Bond Buzz, Issue #9
February 23, 2004
Free from Bond America!

Dear Friends,
Welcome again all Bond Sweater Machine(r), Magicord(r) and Wyr Knittr(tm) owners to another issue of the "Bond Buzz" e-newsletter!!

My sincere thanks for being patient through this longer-than-usual time between Bond Buzz newsletters – but all for good cause. This newsletter will be a bit longer than normal to make up for the Buzz I was unable to write.

Our second trip to Rwanda, January 13-29, was truly amazing! The knitters at the Kiziba refugee camp had learned the machines well and there were finished sweaters hung all around the camp for us to admire. As soon as we arrived there, we went right to work – and the knitters made nearly 650 scarves in just five days! And that was just the beginning of our trip!

You can read all about the Grammy Scarf production on the new Fiber and Craft Entrepreneurial Development Center’s (“FACED”) web site:

We then traveled to the Kigeme camp in Gikongoro, where the refugees had only recently been able to use the machines since July, but in just a few weeks, they had made sweaters and blankets. We did more advanced training with them and they were so excited about practicing these new techniques, they have decided to build their own knitting center (they had been using a shipping container as a room).

We then headed back to Kigali where we trained 20 widows of Rwanda’s 1994 genocide (members of the association AVEGA) how to use 20 more donated machines. Then we went to the AAVAIS center (Association of Widows Affected by HIV-AIDS) where we trained another 20 women on 10 more donated machines. This was amazing, teaching knitting outdoors, surrounded by goats, chickens and the occasional pig, and under the watchful eyes of the whole community who wanted to know what was going on. But the women were good and learned quickly – before the rains came.

Rwanda has just been given the dubious distinction of being the world’s most populous country: in a country the size of Vermont is a population of 8 million (Vermont has 650,000). But they are a nation of very industrious people if given the chance to work. Through work comes pride and economic stability. When families are fed and parents work, there is a much greater chance for peace in the world.

Lastly, if you’d like to own your own Rwanda Scarf for Peace, click on this link to our friends at Eziba. It is through the sales of these scarves that the cooperative in Kiziba really makes their money.

As soon as we returned from Rwanda (with 450 of the scarves as part of our luggage), the scarf steaming and packing process began (the refugee camps have no electricity, let alone irons). The next process will be building a steaming and finishing center in Rwanda! We shipped 250 scarves to the Grammies and most of the balance of the scarves to Eziba.

Then it was off to the HIA trade show, which was tremendously successful. Our appreciation to all the crocheters who made the fashion show so successful for Caron: Heidi Stepp for the Missoni-inspired coat and scarf, Terrie Mays for the multi-fringed poncho, Lori Fuller for Today’s Granny throw, Susan Shildmyer for her mesh bolero jacket with beads, Diane Zangl for her ruana with hat and wristlets, Marty Miller’s fur-trimmed jacket, hat and skirt, and Gayle Bunn’s long retro vest. Some of these projects will be featured in the fall issue of Family Circle Easy Knitting in a special Caron crochet section.

And lastly, our super Web special: we have modified the Wyr Knittr™ to include 3 weighted clips, but we have a few of the older version left. If you were to add a spring clip or binder clip with two 4-oz fishing weights attached plus the clip that came with your machine, you’d have the same weight as the new version – and at a price of just $9.95! Get your Wyr Knittr now at this blow-out price!

There are all kinds of great things happening at Bond America and Caron International, and you’ll be the first to know!

Until next time, HAPPY KNITTING!

Cari Clement
And please visit our parent site at http://www.caron.com