cervix mail

This cervix was made by Sandra out of Paton's Classic Wool in honor of her Great-Aunt Blanche, who taught her to knit and survived cervical cancer in her 60's.

 

Melissa made one cervix as a present for a friend who works in the OB/GGYN field and sent this one in for the installation.

the cervix vote

Required Reading

New York Times editorial by Nicholas Kristof titled How Romney Would Treat Women. The most salient point:

Just as civil rights wasn’t just a “black issue,” women’s rights and reproductive health shouldn’t be reduced to a “women’s issue.”

"Yes We Plan"

Scary? Yes.

“Do I really think we’re going to go back to the point where women won’t be able to have abortions or birth control is going to be rationed? That’s just silly to even think of,” said Ms. Hogan, who works at a small company and spoke in a follow-up interview. “Some women do still get really riled up by that, but I think it’s just a scare tactic. Really, you think women are that dumb?”

New York Times article October 31, 2012

I don't think it's silly and I don't think it's a tactic.

change

America is a nation of sound bites, superheroes and short memories. The disenchanted and the undecided may feel no real change happened during President's  four years in office. I suggest everyone read The New Yorker's Endorsement of Barrack Obama and also keep in mind that change is seldom instant. The momentous acts of change occurring in my lifetime - the Berlin Wall, the end of apartheid, the disarming of the IRA - all were almost glacial in their pace towards fundamentally altering long held beliefs and history.

Change is slow, but the alternative is a lightning quick path backwards. And we cannot go back. As women, mothers, sisters, and daughters, we cannot allow a party, whose increased conservatism so threatens the autonomy of women's lives and health, to increase their power.

I believe the seeds of hope and change were planted when Barack Obama was elected and since becoming a United States citizen in the spring 2009, I feel extremely privileged that my first vote in a presidential election will be one to reelect him for a second term.

Felt Cervix Project PSA

Today is National Voter Registration Day. With October right around the corner, so is the voter registration deadline for many states. In California, home of the Felt Cervix Project, you can register to vote online at the Secretary of State's website www.sos.ca.gov. Information on where to register in your specific state can be found at www.usa.gov. Register and participate because your vote is your voice.

vagina :: cervix

Women now more than ever must stay informed and stay educated. There is a never-ending stream of legislation revolving around women's bodies, from health care, abortion, funding for low-cost screenings, to redefining rape, much of it being debated and decided on by men. And many have shown themselves to be truly ignorant on the subject.

A fascinating thing that emerges is that the frame we have around the vagina is very recent and very, very negative. We sort of take for granted that it's going either to be medicalized or demeaned and kind of ridiculous.

When women in the west began to be educated and began to clamor for their rights, immediately gynecological and obstetric industry arose that was determined to keep women ignorant about their bodies as a form of social control.

                                                                                                                     Naomi Wolf

Cervix Mail

On the heels of the entire Felt Cervix Project returning from display at The Kinsey Institute, this sweet cervix pair came in the mail from Amy. They are both knit using Kraemar Yarns, the bottom in Mauch Chunky, color Cotton Candy and the top in Naturally Nazareth, in the color Bloom. 

Package

 

They're back after their summer at The Kinsey Institute!

Let's hear it for the ACA!

Today the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the 2010 Affordable Care Act. It's good for the country and especially good for women.

The Campaign Against Women

I may not always agree with ACOG, but this  Letter to the Editor in the NY Times is spot on:

The onslaught of laws focusing on denying reproductive health care rights is a concerted campaign against women. These laws are not grounded in science or evidence-based medicine.

The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists believes that access to family-planning counseling and to the full array of contraceptives is a basic and essential component of preventive health care for women. 

Efforts to defund Planned Parenthood, which provides cervical cancer and mammography screening, contraception and other preventive care to millions of women, are egregious and disproportionately hurt poor women. 

As physicians for women’s health care, ob-gyns see firsthand the havoc that punitive ideology-based laws have on the health of women and their families. These ill-conceived laws are based on the pretext of protecting health, but they do anything but that. 

Mandating that women be legally forced to undergo transvaginal ultrasound or any other medical procedure against their will and against their physician’s judgment is an outrageous violation of patient autonomy and the confidential doctor-patient relationship. Decreasing access to family planning and contraception will only increase unintended pregnancies and negatively affect family and societal health. 

Politicians were not elected to, nor should they, legislate the practice of medicine or dictate the parameters of the doctor-patient relationship. Our message to politicians is unequivocal: Get out of our exam rooms. 

