120 years
s at Sea
Summer 2018
The Perfect Balance
Knitting is about balance. We’ve all had
those moments when, halfway through
a project, we realize our stitches are too
tight and we’re on the way to producing
a miniature version of our intended FO
(finished object). Or, on the flip side, our
stitches are so loose that our project has no
definition or structure. When we strike that
“just right” balance between the tension
of our stitches and breathing room for
our fiber, it results in a clean and elegant
finished product.
For nonprofits such as SCI, striking a balance
when engaging our friends and supporters is
important too. Too much attention solely on
financial relationships (tight and unyielding
stitches) can create a narrow—and
ultimately unfulfilling—relationship that has
no shared vision. However, concentrating
on the fun elements of the program without
regard to fundraising (“loosey goosey”
stitches), can result in a program that sags
and fails to thrive due to lack of support!
But the right balance between these
elements creates a strong, forward-thinking
and sustainable program that embraces
creativity and fosters long-lasting, mutually-
satisfying relationships.
At Christmas at Sea, we have been blessed
with generations of active stitchers and
supporters. The hand-made items we
receive each week show how committed our
volunteers are to this wonderful program.
One hundred and twenty years after it all
began, we never cease to be amazed by your
generosity with time, talent, and skills. We
humbly accept these labors of love and are
privileged to steward them to the men and
women working on the water. We also want
to make sure you know all the different ways
you can get involved as well as knitting
for us.
Some of you are already active donors to
SCI and the Christmas at Sea program. Your
support has helped this program thrive and
The Seamen’s Church Institute
C h r i m1898-2018
st a
of
VOL UME 1 2 / N UM BER 2
The newsletter of the
Seamen’s Church Institute’s
grow, despite its age! Our heartfelt thanks Christmas at Sea Program
to you.
Every gift counts. Together we can create the
In this Issue
“right” balance, resulting in something that
Joanne’s Letter  2
is both beautiful and strong. Here are some
A Note from Michelle McWilliams  3
ways you can enhance your current support:
Make an annual
Top Picks from Facebook  3
CAS Quiz  4
financial gift Meet Some Seafarers  5
Get in Touch  6
SCI relies on annual gifts to support its
programs serving mariners. Together, all
gifts—large and small—have an impact and
sustain our work. Please consider a financial
gift today. You can make a one-time annual
gift or set up a recurring monthly gift. You
can write a check or pay by credit card.
Whatever your preference, we can work
with you. Your support is vital!
Join th e 1898 Society
This year, we launched the 1898 Society
commemorating the 120th anniversary of
Christmas at Sea. This special legacy society
honors knitters who include SCI in their
estate plans. If you choose to give a legacy
gift to SCI, and once you notify us, we will
enroll you in the 1898 Society. And as an
extra expression of our gratitude you will
receive a commemorative Christmas at Sea
ornament to treasure for years to come!
For more information, or to enroll in the Founded in 1834,
1898 society, email cas@seamenschurch.org.
SCI is a voluntary,
Get oth ers in volved ecumenical agency
No program can continue without growth,
affiliated with the
and here at Christmas at Sea we love to
make friends! So please encourage those Episcopal Church that
you know to get involved with SCI. If they
provides pastoral care,
can’t knit, there are many other ways to get
involved. Please spread the word about CAS, maritime education, and
about SCI, and about the often-overlooked
maritime workforce who keep our economy legal advocacy services
afloat. Thank you! for mariners.
 Letter from Joanne
Christmas at Sea has a new Program Manager! We are delighted to introduce
Joanne Bartosik who has been with us since July, and is settling into her new
role beautifully. So without further ado, we’ll hand over to Joanne herself...
Dear CAS Stitchers, Friends, and Supporters,
As I settle into my new digs at the International Seafarers’ Center in Port
Newark, I consider it a privilege to be afforded the unique opportunity of
steering the helm of Christmas at Sea (CAS). This 120-year-old program is
Joanne Bartosik woven into the fabric of the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI), and I am
Program Manager, Christmas at Sea delighted to be on board. With over 15 years of nonprofit experience, most
recently as Outreach Development and Program Manager for The Church of
Saint Luke in the Fields in Greenwich Village, what I enjoy most is working
with volunteers. Your caring, commitment, and creativity inspire me. I am in
awe of the expertly-crafted hats, scarves, cowls, vests, and socks filling the cubby
Need help? Turn holes on the back wall of my new environs. So much so that I tried my hand at
to your knitting knitting a Seafarer’s Scarf! I plan to work my way through the pattern book and
If you’re active on friends for
Ravelry, join the support. Check
improve my knitting skills with each endeavor.
Christmas at Sea out Christmas at Growing up, everyone in my family had more than one handmade sweater.
group (search for Sea’s Facebook
christmas-at-sea) page to meet
My mother, an expert knitter, first taught me the skill when I was in high
our warm online school. I used to accompany her to the local yarn store when she was about to
community. begin a new project, and she often asked my opinion when selecting colors.
She motivated me to pick up my first set of knitting needles, and I used my
allowance to purchase yarn for my first scarf. I vividly remember the trip to
smschur.ch/cas-youtube
Woolworth’s where I was instantly attracted to multi colored skeins of yarn
in bright, primary colors. I did most of the
work on that scarf by myself, but, I confess,
Looking for a PDF of this newsletter that
you can read on your iPad or email to a my mother added the fringe. It remains
friend? my signature scarf, and to this day, I get
compliments on it!
Download a copy online. I don’t know if my decades old multi-
smschur.ch/knitb4xmas colored, stretched-out scarf had anything to
do with it, but my daughter, Ellesse, decided
she wanted to learn how to knit too. I don’t
remember where we bought the yarn, but I Joanne Bartosik and Michelle McWilliams unpack
do remember exactly when we began that knits for Christmas at Sea.
project…it was her freshman year of high
school. Over ten whole years that poor scarf weathered numerous interruptions,
until finally, happily, just last month, we completed it! (As you can guess, it
Need… Christmas at Sea turned out to be a joint project...) It changed colors and patterns along the
Patterns? 118 Export Street
Port Newark, NJ 07114 way, it’s much too long and wide, and it bears various dropped stitches, but it’s
Tags? Joanne Bartosik, complete, an original, a conversation piece, and a precious shared memory. It
Program Manager makes me smile thinking about passing a skill to my daughter that was given to
Ready
to mail? 973-589-5828 me by my mother.
cas@seamenschurch.org
Let’s knit together and share stories! I would love to hear from you and learn
Summer 2018 about your experiences knitting and/or crocheting, and your connection to
Volume 12 / Number 2 Christmas at Sea. In this issue of The Knit Before Christmas you will find a “get in
Published by the touch” form. I’m hoping you will take a few minutes to complete the form and
Seamen’s Church Institute
send it along with your package so we can get to know each other better. If you
seamenschurch.org
prefer, you are always welcome to give me a call at +1 (973) 589-5828 or email me
The Rev. David M. Rider directly at cas@seamenschurch.org. If there is anything I can do to enhance
President & Executive Director
your experience with this special program, please do not hesitate to let me know.
Editor, Naomi Walker Warm regards,
Design & Production by BlissDesign
This newsletter is printed on recycled paper.

