it’s family.<br />

https://www.gofundme.com/f/keep-string-thing-studio-open<br />

IN TOTAL, FELICIA RAISED $28,407.00.<br />

The 627 donations ranged from $10.00 to<br />

$1,000.00. Notable donors included: Shelley Brander<br />

($1,000), Espace Tricot ($500), Dami Hunter ($500),<br />

Adella Colvin ($500), Lady Dye Yarns (£250), Brooklyn<br />

Boy Knits (£250), Jodi of the Grocery Girls ($200),<br />

Stephen West ($100), Gaye Glasspie (£100), and Shelbey<br />

Glasspie-Logan ($25).<br />

Sadly, not too long after, Felicia closed the store.<br />

WOOL AND FOLK<br />

After the pandemic lockdowns, many knitters, crocheters,<br />

and yarn lovers were itching to attend fiber festivals<br />

again.<br />

Felicia launched the Wool & Folk Fiber Festival. She<br />

held the event during the lead-up to the much larger,<br />

and more established, Wool and Sheep Festival in<br />

Rhinebeck. This was a clever move on Felicia’s part. It allowed<br />

her to be “Rhinebeck adjacent” without any official<br />

affiliation. For three years (2021, 2022, and 2023)<br />

vendors who couldn’t get a booth at Rhinebeck were<br />

able to set up their stalls and sell. Many of the Rhinebeck<br />

attendees also attended Wool and Folk as an “add<br />

on” festival. If they were booking accommodation for a<br />

weekend anyway, why not add a day or two?<br />

Wool and Folk 2023 has become notorious for several<br />

reasons. There has been much talk amongst<br />

R/Craftsnarkers of vendors allegedly suing Felicia for<br />

lost income, broken contracts, and physical injury. I’m<br />

not going to write about the details of Wool and Folk<br />

2023 in this article. You can read more about it, and<br />

some of the vendor and attendee’s stories, on page 4.<br />

Almost immediately after the Wool and Folk Festival,<br />

Felicia advertised her home for rent. Her Brooklyn<br />

brownstone home was listed within days of the festival<br />

and became vacant for a tenant to occupy on 1 November<br />

2023. Of course, this could be entirely unrelated<br />

to the events of Wool and Folk, but the timing<br />

piqued my curiosity to learn more about what might be<br />

going on.<br />

When I first drafted this article, and the first set of<br />

eyes checked it for accuracy, I was asked if I had “class<br />

envy.” For a moment I felt defensive, but, if I’m honest, I<br />

do. Coming from a poor, working class area in the north<br />

of England, where I was the first in my family to attend<br />

university (self-funded by working five evenings per<br />

week whilst studying full time), I can’t imagine the idyllic<br />

lifestyle of a significantly richer, more privileged, and<br />

politically connected business owner such as Felicia.<br />

To me, holding a fundraiser, where donors do not<br />

receive anything for their donation(s), is morally bankrupt.<br />

It goes against everything I believe as a proud,<br />

working class, Northerner. I’m a product of the twin<br />

cities of Salford and Manchester, the birthplace of the<br />

Suffragettes, workers’ rights, and the Industrial Revolution.<br />

Our symbol is the worker bee. We pride ourselves<br />

on working hard, fighting for our rights,<br />

defending the underdog, and never suffering fools.<br />

When I learned of Felicia’s property portfolio I was<br />

incensed.<br />

Felicia solely owns three New York properties with<br />

15 bedrooms between them. I can’t help but imagine<br />

all the homeless people she could house. How many<br />

bedrooms does one person need?<br />

Continued on next page...<br />

23


All about...<br />

PROPERTY 1<br />

Inherited June 2016<br />

Felicia inherited her mother’s 6-bedroom Buffalo,<br />

New York home. With 2,445 square feet of living<br />

space and sitting on 4,992 square feet, the property is<br />

a stunning blue, two-story detached house with cellar<br />

and attic space. The value of the property, at the time<br />

of deed transfer in 2016, was $96,000.00.<br />

PROPERTY 2<br />

Purchased outright Feb 2022<br />

Felicia made a cash purchase of $1,800,000.00 to<br />

buy a Brooklyn brownstone townhouse, which she<br />

previously owned jointly with her husband, Eric. Features<br />

include 5 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, and 4 classic<br />

