Sandy the Superstorm feels like it was a long time ago given the short life cycle of headline news, but it’s going to take a while to get everything back to normal on the east coast. Two weeks after the storm, there are still people without electricity, heat, and even homes. I just read a great blog post by Mary Mooney of the Oregonian. She details why you shouldn’t knit for Sandy’s victims, at least not directly, if you’re not local to the scene. As knitters we want to help, but the best way to help is with dollars, not items that have to be shipped and managed.
In this spirit, I’d like to offer up Ruffle Kerfuffle. All proceeds from online sales of my Kerfuffle Cowl and Ruffle Kerfuffle Scarves and Cowl patterns from now until December 15, 2012 will be donated to the Red Cross. I’ll pay the Ravelry and paypal fees myself; 100% of the purchase price will go towards disaster relief.
What is a kerfuffle, anyway? According to the dictionary, it’s commotion, disorder, agitation. I think that’s a good description of what happened. I hope things get back to normal there soon.
The cowl pattern is just for the cowl; the Scarves and Cowl pattern includes the cowl and the steeked scarves.
Click here for information on how to purchase the pattern. Knit one for you and one for a friend! Two 100 gram balls of yarn will make two cowls in opposing colorways. And thanks for helping out.
PDXKnitterati 
Great idea. The people here in NJ need money more than anything. They are asking for cleaning supplies and building materials at the donation centers. Thanks for thinking of us!
I really hope a lot gets done before it gets really cold. I know there are people still in the dark!
Susan adds: I think almost everyone here in NJ has power.( NY is another story. )They are opening the closed Fort Monmouth to house 600 families and FEMA is sending houses. The shore towns are starting to let people in to see their houses and start the insurance claims. We were powerless for 13 days but no damage here. Just trees down on the poles. We had a generator hooked up to the furnace and gas cooking & hot water so it was annoying but not terrible. There areso many donations going to the affected areas in NJ that they are starting to turn it away. @GovChristie on twitter is our governor and he has a fund set up that he says will go 100% to the affected areas if you want to donate. As people are starting to rebuild they are asking for building supplies. Even the houses at the shore that are standing have water damage. It is so sad. My families shore house is standing and we found a pic of it on Facebook. Looks fine but we can’t get there yet to see how much water got in. We think just a little because it was neither on the bay or the ocean. But a lot of the houses on the ocean are just gone. And some houses are in the bay. But we people from NJ are a hardy bunch and the amount of things already done is amazing.
I live in Eatontown NJ and have friends here in several coastal towns who still have no power. I also know numerous people personally who have lost EVERYTHING. There homes are inhabitable, some destroyed. I live a block away from a “tent city” at the Monmouth Park Race Track, and one gets a sad feeling driving by… a glimmer of hope, in the face of the aftermath, is that they may be opening the (recently closed) Fort Monmouth to house those who were displaced. Thank you for what you are doing. It counts! (ps, found you via my sister, Larissa’s, pinterest)
*Their homes 😉
Thank you. It’s shocking when nature reminds us of how small we really are in the grand scheme of things. It’s going to take some time to recover.
Larissa has the most gorgeous pins!