JAMES T. BREEDEN
President, American Congress
of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Washington, May 22, 2012

Pap Smear Protocol

The link between cervical cancer and particular strains of the HPV (Human Papillomavirus) will mean fewer pap smears for women. If you test negative for HPV, you will only need a cervical cancer screening every three years. That doesn't mean women should miss their annual well woman visit, but I won't complain about less speculum time! Read about details in this article from City of Hope.

cervix extras

Two straggling cervices that were made at the Valentine's Day cervix knitting party at A Verb for Keeping Warm. The pale pink one was by a young lady who dropped in and had never knit in the round before. The fuchsia one was made by Sarah who works at Verb. Both are spending the summer at the Kinsey Institute Juried Show.

National Woman's Health Week

May 13th through 19th is National Woman's Health Week and today, quite fittingly I have an appointment to see my doctor for a well woman visit. Regular check ups and preventative screenings play an important part in managing our health. Access to shouldn't be a barrier, but nor should time. Take the time to take care of yourself and encourage the important women in your life to do the same.

bon voyage!

Here's a photo of the cervices before they were packed up and shipped off. All 77 will be spending the summer in Bloomington Indiana at the Kinsey Institute Juried Show.

still knitting

The Felt Cervix Project will continue to accept contributions of your cervices, so keep knitting and send them in!

cervix mail

A package of ten beautiful cervices arrived in the mail from Lynn. They'll have their little identifying serial numbers sewn on and sent off to Indiana next week with the entire Felt Cervix Project, for the show at the Kinsey Institute.

one bag full

I transported the cervices from A Verb for Keeping Warm to have them on display at my open studios. It's this weekend, Saturday and Sunday, April 14-15 noon-6:00pm. If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area, stop by and knit a cervix or drop one off! 1890 Bryant Street, studio 211 in the Mission.

show

The Felt Cervix Project will be included in the 2012 Kinsey Institute Juried Art Show. I am still accepting cervix submissions through the end of the year and perhaps beyond, but if you want yours included in this show, they will need to arrive by the end of April.

cervix delivery

A cervix in the mail from Jen, accompanied by a bar of chocolate. Yum!

Affordable Health Care Act

Today marks the second anniversary of the day the Affordable Health Care Act was signed into law. As someone who went without health insurance while raising a child and had to weigh the cost of a doctor's visit with how much money was in the bank, I celebrate this step towards universal health care. It will of course be interesting to watch the developments in the Supreme Court next week as they hear challenges to the law. It is a sad state this country is in that the American ideal of rugged individualism and innovation trumps the collective need to take care of its citizens.

spring sunshine cervices

These two lovely cervices were made by Sharon out of hand dyes, handspun yarn.

battle

Doonesbury is creating controversy with the topic of this week's strip - the law requiring transvaginal ultrasounds for women seeking abortions in Texas. Several newspapers refused to publish the strip, others moved it to the Op-Ed section. In Trudeau's words: "I chose the topic of compulsory sonograms because it was in the news and because of its relevance to the broader battle over women's health currently being waged in several states. For some reason the GOP has chosen 2012 to re-litigate reproductive freedom, an issue that was resolved decades ago." Thank you Garry Trudeau.

daughters

Today is International Women's Day and one thing I've thought a lot about in the birth control debate is the world I want for my daughter. So when I saw a link 15 Things Girls Should Know Before They Turn 18, I clicked on it, curious about what it had to say. I was directed to Ooph.com, a site specifically tailored to parents of tweens and teenagers. I quickly became incensed with what I was reading. I found that the "sage advice" fell into five categories. There was the Happy Homemaker category, coupled with the Happy Homemaker MacGyver edition with the added necessary knowledge of how to use a fire extinguisher and jumper cables. In the Sandra Dee vs. Sandy category, there were warnings against the vagaries of smoking and drinking. I was disturbed by the prevalence of the message that Looks ARE Everything (or The Fear of Fat and Ugly) so don't go cutting your own bangs and "looking fat" is something to obsess over and guard against. Telling a girl exactly how much exercise she must do to work off pizza casts food in the role of enemy, rather than sustenance and something to enjoy. On a daily basis women and young girls are presented with an unattainable ideal of beauty, through airbrushed ads or magazine covers. More and more the internet is becoming a treasure trove of thinspiration and pro-anorexia sites. What about strong and fit and capable? Yes, dress up, get fancy, but there's so much more to an individual than how they look.

