STEP Reflection

Hi, my name is Christina Spanos. With this opportunity through STEP, I have been able to explore my creative side while also fulfilling my philanthropic side. I created over 20 blankets, some hand-knitted and some made with fleece fabric. The handmade blankets are going to be donated to a women’s shelter from my hometown in the Cleveland area.

One of the things I learned about myself is that I am privileged, but compared to others, I am also sympathetic and enjoy giving to others who don’t have the same blessings I do. This project has made me realize even more that the world needs more bridges built to fill the gaps of diversity, to provide an understanding of people’s different experiences so we may know how to reach out and help each other. It is my honor to have worked over thousands of hours on these blankets and give them away to women and their children providing them with needed comfort, warmth, and love. By making blankets for other people to give away, not for myself or for profit, I grew creatively in ways I wouldn’t have otherwise. I am proud to offer not just useful blankets, but also beautiful pieces of work that were made with love that someone could treasure for a very long time.

When I first asked the shelter what blankets they would prefer to be given, I was astonished when they asked for more blankets to be geared towards the teenage sons that live in the shelter. I, and I guess not many other donators, didn’t realize that the young men accompanying their mothers at the shelter, may not want pink and flowery bedding. I took this suggestion into account when planning and designing the blankets I made. Each blanket I made is unique, and most of the knitted ones were completely designed from scratch with no reference patterns. Some of the blankets are sized for babies to grow up with and get attached to. But, most of them are much bigger to be used as either throw blankets or on twin size beds.

Because I was not knitting for myself or for profit, I was able to explore many different knitting styles and use other colors I wouldn’t have otherwise. This is even more true as I was designing blankets for teenage boys, creating the color schemes much different than if I was making them for myself. I was able to explore different types of yarns and many different knitting styles and techniques such as brioche knitting and steeking. Because I created or heavily adapted a lot of the knitting patterns myself, I was able to learn more about knitting and use my problem solving skills to get the best result possible. I learned different ways to tie fleece blankets, too, and was able to experiment with the pattern choices for those blankets as well.

When discussing my STEP project with other people, so many were shocked that I would put so much time and effort in hand-knitting blankets to just give them away to strangers. They must’ve thought I was crazy. They must’ve thought me even crazier when I showed them the final products and then told them I spent over a year working on them. Their surprise made me feel kind of outraged. I believe that everyone should use their unique talents to give, especially to those who fell on bad times. Once we understand other people’s experiences, we should then be able to see that we are all human and everyone deserves help and opportunities. But as I found, you can’t understand what you’re not exposed to, and this project helped me be exposed to a different group of people. I am thankful to have had the privilege to help the women, their families, and the women’s shelter in some way with my blankets.

It has always been a dream of mine to make and donate items I’ve crafted myself to others. My original plan was to wait until I had a full-time job to help fund that dream, but with STEP, that dream came early. Donating and volunteering has always been a part of who I am, especially as it is part as my faith. After years of focusing on academics, that part of me became hidden. Now, with this project, it has awoken the beast. I plan to keep donating my craftables to other organizations in the future and further expand in other ways. I can volunteer to donate my time and knowledge. One way I am looking forward to using my experiences is encouraging young girls in STEM related fields, especially computer science.

Tie-Fleece Blanket

Tie-Fleece Blanket

blue and white gingham knitted blanket

Blue and White Gingham knitted blanket

 

One thought on “STEP Reflection

  1. Hi Christina,

    Thanks for sharing your reflection about your blanket-making service project. Two pictures you provided look like awesome blankets, and I am sure many people have benefitted from your hours of dedication to this project. I hope you are able to continue looking for ways to use your passions and gifts for the benefit of those around you!

    Best to you,

    Caleb – STEP Team Member

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