marble fireplaces. The home became available to<br />

rent on 1 November 2023 at a monthly rent of<br />

$14,475.00.<br />

PROPERTY 3<br />

Purchased (with a part mortgage) Sept 2022<br />

Felicia purchased a new build, Accord,<br />

New York farmhouse for<br />

$915,000.00. As of 2022 the outstanding<br />

mortgage on the property is<br />

$516,707.00. It is currently valued at<br />

$1,019,800.00.<br />

The property is a beautiful, isolated,<br />

white, 2,520 square foot house<br />

nestled in 5 acres of Accord countryside.<br />

With no neighbors in sight, the<br />

family home boasts magnificent<br />

views. There are several rooms: Living<br />

room, family room, dining room, kitchen, 4 bedrooms,<br />

3 bathrooms, office, media room, playroom, and an<br />

enormous cellar. All the rooms have hardwood flooring<br />

with under floor heating, radiators, and a ductless<br />

cooling system.<br />

Assets do not equal disposable income, however<br />

the $173,700.00 annual rental income from just one of<br />

her properties is more than most professionals earn in<br />

a year. As a teacher, at the height of my career, I only<br />

earned a fraction of this amount. UK surgeons and<br />

doctors working for the NHS wouldn’t even match this.<br />

So yes, I’m biased. I struggle to accept a business<br />

begging for handouts from people who are clearly<br />

less affluent and clearly do not possess the same level<br />

of privilege. I understand that business is business,<br />

and a good entrepreneur should attempt to keep their<br />

business and personal finances clearly delineated. I<br />

also accept that this is why I don’t run a for-profit business<br />

myself. I do not possess the detachment required<br />

to take money from those poorer than I am.<br />

Upon further self-reflection I realize that I am applying<br />

the same standards to Felicia as those demanding<br />

reparations for black people from white people.<br />

Inheriting intergenerational wealth is perfectly acceptable<br />

regardless of how that wealth was initially<br />

earned. Felicia no more owes any of her wealth to<br />

those less privileged than her, than any other wealthy<br />

person owes his/her fortune to those less privileged.<br />

I’m still uncomfortable with rich people (relative to<br />

my own income) begging for money. It seems to me<br />

that we, of the working classes, are barely keeping<br />

afloat yet regularly get blamed for the sins of rich<br />

people’s fathers. We are expected to give the little we<br />

have, in recompense or tribute, to those richer than<br />

ourselves.<br />

Too often now, black women in particular (in the<br />

knitting world and beyond), accuse working class<br />

white people of possessing “white privilege” and intergenerational<br />

wealth gained from the sweat of black<br />

slaves in plantations across the United<br />

States and beyond. At best, this belief<br />

could be seen as being disingenuous,<br />

but for the vast majority of white<br />

people, it is simply not true.<br />

As an active black rights activist,<br />

Felicia, along with other prominent<br />

and prosperous black female makers,<br />

present as victims of white patriarchy.<br />

This is demonstrably false. It is the deceit<br />

and gaslighting required to paint<br />

oneself as underprivileged, the victim<br />

of oppression, and in need of financial support, whilst<br />

living between three properties with 15 bedrooms,<br />

that I find the most abhorrent and problematic.<br />

Preaching about inclusion, racial equality, and<br />

equity to the left, whilst practicing exclusion, racial<br />

prejudice, and discrimination to the right, is not acceptable.<br />

To reiterate this point, Felicia’s Wool and Folk website<br />

displays a statement of principles and conduct. It<br />

says:<br />

Discrimination based on gender, age, race, ethnicity,<br />

color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation,<br />

gender identity, family status, disability, medical or a<br />

genetic condition will not be tolerated.<br />

However, the ticket prices for Wool and Folk 2023<br />

clearly show that white vendors were charged TWICE<br />

the amount as their BIPOC counterparts. Where a<br />

BIPOC vendor was able to rent a booth for $450, a<br />

white vendor was charged $900, for the exact same<br />

service/product! Not only is this direct discrimination<br />

24<br />

Continued on next page...


