Dana's Edit
Let’s Go Liberty
Here’s what I love about knitting: it brings people together.
Over the past two years, Kay and I have bonded over our mutual love for the New York Liberty, our favorite WNBA team.
Don’t get me wrong, I also root for my home team, the Washington Mystics, but the New York Liberty have my heart. There’s so much to love about them. In addition to the players, we have the best mascot in history: Ellie the Elephant.
After last season ended, Kay invited me and some friends to come up for a game—that day finally came in August. I decided beforehand that if I was going to go, I needed to knit something special. Enter my New York LiberTee.
If you remember my London destination tee, I used the same concept to create something special for my first Liberty home game at the Barclays Center. I used a mix of Juniper Moon Farms Zooey and Summer Solstice in the Liberty’s signature seafoam green and black. This time I used the Strange Brew pattern by Tin Can Knits to create the actual sweater.
I was working in sport weight so this project took me about six weeks from start to finish.
For the motifs, I used a mix of Doodle Decks charts (the sports pack was helpful) and Andrea Rangel’s Knitovation. I also created some of my own charts using Chart Minder. In the end I went with the following: torches, “Liberty” with a subway tile look, basketball hoops, basketballs, the Brooklyn Bridge, elephants for Ellie, “Cloud 9” for my favorite player Natasha Cloud, and “Stew York” (upside down on purpose) for the team’s leader, Breanna Stewart.
Kay and I grabbed dinner before the game. A woman walked into the restaurant, stopped, and stared at me, then finally asked if I made my sweater. I was stopped on the street on our way to Barclays, while I was in line to buy Liberty merch, when I went to the bathroom, on my way to my seats—let’s just say the Liberty fans were fans.
Kay even made a sign that said “she made the sweater” in case I ended up on the Jumbotron (I did not). It was so fun because Liberty fans celebrated in the joy of a sweater all about our team!
My only regret—I didn’t get a pic with Ellie the Elephant when she came close to our section. That aside, it was still a great way to enjoy a home game with good friends.
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You designed and knit a truly awesome sweater!!! So inspiring!!! Thank you for including us with your words and photos!!!
Fabulous! You are so creative and fun!
Amazing fan dedication to the fun in knitting! Kudos. I hear the cheering…
Perfect! You show us the joy of going the extra mile!
This post made me so happy – and so inspired!!! I am a woman “of a certain age”, i. e. A pre-Title 9 baby. So, participating in sports was not part of my life. But I have always been a huge basketball fan. When the WNBA was birthed, I was all in! I am in awe of the talent and strength of these women.
This sweater is an inspiration – not to mention way more flattering than the team T-shirts one can buy.
I might just have to try my hand at making my own. Maybe one for each team! Oh, I can’t wait for the reveal of the new Cleveland team name and logo!
Let your joy be uncontained!
I wondered if Kay’s prediction would come true that the Liberty fans would be all over your sweater (tho’ the Brits were quiet about your London sweater) –and it did! Of course it did. So fun.
You are filled with talent and FUN!
LIBERTY BIBERTY 4EVER!
The sign did come in handy…
What a night, what a team, what a knitter.
Thank you, Kay and Ann for bringing us Dana.
She always adds joy and enthusiasm to my day.
In fact, I bought my first Doodle Deck yesterday to make hats for 2 sports enthusiasts. No doubt they will be a hit on the playground.
NOOO!
Kay you cannot…
CAN NOT
drop that little truth bomb without telling us the story BEHIND it!
C’mon now! Deets please!!!
LOL!
I saw a picture of your sweater on Ravelry yesterday and nearly swooned with delight! How hope you’ll get to go to another game and get a photo with Ellie! As for me, maybe I’ll be inspired to design a sweater in honor of the University of Maryland women’s team. (Go Terps!)
Pretty sure Dana will be back to Barclays again to see Big Ellie and the Liberty! We have to get her Brooklyn-born husband there too, he loves the W and the Liberty and the borough of his birth….
Maybe by then I’ll have my own seafoam handknit!
Dear Dana and Kay—these images of beautiful knitting, and of a meaningful friendship signal LIBERTY in its broadest meaning, something we need to affirm right now! Thank you!
That is so cool! Your sweater is beautiful. I love it and you look like you had a fantastic time. I need to make one for my sister, she is a Ravens fan. We are originally from Baltimore. I have the Doodles book I could use. I love all your sweaters, can’t wait to see the next one!
Ravens will be such a cool colorwork motif!
Don’t you love it when people come up and ask if you knit something? O,the joyous
Well I loved it and they weren’t even asking ME.
