Imagine a world where people could choose whether or not they have nipples.
This may sound like a bizarre subject to many people, but for breast cancer survivors who have undergone mastectomies and other surgeries to their breasts, this choice is a liberating relief.
Knitters and crocheters in Albuquerque can now join the cause to offer this choice by joining the newly formed Knitted Knockers volunteer group at The Yarn Store at Nob Hill.
Knitted Knockers is a national organization based in Bellingham, Washington that strives to provide free and accessible knitted breast prosthesis, called knitted knockers, to breast cancer survivors.
They are offered to women who have declined or are waiting for reconstructive surgery. They are also solutions for women who have had lumpectomies or radiation, which can shrink the breasts.
Sarah Kirkish, the coordinator of the new volunteer group, said knockers are also a good alternative for women who find silicon breast prosthetics too expensive, inconvenient and uncomfortable.
“We’re really striving for usability, comfort and ‘washability,’” Kirkish said.
The brochures containing the patterns used at group meetings describe the knockers as “soft, lightweight and huggable.”
The adjustable knitted prosthetic are available free for anyone who requests them and yes, the nipple is optional.
Kirkish said she has encountered many women who were thrilled with the choices offered when receiving knockers.
“There was one lady at a county fair… and she was like, ‘oh honey, I want one with the nipple because I haven’t had a nipple in 15 years,’” Kirkish said. “She took it right there and just put it straight into her bra.”
Barbara Demorest, a breast cancer survivor who discovered knitted knockers when her doctor recommended them, founded Knitted Knockers.
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On the organization’s website, knittedknockers.org, Demorest wrote she felt embarrassed and self-conscious after her mastectomy and was devastated to discover she would have to wait six weeks for any kind of surgery or silicon prosthetics.
Then, her doctor showed her a picture of a knitted knocker, and she asked her “super knitter” friend Phyllis to make them for her.
“That Sunday I stuck a sock in my bra and wore a jacket and ventured out to church. Phyllis delivered two beautiful knockers to me in a Victoria’s Secret bag,” Demorest wrote. “I took them right into the bathroom stall and stuck one in my bra. It was fabulous. It was light, pretty, soft and fit in my own bra perfectly.”
That moment was the birth of Knitted Knockers. Soon after, Demorest’s doctor and plastic surgeon agreed to hand out knitted knockers to their patients if she provided them to their offices.
Increasing demand and popularity has turned the small volunteer group Demorest started into an international organization that makes and delivers knockers worldwide so every woman can have her own Phyllis.
Volunteers who join the local Knitted Knockers group are encouraged to attend the weekly meetings on Tuesdays from 12:30 to 2 p.m. at the Yarn Store at Nob Hill.
Kirkish said there is no commitment or quota, knitters can just show up and join. Volunteers will have to pay for their own yarn to create the knockers, but the host store is offering discounts on the materials needed to make them for the group.
Tere McDowell, owner of the Yarn Store at Nob Hill, said she has also volunteered her shop as a location for at-home knitters and crocheters to drop off their knitted knockers. They will then be given to Kirkish, who will send them to Bellingham to be stuffed and shipped to women in need.
McDowell also said knitting and crocheting classes are offered for those who want to get involved but don’t yet know how to knit or crochet.
For those who aren’t crafty, Kirkish said the best way people can help is to spread the word about the knitted alternatives.
“There are so many women out there that are going through breast cancer right now that don’t even know about this,” she said. “At some point, we’d like to try to contact local doctors so that we can give them brochures they can pass to their patients.”
Skylar Griego is the culture editor at the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @TDLBooks.
