On the 24th day...

I'm sitting here in front of my Christmas tree thinking about everything that has taken place since November 10, the day I sent Project Peace out into the world. I've so many emotions running through me...grateful for all the people that I've met, enriched by knowing how many have connected with new people, and utterly thankful for the number of people that have engaged with peace. My heart has grown three times and then some. I've felt the amazing things that can happen when people focus on the good in life; taking a few minutes each day to be calm and centered. If anyone is in need of some evidence, pour yourself a cup of tea and read through all the comments from December 14 and 21. It's pretty incredible. 

Project Peace provided an opportunity to step away from all of the world's negativity and to contemplate our options...continue to be overcome by fear or to consider choosing a path focused on peace. It's not to say that the horrific events in our world are non-existent but rather that we need to do what we can to make the world a better place. 

And how we make the world a better place is up to each one of us. I know that for me it starts with choosing peace each day. I must let go of reacting to the actions of others. I must be grounded yet flexible with those around me ...just like a tree. The other night at yoga, the instructor said "stability without mobility is rigidity" and that my friends would be one of those trees that snaps in a windstorm. I want to be a "tree" that is rooted with compassion and kindness and able to sway with whatever storm blows my way. 

On December 21, I asked all of you "where do we go from here?" There were amazing ideas. I will be taking the next week to contemplate how I can continue to promote the peace-volution (as someone called it) in the knitting community and beyond. Several people said that it's like throwing a pebble in the water...one pebble in and multiple ripples extend out as a result. That's what we are doing...ripple effect.

I've decided to publish some patterns in January and February that will be focused on SNOW (see Day 3).  All of them will be accessories, a couple will be what I'm calling "peaceful knits," and a few might encourage you to spread your wings and try a new technique or two. I've also made a decision to use only "ethically-sourced" yarns in my patterns. I'll be talking more in the future about what "ethically-sourced" means but it certainly relates back to our peace tip "where does your yarn come from." 

One of the first patterns will use the gorgeous yarn Range in the colorway "snow" by Hinterland Textiles. Created from home grown alpaca and Canadian Rambouillet. Read more about the origins of this yarn and a truly inspiring story.

I'll also be organizing some sort of peace-along for the next Solstice (June 21). So stay tuned for those details after I let the idea percolate for a bit.  And yes, the peace-along in December will be annual...next year I'm thinking "Operation Peace." Let's make this most well-known and celebrated knitting event there is.  I love the idea of knitting on the 21st of each month for a specific charity. Again, I'm putting this one in the pot for thought as I know I'll find a way to creatively link all this together. 

In the meantime, if you are looking for another peaceful knit you will enjoy Knit Your Peace (KYP), the cowl that started the peace-along idea. While I didn't use the i-cord edge, I would certainly use it any on any future KYP cowl. 

The winners of the Knitcircus give-away (drum roll please)... please email me (thehealthyknitter at gmail dot com) and I'll connect you with the wonderful staff at Knitcircus. 

Linda wrote this...As I knit the waffle pattern, I observed that the s1wyb stitches appeared to be as 'bridges', over the undercurrent purl sts beneath. This brought to mind the thought that one way for me to carry this forward, is to reach out, and be a bridge builder towards others, and extend grace to those who are different and may think and live differently to me. I cannot give away what I do not posess, and so I need to be filled and live from, a place of peace myself, and extend grace and peace to everyone I meet.
I shall be using the waffle pattern in baby blankets I knit to give to young moms and their babies, with whom I volunteer.

And Betsy who wrote this: I remembered a saying from years ago " each one, teach one" and this changed it for me to "each one reach one". My "peace bubble" reaches out to include those around me and then their's spreads and grows, what I knit and give spreads more peace and so it continues. My heart is strengthened by the peace I get from the knitting itself and from the giving of the finished project.

An extra bonus peace tip...

And just because it's hard to break a habit I'd like to provide you with another song. I intended on including this on the last day but decided to use the Vivaldi pieces instead. So as I contemplate Christmas and reflect on my hopes and dreams for spreading peace I'm reminded of a song I sang as a kid while sitting high up in the neighbors tree daydreaming of all the possibilities that life could bring. 

Listen here...

Peace be with all of you...

Triumphant 21...

And here we are, 21 days of peace. It's been a journey, an amazing sweet journey with so many incredible people. If there's one thing this process has made very clear is that this world is filled with amazing, kind, talented, creative, intelligent people...known as knitters. As someone said the other day "... it's a flock of sheep, a gaggle of geese and a kindness of knitters." Yes, there most definitely is a special kindness about knitters and this has been shown over and over again in the Healthy Knitter Ravelry group (Project Peace discussion board) that has over 3000 posts.

In advance, the post today is long but worth your while. There's some treats along the way with a special bonus at the end. So grab your coffee (or lemonade). Let's celebrate Solstice and the culmination of our 21-day peace-along!

