Introducing the "Plant-based Project"

And finally, it's a reality. Last year I started designing a collection of wraps including a shawl, shawlette, scarf, cowl, and sweater using plant-based fibers. While wool holds a special place in my heart, I must admit that linen is one of the most incredible fibers on this planet.

Linen comes from the plant, Linum usitatissimum commonly called flax. This little plant can be used as food, fabric, fuel...the list goes on. I'll be posting more about the production of linen and it's multi-faceted uses in the future. For now, I simply want to bring an awareness that linen has played an important role in our evolution and deserves great respect. Often we view linen as a rough fabric that wrinkles or a rigid and stiff yarn that is difficult to knit with. Au contraire, this fiber is magic, maybe a little bit of a diamond in the rough. With time it really does soften and provides the most elegant knitted fabric that drapes like a dream. You just need to know what it can and can't do...no complicated stitch patterns. It's a minimalist's dream fiber.

By Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen - List of Koehler Images, Public Domain

Each of the patterns in the collection uses a yarn that is either 100% plant based (e.g. Little Pebble) or a plant-fiber blend (e.g. Bee Kind). The patterns will be released between mid-July through September culminating with the perfect fall sweater made of organic cotton and merino wool for that transitional time of year. You will have the opportunity to purchase them on Ravelry individually or as a set and they will be automatically sent to you as they are published.

There will be GIVE-AWAYS! Universal Yarn Company and Shibui Knits have generously provided yarn to promote the PLANT-BASED PROJECT. As an added bonus there will be some information posted on the blog about the benefits of eating a plant-based diet plus a few recipes here and there. Stay tuned for eligibility regarding the give-aways.

Here's to summer knitting filled with easy summer knits, great yarn, and some easy, nutritious recipes!

50 thoughts...

What is it about a birthday? It's a time to celebrate life but there can be so many emotions wrapped up in that special day. It seems no matter how old you turn those that are older express how "they've been there and done that" and those that are younger just can't relate as if it won't happen to them. Time for new birthday perspective!

As a teenager I set a few goals for my life. I'm not sure what prompted me to do so but I've carried them with me throughout the years.

I would be married by the time I was 30.

I would have a horse by my 40th birthday.

I would live to be 100.

I chuckle at these goals as I really wasn't focused on being married at that time nor was it a focus in my early 20's. So, when I got married just before my 28th birthday I thought perhaps I wasn't wrong and my other goals might come true.

Well, the horse goal didn't quite work out as I planned. As with many goals, they morph over time. In high school, I owned two horses. I knew that I wanted to return to the horse life but that didn't really mesh well with the first goal. By the time I reached 40, a horse was no longer a practical addition to our family. Life had begun to take over with kids, activities, an intense career and minimal time for leisure activities.

Now, as I turn 50 I am able to reflect on the third goal. I was told when I turned 40 that "you'll love your 40's" but I would be remiss if I said that was my favorite decade thus far. I found my 40's to be overwhelming with the aforementioned activities. So, here I sit reflecting on the past 50 years and feeling quite optimistic about the next 50. My kids always remind me "you've got half your life to live, mom!"

Knowing that this milestone birthday was on the horizon, I've been a bit melancholy (for months). At least until I made some major decisions which included celebrating life and travelling more. I realize now that until this point in my life, I've been focused on doing more, having more, being more which has led to being overwhelmed.

In my 20's I wanted to learn as much as I could resulting in MORE education. I also wanted to run LONGER, cycle FARTHER, be STONGER. Reflecting on that decade I probably pushed my physical body to the limits which has left some ailments and limitations to this day.

My 30's resulted in 3 beautiful healthy babies and 3 that were not meant to be. There was joy and sadness as a result but mostly joy for what we had. The 30's were filled with diapers, feedings, sleepless nights coupled with work deadlines and a stressful work environment. But mostly it was a happy time as I managed to keep running, cycling in the forest and ignoring the signs from my body that I was fatigued.

So, I now think the 40's were an accumulation of ignoring my body for years in the pursuit of more. Serious overwhelm. In the last two months, I've had the opportunity to recognize these patterns and am coming to terms with my limits, as an employee, athlete, mother, wife and individual. I just can't do it all. Can anyone?

