S PRI N G 2 0 1 2 One Step at a Time
I
n the Bible, Noah, his family and a whole zoo of
animals waited forty days on a wooden ark. Moses wrote
the words of the Ten Commandments while spending
forty days on a mountain—without eating or drinking. And
Jesus fasted for forty days and nights in the Judean desert.
Surviving on very little (or nothing) and sacrificing the ways
of ordinary life, forty days must have felt like an eternity.
For those who endeavor to give up or take on something for
Lent, the forty days of the season make the task even more
daunting. Yet the church presents this pattern—modeling its
traditions on impressive scriptural stories—and asks faithful
people to tackle an extended period of sustained willpower
and strength. This may be fine if your name is Noah, Moses
or Jesus, but for ordinary people, it might seem different.
For centuries, however, people have lived to tell about the
other side of Lent. Do they have a secret?
Making it through a forty-day discipline requires pacing and
perspective. Bunching up one tremendous bit of a project
at the beginning of an extended period can trigger burnout.
A steady stride ensures stamina and precision. Breaking the
large task into parts, “Lenten survivors” focus on one step
at a time.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives this advice,
“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now,
and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen
tomorrow.” (Matthew 6:34, The Message)
The Power of One
One step, one person, one stitch at a time.… It adds
up to tremendous change. This theory has fueled the
Seamen’s Church Institute’s (SCI) Christmas at Sea knitting
program for years. This past year’s collection yielded over
20,000 items—quite a vast number! To put that into
perspective, 20,000 seafarers’ scarves laid end-to-end would
stretch about 14.5 miles. A lot of stitches combine to make
warm holidays for mariners working at Christmastime.
This Lent, be fearless! Adopt a project that has intimidated
you in the past. Don’t be concerned with its length or
complexity. Seize Lent one day at a time and seek in
each of those days the chance to find goodness in its
opportunities. Perhaps you will find that little by little, piece
by piece, ordinary people can tackle the most challenging
circumstances, including knitting tricky socks.
The Seamen’s Church Institute
VOL UME 6 /N UMBER 1
21,174
handknits
in 2011
The newsletter of the
Seamen’s Church Institute’s
Christmas at Sea Program
In this Issue
Meet a CAS Knitter 2
Don’t Bite off More
Than You Can Chew 2
Notes from Knitters 3
Packing Days 3
2,426
Dec
Mariners’ Thank Yous 3–4
Bit By Bit 4
Conquering the Sock 5–6
4,017
Days of Migration 6
Nov
3,232
Oct
2,104
Sept
1,599
Aug
1,009
Jul
1,017
May 1,344
Apr
Jun
1,753
Mar 1,391
Feb 342
Jan 940
Just as every stitch from every
knitter contributes to mariners’
warmth during the winter
months, every dollar you give
to SCI upholds the valuable
services we provide and on
which the entire maritime
community depends.
Founded in 1834,
SCI is a voluntary,
ecumenical agency
affiliated with the
Episcopal Church that
provides pastoral care,
maritime education, and
legal advocacy services
for mariners.
seamenschurch.org
SCI seeks local yarn stores,
church groups and other
organizations to help foster a
sense of community among
knitters and provide a spot for
Christmas at Sea knitters and
crocheters to meet. If your group is interested in
learning how to partner with SCI, let us know.
cas.seamenschurch.org/pages/sci-knit-spots
Tea & Technique
Does your church or knitting group want your
very own Christmas at Sea knitting class? Contact
[email protected] for more information.
Come visit the
Christmas at Sea
knitting room in
SCI’s Port Newark
International
Seafarers’ Center.
Email psato@
seamenschurch.org
to find out how.
Need help? Turn to
your knitting friends
for support. Check
out Christmas at
Sea’s Facebook page
to meet new ones.
Looking for a PDF of this newsletter that you can
read on your iPad or email a friend?
Meet a CAS Knitter:
CloseKnit on Staten Island
The CloseKnit knitting group has
shared their prolific talents with
Christmas at Sea since 2003. The
group meets at the Noble Maritime
Collection in Snug Harbor Cultural
Center, Staten Island. Two hardworking ladies spearhead the
meetings, dividing responsibility for
monthly afternoon and evening dates.
Gale Bellafiore convenes knitters
during the daytime, and Ann Kalil
meets with knitters in the evening.
Ann leads a group that varies in size
every month from just a few knitters
to about 15.