The Knit Before Christmas Summer 2018  • 2 seamenschurch.org


A Note from Michelle McWilliams
Christmas comes
SCI Ship Visitor Michelle knitter myself, I am constantly impressed to a container ship
McWilliams is the creative with the patterns and creativity of our mess room!
drive behind many of the Christmas at Sea knitters. No hat or scarf
beautifully-crafted posts is ever really the same! of knitters I recognized, and continue
on our Christmas at Sea to do so to this day! It’s like knowing
It is always fascinating to see the variety
Facebook page. Once she’s someone without ever meeting them,
of knitted, stitched, and crocheted items
finished her day job of which shows what a unique community
as I open each box, and I especially
visiting ships and supporting Christmas at Sea is.
love to read your stories. Whether you
seafarers, she is often
have a connection to the maritime, a In my role as SCI Ship Visitor, being
to be found in the CAS
seafarer in your family, or you’re carrying able to give out the knits over the
headquarters, unpacking
on the tradition of knitting passed onto Christmas period is very special. I get to
knits, writing thank you cards, and keeping
you by your grandmother—this is the see first-hand how much the seafarers
us up to date with the goodies that come
reason why Christmas at Sea is such appreciate all the hard work and
through our doors. Here, she reflects on
a special program. It provides a truly generosity of our knitters. I am humbled
how her involvement with Christmas at
personal touch! to be a part of the Christmas at Sea team
Sea has opened her eyes to the dedication of
in our Port Newark center.
SCI’s volunteers: I started out unpacking boxes in the
fall of 2013 during an SCI internship
Opening boxes and unpacking knits Not found us on Facebook yet?
as a Ship Visitor. After joining the SCI
from all across the U.S. and further Search for “Christmas at Sea” or type
team again full-time in the fall of 2016,
afield is truly a labor of love. Not being a “facebook.com/christmasatsea” into your
it amazed me how many of the names
browser and follow us to keep up to date
with all the latest knits and news.
Some top picks from Facebook!
[Photo A: Seafarer scarves on washing line]
#Volunteer #ShoutOut #ChristmasAtSea Anchors Aweigh!
Gwynne from CT you have
Wow! We LOVE the care been very busy knitting these
and effort that's gone into 27 hats!
[Photo E: 3 hats in a line]

