show

The Felt Cervix Project will be on display at Femme Cartel, in Oakland in January. The project is ongoing and I will be arranging more shows, both locally and further afield.

cervix quartet

Four cervices in the mail from Chawne. I really love the stripey one. Knit using KnitPicks Telemark.

traveling cervix

The first contribution to the project! A pair of cervices, knit by Kim using Loft from Brooklyn Tweed in the Camper colorway. So lovely and fuzzy.

photo

The amazing Annie Sprinkle with a felt cervix. 

pile

Making piles of to-be-felted cervices. All the different shades of pink.

cervical cancer

A sobering opinion piece by Amanda Robb in Al Jazeera, titled Waiting to die: Cervical cancer in America:

[...] every year 4,000 American women die from the disease, most of them in the South. For instance, a woman in Mississippi is nearly twice as likely to die from cervical cancer as an average American woman. 

Why?

The seemingly obvious answer is that Mississippi is the poorest state in the US, and therefore must have a lot of residents without health insurance. But when Mississippi is compared to a state like California, which has a similar rate of uninsured people, Mississippi's death rate from cervical cancer remains extraordinary: 75 per cent higher than that in California.

In 2012, legislation will be put forward, campaign speeches made, and issues debated, the result of which may very well impact free or low cost screening and examinations. Women need access to healthcare.

links

Historian Jill Lepore was on Fresh Air this week, talking about the history of birth control in the United States, with a focus on Margaret Sanger, who opened the country's first birth control clinic. And since women's reproductive health remains as such a contentious issue, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund rolled out the website, Women are Watching.

pile of why

The pile is growing, with the count now at 27. I did have 28, but gave one to Annie Sprinkle. I met her at an art opening and she joked how "vulva art" was so done. It would follow that now is the time of the cervix. But why? What is the point of an art installation made up of a pile of felted cervices? For me, on the very surface, it is about absurdity. I've taken great artistic license in the design. They look a lot like donuts. And yes, that is really what they look like legs-spread-feet-in-stirrups-with-speculum-inside. However, they are always attached to the uterus above and the vaginal canal below. Like many other bits that make up our bodies, we usually don't think about the cervix unless something is wrong with it. Cervical cancer. An incompetent cervix, threatening premature birth. I came across this article, The Rebirth of Feminism by Emily Nussbaum in New York Magazine

Back in the seventies, feminists touted the slogan “the personal is political,” arguing that women had been trained to dismiss their own struggles as personal matters with no greater meaning. If women could share stories, they would find patterns. They could be allies instead of rivals.

What if we thought about the cervix? More over, what if we thought and talked about them? In the relatively short time I've made them, women have shared stories with me, private stories I wouldn't be able to discern by just looking at them. Issues concerning womens' bodies and health  are once again hot button topics among elected officials. I have many opinions and can get up on a soap box as much as the next person, but the point of the project isn't about proselytizing my particular point of view. The aim of The Felt Cervix Project is about engagement, creating, and community. Help carry on the conversation.

pattern poastcards

 
The cervix pattern is now available in a large, promotional postcard form. If you want some to distribute to your knitting group or local yarn store, send an email to feltcervixproject@gmail.com

serial number

A large pile doesn't lend itself to accurately identifying who made what. Being able to catalog each cervix is important. Thanks the magic of shrinky dinks (yes, they're still around), each cervix submitted to the Felt Cervix project will have a serial number. They look a little like license plates.

dozen

 

So far, I've knit, felted, stuffed and sewn a dozen cervices. Help the pile grow!

knowing

I read an interesting article on Jezebel about body awareness, it specifically brings to light the more formalized basic-plumbing-sexy-bits from sex ed class and contrasts that with what we learn through the experience of occupying an aging female body. One question the Felt Cervix Project seeks to ask, is does the learning have to end?

pattern pdf

The Felt Cervix pattern is now available as a pdf download over on Ravelry. I can also send a copy by email and am hoping to have a postcard version soon.

finished cervix

Knit using Blue Sky Alpaca Sport

materials

approx 25 yds (22 m) PINK sport weight yarn that felts - some suggestions:

    ▪    Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light
    ▪    Blue Sky Alpacas Sport Weight and Melange (alpaca)
    ▪    Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport (wool)
    ▪    Cascade 220 sport (wool)
    ▪    Frog Tree Alpaca Sport Weight (alpaca)
    ▪    JaggerSpun Heather 3/8 Sport and The Main Line 3/8 Sport (wool)
    ▪    KnitPicks Wool of the Andes Sport (wool); Andean Treasure (alpaca)
    ▪    Quince & Co Chickadee (wool)

