A brief recap … In 2019 I facilitated the Blanket Statement Project at the Computer Science Teachers Annual conference in Phoenix, Arizona. In July.

Blanket Statement facilitates productive fidgeting during conference sessions by providing materials for knitting and crocheting. Participants create pieces that are roughly 7 X 9 inches. The blocks are then assembled into one or more blankets and donated to the NYC chapter of Project Linus. Project Linus, in turn, gives the blankets to children going through crisis situations.

The 2019 CSTA conference was my first time trying this at a sizable conference – I think it was roughly 700 attendees.

While it got off to a slow start, by the end we had collected enough blocks to make a large blanket – 49 pieces.

Now I remind you that the year was 2019. Blanket Statement had a promise from both the hosting vendor and the conference that we could do it again at the next conference.

It was 2019.

Fast forward through a couple of years of virtual conferences and losing my vendor host. I’ve gone back to tagging along with my husband as he attends the conferences and I tour the host city.

At the 2025 conference in Cleveland, Ohio My husband gets chatting with another vendor and gets me a new space sponsor (all materials are funded and provided by me).

And now it is July 2026, the conference is in New Orleans, Louisiana and Blanket Statement is back!

Our booth space was donated by and shared with the wonderful folks at Pickcode.io . Pickcode is an IDE that is entirely AI-free and targeted to high school educators. They pledge no AI ever.

The booth was right near an entrance and Pickcode.io had an extra table for me.

Assisting in my endeavors were my husband, Mike Zamansky and good friend Lauren Bricker. Mike helped explain and steer people to the booth and Lauren, so much more outgoing than I am, roped folks in and taught crocheting – both of them doing this in between attending conference sessions.

A little prepublicity had us going before the vendor hall even opened, with one of the speakers coming by to grab some supplies before her session.

Once the hall opened, folks came by in small but frequent rushes, a good thing since I was frequently alone while Mike and Lauren were actually confernceing. Or rather, sort of alone.

Since I was at the Pickcode.io booth I always had the company of Charlie and Colin who were incredibly good natured every time someone asked them about knitting or about how knitting and their IDE were linked. (The answer, they are not linked but we are trying to think of a way to do so.)

So, on the first day from 12:00 to 7:00PM our booth had a steady stream and we went through almost all of the yarn that I had brought down from my hotel room.

Mike kept me fed and periodically checked in on me throughout the day.

Day two was just as busy. Blocks came in and more yarn went out. By midday we were out of crochet hooks and I was steadily topping up the yarn basket. There were small periods of inactivity during which I took the time to hide the ends of the returned blocks and started clipping them together to give a sense of how the blanket would look. Towards the end of the day we had a revelation, we should be hanging the blocks on the drape behind the booth!

We thought about and discarded several ideas and finally settled on using the hotel’s skirt hangers.

Sneaking the hangers out of our room the next day, we got to work hanging it up. The hanger hook was rotated 90 degrees to hook over the divider between the booths and then the clipped together blocks were clipped to the hangers. It wasn’t the prettiest display but it did the job.

Interest in the project spiked again and I taught several people how to knit during the final hours of the conference and distributed some of the returned crochet hooks to new participants. Completed blocks poured in and we hit the 49 needed for a full blanket by mid-day.

During the final hours of the conference more blocks came in, more inquiries were made and supplies were returned.

The final total of completed blocks was 70! Two blankets are now complete and my Project Linus chapter has been contacted for pick up.

Over the course of two and a half days 70 blocks were knit and crocheted by at least 34 people.

We started the conference with 32 crochet hooks and 76 pairs of knitting needles and ended with 17 crochet hooks and 63 pairs of knitting needles. 180 balls of yarn were available and 62 remain. The blankets were joined using the bits of yarn left over from individual blocks as well as some of the balls.

A few of the blocks had to be adjusted for size – mainly adding to square blocks to make them rectangular.

Thoughts going forward:

• More prepublicity would get things flowing even faster. -
• Folks could bring premade blocks so that additional blankets could be assembled.
• More crochet hooks! There were several points in which every hook was in use and some folks had brought their own.
• Start the blanket hanging from the back drop as soon as there are 4 or more complete blocks.
• Persuade other conference participants to help with instruction.
• Increase the size of the yarn balls to accommodate the greater needs of the crocheters
• Put instructions for crochet on the ball band (really just the size)
• Print the ball bands in two different colors, one with Knit instructions, one with crochet.
• Have twice as many balls of the multicolor yarn as for all other colors combined.
• Ask folks to bring back left over yarn for joining or for folks who want to make multicolor blocks.

Materials Needed

• Yarn: 1 ball worsted weight (medium #4) acrylic yarn.
• Needles: US Size 8 (5.0 mm) or Size 9 (5.5 mm).
• Ruler: The ruler printed on the ball band, or any standard measuring tape.
• Tapestry Needle: To weave in your yarn ends.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Cast On

Cast on 30 stitches.

Step 2: The Garter Stitch

Every single row is worked in the knit stitch:

1. Insert right needle into the front of the first stitch from left to right.
2. Wrap working yarn counter-clockwise around the right needle.
3. Pull the new loop through and slide the old stitch off the left needle.
4. Repeat across the row!
5. Hint: there are LOTS of videos available!

Step 3: Knit Until 9 Inches

Continue knitting every row until the piece measures 9 inches from your cast-on edge. (Note: 9” x 7” is also fine—direction doesn’t matter!)

Step 4: Bind Off

1. Knit two stitches.
2. Use the left needle to lift the first stitch over the second stitch and off the needle.
3. Knit the next stitch and repeat until one loop remains.
4. Cut the yarn leaving a 6-inch tail, pull through the loop, and tighten.

Ready to Turn In Your Square?

Bring your completed block to the Pickcode booth at the conference, or email us at blanketstatementproject@gmail.com for shipping instructions!

If you’ve ever attended an all-day conference, faculty meeting, or professional development workshop, you know how hard it can be to sit still. Many of us need our hands engaged moving whether it is doodling, taking notes or knitting to keep our minds alert and receptive.

The Conference Dilemma

We’ve all seen attendees staring at their phones during presentations. While some might be taking notes, many are checking email, reading news, or scrolling through feeds — activities that actively compete for cognitive attention and pull focus away from the speaker.

Knitting and crocheting do the exact opposite. Because the hand movements are repetitive and tactile, they satisfy the urge to fidget without drawing brain processing away from the presenter.

Crowdsourcing Comfort

Instead of just knitting for ourselves, Blanket Statement turns every conference hour into something tangible: 7" x 9" knitted or crocheted squares that are joined together into blankets for Project Linus, an organization providing security and comfort blankets to children who are ill, traumatized, or in need.

How You Can Participate

1. Stop by the Pickcode Booth: Grab a ball of yarn and, a set of needles or a crochet hook.
2. Knit or Crochet During Talks: Work on your 7" x 9" block throughout the day.
3. Drop Off & Tag: Bring your completed square back to the booth, fill out a donor tag, and celebrate your contribution!

We are thrilled to embark on this journey with you. Check back on this blog for progress updates, square counts, and helpful crafting tutorials!