All about...<br />

based upon an immutable racial characteristic (skin<br />

tone) it also contravenes The Civil Rights Act of 1964,<br />

which “outlaws discrimination based on race, color,<br />

religion, sex, and national origin.”<br />

The rationale behind Felicia’s decision is flawed due<br />

to several unreasonable assumptions:<br />

• All BIPOC vendors are unable to afford the full<br />

ticket price.<br />

• All white vendors are at least twice as wealthy as<br />

BIPOC vendors.<br />

• All BIPOC vendors are comfortable being subsidized<br />

by white vendors.<br />

• All White vendors feel obliged to subsidize BIPOC<br />

vendors.<br />

I would be very interested in hearing from any Wool<br />

and Folk 2023 vendors who questioned or opposed<br />

this racist charging system.<br />

I suspect this isn’t the last we’ll hear of Felicia. Having<br />

reinvented herself as a Dr, a political campaigner, a<br />

yarn store owner, a consultant, and an event organizer,<br />

I think we’ll be sure to see her in another incarnation<br />

soon enough.<br />

In trying to find out all about Felicia Eve, I have<br />

learned things I didn’t expect: my own class biases,<br />

Felicia’s overt racism, and the cost of a Brooklyn<br />

Brownstone townhouse.<br />

25


MAELSTROM HAT<br />

MATERIALS<br />

• Yarn: Chicken Lady Fiber Arts AMERICAUNA (dk)<br />

100% Superwash Merino 245 yd / <strong>11</strong>5g / 3-ply<br />

• Color A: “Blackety Black” 60g and<br />

• Color B: “Meh” 40g<br />

• 4 mm hook.<br />

• 3 mm hook for the band.<br />

• 2 Stitch markers.<br />

• Ruler or tape measure.<br />

• Tapestry needle.<br />

GAUGE<br />

• As you’re working to measurements; matching gauge isn’t essential.<br />

However, in the example shown 20 stitches x 15 rows = 4” x 4”<br />

SIZES<br />

All measurements exclude the brim. The height measurement looks short,<br />

when worn, however, the crown adds to the height.<br />

• Small, (crown diameter 5.5”, height from top of crown to bottom of band 8”)<br />

• Medium, (crown diameter 6”, height from top of crown to bottom of band 8.5”)<br />

• Large, (crown diameter 6.5”, height from top of crown to bottom of band 9”)<br />

NOTES<br />

• Do not join any round with a sl st unless the directions specify to do so.<br />

Work in a continuous spiral throughout.<br />

• Use 2 stitch markers to show the end of each half-round.<br />

• Except for row 1, all stitches are made into the very back loop of the stitches.<br />

This forces the front and middle loops forward to create the spiral pattern.<br />

• Take care when crocheting into the back bumps of sc and slip stitches.<br />

The second round can be particularly tricky as the back bump of a sc is often tight and hard to see.<br />

26


INSTRUCTIONS<br />

With color A make a magic circle.<br />

Round 1: With A, sc 4 into the circle. Place marker in 4th stitch.<br />

Join B next to the 4th stitch. Sc 4 into the circle. Place marker in the 8th stitch. (8 sts)<br />

Cinch the circle closed by gently pulling the tail of color A.<br />

From this point on, you will work half of each round in each color.<br />

Round 2: With A, 2hdc into the bump at the back of each sc until you reach the marker. (8 sts)<br />

With B, 2hdc into the bump at the back of each sc until the next marker. (8 sts) (16 sts total)<br />

After each round move both markers to the last stitch on each half of the circle.<br />

Round 3: With A, (2hdc, 1hdc) 4X. With B, (2hdc, 1hdc) 4X. Repeat around. (24 sts)<br />

Round 4: With A, (2hdc, [1hdc 2X]) 4X. With B, (2hdc, [1hdc 2X]) 4X. (32 sts)<br />

Round 5: With A, (2hdc, [1hdc 3X]) 4X. With B, (2hdc, [1hdc 3X]) 4X. (40 sts)<br />

Round 6: Following the pattern and colors as established (2hdc, [1hdc 4X]). (48 sts)<br />

Round 7: (2hdc, [1hdc 5X]). (56 sts)<br />

Continue increasing in this fashion until the diameter measures 5.5” (6”, 6.5”).<br />

Make a note of how many stitches you crocheted between increases on this final increase row.<br />

You’ll need this number (N) for the brim.<br />

From this point, 1 hdc into the back of every stitch around. Changing colors at the halfway point and moving<br />

the markers as you progress. Continue for 7.5” (8”, 8.5”) or until the hat rests just above the eyebrows.<br />

With color A: Sc1, sc1, sl1, sl1, break yarn and weave in ends.<br />

With Color B: Hdc until 8 stitches before where color A ends. Sc1, sc1, sl1, sl1, break yarn and weave in ends.<br />

BAND<br />

Turn the hat inside out. The following is the same pattern, in reverse, using one color only.<br />

Using a 3mm hook and color B, rejoin the yarn into the very back loop with a slip stitch.<br />

Sl1, sc1, sc1, hdc around for 1.5” finishing on the same side of the hat where you weaved in the ends.<br />

BRIM<br />

Turn the hat back to the right way around.<br />

Count ahead a few stitches and rejoin color B with a 4mm hook and a sl stitch.<br />

Sl1, sc1, sc1, hdc x (N), increase, hdc x(N), continue increasing in this fashion until<br />

a few stitches before the spot where you rejoined the yarn. Using a stitch marker,<br />

keep the live stitch secure.<br />

Join color A to the back bump of the next unworked stitch with a sl stitch.<br />