When Ann worked in the gift
shop and volunteered at the
Noble Maritime Collection, she
was approached by the museum’s
educational programming director
about starting a knitting group for
SCI. The interest surfaced and now
See the video of
Paige’s first trip out
to Staten Island to
meet the afternoon
group of CloseKnit.
http://smschur.ch/closeknit
Ann Kalil, one of the leaders of the Noble Maritime Collection’s knitting group, says her favorite
project to knit is the hat and scarf set. While she does have experience making argyle socks
as a young woman, she says the sock project is her least favorite. Wonder if the pattern in this
newsletter will make a difference to her opinion?
Don’t Bite off More Than You Can Chew
by the Rev. Michael C. Nation
Chaplain, Ministry on the Rivers and Gulf, Lower Mississippi River & Gulf Intracoastal Waterway Region
T
Need...
Patterns?
Yarn?
Ready
to mail?
Christmas at Sea
Paige Sato
Program Director
973-589-5828
[email protected]
http://cas.seamenschurch.org
Spring 2012
Published by the
Seamen’s Church Institute
seamenschurch.org
The Rev. David M. Rider
President & Executive Director
Editor, Oliver Brewer
Assistant Editor, Susannah Skiver
Design & Production by BlissDesign
This newsletter is printed on recycled paper.
2 • The Seamen’s Church Institute
he old saying, “don’t bite off more than you can chew,”
serves as good practical wisdom for every situation in life.
That saying certainly holds true when managing a large
project such as SCI’s gift distribution for mariners working on our
nation’s rivers and in the Gulf of Mexico. This past Christmas,
close to 2,800 mariners on 444 towing vessels operating in my
area of responsibility, the Lower Mississippi River and the Gulf
Intracoastal Waterway, received a Christmas gift box through the
combined efforts of SCI, various churches and individuals. In order to reach out
and touch so many lives, we had to slice the immense project into smaller, more
convenient pieces.
The slices we made:
1. Determined the number and names
of the specific towboats in service on
Christmas Day
2. Determined the number of mariners
assigned to those towboats
3. Determined the specific venues in
which volunteers would pack these
boxes (preferably in the same city
as the towing company’s operations
centers, thus connecting local
congregations with the towboaters
who work in their locale)
The Knit Before Christmas
4. Determined the specific items that
were to go into each gift box
Specific, attainable goals and attention
to detail go a long way toward slicing
a project into manageable “bite-sized”
portions. In addition to specificity,
simplicity also contributes significantly
to good project management. It supports
the most valuable resource of project
management, your time and your energy.
A small cadre of people can make a great
impact with clear, definable and simple
goals, each taken one step at a time.
Spring 2012
Notes from Knitters
M
any knitters and crocheters
from around the country
include notes with their
handknits for Christmas at Sea.
Sometimes they address their letters to
the Program Director, and other times
volunteers include notes for mariners
(which then get pinned to the garment
to accompany the package). The knits
themselves attest to the great affection
each volunteer has put into his or
her work, but the handwritten notes
expressly articulate the connection with
another set of hands and fingers that
have shown so much care.
… a year of my life and the 18th year
I’ve knitted for SCI. The best part of
being 70 is you have more time to knit!
Merry Christmas!
—Georgia J.
Dear Paige,
These two pair of socks are made from
scraps from your yarn and my stash.
I had a lot of wool leftovers from making
socks for my late daughter-in-law. I am
pleased to be making socks again.
If the mariners do not like the look of the
socks, please keep in mind they would
make great dust cloths or shoe polishers.
All made with my love,
—Janine F.
Mariners’ Thank Yous
While old stories and films paint mariners
as a tough and unsentimental lot, the
responses Christmas at Sea receives about
your handknit items at Christmastime
disprove those myths. Their letters melt
the heart.
In January (after the flurry of activity
counting, sorting, packing and distributing
gifts) SCI receives dozens and dozens of
thank you letters from mariners far and
wide. Read how mothers of the world have
done right by their sons and daughters,
teaching them to say thanks even though
it is not necessary.
Just wanted to say thanks for the
Christmas package and all the great work
you do.
—Thanks from the M/V Glenn A,
Hunter Marine and Transport.
Packing Days
T
o the untrained eye,
packing days, during
which volunteer groups
pack Christmas gifts for seafarers, must
appear chaotic. During a flurry of speedy
activity, ditty bags pile up stuffed with
handknits and collections of toiletries
and candy. A process honed over years of
experience with a little help from Henry
Ford’s assembly line theory creates a
finely tuned machine.
