Knock(er), Knock(er)!
By Twistie
What, you may well ask, are those?
They are, not to put too fine a point on it, boobies.
Not the natural ones that women grow as they hit the brick wall of puberty, but prosthetic ones. Knitted prosthetic ones. In fact, they are the work of a charity called Knitted Knockers. They knit these… well… knockers, and provide them to women who have had mastectomies.
Why knitted ones? Aren’t there already options for women who have had mastectomies? Aren’t these kind of… silly?
Yes, they are silly. Gloriously silly. Joyfully silly. Silly in a life-affirming and surprisingly practical way. In fact, here are a couple of the advantages as listed on the website:
Knitted prosthetic breasts for mastectomy patients. Sounds silly, doesn’t it? Yet, when placed in a bra, these knitted breasts take the shape and feel of a real breast. They are lighter and more comfortable than silicone prosthetic breasts. The knitted fabric breathes and prevents the heat rash experienced by many women wearing the silicone ones.
They also note that the silicone prosthetics are quite expensive, which means they’re beyond the means of some cancer survivors, and, when covered by insurance, will usually only be available one at a time every couple of years. That means if one gets damaged or destroyed, it’s going to be a long time before another is available.
The site features links to patterns for both knitted and crocheted boobies, as well as information on how to start your own Knitted Knockers group.
Come on, let crafting bring out the breast in you.
April 26th, 2011 at 5:40 pm
What a beautiful way to bring some comfort and joy to those who’ve had cancer knock them around.
April 26th, 2011 at 6:39 pm
My thought, precisely! And you can wear these with a normal bra, too. No spending a lot of money to replace your pretty ones! Because frankly, what I have seen of mastectomy bras is a lot of purely practical choices and not nearly enough lace, glam, or color. I feel good when I wear pretty underthings. It’s hard enough to find them while fat. I hate that cancer can take that away from a person, too.