Knitting women unite to keep Navy dolphins warm (Update with video)

KOMO-TV ^ | March 2, 2007 | Bryan Johnson

[Stoat]

Knitting women unite to keep Navy dolphins warm

Story Updated: Mar 2, 2007 at 5:50 PM PST

By Bryan Johnson

A group of women gathered Friday at the Bainbridge Island Senior Center.

They are part of a knitting group growing across the United States.

It only It looks like a knitting club.

This is much more than knit one, purl two. This is politics.

"The whole problem of putting them on the dolphins is one of the things we have to consider in the future. It's an interesting thought," said Jan Bailey, one of the knitters.

The women are knitting sweaters for warm-water bottlenose dolphins. The Navy wants to put them on Homeland Security patrol here.

One of the knitters Karin Beran says that's cruel, but says the dolphins will know what to do with the sweaters.

"Well, I guess the dolphins are so smart, so they can figure it out, if and how and when. I'm just happy to knit for them," Beran said.

They've thought of everything. Susan Scheirman showed me a multi-colored yarn.

"We've imported camouflage yarn for these local dolphins," she said, "so they don't become subject to any kind of terrorism."

Jan Bailey even went to a button store and bought regulation Navy buttons. She sewed the regulation 13 buttons on what could be called the bathroom flap. But dolphins don't have arms:

"That is the dolphins problem. No, that's the Navy's problem," Bailey said. "I think if they have divers in the water, and the dolphins signal. The whole problem of putting them on the dolphins is one of the things we have to consider in the future. Then the divers can go over and unfasten the 13 buttons, one at a time."

They even have a knitting song.

Oh so why do I swim through seas so arctical," one of the lines asks.

The women say they'll keep on knitting as long as the Navy plans to put dolphins in the frigid waters of the Northwest.

The women plan to present the sweaters to Navy officials at a hearing on the plan to put bottlenose dolphin into guard service locally.

[YellowRoseofTx]

Thanks for the pattern site

[hsalaw]

Thanks for the link to the troop patterns.

[Knitting A Conundrum]

I have a list of charity knitting resources on my profile page, in case anyone's interested.

[LearnsFromMistakes]

This is crazy. Won't the buttons get caught in the tuna nets?

[Titan Magroyne]

Ya'll ain't gonna b'lieve this whale of a tale!

[2ndClassCitizen]

I will keep my mouth shut.

[RedQuill]

This is an example of why Bainbridge Island is known to locals as "Braindamage Island".

[cyborg]

still can read the pings ping ;-)

[BADROTOFINGER]

WA State Ping...JFK

[Jo Nuvark]

This is so absurd, it doesn't merit a response. So I won't ... respond.

[Jo Nuvark]

Bainbridge Island. Rio Linda. Same thing.

[RedQuill]

I'm thinking it could be great PR if the Navy brought their cuddly Dolphins to the Bainbridge Island Sr. Center "frolic" with the little ladies in the pool.

[ShorelineMike]

Jeezus, where is the barf alert?

Well, it did mention Brainfreeze (oops, Bainbridge) Island in the article … that is usually good for an implicit "barf alert" right there, but if you're not a local, it would be hard to tell …

[ShorelineMike]

And the photo has ALMOST the usual requisite racial 'balance' that is de rigueur these days. Missing is a black Grandma, but I'm guessing that all of the black Grandmas in the area have far too much common sense to join a bunch of lunatics like this.

Well, I called my Grandma (who taught me to knit at a very early age, and yes, she's black, for those of you on Brainfreeze Island) and told her this story … and she just laughed her head off. She lives by the US Coast Guard station on Cape Cod, so she's familar with cold weather … and the thought of putting sweaters on dolphins absolutely cracked her up.

"What are they putting in the water out there?" she asked.

"Beats me, but I make sure to filter it before I drink it," I said.

"You keep on doing it," she admonished me. (Pretty sharp, for 88.)

[pbear8]

Not only do they knit but they are allowed to vote.

[kalee]

Where does one find a pattern for a dolphin sweater? Do they come in sizes?

[pbear8]

Read it again, the Navy wants to put the old commie knitters on patrol. ;o)

[kalee]

says the dolphins will know what to do with the sweaters..."Well, I guess the dolphins are so smart, so they can figure it out, if and how and when. I'm just happy to knit for them," Beran said.


I would hate to be related to this woman, it seems her elevator doesn't quite reach the top floor.

[Stoat]

Not only do they knit but they are allowed to vote.

And here in Washington State, their votes count for more than one person thanks to the endless election fraud and corruption of the Left.

[Stoat]

And the photo has ALMOST the usual requisite racial 'balance' that is de rigueur these days. Missing is a black Grandma, but I'm guessing that all of the black Grandmas in the area have far too much common sense to join a bunch of lunatics like this.

Well, I called my Grandma (who taught me to knit at a very early age, and yes, she's black, for those of you on Brainfreeze Island) and told her this story … and she just laughed her head off. She lives by the US Coast Guard station on Cape Cod, so she's familar with cold weather … and the thought of putting sweaters on dolphins absolutely cracked her up.

"What are they putting in the water out there?" she asked.

"Beats me, but I make sure to filter it before I drink it," I said.

"You keep on doing it," she admonished me. (Pretty sharp, for 88.)

Thanks very much for confirming my hypothesis   :-)

She is indeed sharp, and I hope that she will remain an enthusiastic voter for many years to come.

And the photo has ALMOST the usual requisite racial 'balance' that is de rigueur these days. Missing is a black Grandma, but I'm guessing that all of the black Grandmas in the area have far too much common sense to join a bunch of lunatics like this.

Well, I called my Grandma (who taught me to knit at a very early age, and yes, she's black, for those of you on Brainfreeze Island) and told her this story … and she just laughed her head off. She lives by the US Coast Guard station on Cape Cod, so she's familar with cold weather … and the thought of putting sweaters on dolphins absolutely cracked her up.

"What are they putting in the water out there?" she asked.

"Beats me, but I make sure to filter it before I drink it," I said.

"You keep on doing it," she admonished me. (Pretty sharp, for 88.)