Sock It To ME: a community public art project to raise awareness and funds.

[frenchtulip]

Email version of "Sock it to ME!"

I don't have time just now to read all the latest posts, but I had this idea. Could there also be a "Sock it to ME!" version that could be emailed? A cute "Sock it to ME!" graphic with some info about ME/CFS could be emailed to everyone on our email lists. We could ask that everyone receiving it keep it going. Hopefully, it would be forwarded many times. Perhaps the graphic could be animated showing a soccer-like kick. (I just forwarded a breast cancer email featuring a cute little baby girl with a T-shirt that read: "Find a cure for breast cancer before I grow boobies!" It caught my attention.)

The "Sock It To ME!" slogan is very catchy.

I don't know how to do animated emails, but someone we know probably has the expertise.

 

[creekfeet]

Jace, talkingfox, take care of yourselves too, we need you too. We need us all. Everyone take care! And yay, I like being needed. Yeah, I'll be practicing noticing what things are too hard for me and not trying to do them.

Jace, you want to start---or find a well person to start---the first UK regional affiliated association and garland assembly group?

Buttons are good, and I do want buttons! And I want wee socks too. Handmade sock lapel pins for big donors would be great gifts to be able to give. Heck, we just want to get socks onto peoples' jackets any way we can. Socks can be crocheted? I crochet but don't knit so I would certainly help make the mini socks if a crochet pattern can be found.

Frenchtulip, yes, an email like that would be great. Good idea!

We'll be wanting a short name for the Association, if we go that way. It could be the same as the name of the project, or we could try for something shorter. My friend said make it short, but be sure to have ME/CFS in it so people know immediately what it's for. So, not just The Socks Association.

Sock It To ME/CFS Association? ME/CFS Socks Association? Socks Association for ME/CFS? Something totally different?

 

[gracenote]

I'm concerned that small knitted lapel socks will have people thinking about babies. That's just the image that keeps coming to my mind, anyway.

 

[talkingfox]

I'm concerned that small knitted lapel socks will have people thinking about babies. That's just the image that keeps coming to my mind, anyway.

Ok I sent a couple out to some volunteers...and so far no babies have been mentioned by others seeing the pins Of course the ones I sent look like bitty hiking socks....

 

[talkingfox]

I think the Sock it to ME/CFS Association is just fine. Why change horses mid race? Consistancy is goooood.

 

[jace]

Creek said: Jace, you want to start---or find a well person to start---the first UK regional affiliated association and garland assembly group?

I've started on that road today - I'll feed back what happens

Originally Posted by gracenote
I'm concerned that small knitted lapel socks will have people thinking about babies. That's just the image that keeps coming to my mind, anyway.

The lapel socks will be way smaller than baby socks, I don't think that that will be a problem... that's what I think.

Talkingfox, use me if you need anything else posted, I'm happy to help.

frenchtulip's idea of an email linked in is excellent, it could educate, and maybe support an online petition of some kind? In the UK we can officially petition parliament by email these days, don't know how it works in the US. Timing would be all, for maximum impact.

 

[talkingfox]

The lapel socks will be way smaller than baby socks, I don't think that that will be a problem... that's what I think.

Talkingfox, use me if you need anything else posted, I'm happy to help.

True dat, jace. I've been going very easy on the pastels just to avoid the confusion..that is unless someone specifically requests a pastel.

Thanks again Jace. I've sent the lapel pin pattern

 

[jace]

Teensy sock pdf for the pin is here :victory: View attachment teensy socks..pdf :victory:

 

[starryeyes]

Wow! This information is great Creek and Talking Fox in Sox. I'm blown away by how much you have found out and all the great ideas!

I can't recall who it was in Chat that suggested watching the documentary Paper Clips but I just did and it is very inspiring! It teaches us how to do an advocacy project and how to bring communities together. If you have Netflix and haven't seen it yet, please put it at the front of your Queue.

My vote is for the Sock It To ME/CFS Association. Please keep the humor! It's what keeps us going.

Doll Socks:

 

[Felix Virgo]

Hello, love! (@ Creekfeet)
Just to let you know, there's a possible way of getting this sort of project funding.
http://www.refresheverything.com/index
The Pepsi Refresh Project gives funding to ideas like this - but it'd have to be voted on like crazy. So one would have to raise support for this idea as well as vote on it by spreading the word.

I love this idea like crazy and I'd get behind it at SFASU when the time comes.

 

[creekfeet]

Hello love! ( @ Felix ) and welcome to PR, you crazy and sweet thing, you.

Folks, Felix here is my determined suitor who has persisted in the face of disease, poverty and some slight disparity in age and will not be deterred from loving me however ridiculous a project that might be. Think, if only all his energy could be harnessed for good!

Fe, I think someone has a start on this, though I don't know how big a start. Check this thread: http://www.forums.aboutmecfs.org/showthread.php?3739-Money-for-CFS-research-via-Pepsi-Refresh-project

 

[jace]

Welcome Felix, you have taste! We are pleased to have you aboard

 

[creekfeet]

Wow! This information is great Creek and Talking Fox in Sox. I'm blown away by how much you have found out and all the great ideas!

I can't recall who it was in Chat that suggested watching the documentary Paper Clips but I just did and it is very inspiring! It teaches us how to do an advocacy project and how to bring communities together. If you have Netflix and haven't seen it yet, please put it at the front of your Queue.

