Founded in 1834,

SCI is a voluntary,

ecumenical agency

affiliated with the

Episcopal Church that

provides pastoral care,

maritime education, and

legal advocacy services

for mariners.

The newsletter of the

Seamen’s Church Institute’s

Christmas at Sea Program

In this Issue

Winter 2016 VOLUMe 10 / nUMBer 1

The Seamen’s Church Institute

Just as every stitch from every knitter contributes to mariners’ warmth during the winter months, every dollar you give to SCI upholds the valuable services we provide and on which the entire maritime community depends.

A Grateful ArtAfter Christmas, things go back to normal for most people. The big stresses of “Will it fit?”, “Does he have one already?” and “Can I return it?” fade into distant memory. Most people breathe a sigh of relief: the gift-giving is over.

But according to the Bible, things don’t return to “normal” after the birth of Jesus. Instead, the story gets a lot more interesting. One of the most famous tales of gift-giving unfolds with a visit by some foreigners from the East.

Matthew’s Gospel recounts that King Herod summoned wise men to find out about the birth of Jesus. They set out, following a star they’d seen in the sky, until it led them to a house. There they met Jesus and Mary and gave them gifts.

The type of gifts the Magi brought did not include new baby clothes, toys or a hamper full of diapers. The story says they brought gold, frankincense and myrrh—things hardly practical for a young child. Wouldn’t it have been better to bring something more down-to-earth?

Some people believe that the Wise Men’s gifts have deeper meaning. They say that their offerings stand for something out-of-the-ordinary. The gifts might represent the sort of thing one would bring to a king in the first century, for the Wise Men sought “the child who has been born king of the Jews.” The gifts could also indicate what the Wise Men thought about Jesus—what kind of person they thought he was and about the kinds of things he would do in his life.

Like the Wise Men’s, your gifts have special meaning, too. They express gratitude. Each stitch—time out of your day when you could be doing a thousand other things—offers a gift of thanks. Your hard work making scarves and hats shows an appreciation of mariners’ hard work.

After we’ve unwrapped all the presents, it may seem odd to think any more about gifts, but mariners’ stories don’t stop at Christmas. They journey on; and as they do, they carry

with them symbols of our appreciation. Your knitted and crocheted garments keep on giving beyond Christmas. They show that someone remembers men and women working out on the water, and that’s a gift valuable as the finest gold.

If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part; yet what I can I give … Give my heart.

—Christina G. rossetti (1830–1894)

Paige’s Letter 2

Year in review 3

Stuff for Your Calendar 4

the Samantha Cowl 4

the Simple things 5

Letters 6

the Knit Before Christmas Winter 2016 • 2 seamenschurch.org

Come visit the Christmas at Sea knitting room in SCI’s Port Newark International Seafarers’ Center. Email psato@seamenschurch.org to find out how.

Need help? Turn to your knitting friends for support. Check out Christmas at Sea’s Facebook page to meet new ones.

Looking for a PDF of this newsletter that you can read on your iPad or email to a friend?

Dear Friends,

As winter 2015 approached, it dawned on me that this season marked my fifth anniversary with Christmas at Sea—and what a five years it has been! From moving our program from our building in NYC to our

new base of operations in Port Newark, to washing and drying the thousands of handknits that felt the wrath of Hurricane Sandy, to introducing the 1898 Hat, each year seems to bring something new and different.

2015 was a happy year, starting with a partnership with North Light Fibers. It overjoys me to have this wonderful company producing beautiful yarn for the benefit of our CAS knitters and the mariners who wear our gifts. I enjoyed seeing things come full circle this year when I could send North Light Fibers Block Island Hats to seven stranded seafarers in Germany for Christmas. (See the story on page 5 of this newsletter.)

As more and more stitchers join our fold, and we collect more and more hats and scarves, I can’t stress enough the value of each and every single item. We don’t have a shortage of heads needing hats; and I am forever grateful that when I put the call out, the Christmas at Sea army takes up its needles and hooks. You folks are absolutely amazing!

For the past five years, I have been lucky enough to come to work at what is possibly the best place on earth. Living as I do in a major metropolitan area, it is so easy to get caught up in the anxiety of modern life, the “me, me, me” attitude and to-do list competitions. But you, my stitchers, teach the so-important lesson of sacrifice for others. Many of you call or write to share stories of your own life’s journeys—deaths, births, sorrows and celebrations. In and among all that, you still take the time out of your day to do something—anonymously—for someone else. What a gift! I wish more people would follow in your footsteps. If I had my way (and a limitless budget), we would have encased our new Merit Badges in solid gold. (Alas, they’re just stickers.) The endeavors they represent would be worth the expense.