However the most upsetting was the cavalier men-are-from-mars-don't-try-to-change-em attitude. Aside from being exceedingly heteronormative, it excuses chauvinism and misogyny. I want my daughter to find a partner who is smart and self-aware. I do not want her to shrug off sexism as expected behavior. Men should be made to "help it" and I want my daughter and the women of her generation to demand that men look them in the eye. Empowerment is about knowing that you deserve respect and having the confidence to demand it when it's not given.

I read the news today, oh slut

When I conceived The Felt Cervix Project, it was with the notion of highlighting issues surrounding women's health. From the continued Republican congressional attacks on funding for Planned Parenthood and the upcoming election, it was sure to be a hot button topic.  But nothing prepared me for the events of the past weeks - the all male congressional panel, Sandra Fluke, the Blunt Amendment, the odious Rush Limbaugh - what a turn of events. Krystal Ball wrote a  fantastic piece in the Huffington Post, with the strong message of shame as a tool to effectively silence women. Derogatory words like bitch, whore, slut, feminazi, or ball-breaker, are all methods of insulting women and putting them down, women who are seeking parity, who want independence, want control of their bodies. It is absolutely mind boggling that in 2012 we are having to discuss birth control. But we must speak, and shout, and demand that our voices are heard.

women's history month

March is National Women's History Month and the theme is Women's Education - Women's Empowerment. What better time to knit a cervix?

cervix mail

 

A cervix arrived in the mail from Dorie made using Shepherd's Wool.

cervix catch up

I'll be heading down to Stitches West today, where I guarantee to increase the cervix talk a hundred-fold. I have photos of contributed cervices to post very soon, blogger isn't cooperating.

public displays of cervix knitting

 

The scene at A Verb for Keeping Warm last Sunday. And yes, those are cervix cookies.

birth control

From the Washington Post

Komen-Planned Parenthood fracas

Mother Jones has done some very smart reporting on the strange events surrounding Susan G. Komen Foundation defunding Planned Parenthood grants and the subsequent reversal. It is a tragedy that women's health become political capital. All women in the United States should have access to education, screening and detection of breast and other cancers.

cervix knitting event in Oakland

 

Come to A Verb For Keeping Warm on Sunday, February 12th starting at 3:00pm, for an afternoon of cervix knitting, cookies and a ukelele jukebox with Steffy Sue. Knit a cervix or three and if weather permits some fulling will take place in the back garden.

Bring a set of US 8 double point needles or two US 8 circular needles and pink sport weight yarn that felts. The pattern will be provided and I will have some yarn on hand, but if you have your own, please bring it! Check out the pattern page for specific information.

If you want to host a cervix knit-along at your local yarn store or knitting group, I can provide pattern postcards, please send me an email.

we're talking

Reading Kirstin's blog post about knitting cervices was incredibly moving. Kristin's post was an abstract idea turned real. Women talking and sharing their stories. About their bodies, about their health, scares or disappointments. So often when women's health is talked about it's in the classroom or doctor's office or inside government buildings. And even then it's talked about in a largely obtuse manner. I want the intimacy and intention of shared stories and shared knowledge to return. And I'm glad to know that in a small way, it is.

39

Today marks the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade ruling. Thirty nine years later, abortion remains a contentious issue. I believe that while government has a responsibility to provide access to healthcare, it should not intrude in the private decisions of its citizens. Education and access to birth control are vital to preventing unplanned pregnancies, just as inclusive adoption policies and funding for programs like WIC (thanks Feminist Hulk) are important. Women must be able to maintain control over their bodies and choices.

tower

 Felted cervices from Kristin, stacked ten tall!

times ten

Here are the fifity happy felt cervices installed at A Verb for Keeping Warm for the Femme Cartel show. They were very well received. The project is ongoing and I'll keep knitting and felting AND soliciting others to do the same. My goal is to grow the number ten times. Or maybe even more!

what forty eight looks like

 

A double layer of cervices waiting for installation at the Femme Cartel show, opening this Friday, January 13th from 5:00-10:00pm

faster

This wood felting board from Ashford makes cervix felting super fast. I fulled 15 cervices in next to no time. Now they just need stuffing and sewing for the Femme Cartel show. Continue to send cervices in, since this is an ongoing project. If your cervix isn't in this show, there will be others - keep the pile growing!