Fat Joey Knitwear on About.com!

Knitting for Kitties
By Alissa Wolf, About.com Guide
See More About:
animal charities
cats
knitting
The late, great Fat Joey was the inspiration for a knitting business that benefits pets.Photo courtesy of Jill Holland

Meet Jill Holland, Who Purls for Pets:
The first time I met Jill Holland she was knitting…and knitting, and knitting, and knitting.
I first became acquainted with Jill in New York in the spring of 2011 when we were both working at a convention hosted by a suburban Philadelphia ad agency for which I perform freelance copy writing.
Whenever I’d venture into the break room of the hotel where we were working, I’d invariably find Jill there, merrily knitting up a storm.
During the course of a conversation, I learned that Jill is the first-time mom to baby Isabelle; a part-time actress and entertainer, and shares my passion for pets.
When I informed her that I was the Pet Shops Lady for About.com. her eyes lit up; she reached for her cell phone and began proudly showing me pictures of her three kitties. I soon learned of her one great four-legged love.
A Fat Kitty Inspires a Charitable Knitting Business
Jill then produced a business card that read “Fat Joey Knitwear – Warm as a Kitten,” bearing a headshot of a rather cynical looking kitty with a white face and unique gray triangular marking on his nose. He had a mildly annoyed expression on his furry mug that seemed to say, “What are you looking at?!”
Jill wistfully informed me that Joey, the kitty love of her life, had passed on some three years earlier.
She ultimately channeled her grief and her growing love of knitting into a small business through which she donates proceeds from her handiwork to animal causes.
I’ll let her tell how this came about.
The Tale of Betsy Ross and Joey the Kitty
“I learned to knit when I was working as a first person historic interpreter for Historic Philadelphia, Inc.,” Jill revealed. “I wanted to learn a craft that would be appropriate to the 18th century and still allow me to make eye contact with people when we talked.”
“One of my fellow interpreters generously taught me the basics and I quickly became obsessed with knitting, purling, ripping and casting on. Eventually, I portrayed Betsy Ross at the Betsy Ross house in Philadelphia and as my knitting (and spinning) skills grew, so did my fascination with all things wooly.”
Knitting for a Cause - PAWS
“Down the street from the Betsy Ross house is the home of one of my other passions, the [Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society] PAWS Animal Shelter. After my Betsy shift was over, I'd go down there and volunteer, giving kittens flea baths, walking and socializing pit bulls, administering meds, sweeping floors and collecting scratches - ouch! Always, I enjoyed the company of the cheerful, dedicated staff and fabulous furry residents.”
“Fat Joey Knit Wear (warm as a kitten) was created to honor the memory of the late, great Fat Joey. Joey (who was really only ever big-boned) was a foundling rescued from the mean streets of Philadelphia and my constant companion for 12 years. It broke my heart when he passed away three years ago.”
"I thought the best way to remember Joe would be to help other critters have food, medical attention and, eventually, loving homes. Therefore a portion from every sale of FJKW goes to either the Paws shelter in Philadelphia, or City Kitties in West Philly. Sometimes it's 10 percent; sometimes it's a 100 percent! I was thrilled when I first realized my knits would sell and deeply grateful to be able to help the kitties, even in a small way.”
Fat Joey Knitwear made its debut at a craft show held in the Betsy Ross courtyard. Although Jill didn’t have high expectations, she was thrilled when she sold out almost all of her goods that day.
“The PAWS shelter received a nice donation in honor of Joey and we've continued to send goodies to them and City Kitties in West Philly,” she said. “Every year, FJKW donates several scarves to the City Kitties Art Auction. We've also added a blog: The Incredible True Life Adventures of Jill, Dave and Fat Joey and an Etsy store. Fat Joey Knitwear is currently on sale at Sanctuary in Philadelphia.”
“Donating to these shelters helped ease the pain of Joey's passing. We've also adopted three more kitties over the years - Maggie, from PAWS and Sammi and Jake from City Kitties. All three conspire to steal and destroy my knitting, and all three are wonderful, spirited companions.”
I’m sure the kitties of the world would agree that you are also wonderful, Jill.
On their behalf, I wish you continued luck with your knitting for kitties. I am certain there is a special place in heaven for people like you!
(For more information about Fat Joey Knitwear, visit the Etsy online boutique.)

Vote Early and Often!

Everyone's favorite 3-legged therapy dog, Festus, has been nominated for the Hero Dog Awards, sponsored by the American Humane Association. Please vote for him! It's free and easy. Just go to this link to vote for Festus: http://www.herodogawards.org/view-entries.html#view/359/204689Once you're on the page, just scroll down and you'll see Festus' picture and you can click 'Vote' on the right. For every vote cast, Cesar dog food will donate money to the AHA, a worthy cause. So vote for Festus and help the AHA!Vote every 24 hours!

Racing past milestones

For those of you who are just tuning in, Izzy's got tons of new tricks! Lately she seems to be racing past milestones, leaving her Dady and me breathless. It's amazing how much she's changed from the tiny little bundle we brought home from the hospital. She's so much more like a toddler than a baby now. And while we delight in each of her accomplishments, there's a part of me that's already whimpering, "not yet! not yet! Stay my sweet, cuddly bundle for just a little longer!" No chance, Mommy!

This week we saw Izzy passing her toy from one hand back to the other, place her head deliberately down on her Daddy's chest for a snuggle (instead of just letting it flop) and Dave thinks she turned over from her back to her front, although as he wasn't watching at the time we can't confirm this and are watching closely for further developments!