All right, you twisted my arm. At the request of several readers, I am going to dive headlong into it. I'll try to be sort of like the Lorax for the OFA volunteers. The Lorax speaks for the trees -- I speak for the volunteers -- the volunteers who have to unpack and repack the scarves for the Red Scarf Project.
If you prefer a more direct, stripped-down version of this post, with all the details needed, but without the ... uh.... sarcasm and screaming....please see this post in my Red Scarf blog.
But I know some of you would rather have the screechy one. Plus I have learned, based on some feedback from my post in the Ravelry Red Scarf group, that some of you are scratching your heads and wondering WHY I'm harping at it so much, because on its face it seems obvious to many of us, and the thought has not occurred to most of us that so many people have misunderstood the OFA's mission, the recipients of the care packages, and the request for scarves. So here ya go:
WE'LL START WITH AN UNPACKER'S TESTIMONY:
Some examples of scarves I unpacked last year:
The Potholder
Scarf: 8 crocheted potholders stitched together to make something as
stiff as cardboard and big enough to wrap around a turkey roaster to
keep it warm on the way to Grandma's house
The Iditarod Scarf: rumpled scarf covered, and I mean COVERED, in dog hair
The Well-Loved Scarf: this scarf was so well tested and worn that it was covered in yarn fuzz and pills
The Shoelace Scarf: this scarf was two inches wide and maybe 36 inches long. Did I mention the eyelash yarn?
The Pillow Case Scarf: Don't ask. But that is what it was, with some fringe sewn on the ends.
WHY
THIS MATTERS: Every single scarf has to be unpacked and logged into a
spreadsheet by hand and a thank you note sent out. If I am unpacking
scarves and 30% or more of them are not usable, Orphan Foundation is going to have a hard
time keeping motivated and knit-knowledgeable volunteers.
What balances this all out: The incredible, perfect, gorgeous
scarves that we get that make me aspire to even more quality knitting.
Unwrapping these scarves is pure joy. But they can be few and far
between sometimes.
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THE WORDS OF A CARE PACKAGE PACKER:
I spent a couple of hours yesterday helping the OFA pack up
the scarves to be sent out. Thank you for making me aware of this
wonderful group of people. It was really amazing to see how many volunteers
turned out to help, and how enthusiastic (and well-organized) the OFA people
were. I really enjoyed myself. And in 3000 scarves – I found
mine!
Please also keep getting the word out – it’s all
about quality. We were told several times how much the students
appreciated the fact that someone was thinking of them. While I was
keeping my eye out for my own knitting, I saw lots of beautiful scarves go by,
and also a few that screamed “I was thinking of you – but only for
an hour, and only with the yarn that no one else would spend a dollar for.”
I am sure you can figure out how to say that in a nicer way, and I know you did
say it many times, but please keep saying it.
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We've probably created a lot of confusion
over the years. First we said, "more, more, more," and then "slow
down; don't send so many." It's been a hard thing to get it just
right. But as I said in my title: "We don't need more scarves. We need more QUALITY scarves. There is a difference." The poor unpackers and the ones who categorize the scarves into "usable," "lovely," "unusable," "REALLY unusable," and "photo op scarves," have such a hard job, and they tell me that a large percentage of scarves they get are truly unusable or only moderately usable. So I am asking for my good friends to knit more, and to get the word out more to those who can and will produce a quality unisex scarf, so we can tip the scales more towards "lovely and usable" and less towards "this can only be sent to a pet shelter." (not exaggerating there)
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FROM SOMEONE WHO RESPONDED TO MY POST THE OTHER DAY:
I am one of those volunteer packers who cannot stand to look at another
DOG BED. I have tried to figure out a way to post at Ravelry when I see
things like "we are going to teach people to knit and have them send
their very first project over to Red Scarf."
It's just about common sense and good taste and realizing that this is a quality event and not for some group of beginner knitters or crocheters to send their first efforts because of some nutty idea that "they're orphans. They should be glad for whatever they get." Or, as charming as it might be for a group of third-graders to learn to knit for "the orphans," it's just plain missing the point of the endeavor. [It's so frustrating to try to get that message out without hurting a whole lot of feelings and sounding ungrateful.]
This is about raising the bar for these young men and women who are attending colleges just like your kids and nieces and nephews and grandchildren, but without the family support that all the rest of us have. This is about enhancing their dignity and their self-esteem and helping them to find the pathway to success. Sure, it would be cute for them to have their own little sister or niece or nephew perhaps make them a handmade card or a Christmas ornament in school, but the whole scarf thing? Not the same, and it makes for a whole lot of work for the volunteers to separate them all and dispose of the ones that are simply not appropriate for gift-giving.
"Foster Care to Success" is the OFA motto, to give the students a message that they have worked hard, they are important, they are worthy of a lovely gift.
SOME GUIDELINES:
PLEASE, NO PINK or LAVENDER. NO FUN FUR. NO YELLOWS OR ORANGES THAT, ALTHOUGH SOME PEOPLE MIGHT LIKE THEM, THE GENERAL PUBLIC MIGHT SAY "EW" TO. NO SUPER-BULKY. NO USED SCARVES. NO FELTED SCARVES.
FROM A PACKER:
SIZE MATTERS: When a scarf is knit from a heavier yarn and it is long
enough and wide enough, it also barely fits into the Care Package box.
That should help to make the point that DK is the preferred weight and
why.
UNISEX IS IMPORTANT: It's a big job to try to match pinks or purples or laces with females. And not all females like pinks or laces. In addition, today there are lots of first names that could be either male or female.
Show you care! Sometimes I think people have the idea that college kids like FUNKY. NOT! There's the rare one who might, but let's not play around with that, OK? Choose something tasteful, simple, wearable. Please? It doesn't have to be expensive! A nice and tasteful scarf can be done in inexpensive yarns like Caron Simply Soft or Lion Brand Wool-Ease.
FROM ANOTHER PACKER:
I don’t really know how to
make the recipients seem more real, but somehow the idea that the scarves are
for real people who appreciate a gift ought to make people think about sending
a nice gift instead of someone’s first attempt at a garter stitch scarf.
They are not starving orphans who will freeze to death without our scarves;
they are college students. We shouldn’t expect them to be grateful
for being sent something they wouldn’t want to be seen in.
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So we need 3,000-3,500 nice unisex scarves appropriate for gift-giving to current American college students. And please remember: This is 2009 America, not Dickensian England.
Anyway, what I'm asking you, dear readers, is: Can you, will you, please do more? Or, if you must think in terms of Oliver Twist: "More, please."
