Day 2... stop and listen

I'm in awe, in awe of all of you. There's so much excitement in the air and evidence abounds that there's a commitment to focusing on peace. Yesterday I asked you to reflect on what peace means to you? If you haven't had a chance to jot down a few thoughts even if it's a few words I encourage you to do so now. Without meaning or words to describe peace, it's hard to obtain.

There were some fantastic suggestions provided yesterday when I asked you to share some of your favorite daily peaceful rituals. Some of the tips are ones that I already intended to share so I'll save mention of those for later. I'd like to draw your attention to one particular tip that was shared that is perfect for our peace-along.

As you knit each ripple of the shawl, dedicate that ripple to a particular person, or group of people. You might even jot down the name of the person on the pattern next to the corresponding ripple. By the time you reach the end of the body of the shawl, think of all the people that you will have intentionally held in your thoughts as you knit your way through the ripples. Genius.

I've been asked by a couple of people if the intent was to knit one ripple per day for 21 days. That's certainly an approach however you probably won't finish by December 21...if that was something you'd hoped to accomplish. Ripples 1-9 go fairly quickly and then it starts to slow down. So, if you're looking for a general way to gauge your progress, I'd say you want to complete Ripples 1-9 by the 2nd day and then a ripple a day for ripples 10-15. From ripple 16-20 (depending on the size you are making), you may want 2 days per ripple. Now this is all completely dependent on your knitting speed and how much time you have. The border will take 2-4 days again depending on size, speed, time, etc. This information is only for those that want a way to plan. I'm not a fast knitter nor do I have much time a day available to knit but I can tell you that finishing the DK version in the small size in 21 days is possible while still knitting peacefully.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

— Lao Tzu

Peace is a process; it's a journey, not a destination. So we begin with a single step. Knitting provides the perfect metaphor for this quote. Peace, a journey of 1000 stitches, one stitch at a time.

Day 2. Peace tip.

Take time today to stop and listen. Are there children playing, crying, laughing. Dogs barking? Is there a constant noise from the radio, tv or computer chattering at you? Are there people all around you talking, talking, talking?

Stop and listen for the the sounds of nature. Can you hear the wind pushing at the walls of your house or the rain gently hitting the roof? Can you hear the snow gently falling and landing on the ground? Are there birds chirping or squirrels jumping from tree to tree?

Now find a very quiet place. Stop and listen. Allow yourself a moment to breathe in this quiet space. One breath or maybe two is all you need for now in this space without noise.

Pause.

Recharge.

Reset.

Remember.

Return to this place daily.

Quiet.

Calm.

Peace.

In the quiet of the morning, find this place before everyone else wakes up. Stop and listen. Listen for the quiet. Enter the day with calm and not the hustle bustle that will greet you at every corner. Put aside your phone, the computer, the need to connect... with noise. Use this early morning time for some quiet knitting. Listen to the rhythm of your needles, clicking and clacking as you knit one. stitch. at. a. time.

Day 1... Peace, what is it?

Peace, starts here, with you, with me, with all of us, one stitch at a time...

Year's ago I attended a leadership conference and the speaker asked "who wants world peace?" We all raised our hands. Then, we were asked "how many of you choose peace each day?" No one raised their hand. It was one of those moments... a game-changer if you will.

Peace, it's my choice. It's your choice. Somehow, somewhere I think we've come to expect that world peace is created by people in powerful positions. There's foreign policy, diplomats, peace treaties, etc. It's at a level above us as individuals, right? Yes, that's one version of peace but not the only one. Maybe an additional consideration when it comes to world peace is that it's up to us...we are the drivers in this scenario. We need not wait for someone to do this for us.

We can be that voice of peace. Let's build this from the ground-up...it's a grass-roots effort or perhaps a knitted-roots effort on creating a culture of peace.

“All of us can work for peace. We can work right where we are, right within ourselves, because the more peace we have within our own lives, the more we can reflect into the outer situation. ”

— Peace Pilgrim

For the next 21 days, I'm asking you to choose peace. Choose you. That doesn't mean ignore others, no, not at all. It means make time for you. As each one of us chooses peace, it extends to reach others. Project Peace is about choosing peace and slowing down. Your peaceful actions will positively influence others. I know, we are busy but if we truly want a peaceful world, we need to make the time.

Here's what you can expect from me over the next 21 days.

