Caring Through Action
Winter of Care and Repair Week 5 Summary: Caring for Community
A brief, late recap this week, since Week 6 is well underway, and I’ll have another proper catch up coming up for the HALFWAY POINT of the season this coming Saturday. Today I’m going to share a few thoughts and resources I’ve come across this week that fit well with community care and repair.
With the events in Minneapolis, MN in the US happening right now, and the evolution towards nationalism/fascism and other crises around the globe, the feelings of bleakness, overwhelm, rage, and fright are ratcheting up again. I’m sure many of us who are watching from a distance are tempted by simultaneous urges to both disconnect and to DO SOMETHING - but what and how can be difficult to define. How do you know that your efforts will mean something, will actually make a difference?
Winter of Care and Repair was born during a challenging time, and remains a way that I, and many others around the world, ground ourselves during the dark and cold season. I see the project as having twinned purposes: giving me a way to ground myself by using my hands, eyes, and brain together on a tactile project as a respite from the stuff of life, and also as a framework to take intentional actions to support community - whether that is my immediate community, or the community of global citizens. These twinned objectives support each other in tandem - mending my belongings helps me to sharpen my own saw, to fill my own tank, so I can maintain momentum to support others. Because while rage can push us into action, sustained momentum over time must come from a place of calm.
Here are a few resources I’ve come across this week that have helped inform me of concrete actions that can be taken to do something meaningful.
Shannon Downey of Bad Ass Cross Stitch shared this post on her Patreon this week. This particular post is available to the public, but she has very accessible membership tiers and is a wealth of knowledge and expertise on organizing in really impactful ways, especially if you are craftivist-inclined.
Aja Barber shares so much incredible, though-provoking writing on her Patreon. This week, she’s been posting about how we tend to respond with consumerism during times of crisis, and ways to ensure that actual organizing is at the center of any action we take. She reminds us that we can just donate money directly to organizations on the ground - maybe we don’t need to get a Thing in return for putting money towards the cause. Her Patreon is accessible to her membership only, but she has some really accessible tiers and her daily posts about civil rights, consumerism, politics, and fashion are well-worth the membership. And yes, those four topics ABSOLUTELY go together.
Ben Sheehan, a political writer, shares very concrete steps for how to call your Congressional representatives (also here on Instagram), and how this does indeed make a difference. The US Senate is voting on an appropriations bill that includes ICE funding THIS FRIDAY, January 30th, so CALL NOW!
Find your US Congressional representatives here.
If you live in the US, you can also take part in the National Shutdown, this Friday, January 30, 2026. Don’t buy anything, go to school or work, take public transit, shop in person or online FOR THE DAY.
Amanda McCarty of Clotheshorse, in addition to always sharing really interesting information about the fashion industry and sustainability, also constantly encourages us with ways to fend off doom and gloom amidst it all. Her most recent podcast conversation with Lisa of Retro Housewife Goes Green was very timely. You can find Amanda as Clotheshorse on all the social media platforms, and you can financially support her work on Patreon or by buying her a kofi.
Support your community, wherever you are. Go to the library, participate in local mutual aid, volunteer, shop small, attend local council meetings, show up for community events big or small, no matter the topic. Yes, protesting is hugely important, but what will really carry us through this is supporting each other. And that can only happen if we know each other. Check Facebook or Reddit for local groups that may be doing important (and fun!) things in your area.
So there we go, folks. If you’ve read this far, thank you. Now, here is my Week 5 Winter of Care and Repair Summary. It was a challenging week for me personally, so the list is short, but I’m almost more pleased with this than some of the lengthier ones, because I actually stuck with it and made sure that I did that one tiny thing each day. And you know what? It really helps.
Replaced the drawstring at the base of the truck seat cover. Especially pleased with this one, because I did it right away when my husband had the seat out of the vehicle for other maintenance, making it much easier for me to access and accomplish.
Made slow progress on what I hope will be an invisible repair of three giant holes in a handknit mohair sweater I acquired from Creation Mill in Langholm, Scotland during a book tour workshop last summer. It’s often two stitches forward, one stitch back, but slowly, slowly, it’s coming together.
Stitched up a loose thread on the inseam of my sweatpants, in situ. I always give myself an extra gold star when I manage to do a tiny repair right away.
Altered the cuffs on a wool sweater
The rest of the days I slowly worked on honeycomb darning and prepping patches for a pair of lightweight socks.
Pedaled my bike to and from the tram to Spanish class each day, and ran one day
Did some of that sock mending on the tram (hurray for mending in public!)
Next week, February 2nd marks the halfway point of the season! We’ll make it through.