Packing days accommodate groups of
any size and age—from a Brownie troop
of 5 to a corporation of 25 to a church
outreach committee of 12.
seamenschurch.org
With a table laid out with the
ingredients and people positioned at
various points along the line, volunteers
pack gifts one by one. Typically, the
entire process starts at the head of the
table as coordinators prepare the ditty
bags (counting out the correct number)
and pull handknits from the shelves in
groups of 10.
After inserting a hat and scarf
combination, volunteers move the ditty
bag down the table where others add
items from different stations: prayer
cards, handmade Christmas cards,
shampoos, lip balm, toothbrushes and
toothpaste and finally a handful of
sweets. The last volunteer in the line
double-checks that everything made it
The Knit Before Christmas
in, ties the bag and hands it off to the
“runner.” The runner places 10 ditty
bags in each “Santa sack,” adds a letter
and some game books, ties it shut, and
then runs it out to the hallway, where
the bags pile high.
The process starts slowly, but within
minutes, the pace quickens. The tasks
are not hard. Over the course of 1.5 to
2 hours, one can clearly see the impact
made. Within that time frame, a group of
10 can easily pack 300 to 400 individual
gifts (30– 40 “Santa sacks”). Some
motivated and speedy youth groups have
churned out 700+ gifts.
Spring 2012 • 3
Christmas Greeting and Happy New Year
from Cornelius Maersk
Dear friends at SCI,
On behalf of the crew and myself, I would
like to wish you all a Merry Christmas
and a Happy and Peaceful New Year.
Many thanks for your presents and
consideration. They are much appreciated
onboard. It is good to know that “out
there” there are people who care for us.
Our Christmas was held during a port stay
at the port of Tanjung Pelepas in Malaysia
and in the south China Sea. New Years Eve
we will be en route to Shanghai, China in
the Taiwan Strait.
With Best Regards,
—Jesper Hansen
Captain
Cornelius Maersk
Happy New Year!
I’m a crew in vessel Andromeda Leader,
before Christmas we went to Newark and
get the gift from Seaman Club. I write this
email to give the thanks to the volunteers.
Bit by Bit
Although
never much of
a “mathlete” in
school, I must
admit a certain
affinity for numbers. I love the stories
they tell and the power they have to
impress, persuade and amaze. Yet, when
staring at a column of numbers—like a
budget or an incredibly long equation
in my son’s algebra homework or even
at the series of numbers in complicated
knitting patterns—I usually start out
confused. What are these numbers
trying to tell me? Then I remember my
mother’s advice: break it down into
smaller pieces. Take it step by step,
bit by bit.
It seems incongruous that numbers
could tell the story of Christmas at
Sea, such a warmhearted program
full of good will. Our oral narrative is
4 • The Seamen’s Church Institute
With your gift I feel happy and warm
this Christmas.
One more time, Thank You! GOD bless
you all!
—crew member, Andromeda
Leader
dear rev. d.m. rider,
i want to say thank you to you and your
4000 volunteer knitters for preparing the
christmas gifts for me and my crew. it is
a nice feeling, that beside our families
someone is thinking for us. please continue
preparing gifts for the seamen during
christmas also in the future, because
there are very few ports in the world doing
the same.
in the name of my crew i wish you and your
helpers a happy and peaceful year 2012.
Best regards
—K.Kroeger / Master
CMV Kiel Express
Hapag-Lloyd AG
impressive—a century-plus history of
talented and goodhearted volunteers—
but our numeric narrative is equally
awesome. This year our knitters (alone
and in groups) spent thousands of hours
creating 21,174 hats, scarves, vests,
socks, helmets, and slippers.
21,174.
Every handknit gets counted, because
every single handknit counts. Each and
every one of these 21,174 handknits
came from the effort, time, and talent of
individuals … one by one.
When I tell people (proudly, I might
add) that Christmas at Sea collected
21,174 handknits, their eyes often open
really wide, and inevitably they ask,
“How do you manage it all?” I recount
that not all 21,174 items appear at once.
They appear box by box, month by
month, all year long. And our gifts get
packaged, day by day, and distributed
The Knit Before Christmas
I would just like to say Merry Christmas,
and send a thank you from the crew of
the Sealand Intrepid for the wonderful
Christmas gifts brought to the ship by
the Oakland pastor. The wool caps are
wonderfully crafted. The gifts were much
appreciated by all.
Thank you, —Jason Edwards, C/M Sealand
Intrepid
The crew of the M/V Texian want to say
thank you for the wonderful presents you
knitted and sent to us, we appeciate it
very much. At these holiday times when
work keeps us away from our loved ones,
it’s always a welcomed treat to receive
these handmade gifts that all of you so
thoughtfully sent us.