A daily tip will arrive in your email inbox each day. These tips will come in the form of a reflection, activities, stories, music, quotes, readings, etc. There will be a few guest posts and at least two give-aways near the beginning and the end of PP17. There's a pattern I designed called "Project Peace 2017" available on Ravelry so you can knit along in peace through the month of December.

As I mentioned, peace has many definitions and multiple types. Peace is complicated. I find this graphic from The Peace Alliance to be quite insightful. The focus for the next 21 days is "cultivating personal peace." Don't worry, cultivating "inner peace" is not selfish... it will magnify and positively influence others. You never know, perhaps as a result, you'll find yourself getting more engaged in your community, teaching peace in schools, maybe teaching kids to knit, etc. If peace begins with each of us, it'll ripple.

And as you knit the shawl, you'll see this captured in the design. The shawl begins with a point (that's you) and then it extends outward ending with waves of ripples.

The 5 cornerstones of peacebuilding from The Peace Alliance

Day 1. Peaceful tip

Consider starting a journal or some other way to capture your thoughts for the next 21 days. I kept a little peace-log last year to keep track of thoughts, quotes, ideas, questions, reflections. Today, pour yourself a wee cuppa of something, ponder the following questions and perhaps jot down a few things that come to mind.

1. What does peace mean to me?
2. What simple little ritual can I establish each day to give myself some peaceful time?

I'll be providing some suggestions about how to create daily rituals to cultivate peace during the peace-along but let's see what great ideas all of you have. Please post any ideas; you never know what new insights might be generated that will be useful to others.

Peace...stitch by stitch, row by row.

Christina

It's almost here...

The curtain is about to go up! Will we pull this off? The pre-performance jitters....the excitement, the nerves, the doubts, but oh, the sheer determination that one feels right before the show. The music begins and it's show time. Once that curtain's moving there's no going back. There you are, on stage, exposed, vulnerable, yet committed to the experience. You move forward with every ounce of determination and even if there are mistakes, you finish off the performance with a smile...

Here we are on the eve of the kick-off of Project Peace 2017 (PP17) and I've got those pre-preformance jitters. I suppose it's because I want to make sure that everything is just right and that the entire 21 days runs without any hiccups. But, life is full of bumps in the road so I'm sure we'll encounter a few; even with the best plans created. But we can always fall back on "hey, this is what cultivating peace is all about." Acceptance of how things are regardless of whether or not it's all proceeding to plan.

Some great news. We are off to a fantastic start. Peace is spreading through our global knitting community. The more people we can make aware of this peaceful movement, the better. Earlier this fall, Vogue Knitting promoted Project Peace on Instagram, Facebook and their electronic newsletter. On Tuesday, there was an article on the Interweave website, learn more about the history of Project Peace here.

As we draw closer to the beginning of PP17, there are a few items that I wanted to share.

• Thank you to all that have purchased the pattern. If you haven't yet had a chance, please consider doing so. Every purchase helps to create a more sustainable healthier future for our world as a large portion of the profits are being donated (read more about this on the Ravelry pattern page details). You can purchase the pattern here.
• Just so everyone is clear, only the pattern details are available right now. So, you'll only get 2 pages when you purchase the pattern. There's been a bit of confusion about this.
• Tomorrow, 12/1, two versions of the pattern will be available in your Ravelry library. There will be a DK version (with 2 sizes) and a fingering weight version (1 size with instructions on how to modifty).
• I've heard a few comments that this looks like too big a project to tackle right now. Rest assured, the smaller size as shown in the photos is made out of DK. I'm affectionately referring to this size as the "finish me in December size." With that said, there's no rule that says you must finish this by 12/21. That would sort of be anti-peaceful. Knit this as you have the time, a little bit each day is best and soon, you'll have a beautiful knitted accessory representing  ripples of peace.
• Some have said they'd like to donate their shawl to someone in need. Suggestions on how to find that person? I have two ideas but others may have more. I often volunteer at our local food bank. I know the manager is very connected with the individuals that frequent the food bank and she knows their story. Reaching out to managers of food banks or shelters may help you find just the right person in need of a shawl. The other idea is to contact a local church/temple/mosque and ask them who might appreciate/need this shawl.
• I'll be sending an email each morning (approximately 7 am central time) so some of you will get this in the afternoon, the next day or in the middle of the night, depending on your location. In order to get this email, you need to subscribe to the blog. Otherwise, just check in each day on the blog to read the daily tip about peace.

