Week 33, Not My Shame

tilleybancroft
Aug 16
2 min read

This week’s panel says something very simple:

“Not My Shame.”

The words were inspired by Gisèle Pelicot, whose extraordinary grace and bravery during the trial of the men who raped and sexually abused her made an impact around the world.

Gisèle chose to waive her anonymity and have the trial held in public. She spoke about shame needing to change sides. About the shame belonging not to those who experience rape and sexual abuse, but to those who perpetrate it.

Not hers.

Theirs.

Shame has a horrible habit of attaching itself to the wrong person. To the person who was hurt. The person who trusted. The person who survived. The person who wonders whether they should have known, done something differently, said something sooner.

This little knitted panel is my reminder that sometimes we need to look at the shame we’re carrying and ask whether it was ever ours in the first place.

Because if it isn’t, we can put it down.

Norbert 2.0

Meanwhile, in considerably more purple news, Norbert is coming back!

Last week I told you that our enormous crocheted purple dragon was stolen the day before the launch of Burton’s Bollards.

The buggers.

After the initial shock, and a frankly magnificent wave of outrage from the people of Burton, I decided there was only one thing for it.

We remake him.

And remake him we are.

I’ve been completely bowled over by how much people cared about one ridiculous giant purple dragon. There have been messages, encouragement and offers of help, and it’s turned something pretty rubbish into another reminder of how lovely people can be.

A particularly big thank you goes to Helen’s Bakehouse and Tearooms. Upstairs they have the Craft Attic, packed with work from local makers and, importantly for a woman suddenly facing the prospect of recreating a very large purple dragon, a wonderful selection of yarn.

Helen very kindly donated yarn towards Norbert’s resurrection.

So stitch by stitch, scale by scale, the dragon is returning.

Whoever took the first Norbert got a crocheted dragon.

They don’t get the last word.

Around the edges

I’ve also started working on the corners and side pieces that will eventually join all of the main Kindness Cardi panels together.

Mine are going to be sand coloured, which should give a lovely calm border around all the colour, words, pictures and general chaos happening in the middle.

I already have the patterns, so these are nice little pieces to pick up and work on alongside everything else.

And slowly, this enormous, slightly bonkers project is starting to feel more and more like one whole thing.