Sl1, sc1, sc1, hdc x (N+1), increase, hdc x (N+1), continue increases in the same way as for the crown.<br />

Continue around alternating the 2 colors and increasing in the same manner as for the<br />

crown until the brim is 1.5” deep (or your preferred depth).<br />

Continue in pattern with color B until you reach the back of the hat where you previously<br />

ejoined (the exact position isn’t important). Sc1, sc1, sl1, sl1, break yarn and weave in end.<br />

FINAL ROUND<br />

With color A: Sc into the back bump of every stitch around. Do not increase.<br />

When you complete the final round, sl1, sl1, sl1, break yarn and weave in ends.<br />

27


Dear Mr. West<br />

& fellow knitters,<br />

I take it back.<br />

Okay, I don't take it ALL back, but I take a huge<br />

chunk of what I said back in the previous issue of<br />

Blocked, about us all having a little more Stephen<br />

West in us.<br />

I do still believe we should be brave, try new<br />

things, and encourage our crafting tribe to step out of<br />

their comfort zone. I fully believe that, and I admired<br />

your zany patterns, bold color choices, and beautiful<br />

knitwear. It takes a confident knitter to follow your<br />

lead, Mr. West.<br />

Then you called us nazis. For a pattern YOU designed.<br />

For a pattern YOU had tested. For a pattern<br />

that you saw NOTHING WRONG WITH until a few select<br />

zealots chose to find hate and ugly where there<br />

was none.<br />

And I was on your side, for a bit. I said, "You know<br />

what, I can see it now that the idea was<br />

planted in my head. I COULD slightly see how someone<br />

could misconstrue the design into a hate symbol."<br />

So you offered up an alternative design, which I think<br />

was overkill. You could have nipped this ALL in the<br />

bud by simply saying "it's a pinwheel you idiots."<br />

But I get it, damage control, public relations, yada<br />

yada yada. So fine, you were kind enough to throw out<br />

an alternative pattern in ten minutes, for the whiners.<br />

Your business, your pattern, your choice. Fine. We are<br />

good to that point.<br />

Then, you dear sir, for whatever reason, decided<br />

that if anyone chose to knit the pattern that YOU designed<br />

(did we all forget that? HE DESIGNED THE<br />

DAMN THING), YOU decided and declared that those<br />

who knit the original clue, they were<br />

racists/nazis/homophobes.<br />

Um, sir? What? Excuse me? That's hella privileged<br />

to declare that folks just rip that crap right out<br />

and start over, when (from what I'm told), doing so<br />

would have likely wasted precious yarn. I don't know<br />

what rock you may live under, Mr. West, but times are<br />

tight. EVERYTHING costs more and there are many<br />

folks who save their precious dough for your stupid<br />

mystery make-a-longs, and that's the only one they'll<br />

do.<br />

Do you realize you basically just said "screw you,<br />

toss out your yarn, waste your money and if you don't<br />

you MUST be a nazi."<br />

The fact that I write this while an ENTIRE COUNTRY<br />

faces being wiped out by actual modern day 'nazi's',<br />

makes your wussy, lazy, faux rage declarations all the<br />

more abhorrent and awful. To quote Greta, how dare<br />

you? How dare you place such a description of people<br />

who simply want to make a shawl that YOU designed,<br />

because they love and admire your work? People who<br />

gave YOU their hard earned money, willing to spend<br />

their time knitting a shawl that is quite simply, a PIN-<br />

WHEEL design?<br />

I apologize for my ranting Dear Reader. So, should<br />

we still be like Stephen West?<br />

In some ways, yes. Be bold, confident, and brave in<br />

your knitting. Even if that means continuing to knit a<br />

design that very clearly is a simple pinwheel when<br />

folks tell you it's a hate symbol.<br />

But, when faced with stupidity that you know to be<br />

untrue, do not be like Mr. West and cave to the pressures<br />

of others. Know your truth, know your worth,<br />

know when you do the right thing and ignore the rest.<br />

