Snow and peace...

Have you ever stopped to think about how easily our mood can be influenced by the weather? How this influence varies from person to person? The sun, rain, snow, wind can bring joy, frustration, gratitude, despair, relief, or anguish depending on one's perspective. And it really is about perspective isn't it? The rain may bring relief from a hot summer spell yet the timing of the rain for the farmer may decrease crop yield. A snowstorm may be soothing and comforting whereas to a traveler it threatens one's safety. Yes, it's all about perspective and remembering that so many things aren't right or wrong. It's all a matter of opinion.

I love all the seasons. Each one provides something so unique. While I'm in the midst of each season I find myself always declaring..."this is my favorite." And then the next season comes. Call me fickle but perhaps it's an example of "living in the moment" and appreciating the here and now. Most likely it is the former.

And here I am in the throes of winter without much snow with lots of ugly weather...ice, frigid temperatures, nasty wind, grey skies and a few dreary days. This is not the pretty picture that decorates the images of winter I have painted in my head. To me, winter is all about snow. I grew up in a land filled with a winter that spanned months on end...October to May and sometimes June. Despite the length of time it was a wonderful place because the land was covered by magical snow. In January it was so cold the snow was as light and fluffy as the finest angora; we called it "champagne powder." Stunning. No one really complained at least not until the snow started melting leaving a messy, messy place; oh, the mud. At least that was my perspective and I know it differs from others.

As I sit here dreaming of white, fluffy flakes I'm reminded of my blog post from the 2016 peace-along about snow as a metaphor for peace. A winter wonderland that soothes, nurtures, comforts, and provides a time to rest and renew. We retreat inside to escape the elements, wrap ourselves in textured woolens, stoke the fire, and place our hands around a warm cup filled with our beverage of choice. Yet the winter landscape provides us with the most amazing playground, to ski, snowshoe, skate, or take a walk. While the earth is in a slumber there's still so much to enjoy, to view, to appreciate.

I'm seeing more and more knitwear designers, indi-dyers, and yarn companies promoting spring. No not yet, it's only January. We've got months left and I still want to rest, retreat, play in the snow and dream of white fluffy snowflakes. So, I'm going to continue to knit for winter because after all, let's live in the moment and not yearn for what is to come.

To say that I was inspired as a result of Project Peace would be an understatement. I've not yet figured out the best way to synthesize all my thoughts, dreams, and future action items so I continue to move forward bringing to life pieces and parts that moved me during the peace-along. One idea was to create a collection of knitted items themed on snow. I'm working diligently on these patterns but just like a magnificent snowfall, grand things take a bit of time.

For the first pattern themed on snow, I've reworked one of my previous patterns called "Snowy Walk" using a yarn that is from a US company that was one of the first to use American wool, mill and dye it in the States. At the time the company began this really was a new idea. For this reason, I LOVE Quince & Co. yarns but the added plus is that the yarns are wonderful. In "Snowy Walk" I've used Finch, a fingering weight yarn that shows off the stitch definition amazingly well. Plus you can make this project for under $25.

Snowy Walk is a lightweight, cozy cowl with a relatively simple lace pattern inspired by pine boughs covered with snow. It's knit in the round and is the perfect knit when you want to practice being attentive but not at the expense of committing to a really complicated project.  The lace instructions are provided in a chart or written format. One of my dear knitting friends that test knits for me said "this is my all time favorite Healthy Knitter design." 

Grab a warm cup of tea in your favorite mug, get cozy on the sofa, and treat yourself to a fun to knit, lace project.

And as I mentioned at the beginning of the year, blog subscribers will receive bonuses not advertised elsewhere. For a limited time, please use the coupon code "SNOWYWALKBLOG17" to receive 20% off. You'll need to enter the coupon code prior to checking out on Ravelry. Coupon expires on 1/29/17. To purchase Snowy Walk, click here.

Whether or not there is snow in your neighborhood, wear your Snowy Walk cowl wherever you are and dream of a winter wonderland.

Photo: Gallatin National Forest, south of Bozeman, MT.

Photo: Gallatin National Forest, south of Bozeman, MT.

Mindful Monday Tip #4

January can be a rough month for a lot of reasons but the weather can play a major factor. As I look outside it's grey...a dreary, depressing grey and I love the color grey so for me to describe it as depressing must really mean it is blah! Take a few minutes and listen to this soothing piece of music by Yo-Yo Ma. Shut your eyes and daydream about all that is good about the season you are currently in...anytime a less than cheery thought enters your mind, mentally sweep it away. Find joy in your current season's weather.

Listen here

Near Mammoth, Yellowstone National Park.

A Snowy Walk...where will it take you? Think of all the possible peaceful adventures that await.

May each step and stitch bring you peace,

Christina

Dream big...

In the US, today is a holiday, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Typically a day when school's, banks, and many businesses are closed but it always seems to be just another day to be busy, catch up and make use of the extra day. Yet we are in the midst of an ice storm so the normal hustle and bustle has ceased, leaving it a quiet, peaceful day...as it should be.

