I deeply love my grandmother, Betty Jane (see 1st picture below) and in the last decade of her life, I felt her loneliness and isolation. She was an avid knitter who taught me to sew and knit, and her love and legacy are a core inspiration for this project, along with my concern for other isolated elders.

Our elders, many tucked away in assisted living facilities, are an under-recognized source of craftsmanship and care. Involving them in the creation of our ponchos fosters connection and allows each piece to be made with love, prayer, and purpose. They are paid a stipend for each poncho they help create.

Carrie Mae Rose: I love crochet. I don't like counting (other than the first row!) It regulates my nervous system as an active meditation while I create beauty.

*Fun fact... there are no crochet machines to replicate the hand-stitch of crochet. There are knitting machines galore!

1980 Carrie Mae Rose learned to knit with her mom, Jean, and her grandma, Betty.

2004-2005 Carrie Mae Rose interned & worked for a wearable clothing designer, Latifa Medjdoub, in San Francisco who made garments from knitted & then felted merino wool.

2006-2007 Carrie Mae Rose designed a series of felted slippers.

2015 CMR did an 11 day water fast that re-ignited her love for crochet. It helped soothe her nervous system and has become a regular part of her meditative rest /reset.

2016 CMR met with Vicky Young [her Prescott College advisor from 2000-2002] and Vicky mentioned her mother generating so much knit wear that she had to donate them to the thrift store.

2018 CMR had a studio week immersion where she read about Liza Lou moving to South Africa to work with beadwork ladies and a project in prison where she helped women learn a skill to make clay beads.

2018 CMR had visions for Prayer Ponchos and Wall of Love [to honor departed loved ones] and half-day community crochet gatherings.

2019-2024 CMR purchased Merino Wool on Ebay and Farmers Markets and made 25-30 sample ponchos and wraps for final design. Testing size wool and crochet hook size.

2023 CMR moves to Santa Fe, NM and feels grounded and home in the landscape and community!

2025 CMR did pop-up art walk on Canyon Road and gets an intro to Chule's Wool Blankets who then donates hundreds of spools of wool to Prayer Poncho.

2026 Prayer Poncho now has upcycled wool and is developing under SKYSISTER Foundation, an umbrella that weaves together: fine art, ponchos and workshops.

A melding of the love from Grandma Betty, Liza Lou projects and reflecting on Vicky's mother and feeling the loneliness and isolation of so many other elders.. CMR had the clear thought: Our elders can be part of an untapped resource of crocheters who we could bring connection to and they can help production and assemble the ponchos we wear imbued with their love and prayers.. a win/win for all. During reflection and meditation in 2018, Prayer Poncho vision was born. The Wall of Love [to honor departed loved ones] and the Half-Day-Crochet events [more on this] are also created as part of the creative flow. CMR bought much bulk merino wool from ebay and began making sample sizes and dying the raw wool into natural shades. Sadly, PP was not launched before or during the pandemic (although it would have been so perfect) CMR was on the move, nomadic and not settled enough to launch and share yet. In 2025, CMR is offered an immense amount of *free* upcycled wool from Chule's Wool Blankets and travels to LA to collect wool in 15' uhaul truck. Now with enough wool for thousands of Prayer Ponchos.. we are preparing for a formal launch in May 2026!

Love this NYT ARTICLE - Thick, woolly and oversize knitwear has for some become a form of soft armor. [Apologies!! This article is behind a paywall if you do not have a subscription to NYT -- contact us below to read it.]

Learn Prayer Ponchos favortite half-double crochet stitch from a video here.