Sometimes a pinwheel is just a pinwheel.<br />

~~Little Sis<br />

Two Sisters and Some Yarn<br />

©Yo-Yo<br />

28


Knitters were once<br />

made of tougher fiber.<br />

They saw actual<br />

swastikas on their<br />

streets, or in their skies,<br />

and did not crumble.<br />

These knitters faced<br />

physical harm and<br />

survived more than a<br />

mere bad day out at a<br />

yarn festival.<br />

"We shall go on to the<br />

end. We shall [knit] in<br />

France, we shall [knit] on<br />

the seas and oceans, we<br />

shall [knit] with growing<br />

confidence and growing<br />

strength in the air, we<br />

shall defend our<br />

[knitting], whatever the<br />

cost may be. We shall<br />

[knit] on the beaches, we<br />

shall [knit] on the<br />

landing grounds, we shall<br />

[knit] in the fields and in<br />

the streets, we shall [knit]<br />

in the hills; we shall<br />

never surrender."<br />

– Winston Churchill,<br />

1940.<br />

29


30<br />

by Tabitha of Murderkits


Bloggers<br />

& Vloggers<br />

1<br />

2<br />

3<br />

4<br />

5<br />

6<br />

7<br />

8<br />

9<br />

10<br />

<strong>11</strong><br />

12<br />

13<br />

14<br />

15<br />

16<br />

17<br />

18<br />

Adventures With Yarn - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbFHj9k5Uxc44g1pnlgiQjg<br />

For all the latest drama in the fibre world – Fun, quirky, and full of energy.<br />

Anna Knitter - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkE2h6s400fRkasl6zyX_jg<br />

A podcast about knitting and crocheting with glimpses of a roman-catholic life.<br />

Blocked Magazine - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAY880IYHF8gJ8b-UdEWAxQ<br />

For all the latest drama in the fibre world – including what didn’t make it into the magazine!<br />

Deprogrammed - https://www.youtube.com/c/KeriSmithDeprogrammed/featured<br />

Interviews intended to better understand and make sense of her old belief system, Social Justice ideology. Including those in the crafting community.<br />

Herd knitunity - https://herdknitunity.locals.com/<br />

Shepherd and ‘woolfluencer’, a sheep to sweater kinda gal.<br />

Knitty McPurly - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyIInmPUQGqoohNgUj0Zmow<br />

A virtual saint!<br />

Little Ragamuffin - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaogzXKmOJ9FO8fsjurrEcw/videos<br />

Sewing tutorials of both slow paced and quick speed styles, fun random sewing oddities, Ragamuffin news, and problematic interviews & conversations.<br />

Murder Knits - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbrSeXmJuT0_BglI_pzi1jg<br />

If your children watch, they'll become serial killers!<br />

Politically Incorrect Knitters - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm8CME6h72cFfQ7ZBNGCj5w<br />

Topical, informative, and fun!<br />

Skeinz Diaries - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCswGNOSxnHlPZsQMCC2YHxQ<br />

Take off your ‘gummies’, put your feet up and prepare for a ‘tiki tour’ of yarny goodness!<br />

High Fiber Diet - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQ4cCawQzD6RDfwLhlZ0hQ/featured<br />

Thick skinned with no “F’s Given!”<br />

Two Sisters & Some Yarn - https://www.youtube.com/c/TwoSistersAndSomeYarn<br />

Two sisters and some yarn – is exactly what it says on the tin!<br />

Wise Owl Knits - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCg8N6NhDdKf44_HigLiP4Ug<br />

Knitting Tutorials<br />

ShaunaStitches - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCOfV6wkBgB6288iVQ1V9Ww/videos<br />

Knitting, spinning, crochet, quilting, and many other crafts are shown and discussed.<br />

AStitchInTheSky - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCxq6HphzSbjU2lb7t8c6Ww/videos<br />

Knitting, sewing and all the things in between!<br />

Texas Peach Knits - https://m.youtube.com/channel/UC1zKQy-8XU8stQfmIzqe92w<br />

Knitting, crochet, sewing and all the things in between!<br />

Short Story Long - https://karensshortstorylong.blogspot.com/search/label/Knitting<br />

Knitting, photography, gardening, quilting, life.<br />

Yarn Chicken & Sh1t - https://youtube.com/@Yarn_Chicken_and_Sh1t?si=mWWmLHOJ8vNllAAh<br />