As we close out 2015 on a high note, and I am more than excited about what 2016 will bring. Stay tuned as we soar to new heights!

Yours gratefully,

Paige

Need…

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Christmas at Sea118 Export StreetPort Newark, NJ 07114Paige Sato, Program Manager973-589-5828cas@seamenschurch.org

Winter 2016Published by the Seamen’s Church Institute

seamenschurch.org

The Rev. David M. RiderPresident & Executive Director

Editor, Oliver Brewer-LennonDesign & Production by BlissDesignThis newsletter is printed on recycled paper.

the Knit Before Christmas Winter 2016 • 3 seamenschurch.org

The Year in

ReviewThanks to the efforts of people like you, mariners

served by SCI received warm Christmas greetings this past year. Christmas at Sea collected 22,281 knitted

items and sewn ditty bags from approximately 1,100 individuals and 250 organizations throughout the country.

We distributed 5,390 gift sets (a set could include a hat and scarf) to seafarers and 8,971 gift sets to mariners along our inland river system. (If you tied the yarn used to make all

these projects end to end—over 6.08 million yards—it would stretch from New York City all the way to London, England, with a little bit left over to weave in the ends!)

The most common project our stitchers sent in? SCI received over 3,524 (knitted or crocheted) Seafarer’s Watch Caps and over 2,038 Seafarer’s Scarves. While some of you chose to make complete sets—we received 2,402 sets in 2015—others of you sent in items as you made them. (Although nice, sending in sets is not a requirement, and—as you can see by the numbers—we can match up singleton hats and scarves. In fact, making up sets is

part of the fun for our volunteers here in Port Newark.)

While we collected an impressive number of knits, we also “collected” an impressive number of new stitchers. In 2015, Christmas at Sea welcomed 250 new volunteers! Many found us through word of mouth (Thank you all!), others came to us through social media (our very active Facebook page), some read about us online (on blogs like The Fringe Association and the online Atlantic Canadian

journal Rustik) and folks learned about Christmas at Sea through traditional print media (thanks to lovely articles written in Vogue Knitting and Crochet Today).

SCI staff enjoy tallying up the Christmas at Sea numbers. Every single stat means another smile brought to a mariner’s face. And because there’s always one more mariner who can use a warm hat or scarf during the winter, our Christmas at Sea stitchers seem to up the ante year after year.

Merit BadgesAs we tally up the numbers here at Christmas at Sea, keep a lookout for your Merit Badges. They come in 1, 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 knit incre-knits to celebrate the awesome efforts of our volunteer stitchers.

While we try our hardest to keep perfectly detailed records, sometimes things get muddled. Occasionally, we cannot identify a box (e.g., we can’t find a note inside or the box has a damaged

return address label), and sometimes we get behind in our internal record-keeping. If you think we might have miscounted and we owe you a merit badge, let us know with a gentle email

or call. Thanks for your patience as we roll out this new way of recognizing your hard work, and remember that any knit that gets to Christmas at Sea will find its way to a vessel.

the Knit Before Christmas Winter 2016 • 4 seamenschurch.org

Stuff for Your CalendarVisit CAS at Stitches West in Santa ClaraCome visit Christmas at Sea and our partner North Light Fibers at Stitches West in Santa Clara, CA from February 19–21. At our booth we’ll have plenty of Block Island Hat and Samantha Cowl kits, in addition to other yummy yarns from North Light Fibers and stuff from Christmas at Sea!

Keep Your Eyes Open for This in 2016:

● Knit for Lent 2016: Easter comes early this year, and consequently so does Lent. Take advantage of the timing, and get CAS off to a great start for 2016! Follow our progress on our Facebook page with daily knitting meditations and inspiration.

● Christmas at Sea Drop Boxes: Do you knit with a group at church, your library or LYS? Maybe a new CAS Drop Box could help you collect and mail your group’s knitting. Later this year, SCI puts into production a stand-alone box perfect for dropping off CAS knits. The best part? When full, just fold the box shut, seal and mail.

● Knitting with Christmas at Sea Video Series: We often get email and phone questions about our CAS projects. Instructions without any visuals just don’t cut it for most people, though. To see some of the techniques and tricks for the SCI patterns, check out CAS’s YouTube playlist, expanding in 2016. Make sure you don’t miss them; subscribe at http://smschur.ch/cas-videos.