Today we honor a man that inspired many to collective action to end segregation at least as it existed in the '60s. MLK is remembered as a peace activist and a pivotal person in the civil rights movement. He had a dream, a dream that we would all live as a community in peace (his words were "brotherhood").

Before we get to the Mindful Monday tip, I wanted to share an update with you. Last November, I conducted the Third Healthy Knitter mystery knit-along and walk-along. Over the holidays I was able to get some excellent photos of the cowl with much gratitude to my son for taking the photos and my daughter for "modeling." I am pleased to reveal the consolidated pattern with new photos.

Stravaigin is a word used on Shetland, a collection of islands north of Scotland, and means “to wander about idly without purpose; to roam.” Walking on Shetland is different from the US where most walking or hiking takes place on predetermined paths. On Shetland there are walking routes, but there’s no clear path. There are little signs with arrows pointing you in the direction of travel located here and there . . . and you hope that you’ll find the next one without getting lost. The motifs used in this cowl represent the arrows and the crooked path one might take while walking on the peat bogs covered with heather. This quick-to-knit colorwork cowl is the perfect size for wearing on a chilly walk.

This pattern is meant to be a nice little side project that allows you to knit each day yet still find time to stravaig. I've heard from several people that Stravaigin was their first colorwork project and they are now hooked on all things stranded!

This pattern is available for purchase on Ravelry. And just for blog subscribers, I've created a special coupon code for 20% off. Enter the code "BLOGSTRAVAIG17" at check-out. Just so I'm being very clear, you have to enter the code before you "check-out" to receive the discount. Coupon will expire in 1 week ( end of the day on 1/22/17).

Stravaigin, a colorwork cowl that is simple and quick to knit. Click on the image to purchase the pattern.

Mindful Monday Tip #3

As I mentioned at the beginning of the blog, it's MLK Day in the US.  I've been thinking about how to incorporate MLK Day into a tip. Certainly, MLK is well known for many speeches and quotes but none perhaps more famous than the one below.

“I have a dream. One day my four little children will live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr. August 28, 1963

Last week I was writing about "world peace" in my own journal. What is it? What does it really mean. I wrote this:

Has there ever been a time in history when world peace existed? Is it within the human capacity to achieve a peaceful state? Perhaps peace can be defined as:

• the absence of war
• the absence of conflict
• the ability to disagree respectfully without malice or negative consequences
• to live without fear
• to have basic needs fulfilled...food and water, clothing, shelter
• to treat self, neighbor and stranger with compassion and respect without bias and judgment.

It was on this last thought that I stopped and felt I'd come full circle. Treating self with respect brings us back to peace begins within. As I've thought about my possible descriptions of world peace I'm brought back to the famous MLK quote above. Living in a world where our outwardly appearances do not define us.

So, here's something to try. How would you describe yourself (or think of any person you like) to someone that cannot see. If we are trying to describe a person to someone else and cannot use physical descriptors we have to look deeper than appearances.

And finally, MLK had a dream. What's your dream? And as always, please leave a comment. Your thoughts are always so inspirational.

Walking as meditation...

Prior to May, I'd never heard of Thich Nhat Hanh. And then, everywhere I turned I found books, quotes, images and websites authored by or dedicated to this man. Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk, poet, and a peace and human rights activist. I first discovered his work while poking around the most wonderful bookstore on Martha's Vineyard with "walking" on my mind. I'd picked up many books, reading the back covers, thoroughly enjoying myself but I'd not yet found anything I had to bring home. Then, I found this book "How to Walk" by Thich Nhat Hanh. Each page has a thought to contemplate; it's easy to read, very inspriational and doesn't require a huge time commitment.  

I mentioned to my daughter how excited I was that I'd found this book. How perfect it was considering all the time I was devoting to the topic of walking... thinking while walking, thinking about walking. She said "Mom, why do you need a book that tells you how to walk? It's easy...you put one foot in front of the other, repeat." Aah, grasshopper, yes, it appears easy but there's so much more to be gained from walking than the simple act of one foot down, repeat. At least that's the message contained within this book.  

And then I noticed a photo at the place I was staying...

Perhaps I'd seen quotes by him before and just ignored them.

Perhaps I wasn't ready.

Perhaps I wasn't living in the moment enough to see what was in front of me.

Perhaps I was just too busy walking for the sake of putting one foot in front of the other to be aware of the need to appreciate each step.

Perhaps I was too busy thinking about the product to appreciate the process. 

Time to slow things down a bit and take mindful steps. Yes, setting goals when it comes to walking is good but if we lose sight of what's to be gained from each walk, each mile, each step perhaps we are too numb to notice our surroundings.

Mindful Monday's Peace Tip #2 is a reading from Thich Naht Hanh's book "How to Walk." You might consider replacing the word "sitting" with "knitting" as you read this.