You are such a joy. I love that sweater, no wonder people came up and asked about that sweater.
Love this!! So cool!
This is so awesome!!! Love everything about this story. Dana, you are so talented with your designs and also so wonderful for spreading so much joy!
So, so fun and cool!!!
Your columns are so much fun to read! You always seem to be happy. I love the sweater and how you created it just for your favorite team. You are amazing!
Dallas Wings fan here! You have inspired me to design a sweater with our darling Pegasus, Lightning, and related designs! The season is nearly over so I have all winter! Such a great idea!
Knitters, welcome to the W!
Pennie! I didn’t know you were a W fan! How lucky are you Texans to have Paige! How tragic to lose Dijonai to the Lynx! We have to plan for some games next year, a virtual watch-together if nothing else. But let’s have the goal of in-person so we can scream our heads off!
Love it, love it, LOVE IT,
What a big smile these pics brought to my face! Thanks Dana and Kay,
Holy this is awesome!!!!
Agree 100%. Love: the Liberty, Ellie, my home team Lynx, and you, Dana!! I am sorry the Liberty lost but GS Valkyries are a favorite too. What’s not to like about B1G alum Kate Martin?
Justine
My fam and I are making pre-plans to go to Balhalla next year…it seems like the place to be! And in their first year already!
Love everything about this! And you knew NY fans wouldn’t be quiet about the sweater!
Sometimes New Yorkers’ inability to mind their own business is fun! Sometimes!
The jumbotron really missed the mark that day! What were they thinking?????
So much fun in one post! It’s a terrific sweater and it looks like it was a great evening – thank you for sharing.
Love the pictures, especially with you and Kay smiling!! So glad that the WNBA is so popular!! Go Mystics!!
Love your ability to create sweaters for yourself and your dog sweaters are priceless also!!
Happy Knitting!!
OMG is that Erin Jackson, the comedian, sitting between Dana and Kay? I LOVE her!
DEEPA CAN YOU IMAGINE! Erin is a Liberty fan and Dana’s friend and she is so fun.
The Grudgery! The U-Haul guy! I just think of either of those two stories and start giggling, but every bit is pure gold.
Agree! I did a truly comical double-take when I saw the photos. Her expressions take me down every time, and I concur that those two stories are ones I can rewatch in perpetuity.
MDKers, if you don’t know Erin yet, find her online!
I LOVE it! Thanks for sharing!
Fabulous!!!!
I love knitting!
Fabulous sweater Dana. So fun and inventive. Happy that you and Kay finally got your “W” date.
However, I feel the gauntlet has been thrown. Being a loyal Valkryies fan I have been plotting knitted swag to show my team’s colors. I don’t think I will reach the heights you have achieved, but hope to show off my Violet and Black soon.
p.s. Sorry, not sorry, about the game last night. The Valks were fighting for their playoff lives.
I think Dana and I both love the Valks; you have our KT after all! And your lil eagle or whatever she is is so stinkin’ cute! Ellie’s baby bird sister.
The Liberty are under some kind of powerful doom spell right now. Still rooting for them with every fiber of my being of course! One thing I love about the W is that anybody can beat anybody on any given night. They’re all so good.
First, sorry for my double post, weird stuff happening on my computer end. Thanks for being so gracious about the Valks. We have so many great players, like your KT. VB was my fav from the start and so exciting to see her thrive with us. Cheers to the W and all the good players and teams.
Dana, you look so good in that hat!! That had to be an amazing event! What a fun night was had by all!
Gawjus! I love the colors, love the motifs, love the JOY!
Dont forget Nyara Sabaly and Sabrina Ionescu – proud University of Oregon alums. We love them here in Eugene
They are adored in New York, and very well cared for ducks!
Articles like this are the reason I joined the MDK Society. I love Dana so much!
Fabulous and Inspiring Dana. The Liberty are lucky to have you as a fan, and we are lucky to experience your creative projects. Happy to hear that you and Kay were finally able to connect on that Liberty game.
I have to tell you however, there will be competition. We Valkyrie fans will not stand by with our needles quiet. Projects are already on the drawing board, not nearly as grand as yours of course, but there will be competition.
Also, sorry, not sorry about the game last night. The Valks are fighting for their playoff lives and history. Go Violet and Black!
Love these posts
Still smiling-I’ll keep all for a picker upper on a down day.
I’ll a beginner knitter and doubt I’ll ever get to Dana’s level….
what a great collision of love of basketball, a wonderful game, and an incredible sweater bringing joy to many!