Solstice means when the sun stands still. It's brief but the earth is momentarily in a state of harmony. The days are getting longer now in the Northern Hemisphere and shorter in the south. In the north there is hope that the light will return and in the south is a day to celebrate the brilliance of light.

To honor the presence of the knitters in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, I've selected a piece of music for your particular location. 

Southern hemisphere                                                                              Northern hemisphere

The next chapter of the Three Sisters.

Note: If you did not read the first chapter of The Three Sisters then please read the post from 12/20 prior to reading any farther.

There were amazing comments yesterday; everyone's interpretation of the story was incredible. One comment left by Melanie provided the perfect transition to the next chapter. Honestly I wasn't sure how to transition from where I left off to the ending...and then I read this:

Chapter 2 (as written by Melanie).

Their old grey grandmother watched this for awhile and when she realized that things weren't getting better, decided that enough was enough. She took her walking stick, and a big wicker basket and set out into the woods. She walked and walked until she was tired. She rested, and then carried on, until she had climbed to the top of the mountains overlooking the village. She set her basket down, sat on a stone and looked out over the little village.

Shaking her head, she was disappointed that it had come to this. But she was sure she was doing the right thing.

She opened her basket carefully, and one after the other released three doves into the air. One to the East, one to the West and the last to the South. She held her breath as she watched the birds become specks on the horizon, and hoped that her messages would reach her granddaughters in time...

Chapter 3 (by Christina).

And as the grey grandmother sat on the top of the mountain waiting for her granddaughters to return, she knit and knit and knit. She vowed that she would not stop knitting until they returned. With each passing day she knit love and promise and hope into the increasingly growing blanket that someday peace would once again prevail in their tiny little village. 

Far off in distant lands to the East, the West and the South, each of the fair maidens were seeing the world and helping others along the way. Eunice was creating order in each town she visited, Justine helped others to treat one another in kind ways and again, that very blessed Irene brought a sense of calm to anyone she encountered (some say it was her smile). 

The doves after many moons reached the fair maidens telling them of their need to return.  So each fair maiden made her return back to the village arriving at the darkest hour of the year to find a beautiful white blanket of snow had covered the people.  There was hope once again that the days would be brighter once again, that peace would be restored to their tiny community.

And while it would be the perfect ending if Eunice, Justine, and Irene were to restore the village as it once was may make this story sound a bit too much like a fairy tale (minus the handsome prince) and that my friends might not be a fair representation of what really happened.

Instead, Eunice, Justine and Irene revealed their true identities to the people confiding in them that the secret to the life they desired was within each and everyone of them. To find peace (Irene) there must also be good order (Eunice) and justice (Justine). There must be respect for all the villagers despite their differences and there most definitely has to be knitting to weave everyone together throughout all the lands.

The End...and whether or not they lived happily ever after was really a matter of "choice." 

This story was inspired by the peace-along and the Greek mythology Goddess of Peace, daughter of Zeus and Themis (Divine Law) and her sisters, Eunomia (good order) and Dike (justice). 

Peace tip #21

Knit for peace. Yes, your tip for today is to knit for peace. How will you carry this message of peace forward into the New Year? Today, in honor of World-wide Knit-in for Peace (yes, we created this), light a candle, and reflect on peace.

Please make sure to place a pin on the map we've created in Ravelry. There are directions at the top of the discussion thread. If for some reason you can't place the pin, leave a comment in that thread and we'll be sure to add you. 

BONUS GIVE-AWAY:

Knitcircus creates luxury handpainted gradient yarns with love in Wisconsin. Owner and dyer Jaala Spiro leads the Knitcircus Crew making gorgeous yarns in a flexible and supportive workplace. There are 2 chances to win as she's providing 2 skeins (100 g fingering weight), one in the colorway called "La Vie en Rose", the other "Imagine Peace."

To be eligible to win, please leave a comment addressing the following question (s). If for some reason you can't get the comment function to work, please send your comment to me via email (thehealthyknitter at gmail dot com). Entries close by 8 a.m. (central US time) December 22. 

Where do we go from here? How do we keep this peace revolution moving forward? And if those questions are too much...just tell me something you've learned along the way that was a game-changer for you.

I began Project Peace with a simple question. Is it possible to create "world peace" by having knitters from around the globe reflect on peace. I thought if I could get people (knitters) to choose peace and all these people were from all corners of the earth, then yes, that would be "world peace." And so, with 1000's of people knitting today (and the past 21 days) for peace we can say we've created WORLD PEACE.

Peace begins with each stitch and extends to the person, family, community, region, country, continent and globe.

“Peace...this we choose each day...”

— unknown

Today is twenty...

A few odds and ends here before today's tip. It's hard to believe that tomorrow is the "final" day on our journey with peace. I've been pondering ways to keep things moving forward as we've made so much progress these past few weeks. So please watch for more peaceful activities as we continue our peace revolution.