“People ask me, “Why do you do walking meditation?” The best answer I can give is, “Because I like it.” Every step makes me happy. There’s no use in doing walking meditation if you’re not going to enjoy every step you make; it would be a waste of time. The same thing is true with sitting meditation. If somone asked, “What’s the use of sitting for hours and hours?” The best answer is, “Because I like sitting.” Sitting and walking can bring peace and joy. We have to learn how to sit and walk so that we can produce peace and joy during the time of sitting or the time of walking. We have to learn to walk so that we can enjoy every step. Mindfulness and concentration can bring a higher quality to our breath, to our sitting, and to our steps.”

— Thich Naht Hanh

May you find an awareness of being present with each stitch and step that you create and take throughout this week. May you find peace and joy in all that you do. 

Footsteps in the sand.

South Beach on Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.

Happy New Year...

I love this time of year however I'm always sad to see the Christmas season end. To me the holidays are such a joyous time...everyone listens to music, decorates their homes, and acts in kind ways. I can decorate with lights and snowflakes, make countless batches of biscotti and cookies, and well, just be festive. Then the 25th rolls around and everyone begins packing up the decorations, the songs go away and everyone gets a bit "over" winter. I love winter...snowstorms, bundling up and going for walks, sitting by the fire, knitting, sipping a warm beverage and making lots of soup. Aaah, winter. It's a time to rest, restore and renew.

I've spent some time reflecting on "where do we go from here."  Project Peace was more than I ever imagined so now it's time to decide how do we make our message of peace bigger and better? I asked for input on Day 21 of what you might like in 2017. I've incorporated some of your suggestions and continue to value your input so leave a comment or send me an email if you have other ideas.

Some of my plans are still in the works but I know there are a few of you that like/need to plan your projects, particularly when it comes to knit-alongs. So, I'll share what I can for now and let you know other items as they develop. My goals for the year are to inspire you to have more peace in your life and to focus on your health, a component of peace. We can use knitting in a creative way to assist us with cultivating peace and fostering our health. Here's a little doodle I created as I tried to sort through "where do we go from here."

Mindful Mondays. I'm going to continue the peace-tip ideas as a theme for the year. So each Monday, you'll receive an email from me with a tip on how to infuse more peace into your daily life. This may include a quote, a piece of music, a creative activity, a book suggestion, an interview with a "peaceful" person, etc. During Project Peace, I kept a small journal that I named "My Journey with Peace." You might consider starting one now to jot down ideas, quotes, thoughts, things you are grateful for, items you want to "let go," etc.

New patterns. I'm developing 3-4 new accessory patterns that are related to SNOW, a hat, a couple of cowls and I'm contemplating some mitts. I feel it's important not to overwhelm so some of these patterns will come at a time when snow is not on your mind. It'll be a reminder of snow as peace...so let's knit snow "pieces" all year! You will see these patterns appear in the next few months. There are other patterns that I've been working on for awhile that focus on relationships, use plant-based fibers, and a couple of other meditative, pensive knits. I'll definitely have patterns for accessories to keep you busy throughout the year (and yes, some will require casting on 300 stitches)...aahh, peace, one stitch at a time, right?

"-alongs"

• To promote walking, there will be two walk-alongs, one in April, the other in November. There's a mystery knit (typically a shawlette or cowl) themed on walking but the thing that makes this knit-along different is that we walk (not while knitting) throughout the month. Guidance with goal-setting and social support included. 
• June peace-along: yes, let's do a mini-version of project peace. There will be a pattern with a meditative knit and blog peace tips (perhaps not as frequent as the December peace-along).
• December peace-along: You betcha, there will be the 3rd annual peace-along. Right now, I'm thinking it will be called "operation peace" but that might change as we proceed.

World-wide knit-in for peace Day. December 21. Start spreading the word now.

"Ethically-sourced yarns." From here forward each of my new patterns will use what I'm calling yarns with a purpose. I'll explain more as we go however I'll be including information about the yarn with each pattern release and why I consider it to be a "good" choice.

Knitting for a cause. I'll be sharing information about organizations that need our assistance. What can we knit, how can we teach others to knit, knitting in public to talk about peace, etc. Many people proposed that we knit on the 21st of each month to reflect on peace or for charity knitting. So, expect an email from me on the 21st of each month as a little reminder.

Monthly calendar. I'll create a discussion thread for each month announcing special days or activities related to peace. Feel free to add to the list. You'll see the 21st as our intentional day listed.

Email subscriber bonus. As a subscriber to this blog you'll receive announcements of all forthcoming patterns and a special subscriber coupon to use on pattern purchases (with a few exceptions).

Small on-line store. Placing the order for the project bags is nearing completion (from there it'll be 4-6 weeks). I'm exploring how to set up an online shop that will include items related to Project Peace, knitting for peace, and beyond.

What do you think my word of the year is?

What's your word?

“Peace is a journey of a 1000 miles and it must be taken one step at a time.”

— Lyndon B. Johnson

I discovered this quote as Project Peace began. It only took me 2 days to decide that my personal goal for 2017 was to walk 1000 miles in the name of peace. That's about 3 miles a day...anyone care to join me?

Peace...one step, one stitch at a time...