Local knitters join national movement

On Jan. 21, people wearing pink hats will take to the streets of cities across the country, including Seattle and Washington, D.C., to show solidarity in opposition to some of the initiatives President-elect Donald Trump might put in place following his inauguration on Jan. 20.

Kirkland’s Serial Knitters is one of several knitting shops across the country getting involved with the Pussyhat Project, which was started to make sure the heads of all the women participating in the Women’s March on Washington are kept warm as they walk the streets of the nation’s capitol.

Lynnwood resident Jennifer Cail, who participated in a Pussyhat Project knitting event at Serial Knitters, will be one of the people in a pink cap in Washington, D.C., and she plans to bring more caps along with her should her fellow marchers need them.

“I think we’re in a great state of uncertainty right now,” Cail said.

Kirkland residents Susanna Gilbert and Charisa Martin Cairn, Bellevue resident Sabrina Barton and Snohomish resident Kristina Plourde, who all participated in the Serial Knitters event alongside Cail, expressed a desire to be somehow involved with the national march even though they can’t actually be there.

“I can’t go to Washington, D.C., but I want to be part of sending a message (to the new administration),” Gilbert said.

“A piece of me will be there,” Barton added as she worked on knitting a cap.

In addition to being a way to show solidarity, involvement with the Pussyhat Project has drawn tons of people to Serial Knitters to buy pink yarn, owner Debie Frable said, adding she has had to put in reorders for some of her pink yarns a lot sooner than she typically does.

“I’m just blown away,” she said. “Eighty percent of the phone calls this week have been related to this.”

Serial Knitters is the only Eastside shop listed on the Pussyhat Project’s website, which lists yarn shops participating across the country. Other stores in Seattle, Kent, Tukwila, Bellingham and Coupeville are listed.

“Two of my employees were adamantly into it, and I decided, ‘Let’s list ourselves’,” Frable said.

Frable doesn’t think the pink hat movement will be limited to next weekend, either.

“I think people are going to be wearing pink hats for four years,” she said.

Serial Knitters is located at 8427 122nd Ave. NE for those interested in dropping off or picking up hats. The store’s phone number is 425-242-0086. For more information about the Pussyhat Project, including a pattern to create the knit cap, visit pussyhatproject.com.

Seattle march

Frable said she would continue to collect pink hats at her store through Jan. 20, the day before the Women’s March on Seattle.

Locals are working together to build a Kirkland contingency at the Women’s March on Seattle planned for 10 a.m. Jan. 21, with the possibility of bussing or carpooling over to Seattle. Those interested in teaming up with their neighbors can contact Sue Contreras at scon1965@hotmail.com, Margaret Schwender at margschwender@gmail.com or Pam Hynes at pamhynes77@gmail.com.

At press time, several details needed to be finalized for the Seattle march, but people of all gender identities, ethnicities, ages, abilities, religions and sexual orientations are welcome to attend. Organizers plan for the march to be silent, modeling it after successful silent marches during the civil rights movement, and it’s also being referred to as the Womxn’s March on Seattle because of that.

More information about the Seattle march can be found online at womxnsmarchseattle.wordpress.com.

Courtesy photo                                Debie Frable, Jennifer Cail, Susanna Gilbert and Sabrina Barton participate in a Pussyhat Project event at Serial Knitters in Kirkland.

Courtesy photo Debie Frable, Jennifer Cail, Susanna Gilbert and Sabrina Barton participate in a Pussyhat Project event at Serial Knitters in Kirkland.