Merry christmas and have a happy new
year.
—M/V Texian
Cpt. Tony Bertrand
Relief Cpt. Sam Wilson
Tankerman Clint Cartwright
Tankerman Shane Marks
Tankerman Trainee Jacob Waller
When a cargo ship appears in port with 10,000
containers on it, the task of unloading might
seem insurmountable; however, when cranes
start unloading, bit by bit, step by step,
it happens—often without breaking a sweat!
one by one over the course of an
entire season.
So as we look forward both to the new
year and the church’s season of Lent, let’s
recognize the value of one: one single
knitter, one more hat, knowing that all
these individuals, all these knitted and
crocheted pieces represent a collective
force and huge accomplishment. As
knitters and volunteers, we know we are
not knitting to break records (although
that’s always fun). Our ultimate goal: to
continue to welcome the contributions
of each and every one of us, to harness
that power of one, so that collectively we
fulfill our mission.
Spring 2012
Inch by Inch
Conquering the Sock,
E
Use worsted weight yarn, size 5 double-pointed needles, and aim for a gauge of 5 stitches to the inch.
Ever the fan of handknit woolen socks,
but understanding the “fear factor” when
contemplating knitting a pair, I wasn’t
surprised to learn from our Knitters’
Survey last spring that socks were the
“least favorite” project of all. Socks look
incredibly tricky to make. And then there
is the whole issue of the double pointed
needles and “skinny minny” yarn.
Sock knitting can
certainly be a leap of
faith—at times what
you’re doing seems to
make absolutely no sense at all. When I
owned my yarn store, I would often advise
customers to channel their inner Luke
Skywalker and “feel the force” (trust the
pattern). Don’t read ahead, don’t jump to
conclusions—just take the pattern one
step at a time, and it will all work out in
the end.
To prove that point, let’s challenge
ourselves with Christmas at Sea’s new
“Seafarer Stripey Crew Sock” pattern.
This new sock pattern uses worsted
weight yarn, which will make the learning
process easier and the knitting go faster.
Step One/The Cuff: Cast on
48 stitches onto a single doublepointed needle. Use the cast-on
method you are most comfortable with,
but make sure you’re casting on loosely.
Once all 48 stitches are on the needle,
from the starting end, slip 16 stitches
purlwise onto another dpn and 16 more
stitches onto a second dpn. You will have
16 stitches on 3 dpns. With the dpns,
form a triangle, with the yarn coming
from the top of the needle making up
the right leg of the triangle. With your
left hand, pick up the left needle and
with the empty dpn in your right hand,
knit the stitches from the left needle to
the right needle (the other two needles
may dangle—this is normal). Once that
needle is empty, move on to the next
dpn, using the just-emptied needle as
your right needle. Repeat for the third
needle. Knit in a K2,P2 pattern for
approximately 1.5–2".
Row 1: *Slip 1 stitch purlwise, knit 1
stitch.* Repeat until end.
Row 2: Slip 1 stitch purlwise, purl
remaining stitches.
Repeat rows 1 & 2 14 times.
Turning the heel: We will use a short-row
technique to create the pocket in the
sock where your heel sits. Here it is time
to channel your inner Luke Skywalker.
Just do as written and it will work out.
Step Two/The Leg: Now you’ve
got the groove, I bet. When the
cuff reaches 1.5–2", continue
knitting in the round in stockinette stitch
(knit each round) for approximately 6–7".
This is your opportunity to use stripes, or
a color block pattern.
2
To incorporate stripes: Knit one round
in the main color. On round 2, add a
contrasting color. Knit for two rounds,
but do not cut the main color, instead
let it hang, and you will pick it up
when needed. Knit two rounds of main
color. Continue in this manner (two
rounds CC, two rounds MC) for the
desired length. End with 2 rounds of the
main color.
1
seamenschurch.org
12 each on the 2nd and 3rd needles. You
will be working on the 24 stitches only.
Step Three/Heel: The heel is
knit in two sections: the heel
flap and the turning of the heel.
3
Heel Flap: Knit 24 stitches and re-adjust
the remaining stitches so that there are
The Knit Before Christmas
Sl 1 purlwise, knit 12, k2tog, k1, turn.
There are unknit stitches on your right
needle. DON’T WORRY! (From this point
forward, all slipped stitches are purlwise.)
Sl 1 purlwise, p4, p2tog, p1, turn. Again,
there are unknit stitches on your left
needle. No worries!
