We are a grassroot group of knitters responding to the violence of mass shootings by creating prayer shawls of healing for survivor communities.

The mission of Knitting in Solidarity is building a large and sustainable network of knitters who use their textile art to communicate healing, hope and heartfelt solidarity with communities recovering from mass gun violence and ongoing trauma.

The vision of Knitting in Solidarity is to be unnecessary in the near future.

When mass shootings hit the headlines, a rush of feelings pass through us. Grief. Distress. Sadness. Anger. Helplessness. As a way to both respond to the atrocities of mass shootings and act on these multitude of feelings, Knitting in Solidarity began.

In 2019, Connor Walden and Lora-Ellen McKinney met in the choir of their small Seattle church. They discovered that both were knitters and began knitting together following church service. Then a student in the Master of Arts program at the University of Washington, Connor created a social justice-focused, interfaith, community-driven thesis in which a community was created to knit prayer shawls in response to mass shootings.

Connor Walden is a Los Angeles-based textile artist and sculptor who investigates the relationship steel and yarn. Playfully and intuitively made, the works explore the tension and relationship between hard and soft, heavy and light, tough and tender – while confronting the gendered context of materials. He learned metalwork from his grandfather and was taught to knit by his grandmother.

Dr. Lora -Ellen McKinney is a poet, writer, songwriter, and pediatric psychologist who lives in Renton, Washington with her dog, Scout. She also produces programs that create community conversations about what art can teach about societal conditions. She was taught to knit when she was five years old by princess from the former Cambodian royal family.

Blue is a calming color. The completed shawls look cohesive, like rolling water.

Knitting in Solidarity will accept crocheted squares made to the size specifications.

Yes, this is partly an art project. Knitting in Solidarity is a community service project that began as and continues to use the tactile process of art creation made by loving hearts and hands as a way to support healing.

Learn about our process on our KNIT NOW page

The prayer shawls that are created by Knitting in Solidarity are a symbolic gesture, by which we can wrap our arms around traumatized communities. It is a reminder for them that in their darkest times strangers support and care for them. Though this is not a religious project, we believe that the movement of our hands – our actions – are prayers, the strength of which will be felt by recipient communities.

Knitting in Solidarity is a nonpartisan movement responding to the trauma of mass shootings. We understand that common sense gun laws, political will and legislative processes can reduce mass shootings and promote political action to accompany this artistic action of compassion.

We are a nonprofit organization, with funding from:

• Private donations

• Grants

• United Methodist Church

As a Knitter:

• Knit squares

• Donate knitting supplies.

• Participate in the Knitting in Solidarity cycle

• Phase One – Knit the squares and attend IRL and virtual knitting gatherings.

• Phase Two – Stitching Events squares are stitched into shawls)

• Phase Three – Exhibition of Prayer Shawls and Attend Sending Ceremony

As a Donor:

We appreciate donations to our work. Donations allow us to:

• Purchase yarn and needles.

• Purchase the tapestry backing material.

• Embroider prayers on fabric edging the shawls.

• Support the Art Exhibition (location fees, advertising, refreshments)

• Support the Stitching Events

• Finance the Sending Ceremonies (boxing, packing and mailing)