And finally, to my 50's. I now feel like I'm able to honor my time, the 24 hours in the day that we all have. Spending the summer at the cabin with less responsibilities I am aware of how much of the day is spent on dishes, laundry, family time, exercise, daily chores and a couple of hours of work. My day is full without the hours of a full-time job. I'm beginning to see just why I always feel like I never have enough time. With limited access to the internet and no television I can identify how much time I sink into these activities when we are at home. For what? Some of it is for work but most of it is a coping approach for my exhaustion. With this awareness I now get to ask myself as I move forward "How shall I spend my precious time?"

If my goal is to LIVE until I'm 100 and not "DIE" when I'm 100, I must change my pace. Why do I need to have MORE, do MORE, be MORE? I now feel as if I can relax into a more sustainable pace.

Here's where the Healthy Knitter comes in. When I began The Healthy Knitter it was to help knitters develop healthy lifestyle practices that could be sustained. That means we can't try to knit everything, work, exercise, eat right, have a clean house, read all the good books, be organized, garden, be involved with the community, etc. We need to identify our priorities that can then be sustained. We then need to let go of some of the other expectations. When we say "yes" to something/one, we must say "no" to something else. To whom are we saying "no?" Usually it is "self."

If you feel like you need to realign your priorities to honor your "self" with the goal of infusing healthier choices in your life ask yourself the following questions:

1. What are my top 3 priorities in my life?

2. Where do I fit into those priorities?

3. What can I let go of so that I can make time for my health?

Here's to...

living a simple, healthy life each day that can be sustained.

another 50 years that are filled with peace, joy, laughter and love for everyone.

days that include time to breathe deeply, honor self, knit a few stitches and walk.

One more row, two more steps...

Christina

The essence of coffee...

She walks into a coffee shop, ready to begin, ready to focus. She prepares her table, pen and paper laid out, timer set. She orders coffee...soy latte with whipped cream. The glasses removed to provide tunnel vision, nothing in the periphery can be seen, just the paper at hand. She's ready, the rituals have been completed...

A drink of coffee, warm in the mouth travels through the body and soothes her soul. She feels relaxed, calm, and in the zone. In the background, there is music, the click of other's computers, the chatter of meetings, and the whir of the espresso machine ready to provide coffee to others to facilitate their productivity.

Among all this clatter, she focuses, she allows these noises to quiet that distracting part of her brain. She writes about travels throughout the world, people she has met, fond memories, stories she has created from watching others.

She remembers...

She dreams...

All is good.

She creates new stories...stories that match what people are wearing. Where they would wear these clothes...

the parties,

the music that would be playing,

the walks in the snow through the forest.

She dreams of a relaxed, care-free life. One where money matters very little. She stops and takes a drink of her coffee...time to pause and reflect on the need for money. She wraps her hands around the cup of coffee, breathes in and slowly exhales.

She imagines herself walking on a path through the tall trees, sheltered from the world.

She imagines a world filled with peace.

She conjures up images of warm wooly clothes...she is elegant yet earthly casual.

She walks and appreciates her surroundings.

Her heart is filled with love...all because of a simple cup of coffee.

Do you have a favorite spot that allows you to be your most productive self? Where is it? What rituals do you have to prepare yourself to get some serious work completed? Knowing this about yourself can help you reduce the distractions of daily life that stand in your way of finishing what you finally what done.

A seashell...

The waves roll in and out with grace, strength, perseverance and rhythm.

The amount of questions one can generate watching the waves is perhaps as vast as the ocean itself.

How long did it take for each molecule of water to arrive at the shore?                                             

Will that water arrive at the shore ever again or does it return to great wide open ocean?

One lone shell rests in solitude on the sandy beach.

The waves approach the shell and gracefully retreat.

As the waves build they finally reach the simple shell covering it with sand and water.

Without regard the shell maintains its poise and let's the sand and water drift away.

The sand and water had the ability to overwhelm and bury the shell yet it did not succumb to the threats of the environment. As I walked down the beach I couldn't help but think how this shell, one simple shell had a message.

Be flexible and move with the tide; letting go of resistance.

Can you apply the meaning of this shell to your life? What forms of resistance might you have to getting outside and going for a walk.  Something to think about...

With love from the beach...