DO NOT use superwash, acrylic blend or sock yarn

four US 8 (5 mm) double pointed needles or two circular needles
tapestry needle
wool roving or polyfill

cervix pattern

four double pointed needles
Using US size 8 (5mm) double pointed needles, firmly cast on 18 stitches. Arrange 6 stitches over three of the needles. Join round, being careful not to twist.
1:     k into the back leg of each stitch (first round ONLY)
2:   *[k2 m1] twice, k2 rep from * across all 3 needles (24 sts)
3:   *k3 m1, k2 m1, k3 rep from * across all 3 needles (30 sts)
4:   *k3 m1, k4 m1, k3 rep from *across all 3 needles (36 sts)
5-6:  k
7:   *[k4 m1] twice, k4 rep from * across all 3 needles (42 sts)
 8-9: k
10:   *k5 m1, k4 m1, k5 rep from *across all 3 needles (48 sts)
11-14: k
15:   *[k4 k2tog] twice, k4 rep from * across all 3 needles (42 sts)
16-17: k
18:   *k3 k2tog, k4 k2tog, k3 rep from * across all 3 needles (36 sts)
19-20: k
21:   *[k3 k2tog] twice, k2 rep from * across all 3 needles  (30 sts)
22:   *[k2 k2tog] twice, k2 rep from * across all 3 needles (24 sts)
23:   *k2 k2tog rep from * across all 3 needles (18 sts)
24:    k
Bind off, leaving a 8-10 inch tail.


two circular needles
Using US size 8 (5mm) circular needle, firmly cast on 18 stitches. Transfer 9 stitches to second circular needle. Join round, being careful not to twist.
1:    k into the back leg of each stitch (first round ONLY)
2:   *[ k2 m1] 3 times, k3 rep from * across second needle (24 sts)
3:   *[k3 m1] 3 times, k3 rep from * across second needle (30 sts)
4:   *[k4 m1] 3 times, k3 rep from *across second needle (36 sts)
5-6:  k
7:   *k5 m1, k4 m1, k5 m1, k4 rep from * across second needle (42 sts)
8-9:  k
10:  *[k5 m1] 3 times, k6 rep from *across second needle (48 sts)
11-14: k
15:   *k5 k2tog, k4 k2tog, k5 k2tog, k4 rep from * across second needle (42 sts)
16-17: k
18:   *[k4 k2tog] 3 times, k3 rep from * across second needle (36 sts)
19-20: k
21:   *[k3 k2tog] 3 times,  k3 rep from * across second needle (30 sts)
22:   *k2 k2tog, k3 k2tog, k2 k2tog, k2 rep from * across second needle (24 sts)
23:   *k2 k2tog rep from * across second needle (18 sts)
24:    k
Bind off, leaving a 8-10 inch tail.

felting + finishing

felting instructions
Many felting projects use the washing machine, but the relatively small size of the piece makes it tricky and it also gives you less control of the felt's thickness. Finishing the cervixes involves hand sewing and a lighter felt, where the stitches are still visible, is easier to work with. This is best achieved by hand fulling.

Run the knitted piece under hot water. Use a mild soap, such as castile or olive oil. Rub and agitate like you're trying to get a stain out. You can also use a washboard for this stage. After a while, alternate between hot and cold water to "shock" wool. Repeat. You will start to feel the piece firm up and the stitches will become less distinct. Allow to dry, turning inside out to make sure both sides dries thoroughly.


finishing instructions
Fold bound off edge in half, thread tapestry needle with tail and sew facing edges together. Stuff with roving or polyfill and sew cast on edge - make sure the seams are aligned. Do not cut yarn. Sew through the center of cervix from cast on seam to bound off seam, sew across, pulling tight to create an indented line. Bury tail in center. If you want, you can embroider along the seam with darker pink yarn.

introduction

The first incarnation of The Felt Cervix Project comprised of a dozen wet and needle felted cervices. They were interesting, but lacked the impact that a larger pile would have. I knew I couldn't make it happen on my own and gained inspiration from  the collaborative projects of Larissa Brown and Robyn Love. The project utilizes another form of felting, where a piece is knit on larger needles then purposely shrunk. Known as fulling, this seemed to be the best way to achieve a relatively uniform result from many needles and hands.

On this blog you will soon find a pattern to make a cervix along with instructions on where to send it. As the cervices are collected, a unique serial number will be assigned, attached to each one, and your name added as a participant. The project will be submitted to galleries and shows, both nationally and internationally.

The Felt Cervix Project tips its hat to performance artist and sexecologist Annie Sprinkle, who famously invited people to view her cervix. In a somewhat similar manner, the project aims to highlight the importance of sexual and reproductive familiarity, education and empowerment, but also focus on the collective femininity that knitting harnesses. As an artist, the making of a large scale sculpture out of small, soft shapes helps to shift the traditional male-monumental paradigm. I hope that you will return to this page, participate, and watch the project grow.