Friday, June 2, 2017

Celebrate Equality Wristbands


It was a proud day in college in 2004 when Massachusetts recognized same-sex marriage.  It was even more exciting in 2015 when the verdict in Obergefell v. Hodges was announced, indicating that same-sex marriage is guaranteed by the Equal Protection and Due Process clauses of the 14th amendment.  While one big milestone has been reached, there are still laws in many states that allow discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender expression in cases of employment, housing, providing service and more.  To say that this is a huge problem is an understatement.

June is LGBTQ Pride Month. There are marches all over the country to celebrate Pride.  This year I felt a need to do more than just type my words of support to the LGBTQ community.  I wanted to create something with my hands to express my support.  The Celebrate Equality Wristbands come in two colorways, a rainbow to represent the Gay Pride Flag and stripes of Blue, Pink and White to represent the Trans Pride Flag.


Materials
  • Yarn - Each wristband weighs under 10 grams and used less than 19 yards of yarn total.  I rounded up to the nearest full gram.
    • Gay Pride: 6 colors of 100% cotton aran weight yarn.  Sample knit with Paintbox Yarns Cotton Aran in Red (Pillar Red; 2 g, 4 yards), Orange (Blood Orange; 2 g, 3 yards), Yellow (Buttercup Yellow; 2 g, 3 yards), Green (Lime Green; 2 g, 3 yards), Blue (Sky Blue; 2 g, 3 yards) and Purple (Rich Mauve; 2 g, 4 yards). 
    • Trans Pride:  3 colors of 100% cotton aran weight yarn.  Sample knit with Paintbox Yarns Cotton Aran in Pale Pink (Candyfloss Pink; 3 g, 6 yards), Pale Blue (Duck Egg Blue; ) and White (Paper White; 2 g, 3 yards).  
  • Knitting Needles - Size 6 (4.0 mm) DPN's or circular needles long enough for the magic loop.  
  • Gauge - 15 sts/3" stockinette 
  • Finished Size - approximately 2" wide and 7" around. 

In May, Love Knitting contacted me to see if I would be interested in trying some of their yarns.  I was about to place an order for rainbow cotton yarns to make this Pride project.  When I asked the Love Knitting representative if they would be interested in partnering with some of my Pride Month projects, they said "As a company, and as individuals, we have a very strong ethic of believing in and standing up for equality and we're not shy to support your projects!"  I am super happy to support and promote a company that supports equality!  Love Knitting carries a huge selection of popular brands of yarns in addition to some of their own exclusive lines.  They also carry patterns and other knitting and crafting supplies.


100% cotton isn't very stretchy, so I wanted to create a pretty ribbed pattern for these wristbands.  I created twisted stitches by knitting through the back loop (k-tbl).   This would give the finished object some stretch but also be slightly elevated from a standard ribbing pattern.

Abbreviations used in this pattern
  • K-tbl - Knit through the back loop
  • P - purl
  • sts - stitches

Celebrate Equality Wristbands Knitting Pattern  Sizing Note: The pattern is a repeat of 2 stitches.  You can adjust the size by casting on more or fewer stitches, just make sure you use an even number.  



  • Twisted Ribbing Pattern: *K-tbl, P1* around
  • For the Gay Pride Stripes: 
    • Cast on 40 sts in Red.  Join to knit in the round.  
    • Knit 2 rounds in the twisted ribbing pattern:  *K-tbl, P1* around
    • Switch to Orange and follow the twisted ribbing pattern for 3 rounds. 
    • Switch to Yellow and follow the twisted ribbing pattern for 3 rounds.
    • Switch to Green and follow the twisted ribbing pattern for 3 rounds.
    • Switch to Blue and follow the twisted ribbing pattern for 3 rounds.
    • Switch to Purple and follow the twisted ribbing pattern for 3 rounds.
    • Bind off in pattern.  The linked video shows an example how to bind off following a 2x2 ribbing pattern.  For these wristbands, K-tbl, P1, pass the first stitch over the next.  K-tbl, pass one stitch over to bind off a second stitch.  Continue following the ribbing pattern until all stitches are bound off.  
  • For the Trans Pride Stripes: 
    • Cast on 40 sts in pale blue.  Join to knit in the round.
    • Knit 3 rounds in the twisted ribbing pattern:  *K-tbl, P1* around
    • Switch to pink and follow the twisted ribbing pattern for 3 rounds.  
    • Switch to white and follow the twisted ribbing pattern for 3 rounds. 
    • Switch to pink and follow the twisted ribbing pattern for 3 rounds.  
    • Switch to pale blue and follow the twisted ribbing pattern for 4 rounds.
    • Bind off in pattern.  The linked video shows an example how to bind off following a 2x2 ribbing pattern.  For these wristbands, K-tbl, P1, pass the first stitch over the next.  K-tbl, pass one stitch over to bind off a second stitch.  Continue following the ribbing pattern until all stitches are bound off.  
  • Weave in all loose ends.  Enjoy your Celebrate Equality Wristbands.

 

Sizing Notes: 
My wrist is small, around 6.25" around.  If I were to create a wristband with 32 stitches (my gauge is 5 sts/inch) then it would stretch out completely and be a struggle to get over my hand.  I cast on 40 stitches to give myself a loose fit that was easy to slip on and off.  


Pride parades are a lot of fun.  There is more to being an ally than showing up to a parade or adding a rainbow to your profile picture.  Stand up for members of our communities.  Call your representatives (I like 5calls.org for sample scripts for a huge number of issues), show up at town halls, and tell our elected officials that we stand for equality and we stand against discrimination.  Contact your school boards and education committees to support students in your community.


I have some other projects I hope to create for Pride Month.  Stay tuned!


Love Knitting sent me the PaintBox Yarns Cotton Aran yarn for free to try.  All thoughts and opinions are my own.  

Celebrate Equality Wristbands Knitting Pattern © 2017 ChemKnits & Rebecca Roush Brown.  This pattern is available for free via www.ChemKnits.com for your personal or charity use.  You are not to copy or distribute this pattern without the permission of the publisher, ChemKnits.