vip in the city

More hooking

Another good class: today we worked on yarn/color switching, tapestry crochet, making circles, and creating sculptural elements, like flowers. Lisa briefly demonstrated the broomstick crochet technique, so named because the stitches used to be worked around the end of a broomstick; a dowel or fat knitting needle is more manageable and common these days. Class went by so quickly that we didn’t get the chance to work on those stitches independently. Which means more (secret) practice at home for me this week.

Three-fourths through this course I’ve become comfortable enough with my technique to divert attention away to socialize with other students in the class. I got to talking to my seatmate this evening, NDB, a retired psychotherapist turned environmental activist/ inventor/performance artist/elderblogger (her term) and all around inspiring woman. Among her many social causes is increasing awareness about the growing crisis of HIV infection among women over 50.

Statistics show that AIDS cases rose faster in the over-50 population than in people under 40, accounting for 11-15% of new cases in the United States. Older women, among them new divorcees and widows, are particularly vulnerable: after menopause, condom use for birth control becomes unimportant, and physical changes put them at higher risk during unprotected intercourse. Seniors as a group are less aware about STD prevention methods — or consider STDs a concern for younger or gay people; HIV/AIDS educational campaigns generally are not targeted at older individuals.

NDB herself has been married for over 40 years, but to promote awareness of this issue, she creates these knitted condom amulets, and encourages others to make (and use!) them:

Safety first, everyone, regardless of your age.

I hope that when I’m a septuagenarian, I’ll still be trying to make a difference.