making these 13 seafarer

scarves, Margie B. from GA! Elsie celebrated her 98th

[Photo B: Hats and scarves against brick wall]

birthday in May!
These are the last batch
What a gorgeous collection, Barbara W. of knits she will be sending
from NJ! Such luminous hues of seafoam in to Christmas at Sea. Our
green Thank you for all the knits heartfelt thanks to you,
you recently sent in: 5 cowls, 4 Oliver’s Elsie, for your many years of
caps, 2 seafarer scarves, 2 mariner scarves, generosity and faithful support—
2 scrappy scarves, 2 mariner beanies, 1 a real labor of love
seafarer hat and a helmet!
[Photo C: pyramid of hats with 120 tags against wall]

Gorgeous
hats in
such cheery
colors! Katherine W. from
NJ, thank you for these six
seafarer hat/scarves sets
[Photo D: anchor made from hats]

The Knit Before Christmas Summer 2018  • 3 seamenschurch.org


 In addition to Christmas at Sea, SCI sends
Chaplains and Ship Welfare Visitors onto vessels
throughout the year to tend to the personal,
practical and spiritual needs of mariners. We
run one of the only free legal aid programs in
the world for seafarers. Our Center for Maritime
Education trains inland mariners so they can
do their jobs more safely and efficiently to the
benefit of the whole inland waterway system.
Our recently-developed suicide intervention
program trains shore-side personnel to help
those at risk of suicide in the crews they manage.
But none of these programs can continue without
financial support.

To learn more, visit our website at

seamenschurch.org. Please use
the enclosed envelope or visit
smschur.ch/scidonate to make your
donation today.

Christmas at Sea TRUE or FALSE Quiz

True or False: Since most seafarers and
mariners are men, only dark, masculine
colors are accepted and distributed. Bright
colors also pose a security threat.
FALSE! While most of the maritime
workforce is male, we find that seafarers
and mariners love bright colors as well
as the more traditional color palette.
Our only recommendation is to stay
away from pastels, as those light, delicate
colors show too much dirt and grime.
Save those hues for the babies!
Bright colors do not pose a security
threat. In fact, required safety gear is
usually fluorescent!
True or False: Embellishments are
encouraged on Christmas at Sea knits—
it is festive after all.
FALSE! While we encourage creativity
(stripes, bold colors, maybe even a little
Fair Isle or color work), we cannot
accept items that include tassels,
pompoms, braids, fringes, or are too
long. These types of variations pose a
safety hazard and if we cannot remove
the element, we will donate that piece
to another charity. Keep in mind, there
are lots of heads and necks to warm on
the open waters and we want to gift
every single item to one of the seafarers
or mariners we serve, so please follow the
essence of our patterns if you are using a
different one.
True or False: All types of fiber
are welcome.
TRUE! Please knit with the fiber
that makes you happy and you have
available. You may use wool, washable
wool, wool blends, or acrylics—
again knit with your preference! All
are acceptable. If you are knitting
with wool or something special like
cashmere, we recommend that you
attach a tag or note so that the recipient
knows not to put it in the dryer. All
patterns have a recommended yarn
weight and gauge (one caveat: fun fur is
not really appropriate for this program!)
True or False: Christmas at Sea patterns
must be followed exactly or they can’t
be used.
FALSE!
Our patterns are designed to
complement the work and safety gear
seafarers and mariners wear on board
their vessel (as well as look great when
not in jumpsuits, safety vests, and hard
hats)! While we encourage you to
use our carefully-crafted patterns, as
long as your knit meets our guideline
standards, we don’t mind if you have a
preferred method of decreasing, want to
incorporate a decorative pattern, or use
your favorite cast-on. We evaluate every
piece that is delivered to make sure it
is appropriate.
All our Christmas at Sea patterns
are available on our website and
are free to use and distribute.
Visit seamenschurch.org/
christmas-at-sea