Pin your location on the map. We've created a map and would love everyone to pin their location to document our global efforts to spread peace through knitting. Right now, there are over 20 countries represented with pattern purchases. Let's get all those countries pinned on the map. Here's a direct link to the map or you can access it through the Healthy Knitter Ravelry group.

I wanted to share with you another option for yarn ideas. KnitCircus, a wonderful shop in Madison, Wisconsin specializes in hand-dying gradient yarns. Jaala and her team were very involved and supportive of Project Peace last year and are doing so again this year. She has a limited number of kits (n=14) available (on Monday) which would make an extra special project. If you're interested, you can order the a kit here or if they run out and need to dye more, order here. There'll be a wonderful give-away at the end of the 21 days sponsored by KnitCircus. Thank you!

This is the "frog" kit.

This is the "easy peasy" version.

And in closing for today, might I remind us all that Project Peace isn't about the numbers or the finished project. It's about a platform to promote peace, to build community, to find light in a time of darkness, and to slow down to appreciate our surroundings, environment, family and friends. It's about finding the joy in the process. We are all busy but we only get less busy when we stop to pause, breathe and honor each stitch, each moment.

Until tomorrow...

Peace, stitch by stitch and row by row...

Here's the link to the pattern.

Say YES to peace...

In just 5 days, Project Peace 2017 begins. Oh my... I can't wait but I'm a little nervous as well. So many things to finish getting in place. I keep telling myself... peeeeaaacccce but I would be fibbing if I said I'm completely calm. Why is it that when we find ourselves a wee bit stressed or overwhelmed, we give up the things that help us cope with these emotions? I suppose that's what Project Peace is all about. Learning to say "yes" to peace. So, instead of cancelling my spot in tonight's yoga class, I won't. You'll find me on my mat.

Say YES to peace!

As we approach December 1, I'm calling on all of you to help. I need your assistance spreading the word. This year, I decided to support 3 non-profit organizations with a large portion of the proceeds from the pattern sales. I kept the cost of the pattern low (only $3) in the hopes that it would be that much more enticing to people. We need about 150 more people to say "yes to peace" by purchasing the pattern. That will bring us to 1000 people!

I picked the organizations because I feel strongly about developing long-term strategies to create a healthy future for the people of the world AND the place we call home. So, I picked a school, Camino de Paz, that teaches kids how to farm, a program, The Wilderness Awareness School, that connects people with nature, and an international organization, Every Mother Counts, that works to reduce maternal deaths during childbirth.

How can you help?

• This year's pattern name is "Project Peace 2017." You can find the pattern details on Ravelry.
• On the pattern page, you can "add to favorites," place in your queue, and start a project. All of these activities help with the Ravelry algorithms and bring the pattern to the top of the "what's hot" list.
• Let's say you don't have time to knit the pattern right now. I get that. Believe me I do. Consider purchasing the pattern to support these causes and knit it later. 
• Not interested in this specific pattern? Follow along this December on the blog and support our efforts to spread peace with just a simple $3 purchase, even if you knit something else.
• Want to do just a little more? Perhaps you might "gift" the pattern to someone. There's a button on the pattern page to do so.
• Some people have asked me how they can give more than $3, follow the links above for the specific organizations and donate more.
• Don't have $3 to spend, how about sharing the information with someone that does?

Just think, if each person receiving this email were to purchase the pattern and then gift the pattern think of the donation we'd be able to achieve! Click here to purchase the pattern on Ravelry.

Project Peace 2017 plans...

I'll be sending an email each day from December 1-21 with a link to the current blog post. There will be a few guest posts, some knitting and non-knitting related activities, a couple of gifts and special coupons for everyone, a give-away (or two) and some thought provoking prompts to provide an opportunity for reflection. You won't want to miss out on this opportunity to incorporate peaceful tips and strategies into your life.

And don't forget about December 21, Worldwide Knit-in for Peace Day. Start planning now...perhaps you want to knit for peace in solitude or with some dear friends, or host a knit-in at your local yarn store or library. Let's try to get global representation. I've already heard from Antarctica and they are IN! Here's the link to pin your location for this year's Worldwide Knit-in for Peace Day.

And several of you have asked about the availability of this year's limited edition Project Peace bags. I expect them to be ready to order about 12/7. More details on this to follow.

I can't tell you how excited I am to be on this journey with all of you.

Peace, stitch by stitch... Let's knit some peace this December!