The Samantha CowlChristmas at Sea’s newest pattern, in partnership with North Light Fibers, celebrates the life of former SCI Trustee Samantha C. Smith, who passed away in 2014 at the age of 44.

SCI Trustee Samantha C. Smith ardently supported the work of the Institute—and Christmas at Sea in particular. Although not a knitter herself, she loved the beauty of the finished garments and remarked on the impressive dedication of all our stitchers. Samantha knew a thing or two about dedication.

Samantha enjoyed telling people about SCI and what the organization’s services mean to mariners. In 2014, she chaired SCI’s Christmas at Sea Gala in New York;

and the year before, she helped co-host SCI’s Pilot Boat Harbor Cruise. Because Samantha took the time to understand minute details, she served as one of the Institute’s greatest ambassadors. “More people need to know about this,” she would often say, and she would make sure people did.

When Samantha passed away in December 2014, she left a void among leadership. Samantha brought many to the cause and helped raise awareness of the important work of mariners. SCI wanted to pay a fitting tribute to our dynamic cheerleader.

The Samantha Cowl follows on the heels of the successful Block Island Hat. Knit in the same North Light Fibers Ocean Avenue 100% merino yarn, the cowl incorporates three traditional gansey elements (a ladder, diamond and tree) and—like the Block Island Hat—knits up in the round. The Samantha Cowl fits close to the neck, allowing freedom of movement, and because it has no loose ends, wearers have nothing to tuck into their coats. Knit in merino wool, it naturally wicks away moisture, while remaining breathable, so it doesn’t become stifling when enjoying outdoor winter activities.

Contributors can obtain kits (a project ditty bag containing 1 skein of Ocean Avenue yarn and the pattern) through Christmas at Sea for a suggested donation of $75. Knitters can obtain patterns (only) for a suggested donation of $25.

On the donation form (see the enclosed envelope), indicate your color preference (blue, red, green or orange).

A Treat for YouKnowing that volunteers for Christmas at Sea work so hard making things for others, the folks at North Light Fibers wanted to offer knitters an option to make something for themselves. They asked Deborah Newton—the knitwear designer who created the pattern for both the Block Island Hat and the Samantha Cowl—to make two additional variations of the cowl.

On their web store, North Light Fibers offers two patterns for longer versions of the Samantha Cowl. The Dories Cove Cowl (a two-skein project) and Graces Cove Cowl (a three-skein project) build on the gansey elements of the other CAS partnership garments. These cowls take on a more feminine elegance, yet remain distinctively maritime in character.

To order the Dories Cove Cowl or Graces Cove Cowl, please visit the North Light Fibers’ website at northlightfibers.com.

Other Kits.....

» Block Island Hat

» Dories Cove Cowl

» Graces Cove Cowl

The Samantha Cowl

the Knit Before Christmas Winter 2016 • 5 seamenschurch.org

Th e Simple Thingsby Paige Sato

In today’s modern world—with all its conveniences and excesses—it’s hard to believe how meaningful a simple

hat can be. But let me tell you, it truly is.

On December 1st of this year, I received a surprise email direct from a US merchant ship docked in Bremerhaven, Germany. The email read:

Good Day to the good people at SCI Christmas at Sea Program,

We are seven US mariners who due to circumstances beyond our control will be stuck tied up here on a “dead” unsea worthy US ship The Courage. We are located just across the street from The German Seamens mission. The one located next to the port. Here in Bremerhaven, Germany. My question is please is there anyway to receive the appreciated Christmas at Sea gifts for our “accidental tourist” seven US seamen stuck here. Until the ship is finally cleared by all the red tape to be towed

away to be scrapped? Which has now dragged on for months …

Please forgive this e mail. I had to type it out on a Geramn keyboard. Which is “a bit different” than a standard US English keyboard.

God Bless SCI for all you do to help us mariners,

Sincerely, Skeleton crew unofficial morale officer, Karl Mayhew

Karl’s email demonstrates the importance of Christmas at Sea. As the self-appointed morale officer, Karl knew that handknits would mean more to his small crew than any gifts he could purchase.

Karl knew of the Christmas at Sea program because he’s been a seafarer for many years and has often visited our center in Port Newark. After receiving this plaintive request, I quickly replied, and soon we became email pen pals. Karl’s ship, the US Courage, had had a fire earlier in the year and was docked in Germany waiting for a replacement crew from Turkey. A skeleton crew of seven Americans were “holding down the fort” until that crew arrived, but the timeline was unclear.