Shootin’ the Sh1t on yarn, chicken, orthodoxy and life<br />

31


SHELBEY<br />

GLASSPIE-LOGAN<br />

GAYE “GG”<br />

GLASSPIE<br />

ADELLA<br />

COLVIN<br />

GG and Shelbey<br />

organized the<br />

GoFundMe for<br />

Felicia and her<br />

String Thing Studio<br />

raising over $25K<br />

Adella organized her<br />

45,000 followers to<br />

cancel Kristy over a<br />

magazine cover.<br />

BFFs<br />

KRISTY<br />

GLASS<br />

Kristy Glass’ YouTube<br />

interview brought Felicia<br />

and her String Thing Studio<br />

into prominence.<br />

DR. FELICIA<br />

STENHOUSE EVE<br />

32


PRESIDENT<br />

BILL CLINTON<br />

SENATOR<br />

HILLARY CLINTON<br />

SENATOR<br />

JOSEPH BIDEN<br />

Felicia’s husband,<br />

Eric, worked as<br />

an advisor to<br />

President Clinton.<br />

AURTHUR<br />

EVE<br />

Felicia’s Father-in-Law<br />

was the Deputy Speaker<br />

of the NY Assembly.<br />

GOVERNOR<br />

CUOMO<br />

Felicia’s Sister-in-Law<br />

worked as an advisor<br />

to Senators Clinton,<br />

Biden and Governor<br />

Cuomo.<br />

ERIC<br />

EVE<br />

LEECIA<br />

EVE<br />

33


DISHIDENT #14<br />

by UKnitted Kingdom<br />

PATTERN DESCRIPTION<br />

Each issue of Blocked will contain a ‘secret’ pattern.<br />

The design will only be revealed as you knit.<br />

The instructions might uncover an image; a<br />

design, or a word/message.<br />

When using cotton these secret squares make<br />

excellent dishcloths. If you make 4 or 5 of each<br />

square in wool or acrylic they can be seamed<br />

together at the end of the year to make a small<br />

Afghan or lap blanket.<br />

GAUGE & MATERIALS<br />

Each dishident uses approximately<br />

41 to 43g of worsted weight 100% cotton.<br />

Follow the yarn manufacturer’s<br />

recommended needle size.<br />

DIRECTIONS<br />

← Row 1 [RS]: K45<br />

→ Row 2: K45<br />

← Row 3: K45<br />

→ Row 4: K45<br />

← Row 5: K45<br />

→ Row 6: K45<br />

← Row 7: K45<br />

→ Row 8: K4, p37, k4<br />

← Row 9: K45<br />

→ Row 10: K45<br />

← Row <strong>11</strong>: K45<br />

→ Row 12: K45<br />

← Row 13: K45<br />

→ Row 14: K45<br />

← Row 15: K45<br />

→ Row 16: K4, p37, k4<br />

← Row 17: K45<br />

→ Row 18: K4, p18, k1, p18, k4<br />

← Row 19: K45<br />

34<br />

Continued on next page...


Dishident Continued...<br />

→ Row 20: K4, p17, k3, p17, k4<br />

← Row 21: K45<br />

→ Row 22: K4, p16, (k2, p1) 2X, p15, k4<br />

← Row 23: K45<br />

→ Row 24: K4, p7, k23, p7, k4<br />

← Row 25: K45<br />

→ Row 26: K4, p8, k21, p8, k4<br />

← Row 27: K45<br />

→ Row 28: K4, p8, (p1, k2, p1) 2X, p6, (k2, p2) 2X, p7, k4<br />

← Row 29: K45<br />

→ Row 30: K4, p10, k4, p9, k4, p10, k4<br />

← Row 31: K45<br />

→ Row 32: K4, p10, (p1, k2, p10) 2X, p1, k4<br />

← Row 33: K45<br />

→ Row 34: K4, p10, k4, p9, k4, p10, k4<br />

← Row 35: K45<br />

→ Row 36: K4, p8, (p1, k2, p1) 2X, p6, (k2, p2) 2X, p7, k4<br />

← Row 37: K45<br />

→ Row 38: K4, p8, k21, p8, k4<br />

← Row 39: K45<br />

→ Row 40: K4, p7, k23, p7, k4<br />

← Row 41: K45<br />

→ Row 42: K4, p16, (k2, p1) 2X, p15, k4<br />

← Row 43: K45<br />

→ Row 44: K4, p17, k3, p17, k4<br />

← Row 45: K45<br />

→ Row 46: K4, p18, k1, p18, k4<br />

← Row 47: K45<br />

→ Row 48: K4, p37, k4<br />

← Row 49: K45<br />

→ Row 50: K45<br />

← Row 51: K45<br />

→ Row 52: K45<br />

← Row 53: K45<br />

→ Row 54: K45<br />

← Row 55: K45<br />

→ Row 56: K4, p37, k4<br />

← Row 57: K45<br />

→ Row 58: K45<br />

← Row 59: K45<br />

→ Row 60: K45<br />

← Row 61: K45<br />

→ Row 62: K45<br />

TIPS<br />

If preferred, slip the first OR the last stitch of every row to create a<br />

neater edge. When purling a stitch immediately after knitting a<br />

stitch; pull the excess yarn out of the purl stitch before knitting or<br />

purling on. This helps to reduce loose/baggy knit stitches.<br />

NOTES<br />

Occasionally a dishident or secret square might not be<br />

suitable for children and ‘polite company’. Where this is<br />

the case it will be made clear.<br />

If you would like to receive notifications of our next issue!<br />

Check out our Patreon!<br />

www.patreon.com/join/BlockedMagazine<br />

35


FOUR WINDS SHAWL<br />

DESIGNED AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY KAREN JULIANO<br />

