Labor of Love

If you've been to a meeting you've seen those ladies in green shirts.  They are unpacking bags, setting up stations, checking carriers, greeting you when you walk in the door, and so much more.  They help teach at the stations, they direct the lost where to find help and they stay after you have left in order to clean up, often even vacuuming - because, let's face it, where there are kids there are crumbs.  They do a lot to help the instructors insure the meetings run smoothly and everyone gets the help they need.

But did you know how much more they do in the background, how much time they dedicate to making Babywearing Around Tulsa wonderful?  

 For instance, right now many of our volunteers are working hart to add tags to our lending library carriers.

Sometimes they spend their Saturdays in training sessions.  They help facilitate discussions on the board and help to keep our group on topic.  They accept carrier returns prior to meetings for those who can't make it to the meetings themselves and they often take on the duty of washing carriers as well.

And they do all this as a labor of love.

So take a minute to thank a volunteer.  Maybe not even a volunteer for BWAT, but a volunteer for an organization that has benefited you in some way.  Show your appreciation for their hard work.  A kind word can make the "work" joyful.

Thank you, Volunteers, for all that you do for BWAT.





Somer Johnson is a Babywearing enthusiast and Momma to Bitsy and Squeaker, two bundles of energy. She is a Babywearing Institute Certified Babywearing Educator.  She is also addicted to cloth diapers and makes and sells wool dryer balls as SomerKnits. Occasionally she also carves out some time to knit, spin or weave - her main pre-baby passions.

Middle Markers

mid·dle mark·er [mid-l mahr-ker] noun

1. something used as a mark or indication, as a bookmark, of equally distant from the extremes or outer limits; central: the middle point of a line*

As you can see the middle marker indicates the relative middle of the woven.  If measured from end to end this will be off slightly due to the tapers.  Also, it is not uncommon for the middle marker to be off by several inches/centimeters or even by several feet/decimeters.  This is especially true in a woven that has been chopped into a shorter wrap.  It's also possible for one rail to measure slightly longer than the other. 

There are many styles of middle markers, even the absence of one!  Some are tags with logos, product information, etc.  Others can be a change in weft color, weaving change, or textured/raised threads.  If shopping on the swaps you may even run across ones that have been drawn on with permanent marker. 

Even if your middle marker is not true to the middle of the woven, it is still a great indication of a starting place that is easy to locate in the middle of the night.  Below are some examples of middle markers:

 

No middle marker (not even a trace of an old one) on Didymos Moritz 

 

Single product information middle marker on Colimacon et Cie Miel et Malice Natural Low Water Immersion dyed by OffyCloth

Logo middle markers on each rail of a Little Frog Linen Agat Natur

Multiple weft color change to indicate middle in a Bristol Looms woven

Textured (Tactile) middle marker on both rails of an Uppymama

 

Blessing thread middle marker on a Farideh woven

Weave change middle marker

 

 

*References definitions through dictionary.com

C.J. North is a Babywearing Institute Scholar who is also a certified elementary teacher.  She stays home with her three kids; 6yo stepson, 2.5yo son, and 6mo daughter.  C.J. has a love/hate relationship with cloth diapers and is crunchier than she ever thought she would be.  She also manages the allergy and special needs of her family, while being overly addicted to research.

 

 

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