In 2018 a group of fiber artists (knitters and crocheters) from the PA Child Welfare Resource Center, a part of Pitt School of Social Work, started the Fiber Arts Crew. With a growing number of fiber enthusiasts, the Resource Center Fiber Arts Crew created 48 8-inch by 8-inch squares that were assembled into a 72 X 54-inch blanket. What started as a mix of yarn and different stitches came together in one beautiful handmade blanket. They donated the blanket to the 2019 Foster Youth retreat to be given to an older youth.
There are over 8,000 youth in foster care in Pennsylvania who are over the age of 14. They have experienced trauma and inconsistent parenting. They often move many times while in foster care and lack stability. Then, many of them leave the system without the lifetime support that we all need. Once every year, the Resource Center holds a week-long event – The Older Youth Retreat – for approximately 100 of these youth. The Retreat is held the first week in August on the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown campus. This event allows these teens to bond with others just like them in a week of motivating talks, social activities, and educational sessions. During this event youth are gifted with items that they will need as they transition into adulthood.
With the grant from Pitt’s Year of Creativity, the Fiber Arts Crew wants to continue their blanket donations on a larger scale for the 2020 Older Youth Retreat, and they’d like to make it a University-wide effort. Their goal is to have one blanket for every youth at the retreat so that all youth in attendance leave with a handmade blanket to wrap around them as they transition to adulthood.
They are looking to engage the staff, faculty, and students of Pitt’s campuses to be creative for a cause: to inspire them to contribute their time and talents to create as many as 100 blankets. They hope to identify fiber artist champions who would be willing organize their own respective group of fiber artists.
"We will support each fiber artist community across the campuses by sending starter boxes containing yarn, crochet hooks and knitting needles, instruction sheets, and templates. We will keep in touch though social media and Pitt’s internal communication avenues. We encourage each group to either complete 8-inch by 8-inch squares to send to us to assemble, or they can create the entire blankets themselves!" said Andrea Merovich, Curriculum & Marketing Specialist at the Resource Center. "We are also open to individual fiber artists creating a blanket themselves, or fiber artists who work with fabric to create quilts.This is the kickoff of what we hope will grow into a larger initiative so that we can continue to wrap our older youth in foster care in creativity and compassion. Each 8x8 square is as unique as its knitter or crocheter. Fiber artists can use any stitch and any color of yarn, all of which come together in completely unique blankets."
It’s worth noting that there are personal benefits to the craft. Fiber arts is a lifelong, therapeutic, and meditative activity. “We’ve found that learning one basic stitch opens the door to more creative pursuits and thinking,” notes one resident fiber artist at the Resource Center.
If you are interested in being one of our Champions or would like to knit or crochet for this cause, please contact Kathleen Swain at kls120@pitt.edu as soon as possible. The group hopes to arrange a kick-off time in November or early December.