MODEL: LEXI<br />

A few years ago, I took some photos of a beautifully weathered windmill at an outdoor wedding. After reading about<br />

the windmill-themed design challenge, I looked through those images and was inspired to make a shawl with sections<br />

that pivot like windmill blades. I sketched some ideas down on paper and then I watched the Blocked Magazine podcast<br />

episode titled, Number Knitting with Kelly of Knitswag. As I listened to them discuss Kelly’s knitting math project,<br />

the math pieces of this project came together, and I decided to rework my pattern so that the yarn would not have to be<br />

broken in honor of Virginia Woods Bellamy!<br />

MATERIALS:<br />

Needles: US 8/5mm, 40”/100cm long<br />

Yarn: Malabrigo Arroyo (100% Superwash Merino Wool 100<br />

gr/3.5 oz; 306 m/335 yds) AR043 Plomo (approx180 gr/625 –<br />

670 yds any sport weight yarn)<br />

1 stitch marker<br />

GAUGE:<br />

20 sts x 28 rows = 4” x 4” in St. st before blocking<br />

17 sts x 26 rows = 4” x 4” after blocking<br />

Exact gauge is not critical but a big variance will change the size<br />

of the finished object an the amount of yarn needed to finish.<br />

SIZE:<br />

51”/130cm wide, 22.5”/57cm deep at center “seam” after blocking<br />

NOTES:<br />

Wrapped Stitch: I use the German short-row method; here is a<br />

concise video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyg2s09Grhs<br />