The Knit Before Christmas Summer 2018  • 4 seamenschurch.org


Meet Some Seafarers 2nd Officer Chernov

2nd Officer Chernov

hails from the south
of Ukraine. Recently
he shared the story of
the birth of his son,
Yaroslav, with SCI
Ship Welfare Visitor
Cora Koehler….
Just over two years
ago, his vessel was
calling at the Port
of Hong Kong. The
night before the ship
docked, Chernov
couldn’t sleep as his
instinct was telling
Cora Koehler (L) with him that his baby
seafarer Joeffrey (R). was on the way! Chernov was cleared for departure from the vessel
and arrived home in Ukraine the next day. His wife, Jekaterina, was
overwhelmed with his timely arrival—just hours later the family of two
An unforgettable shore leave! During her first
left for the hospital and soon became a family of three! Chernov’s face
day as a full-time Ship Welfare Visitor with
lit up recalling these events and as he shared what it was like to be the
SCI, Cora Koehler recently met seafarer
father of a two year old while at sea.
Joeffrey. He met her at the gangway
bursting with joy, and it wasn’t long before
he explained that he was due to see his
sister for the first time in TEN YEARS!
June is a special month for
Once Joeffrey became a seafarer, his sister first time Deck Cadet Pavel:
moved from the Philippines to the U.S. not only was it his 20th
For ten years they were never in the same birthday, but SCI Chaplain
country at the same time, until now! James Kollin was also able to
Joeffrey was also about to meet his three wish him a belated “Happy
nephews for the first time. Together they International Day of the
coordinated a time for him to come to the Seafarer” and give him an
center to meet his sister. Joeffrey expressed SCI cap while his ship was
his sincere gratitude to SCI for helping docked at Port Newark!
coordinate this very special meeting. Loaded with scrap metals, his
vessel departed Port Newark
bound for Egypt a few hours
after James met with him.

Joeffrey’s sister and brother-in-law, with the

two nephews he met for the first time, enjoy a Deck Cadet Pavel
reunion meal with him!

The Knit Before Christmas Summer 2018  • 5 seamenschurch.org

CHRISTMAS AT SEA
NONPROFIT ORG.

SCI
The Seamen’s Church Institute U.S. POSTAGE
118 Export Street
Port Newark, NJ 07114 PAID
PERMIT #99
NEW HAVEN, CT

seamenschurch.org
Get in Touch!
Whether it’s restocking on tags, sending in knits, or just letting us know
more about YOU, please use the form below to contact us!
For this year only, we have a new tag commemorating 120 years of Christmas at Sea! You can
120 years
s at Sea
C h r i m1898-2018
st a of
still use any of our standard tags, but if you would like the special anniversary edition just fill
in your details below. It can be used with ANY Christmas at Sea project (even in years to come!)
Here at Christmas at Sea we try to acknowledge every single package that comes to us, but sometimes the return name/address is
rendered illegible after a package has gone through the mail. Here’s a simple way to make sure we know exactly who you are:

NAME

I would be interested in coming to SCI’s International Seafarers’

ADDRESS
Center at Port Newark, NJ to help pack gifts for seafarers

✁
CITY STATE ZIP (Fall 2018)
EMAIL I would like a Christmas at Sea representative to give a
presentation to my group, in person or over Skype

My address has changed 

In our anniversary year, we’d love to find out more
I am sending on behalf of a group.  Yes  No
GROUP NAME:
about our knitters!
Please write to us or email your story to cas@seamenschurch.
GROUP ADDRESS
org. We’d love you to send a photo too! Some questions you
GROUP CITY STATE ZIP might want to consider are:

• Do you have a maritime connection?

Please send me _________ 120th Anniversary tags
[# of tags] • How long have you been knitting for Christmas at Sea?
Please help us keep our records up to date! If you no longer • Who taught you to knit?
wish to receive the Knit Before Christmas, check here
• What project are you most proud of?
This package includes (please enter amounts):
• What’s your favorite Christmas at Sea project?
Hats Scarves Vests
• Who introduced you to Christmas at Sea?
Cowls Ditty Bags Slippers
• What has been your biggest knitting flop?!
Socks Toiletries (no need to count)

The Knit Before Christmas Summer 2018  • 6 seamenschurch.org