Why I Write About Ukrainian Knitters When Everyone Is Fleeing Ukraine
Not everybody is leaving, but it’s everybody’s war.
Sometimes I have to give myself a kick in the knitting needles to post a sweater pattern by a Ukrainian designer.
It can seem so futile. The question is not whether anybody is still knitting amid all that rubble, but is anybody still alive?
I read the news accounts of the millions fleeing to the safety of Poland and Hungry. They wait for hours and days at the border to start a new life in a country where they won’t even know where to buy the necessities of life, much less yarn.
I allow myself a few moments of despair at the magnitude of the problem. Is it worth it, I wonder? Do these posts matter? Then I remind myself of the mission. My little mission.
I’ve pledged to myself to do whatever I can to thank these people for taking a bullet for me.
Literally. They are taking the hits so I don’t have to.
You know the story by now. Zelensky wants a no-fly zone to take down Putin’s attacks from the air.
The West won’t give him that, fearing Vlad the Madman will retaliate with his arsenal of nukes.
So we’re protected from death by atomization by the suffering of the Ukrainians.
For me the math is simple. I do what I can for those human shields by pleading with you to put money in the digital accounts of Ukrainian needlework designers.
It’s either that or I don’t live with myself.
If I had skills at international diplomacy, I’d use them.
If I had millions and billions of dollars to throw at the problem, I’d do it.
If I had dirt on Putin sufficient to shame him into stopping his attacks, I’d use it.
If I had the key to the Kremlin, I’d take him out. You know what they say…if you need something done, ask a busy woman. Trust me, you don’t want to see my to-do list.
Since I can do none of those things, I post articles begging you to put money in the pockets of those heroic Ukrainians who are fighting for you and me.
Of course, they fight for their homeland. But read between the lines in case you think you’ve had enough war news. This is our fight as well.
We may have thought we didn’t have skin in the game in Syria and Chechnya, but this time the s**t is real for us.
So even if you read about the millions fleeing, not everyone is. Even if you think maybe these knitters haven’t survived, well, maybe they have.
What’s a few dollars for a pattern, when compared to a tank of gas these days, or cup of your favorite designer coffee?
It could mean the world to a woman trying to find a new life for her family. And the account is untouchable by Putin, and no doubt can help her family if she’s, um, off doing something else…
So whatever our excuses are for thinking these small amounts don’t matter, go on Instagram or Etsy or Ravelry and read some posts by these brave designers.
They are asking for our help.
We owe it to them.
They are suffering for us.
Here’s how you can answer their call.
Every penny counts when you’re starving, displaced, cut off from your loved ones. Here’s one way you can help.
Log on to Ravelry.com.
Sign up if you don’t have an account. Go to the link on their home page that says “follow this link to Ukrainian designers.”
Pick any knitted or crocheted item and click buy. Don’t pick a free item for obvious reasons.
Pay for it.
That’s all. You don’t have to download it, knit it, or even like it. Just send money.
For Etsy, go to Etsy.com.
Put Ukraine in the search box and pick a downloadable item. Don’t pick something that needs mailing.
Pay for it, and you’re done.
If you have trouble, message me in the comments.
Thank you and Slava Ukraine.
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I’m an editor and writer on Medium with Top Writer status. I’ve published 55 titles on Amazon. I edit fiction and non-fiction for private clients. If you’d like to hire me as your editor for fiction, non-fiction, or business writing, please contact me here. If you’d like to read more of my work on Medium, click here to sign up for my newsletter. Thank you for reading, and stay safe.