My vote is for the Sock It To ME/CFS Association. Please keep the humor! It's what keeps us going.

Doll Socks:

I'm resting up for my next attack on Socks, and thanks for the recommendation: I've put Paper Clips at the top of my queue. Those with speedy internets can watch it on "Watch Instant!"

Somewhere in the garage full of boxes is a book called something like "A Kid's Guide to Social Action" which has excellent suggestions by no means limited to kids. I find that reading books geared for youth is helpful to me, especially non-fiction. So I'll try to grub it out and get some more tips from it.

Also got a tax question I need to research and some doctor stuff ahead, but I'll do some more writing soon as I can. Most likely, the more other obligations and demands I'm piled with, the more likely I will be to escape back to socks as a procrastinational measure.

 

[creekfeet]

Welcome Felix, you have taste! We are pleased to have you aboard

:3 My Felix has a flavor.

 

[Puppy_almighty]

The Paperclip Project

OMG, how moving, it is one of my favorite documentaries. It really shows how one idea can change a perception and how one changed perception can inspire more than anyone could have guessed. You'll love it when you see it.

 

[Puppy_almighty]

Welcome Felix Virgo! Great idea! I looked into the thread here about it and it seems someone is working on it or was working on it or maybe thats for a different thing? I'd love to help or vote if it is already online, I don't wanna step on toes if someone has already begun the set up protion of it..

 

[oerganix]

I've been super sick this week, and haven't been here much, so I'm just going to spray out a bunch of random ideas and ignore me if they don't make any sense.

more free sock patterns than you will ever want:
http://www.knittingpatterncentral.com/directory/socks.php

if you go to the main directory and click on jewelry, I am pretty sure there is a pattern for sock pins. (cause, and it's embarrassing that I know this, people use them at knitting festivals and conventions to denote that they belong to certain knitting groups, No! I don't personally have one)

On another note, this would entail more volunteer labor, but the most effective way to have the socks labeled might be to have a form printed onto an iron on label or tag with blank lines for the info. Either ironed on to the back or inside the sock. You might be able to get a discount if you shop around screen printing shops (there are tons of them, someone will take pity on us!) But the point of this would be uniformity and ease of reading. So people could send in the info on a piece of paper, and then it would have to be transcribed (fabric pens are waterproof and easy to find and use) and ironed on by volunteers. It might make sense to have 3 different tags based on the info that it seems you are seeking- one for kids, one for adults, one for the deceased.

Another thought- people who are otherwise capable of decorating a sock for themselves but cannot sew will be turned off and possibly prevented from participating by the need for sewing, buttons and buttonholes. Is there any way it could be optional to make such a tab yourself, like to send it in without it and have that part done by volunteers if you are unable do that part but can still decorate your own sock? cause I really think if you ask people to sew and make buttonholes this will be dead in the water. ( Next to no one knows how to sew buttons anymore- which I know cause I've sewn a lot of buttons for people) If they don't know what they are doing, even listening carefully and with the best of intentions, there is a pretty good chance the buttons or buttonholes will be too big or too small, risking either not fitting or falling off.

Another idea is to put out the call to knitting and sewing groups when the time comes and this is launched. Many do group charity projects. The knitting group I co-founded in Maine does like 4 a year. My step mom is in a knitting group that does nothing but make shawls for sick people. The point is we may be surprised by the number of healthy volunteers we can round up. ( I personally can get at least 3 knitting groups to help, I'm certain of it, and most knitters are capable of very basic sewing)

Another thought is that if the socks happen to be handknit the tabs could also be knitted. I am only suggesting this for my sake because I know I can more reliably make the right size button hole that way than by sewing.

I haven't gotten through every single page of this yet, it's the first day I've felt up to reading much in quite a few days, so my deepest and sincere apologies if my suggestions are off- base or repeats or have already been addressed.

ETA- I'm gonna go dig through my sock yarn now. Perfect ME project...I only have to make 1!

I just got onto this thread so maybe this has already been suggested, but in case it hasn't:

VELCRO is the answer to buttons, buttonholes, tabs etc. It comes in dots and squares, can be stitched on or glued on, or even stapled on.

I'm loving this idea! Thinking I'll abandon all the other threads until they find the cause and the cure. Not...

 

[starryeyes]

Welcome Felix!! It's great to have you on board.

You're a smart guy to wanna be with Creek. She's one heck of a gal!

 

[Felix Virgo]

:3 My Felix has a flavor.

Is a tasty flavr. x3
And she is a smart gal. Everyone here seems nice and friendly, so i'm glad to say Hi Friends : D

 

[jace]

I don't know that velcro is any easier than buttons, and also has the same problem that it needs to be the right bit on the right end. I think now the most practical way is for assemblers to staple/rivet/sew the individual contributions together.

Here are the instructions to make a panel of the AID's quilt. http://www.aidsquilt.org/makeapanel.htm check it out. We can learn from this.

I really like the idea of people being able to see the name, the story as far as folk want it revealed, of each individual MEsock. It should be possible for observers to 'get the message' about the sufferer behind each sock, without having to look inside or behind anything. The message should be part of the visual display. The tapes would do that. Embroidered, painted, Pentel'd, personalised. Pretty, maybe. Revealing, hopefully.

We will need a "How To" page on the website for sure.
Look after you, people xx Jace