I received this information from one of our fiber friends here in Newport and want to share it with you (Thank you Anita). A wonderful way to knit and help women affected by breast cancer.
http://www.margiesmuse.com/pages/bosombuddies.htm
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Bosom Buddies
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In the news! HANDMADE HOPE, knitting Bosom Buddies at Margie’s Muse (See this PDF file> of the News article<)Katherine, one of the knitters in our Thursday evening knitting circle, went to Maine last year and went on a yarn crawl with Jayne. One of their stops was a yarn store in Brunswick called The Knitting Experience where they’ve been knitting breast prosthetics for women who’ve had mastectomies. theknittingexperience.com/ (click link below) http://theknittingexperience.com/knitted_knockers_program/That effort grew quickly and was covered by CNN. The Knitting Experience site posts the knitting and crochet pattern, knitting tips, as well as other resources and ideas. |
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| Katherine came back to Jamaica from that trip telling about the Knitted Knockers she discovered in Maine and quietly knitted breasts to give away to anyone who needed them. Another in our knitting circle asked her to make one for a friend, and when she saw Katherine spending her gift certificate money on yarn for the friend’s breast, suggested we do a fund raiser to cover the cost of the yarn so we can all knit them to give away. A small press release was sent out, and Eric Pero of the Brattleboro Reformer called to say he wanted to do a story.From there it grew in this area. Calls have been coming in from all over, including Columbus, Ohio. “How can I get one for my friend in Arizona?” “I want to learn to make them so I can take it to my church group / knitting group” “I had a mastectomy last year and have been wearing big baggy sweatshirts since then – may I have one?” “I want to make a donation for yarn and fiber fill”. Laura came up with the name “Bosom Buddy”. We’ve given several away, and have a growing collection available for more in need. We’ve been finding a cotton soy blend particularly soft, breathable, easy to knit, and washable. One ball ($6.50) makes two breasts. Other lovely fibers we’ve been using are bamboo and silk. You can pick anything that you can imagine having next to your skin. Keep breathability and washability in mind. Feel free to call or email if you have questions about which yarns might work best.
<http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall05/PATTbits.html> TitBits at : <http://www.titbits.ca/> is a good resource for women with breast cancer where one can also purchase a knitted breast. Call if you’d like to make a donation to cover the cost of the materials, or make a donation via PayPal by making a deposit on the order page. Mail checks to Margie’s Muse, P.O. Box 274, Jamaica, VT 05343, or, best yet, stop into the shop on Main Street in Jamaica Village. Feel free to call (802) 874-7201 or email margaret@margiesmuse.com to request a breast – indicate color and material preference and cup size. Join us at Margie’s Muse on Thursdays from 5-7 pm to help knit breasts. All welcome! One recipient responded: “Dear Margie and Bosom Buddies, Thank you all so very much for my prosthetic breast. I tried it out first chance I got. Not only was it soft to the touch, less cumbersome, but felt and looked natural. Within a day I had forgotten I was even wearing it. Thank you all for thinking of this great idea so that others like me can resume our lives in appearance. I will pass it on to others.” |
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I’d had this e-newsletter from Hodgepodge for several days, and although I only just now had a chance to read it, something had kept me from deleting it. Reading about The Knitting Experience shop in Maine and their initiative to start making the Knitted Knockers has brought many giggles a couple of tears. What an utterly (yes, I could have made the pun there but I didn’t) fantastic concept!!!! As a charitable project; as something to keep a knitter busy and connected; as something to keep a survivor connected to people who care; as a way to provide a little nurturing while giving an invaluable bit of self-esteem; as an alternative to vastly expensive and often uncomfortable choices; as all of these, this is SUCH a wonderful concept. Perhaps one of the most valuable aspects is as a conversation starter: in progress, these will spur countless queries, giggles, and conversations, and help to bring the subject of breast health further out of the ‘unmentionable in polite company’ category and into further into a ‘comfortable topic’ one. Just the process of moving a topic from one category to the other dispels SO much myth, fear, confusion, and ingnorance. Thank you to all you visionaries.
Well said Johanna – thank you for your insights.
Thanks again Sue, for putting this up and spreading the word. Got yours started yet??
Johanna, my thanks to you as well – you have convinced me to proudly carry around my boobies-in-progress in public! I have to admit, I was a little reluctant, but after your thoughts, and the cheerful responses from the sofa-gang at HodgePodge yesterday, they’re coming out of the bag!
They do make an interesting interior decor statement, propped up around the house, drying. And I got a grin out of telling my DH at lunchtime to please bring downstairs the box of crackers from the bedroom… “where is it?” … “oh, on my chest… under the big pink breast!!”
On a more technical note, some comments/changes to the crochet breast pattern above:
Rnd 2 makes a rather large stand-up nipple. You can omit the row entirely for a smooth front.
Rnd 7 seems to have an error; you can omit the beginning “sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc” and simply follow the remaining part of the round’s instructions. As written, it will displace the regular pattern of increases and is not necessary to keep the number of stitches correct.
Rnd 11 & 12 can be done with 6 increases following the pattern of previous rows (rather than straight sc), to make a slightly larger, more gradually tapered base. I was surprised, checking out the real thing, that my own modest B-cups have a good 6-inch spread at the base.
Rnd 13, the first decrease round, I do in the front loop only. this makes a nice edge that “turns the corner” for the back portion.
Last note, if you use a less-than-worsted weight yarn, you may wish to increase the number of rounds, or change the number of increases per round (I like 3 with a DK or sport-weight). After all, we’ll need bosom buddies of all shapes and sizes, to match our happily varied natural ones…
Love to all,
Anita
Just BTW…
The inserted text about the bosom buddies at Margie’s Muse in Jamaica, VT, is from http://www.margiesmuse.com/pages/bosombuddies.htm if you’re having trouble reading it, or would like to link/bookmark directly.
A few more technical notes on the crocheted breast:
You can begin with a “magic ring” instead of ch2, simply sc6 into the ring and draw closed.
I finish off when there is a hole in the center back of ~3/4 inch. Then hand wash, squeeze in towel to remove moisture, and prop up overnight to dry. While still somewhat damp, stuff with polyfill, fluffing and placing the filling to shape and smooth the finished boob. Run a contrasting color soft yarn through the last row of stitches and gather to close the hole; tie in a bow. This allows the recipient to add, remove, or reshape the filling to her own preference, then to permanently close it. Optionally, you can wrap a smooth stone in polyfill and tuck it into the lowest part of the breast to weight and orient it so that it stays in place.
Sue, I am not getting the entire post… It is cutting off quite a bit on the right side.
the link is http://www.margiesmuse.com/pages/bosombuddies.htm