Remembering American Soldiers With Little Red Sweaters
As the American death toll in the Iraq War continues to climb, a charity called Red Sweaters documents the soldier's ultimate sacrifice, one little red sweater at a time.
Red Sweaters is one knitting charity that, unlike most, everyone will be happy to see come to an end. That's because every little red sweater added to the project represents an American soldier who has died in the Iraq War since its beginning in March 2003.
Each sweater is sized to fit a G.I. Joe doll, but it represents the ultimate sacrifice that any person can give for their fellow human beings. It exists, in the words of Rudyard Kipling, "lest we forget -- lest we forget."
RAISING AWARENESS
In March 2005, Nina Rosenberg realized that it had been two years since Operation Iraqi Freedom had started. She felt dissociated from the war, like many of the people she knew, and decided to do something to bring the war home to herself and her neighbors.
She hit on the idea of tiny red knitted sweaters, connected in a chain and hung on a tree in her front yard in San Francisco. Each sweater represents an American soldier killed in action. The symbolism is obvious and chilling: the sweater reflects the human form; the bright crimson is the color of blood.
She reached out to all the knitters she could, using the Internet as a tool, and they immediately responded. They're still knitting new sweaters and regularly adding them to the Red Sweaters installation.
Nina emphasizes that she doesn't consider Red Sweaters to be a memorial or protest. The original and abiding intention is to stimulate discussion and thought about the war, and to raise awareness of its cost.
THE RED SWEATERS DEPLOYMENT PROJECT
To date, volunteers have contributed more than 2,546 hand-knitted red sweaters to the project. Sadly, they still haven't caught up with the death toll, which now exceeds 3,680.
In August 2006, the project was renamed "the Red Sweaters Deployment Project." The installation left the tree in front of Nina's home and began a journey into the wider world.
Each person or group that deploys the installation has the responsibility of tallying the sweaters and finding the installation's next home. As Nina writes on the project website, this will continue, "until there is no more need for sweaters or for this project."
LET'S DEPLOY SOME SWEATERS!
Are you ready to knit your own doll-sized red sweater to raise awareness of the American death toll in the Iraq War? If so, you can find the pattern and other information on the Red Sweaters website.
For reasons of consistency, Nina asks that you use 100% acrylic Red Heart Yarn in a color that includes red in the title, such as cherry red or flame red.
You're welcome to knit as many sweaters as you like. Remember, Red Sweaters still needs over a thousand more -- and the number is climbing every day.
