Educate the Children of this World, one Stitch at a Time!

About our Name:

When SiriKind founder Iris was six years old, she had a best friend named Ulrike. Ulrike was called Uli and Uli felt that Iris should have a nickname too. Not much can be done to shorten Iris, and so Uli started calling Iris Siri, which is Iris backwards. "Siri" still reminds Iris of her childhood in Germany, and "Kind" is the German word for child (as in "kindergarden"). Thus our name: SiriKind.

The photo on the right shows Uli (left) and "Siri" (right)  ca. 1966.

About Iris:

In her "other life", Iris is a plant biologist. While passionate about her science and her students, Iris knows that there are two sides to each brain, and that using only one will in the long run not lead to a balanced life. Growing up in Germany, Iris learned how to knit and crochet in elementary school, and knitted all the way through high school and college. Then followed a long knitting break, changing continents and getting her science career off the ground. Now, knitting and related activities such as making handspun yarn and dyeing wool with plant dyes are once again firmly established in Iris' life. 

About our Philosophy:

We believe that people, and especially children should be surrounded by objects of high quality and lasting value. We believe that natural materials are not only healthy but also have an inherent beauty that is instinctively obvious to most people. Unfortunately, we now live in a society that is flooded with "cheap" disposable materials and objects, not worth to be cared for, not worth to be repaired or mended when damaged, but easily discarded and replaced. 

We wish to counteract this trend. Our kits use only high-quality, natural yarns from plants or animals, such as wool, alpaca, cotton, and silk.  As a knitter, we do not have to convince you of the value of high-quality, hand-made objects. Let us help you to instill some of the same sense of lasting value you derive from your own work in the children you love.

The girl in the photo on the right is Iris' mother Anita ca. 1932. In 1932, dolls were made from porcelain, and Anita still remembers how careful she always was not to drop her doll, knowing that she would break. 

About our Donations:

SiriKind is not designed to become a commercial enterprise. We feel strongly about our goals and about "connecting good with good" in unique ways. We have taken our time and done our research before deciding that we want to support the Room to Grow program of Room to Read with the proceeds of SiriKind. 

SiriKind feels strongly about girls' education, especially in developing countries around the world. We like the approach Room to Read takes in its several programs and we like its highly accountable business model. As we gain more experience with SiriKind, we are planning to shift our profit to more organizations like Room to Read, with the goal to ultimately retain only our cost and a minimal overhead. 

SiriKind is dedicated to Anita.