As luck would have it, I had just received a box with a number of our new Block Island Hats. Although I usually hesitate to put hats of the same color in the boxes for the same crew (as a mother, I understand the value of making sure my kids’ garments are easy to pick out in a crowd), I felt Karl and his crew truly deserved these fine hats, beautifully knit in this warmest of yarns. I packaged them up, along with various other sundries and games.

About ten days later: (Karl doesn’t appear to cope any better with the German keyboard.)

The Warmest Greeting to you Paige and Your SCI Angels to Mariners,

Bless you, Päige, yöur present package has arrived. I made arrangements to have it transported to the German in port See-mans Missiön. Then I will hand deliver it tö öur Ship’s Good Bosün, Pete. As per löng standing ÜS mariner/märitime custom. Then Bösün Pete will

deliver öur/yöur SCI gift package tö öur ship's Captain ön Mönday mörning.

Mäny Thanks. Möre updates tö yöu as it häppens.

Best Yöu, Märiner Kärl

After Christmas, Karl followed up with this note and photo (upper left-hand corner of this page).

Paige,

Our First time ever young Captain played “Santa Claus.” He put by our door your warm and wonderful special orange yarn hats. I must say these hats are toasty warm. Here in Bremerhaven the first snow fell. I had to walk from our ship into town today to pick up needed Rx's for a sick shipmate. Thank you for keeping my head warm. I did take the wrapped present by our door photo too, trying to find in my silly photo photo gallery.

The Australian Shepherd in the photo (I hope you can see the dog?) he is the mascot of The German See-manns Welcome Center. His name is Sparky.

From Across The Big Pond, Many thanks, From Karl and his German four legged comrade Sparky

And then right before New Year’s:

Good evening Paige,

The first big and only snow storm hit Bremerhaven. I just walked from the dead ship Courage to the German See-manns Center. Whoever did the design of your warm hats should be commended. The larger size comes in handy to pull down way below the ears to keep more of one’s face and head area protected from the elements.

Many thanks, Mariner Karl with a warm head and ears :-)

Christmas at Sea gifts warm heads and hearts around the world.

SCI The Seamen’s Church Institute118 Export StreetPort Newark, NJ 07114

seamenschurch.org

NONPROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT #99

NEW HAVEN, CT

C H R I S T M A S A T S E A

the Knit Before Christmas Winter 2016 • 6 seamenschurch.org

Merci Beaucoup! Gracias! ありがとう! Дякую! THANK YOU VERY MUCH!Parents worldwide have done right by their sons and daughters. The thank you notes that come in after crews have received their Christmas packages show the signs of good upbringing. Mariners find a way—even though thousands of miles away sometimes—to show their appreciation for your beautiful handiwork.

Good day Rev. David M. Rider,I would like to thank you and your wonderful volunteers for the Christmas parcels received from The Seamen’s Church Institute while berthed in Newark on 25th Nov.

A Big “THANK YOU” goes to the members of the Tuesday Knitting Club for creation of their lovely knitted hats and warm garments. So a special mention to Barbara, Betty Jane, Joanne, Pat, Mays and Ginger. And also to Georgia B. Jervey for her nice letter and poem.

The mainly Filipino crew were very happy to receive these items, many of which were put to use straight away in the cooler climates of our US coastal ports. We just couldn’t wait until Christmas day.

My crew wish to send their thanks for your generous gifts and wish you a very good year ahead. It is so nice to think that your organisation is thinking of seafarers at this time of year, when we are separated from our loved ones. We feel blessed with your support and continued help to all seafarers calling at Newark. Please pass on our thanks to your members who have assisted in your Christmas gifts program.

Many thanks and best regards,

Capt. Rachel D. Keown Master – Maersk Vilnius

Dear SCI,Thanks for the Christmas Box. Please express our appreciation to all responsible. Will’s card took its place on the Galley window sill.

From Captain Grayford Franks and Crew M/V AEP FUTURE

Dear Volunteers,This is the Turkish-flag vessel of master of Kaan Kalkavan. Once I would like to sending our greeting to you and your families in middle of the Atlantic Ocean. We distributed your kind gifts to crew last night which are received from our New York agent dear Peter Aljian. We opened the packages and we were very happy in this moment. This small gifts are very big and great happiness for who are works away from our countries and families. Hence we are so grateful and appreciated you.

I and my crew wishes you happy, healthy and peaceful new year for you and your families.

Best regards,

Capt. Barış TÜRKMENOĞLU M/V KAAN KALKAVAN

Hi,The crew of the M/V Buttercup would like to thank y’all for y’all gifts merry Christmas.

Timothy Picou M/V Buttercup