Semi-stretchy bind off: K2 (pass second st over first st, yo, k1,<br />

pass yo and k1 over first st, k1) repeat.<br />

36


DIRECTIONS:<br />

FIRST BLADE<br />

CO 3 purlwise (3 st)<br />

Row 1: (RS): (K1, yo) 2X, k1 (5 sts)<br />

Row 2: (WS): (P1, k1 tbl) 2X, p1<br />

Row 3: K1, yo, k1, M1R, PM, k1, M1L, k1, yo, k1 (9 sts)<br />

Row 4: P1, k1 tbl, p5, k2<br />

Row 5: K1, yo, k3, M1R, SM, k1, M1L, k1, yo, p1, k1, p1 (13 sts)<br />

Row 6: K1, p1, k1, p to last 2 sts, k2<br />

Row 7: K1, yo, k to marker, M1R, SM, k1, M1L, k to last 5 sts,<br />

ssk, yo, k1, p1, k1 (inc’d 3 sts)<br />

Row 8: P1, k1, p1, p to last 2 sts, k2<br />

Row 9: K1, yo, k to marker, M1R, SM, k1, M1L, k to last 5 sts,<br />

ssk, yo, p1, k1, p1 (inc’d 3 sts)<br />

Row 10: K1, p1, k1, p to last 2 sts, k2<br />

Work last 4 rows 17 times more (121 sts)<br />

Work row 7 once more. (with RS facing, 80 sts to right of<br />

marker, 44 to left – 124 total stitches)<br />

Row 80: (WS): P1, k1, p1, k121<br />

Row 81: (RS): K1, yo, k79, SM, k39, ssk, yo, p1, k1, p1 (125 total<br />

sts - 81 sts to right of marker, 44 to left)<br />

Row 82: K1, p1, k to 1 st before marker, wrap st and turn.<br />

Row 83: K to last 5 sts, ssk, yo, k1, p1, k1<br />

Row 84: Work semi-stretchy bind-off: K2 (pass second st over<br />

first st, yo, k1, pass yo and k1 over first st, k1) repeat to 2 sts<br />

before marker. You now have one st on the RH needle, and the<br />

wrapped st on the LH needle. K st together with wrap, SM, k1,<br />

turn work. There should now be 3 live sts on LH needle, as well<br />

as 80 sts held from first blade.<br />

Repeat Rows 7-10 for 17x more; 2 held sts remain.<br />

Work row 7 once more. (126 sts - with RS facing right to left: 2<br />

held sts, 80 live sts right of marker, 44 live sts left of marker.)<br />

Row 80: (WS): P1, k1, p1, k to end; WYIF, sl last 2 sts to RH<br />

needle. All held sts should now be incorporated into live work.<br />

Row 81: (RS): Knit first stitch together with 2 slipped sts, yo, k<br />

to last 5 sts, ssk, yo, p1, k1, p1 (125 sts - 81 sts to right of M, 44<br />

on left) **<br />

Row 82: K1, p1, k to 1 st before marker, wrap st and turn.<br />

Row 83: K to last 5 sts, ssk, yo, k1, p1, k1<br />

Row 84: Work semi-stretchy BO to 2 sts before marker. You<br />

now have one st on the RH needle, and the wrapped st on the<br />

LH needle, K st together with wrap, SM, k1, turn.<br />

There should now be 3 sts live on LH needle, as well as 80 sts<br />

held from first blade.<br />

THIRD BLADE<br />

Work as for Second Blade.<br />

FOURTH BLADE<br />

Work as for Second Blade to **<br />

Row 82 (WS): K1, p1, k to end<br />

Row 83 (RS): K to last 5 sts, ssk, yo, k1, p1, k1<br />

Row 84: Work semi-stretchy BO until all sts are bound off.<br />

Weave in ends. Block to dimensions using blocking wires or<br />

preferred method to emphasize points.<br />

SECOND BLADE<br />

Row 1: K1, yo, SM, k1, yo, k1 (5 sts)<br />

Row 2: (P1, k1 tbl) 2X, p1, WYIF, sl 2 sts held from first blade;<br />

turn (7 sts)<br />

Row 3: Knit first stitch together with 2 slipped sts, yo, k1, M1R,<br />

SM, k1, M1L, k1, yo, k1, turn (9 sts)<br />

Row 4: P1, k1 tbl, p5, k2, WYIF, sl 2 held sts, turn (<strong>11</strong> sts)<br />

Row 5: Knit first stitch together with 2 slipped sts, yo, k3, M1R,<br />

SM, k1, M1L, k1, yo, p1, k1, p1, turn (13 sts)<br />

Row 6: K1, p1, k1, p4, SM, p4, k2, WYIF, sl 2 held sts, turn (15<br />

sts)<br />

Row 7: Knit first stitch together with 2 slipped sts, yo, k to<br />

marker, M1R, SM, k1, M1L, k to last 5 sts, ssk, yo, k1, p1, k1,<br />

turn (inc’d 3 - 16 sts)<br />

Row 8: P1, k1, p1, p to last 2 live sts, k2, WYIF, sl 2 held sts, turn<br />

(18 sts)<br />

Row 9: Knit first stitch together with 2 slipped sts, yo, k to<br />

marker, M1R, SM, k1, M1L, k to last 5 sts, ssk, yo, p1, k1, p1,<br />

turn (inc’d 3 - 19 sts)<br />

Row 10: K1, p1, k1, p to last 2 live sts, k2, WYIF, sl 2 held sts,<br />

turn (21 sts)<br />

37


NEEDS YOU!<br />

© 2022 Conley Olson, @NantucketStudios<br />

WE’RE LOOKING FOR:<br />

• Test Knitters/Crocheters<br />

• Podcasters/Vloggers<br />

• Designers<br />

• Writers<br />

• Artists<br />

If you are interested in<br />

being a contributor<br />

email: blockedmagazine@gmx.com<br />

Themes for issue submissions:<br />

Issue 12 (Dec/Jan): Under the Ivy<br />

Issue 13 (Jan/Feb): Murder/Mystery<br />

Issue 14 (Mar/Apr): Bear Arms<br />

Issue 15 (May/Jun): Heroes<br />

These themes can be interpreted literally, figuratively, or in any way the titles make you feel.<br />

For example, a designer could take ‘Under the Ivy’ literally and have intarsia ivy on a shawl or<br />

think more laterally to see what the word ‘ivy’ evokes from them.<br />

Patron Checkout | Patreon<br />

www.patreon.com/join/BlockedMagazine<br />

Although Blocked is free to read, it isn’t free to produce. Without the generosity of patrons,<br />

Blocked would not be possible. There are overheads that need to be met including subscriptions for software,<br />

the magazine online platform, a future website, and time.<br />

If you have enjoyed this issue, please consider becoming a patron.<br />

Patrons receive the magazine a week before general release, see exclusive content,<br />

get to vote on future content, and may receive exclusive offers.<br />

More details available on the Patreon site linked above.


NEXT ISSUE<br />

Triangle Shawl Recipes<br />

Mitten design competition entries<br />

Sweater Design book reviews<br />

A fabulous crochet pattern<br />

by Karen Whooley<br />

and more!<br />

Acknowledgments<br />

<strong>BLOCKED</strong> has been made<br />

possible by the generosity and<br />

goodwill of far too many people to<br />

name individually.<br />

Thank you to all the designers,<br />

writers, photographers, artists,<br />

patrons, advertisers and, of<br />

course you the reader.

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