Sl 1, k5, k2tog, k1, turn
Sl 1, p6, p2tog, p1, turn
Sl 1, k7, k2tog, k1, turn
Sl 1, p8, p2tog, p1, turn
Sl 1, k9, k2tog, k1, turn
Sl 1, p10, p2tog, p1, turn
Sl 1, k11, k2tog, k1, turn
Sl 1, p12, p2tog turn
You will have 14 stitches on the needle.
Turn and knit 7. This is the new
beginning of the round.
Step Four/Gusset: This is where
you join your sock heel to the
other two needles to create
4
Spring 2012 • 5
Christmas a
t Sea
C alendar
the shape from the heel to the arch of
the foot.
Still using your main color, knit 7 stitches
from the heel, and then pick up and knit
14 stitches from the side of the heel.
Remember all those slipped stitches? Now
you know why they were slipped—much
easier to pick them up and knit them.
Knit 24 stitches across the top of the foot
onto one needle.
Pick up and knit 14 stitches onto third
needle, knit 7 from the heel.
You will have 21 stitches on needle 1, 24
on needle 2, and 21 on needle 3.
If you’re continuing with the stripe
pattern, add your contrasting color.
2012
Step Six/Toe: Now we will
decrease to shape the toe:
6
Round 2: Knit all stitches.
Repeat rounds 1 & 2 (alternating colors if
you’re doing the stripes) until 12 stitches
remain on needles 1 & 3, and 24 on
needle 2.
Round 1: Needle 1: knit until
3 stitches remain on needle, k2tog, k1,
Needle 2: k1, ssk, knit until 3 stitches
remain on needle, k2tog, k1, Needle 3:
k1, ssk, knit until end.
Repeat rounds 1 & 2 until there are 8
stitches on needle 1, 16 on needle 2 and
8 on needle 3.
Then repeat round 1 only until there are
3 stitches on needle 1, 6 on needle 2 and
3 on needle 3.
Knit the stitches on needle 1 onto needle
3 (you now have 6 stitches on needle 2
and 6 on needle 3).
Cut yarn, leaving about a 12" tail.
Kitchner stitch the toe closed.
Step Five/Foot: Now you’re back
to 48 stitches. Knit (continuing
with the stripe pattern) until
sock reaches about 8".
Watch the videos on
Days of Migration:
S
If you are attending the General
Convention of the Episcopal
Church, make sure to stop by
SCI’s booth in the exhibitor’s hall.
We want to say hello.
Round 2: Knit all stiches.
Round 1: Needle 1: knit until 3 stitches
remain on needle, k2tog, k1, Needle 2:
knit, Needle 3: k1, ssk, knit to end.
5
The 77th General Convention
of the Episcopal Church
July 5–12, 2012
Indianapolis, Indiana
Kitchner stitch: using a tapestry needle
and with both needles being held parallel
to each other, insert tapestry needle as if
to purl through the first stitch on the front
needle (leave the stitch on the needle!)
and then as if to knit on the back needle
(again, leave the stitch on the needle).
Then, insert tapestry needle into the
first stitch on the front needle as if to
knit, remove stitch from needle, then
insert into next stitch as if to purl. Leave
that stitch on the needle. Insert tapestry
needle into first stitch on back needle as
if to purl, slide stitch off the needle, then
insert tapestry needle into the next stitch
on the back needle as if to knit. Leave
stitch on needle.
Repeat this process (front stitches, back
stitches) until all stitches have been
worked. Thread the tail into the sock and
secure. Cut remaining yarn. Weave in
any ends.
Voila—see, it can be done! You are now
the proud owner of a single sock. Cast on
immediately for the second, so you don’t
fall victim to SSS (the dreaded “second
sock syndrome”), which means the second
sock never gets knit, and you have piles of
singleton socks all over your knitting bag!
http://smschur.ch/stripeysock
A Step at
AT SEA
READY CHRISTMAS
TO MAIL?
118 EXPORT ST
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PORT NEWARK, NJ 07114
ometimes settling in to a new space can prove just as tricky as the move. While
the physical move of Christmas at Sea from New York to Port Newark required
logistical acrobatics, the “settling in” required time and adjustment—one step at a
time, taking stock of the opportunities the new space afforded.
Throughout the early winter, spring and summer, as the number of incoming boxes
increased and more and more groups came to volunteer, our staff reconfigured tables,
reorganized storage closets and rethought how to use the new space more effectively.
Each day presented the prospect of discovering the right arrangement, and little by little,
piece by piece, Christmas at Sea equipped the room with systems to face the busy season
effectively, efficiently and full of energy. Come see for yourself.
seamenschurch.org
The Knit Before Christmas
Spring 2012 • 6