When I was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, I took to the web with a serious intent to find reactions to it from my age & interests group (women in their 20s-30s, and highly crafty). I soon discovered that breast cancer not only was affecting young women around me, but they were finding unique ways of fighting back that engaged their DIY skills.

There are some truly innovative women promoting the idea of challenging the status quo of the breast cancer survivor/patient. A perfect example is Beryl Tsang, whose Titbits.ca site sells knitted prostheses, and whose pattern was provided to Knitty.com in 2005, for their breast cancer issue.

Amazon Seamstress

[Rebel1in8’s custom shirred top]

Reconstruction is AN option of many, post-mastectomy, and one woman is out to break rules about how women can dress, after breast cancer changes our bodies.

Etsy seller Rebel1in8 (Jacqueline Skaggs) is a good friend of mine, and her own battle with cancer introduced her to clothing design, after she lost a breast in 2004. Without reconstruction or a prosthetic breast, everything fit strangely, and she also found herself wanting to celebrate her survival of breast cancer rather than disguise her body under a sort of camouflage. So, with a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear, she decided to do something about it.

She has devoted herself to the task of recycling her clothing, and wound up with a clothing line instead: if you don’t want to have reconstruction or wear a prosthesis, her tops give you the option to flaunt your uniqueness instead.
If you’re in the NYC tri-state area, you can catch her WABC-TV news interview, on October 6th  at 7:30 p.m.

Finally, Rebel1in8’s REBEL necklaces are the counterculture's answer to the pink ribbon which can feel commercial — not young or edgy or DIY….what’s a DIY woman to do? Drink some Rebel Beer and make necklaces from the caps. They’re eco-friendly, starkly elegant, and nearly impossible to ignore.
 
[Rebel beer bottletop necklaces make an emphatic statement]

Need Some? Knit Some!

[Sarahknits stylish & practical Knit Tit]

Sarahknits was inspired to craft an alternative to the expensive and uncomfortable silicone prosthesis after her grandmother had a mastectomy. The Knit Tit uses yarns that are comfortable against the skin, and has a pattern that gives a realistic impression under a bra  — a regular bra.  (The traditional prosthetic is heavy & oddly-balanced, so wearing one usually requires a special bra, which is quite expensive, and very often, not covered by insurance.)

Crocheted Awareness

[This crocheted boob comes with instructions for doing a breast self-exam]

Canada’s Shannon Gerard aka shannongerard has created the awesome Boobs And Dinks Early Detection Kits, which educate us on how to examine ourselves, and does so in a very charming and non-threatening manner. Even better, $5 of each sale goes to Cottage Dreams, a cancer patient program in Ontario, for residents of Ontario.  Her accompanying illustrations are frame-worthy, and you never know…they might save some lives out there.

[One of Shannon’s stunning illustrations]

Warmth and Activism

[The array of scarves offered by Knitting for Knockers]

Giving back also is the mission of Knitting for Knockers, a collaborative that donates funds from the sale of knitted scarves to Breast Cancer Action, a non-profit unlike the others: they are strong advocates for finding the environmental and chemical causes of breast cancer, and mobilizing to bring those causes to light, and public outcry against their presence in our environment.

If you’re interested in being part of the knitting, start a convo with this seller, or send an email to knittingforknockers@earthlink.net.

Bringing crafts into the realm of cancer treatment challenges the fear, nausea, pain, boredom, and anxiety that are often a daily part of dealing with cancer. Injecting the humanizing, soothing element of craft into the antiseptic world of cancer clinics and hospital rooms did wonders for my spirits and still does, as it has done for many others.

Craft links us to artistic fulfillment, tactile enjoyment, and the satisfaction of transforming raw materials into tangible objects that please us on an aesthetic and emotional level. Breast cancer connects us to a world that consists largely of unfamiliar and unwelcoming sensations, and often a transformative experience that many women view with dread: the possibility of losing one or both breasts.

Putting craft to work to aid in the fight against breast cancer gives a new meaning to craft production: it elevates it to a source of power. It puts in your hands the ability to help fund and stock the rebellion. Be a cancer rebel.

Further Resources:
Knitting for Knockers

Breast Cancer Action

Cottage Dreams

Knitty.com

Titbits.ca