And just in case you haven't heard, tomorrow, December 21 will be our World-wide Knit-in for Peace Day. Knit (or crochet, quilt, etc) anytime during the day in the name of peace. Don't forget to place a pin on the map to mark your location for the World-wide Knit-in for Peace Day.  There are over 1000 pins on the map thus far. Remember...if we have knitters around the globe knitting for peace then we've created "world peace." Also, there will be another give-away opportunity with yarn provided by Knitcircus. So make sure you stop by the blog tomorrow.

Peace tip #20.

I've written a little story for you. So put on the kettle and pull up a chair.

Once upon a time there was a family, a rather prominent family in the community, well-respected which was also well-deserved. The father was quite powerful as he owned most of the businesses and ran the local government (if you can call it that). The mother was one of those trendsetting moms and long before it was common for women to work outside of the house she worked as the only lawyer in their tiny village. Oddly though she didn't have much work as the people of the village were content so crime was non-existent.   

They had 3 beautiful daughters, fair maidens if you will. The oldest, Eunice, the middle child, Justine and the youngest, Irene. The girls were the best of friends, each one of them special in their own way but together they exuded a presence that could not be denied. The villagers adored the three young girls and treated them with respect.

The girls would wander off into the forest each morning, rain or shine. Eunice loved to keep the forest tidy and could be found picking up kindling, sweeping leaves or even creating little resting places for the animals made of fallen pine needles. On the other hand, Justine made sure that no harm came to any of the animals or the trees for that matter. She was the protector and the forest creatures appreciated her presence as they felt safe whenever she was near. Finally, the youngest, Irene. She would dance around the forest singing sweet songs. Think of blissful images of Snow White. When not dancing she would rest by the water's edge...every where she went things were calm.

As the girls got older they decided to go their separate ways as most girls do. Each one wanted to see the world, to be independent. Knowing that their love for one another would be a constant, one that they could return to time and time again, they packed up their belongings (which were minimal but covered the necessities) and each one went in a separate direction, Eunice to the west, Justine to the East and Irene to the South. 

Once the fair maidens left the village, the people were sad and distraught. In just a matter of days things began to fall apart. The streets became cluttered with garbage, unkind words spoken to one another, and the taking of each other's property began. At first it was a quiet, subtle discontent but as the days progressed it moved slowly into a dull roar and finally there were riots in the tiny village streets. The father of the 3 young maidens began to exert his power and the mother had more work than she could imagine.

What happened to this village and why?

And here is where I'll leave you to write (or think) the next chapter in the story. 

Here's my doodle from yesterday... Ponderosa Pines from the Payette National Forest near McCall, ID

Hola 19...

Water...

The most essential nutrient to human life. Two simple little hydrogen molecules and one oxygen. The energy needed to create these bonds is beyond human capability to replicate. We can build mass weapons of destruction, send people to outer space, and build computers with communication systems that allow us to send electronic messages to people around the world instantaneously yet the ability to create life-sustaining water is unattainable. 

Having lived most of my life in the mountains near streams, rivers and a few lakes, I've not had the opportunity to spend much time around the ocean. In May, I was fortunate to spend two weeks on the Atlantic Ocean allowing for many walks on the beach. And as I walked for miles through the sand chasing the waves or rather being chased by waves I began to ponder "water." 

The lull of the waves coming in and retreating quickly becomes a rhythmic constant that comforts. In and out, in and out. A guarantee that the ocean promises that it will return over and over again. 

As each wave approaches the shore one begins to wonder how long has this water been working it's way here. As the wave slips back into the ocean underneath the incoming wave, it retreats with grace into the vast depths of the sea. Will each water droplet that reaches that line where the sand and water meet, every return to that same place again or is it a one time event? 

The waves lapping against the shore soothes the soul and has been described by many as peaceful. We become convinced that this big massive body of water is gentle and nurturing. Yet the power that can be generated by the tiniest and simplest drops of water when they work collectively can accomplish great things, both negative and positive. The same can be said for people...when we work together we can be unstoppable, in negative and positive ways.

As we near the shoreline on this journey with peace we have the opportunity to make more choices. Cause after all, this is your journey and your choice. Will this be a one time visit to the shoreline? Or will you be persistent and return again and again? Will you be a water molecule that joins together with others to work collectively for something grand, in a positive way? Or will you allow yourself to be carried away back out into the ocean and overcome by the power of everything else going on around you? C-H-O-I-C-E.

Peace tip #19

We've talked about snow and trees as symbols of peace. Now we are adding water to the mix. Pull out a piece of paper, put on your favorite music and start to doodle. No artistic ability required just put pen to paper. Doodle peace...whatever it is to you. It might be a scene, words, or a collection of colors. It might be trees, water, snow, yarn, people...the sky is the limit. You might choose to doodle a quote or two that have been in the posts or one that hasn't. No inner critic allowed.

PS. I'll be ordering 200 bags. They will probably arrive sometime in January. This gives me time to figure out how to set-up a "store." Just to be clear, yesterday was not a pre-order; you'll still need to order one when they arrive. I just needed to get some idea of how many I should order.