Day 18... Switzerland

“Those who love peace must learn to organize as effectively as those who love war.”

— Martin Luther King, Jr.

Chocolate, fondue, Heidi, the Alps, a country with three official languages, the place my father grew up, home to one of the United Nations offices...

So many items come to mind when I think of Switzerland but perhaps the most immediate response I have is "neutrality." In middle school, I recall learning that Switzerland is the only neutral country that exists. I found that fascinating but never truly understood what that meant. Oh, yes, I understand the concept of neutral but that implies there are "sides" that one isn't taking...what are those sides?

I've said many a time when pulled into a disagreement between people "I'm Switzerland." Reflecting on that statement, perhaps it was a bit of a cop-out... I didn't want to engage in someone else's dispute and instead of working to resolve the situation, I could walk away declaring my neutrality.

On my walk the other day while pondering peace, my mind settled on a point that I've heard said or someone has said to me many a time. "I can't do peace right now; peace is passive and the world needs people to be engaged, stand up for a cause, and fight."

Peace is often interpreted as being passive and neutral; the inability to take a side. Peace is thought by many to be the easy way out so that one doesn't need to engage or to create change.

Is this true? Is peace passive? Is peace easy? Is it a cop-out?

Can't we create change through peaceful actions? What about Gandhi? He created huge social change through peaceful protests.

Might I suggest that cultivating peace is active and not passive, challenging and not easy. And maybe to choose any other option to create change that is not peace would be the cop-out.

Peace is balance. I've heard (and I've said), "I need balance in my life." As if the accomplishing "balance" was a destination to be checked off a list. Has anyone ever said "I now have balance?"

A teeter-totter goes up and down and the varying degrees of height depends on how hard the riders push off against the ground. Tiny fine movements can bring the two sides into equilibrium only when the opposing ends are equally weighted and staying in that perfect moment of balance is usually for a brief moment.

Perhaps peace is like the teeter-totter...a constant state of flux with moments of harmony when one achieves that neutral space of balance. The work to get to that spot is active, challenging and time-consuming. Peace takes work.

Peace is not passive. Finding neutrality means understanding both sides of a disagreement. Peace means despite our differences we listen to one another with respect.

Peace... it's a choice.

Day 18. Peace tip.

I'm feeling a bit nostalgic as we draw closer to the end of our 21 days. In the Northern Hemisphere our days are getting shorter and darker with freezing temperatures predicted to arrive in a few days. My morning time with all of you will shift to a few moments in the peace and quiet of my home with time carved out for reflection, writing and knitting. If you've been finding stillness with Project Peace, perhaps now is a good time to think about how to continue to bring peace into your life daily as a focus. Don't wait for 12/22 to arrive and then feel a little lost.

Create an action plan, not a to-do list, but your own personal call to action plan for peace.

What are 3 specific things you can do after Project Peace to keep peace as a on-going goal and not in your rear-view mirror?

Day 17... teach

The ripples…

Cultivating a practice of peace will extend to reach others. When I think of individuals that have lived a life with peace as their focus, famous people come to mind… Gandhi, the Dalai Lama, Saint Theresa and Peace Pilgrim. At some point in their life, each one of these individuals committed their existence to peace.

To build peace we need to teach others about peace. What and how we teach comes in all shapes and sizes. It begins with your own peaceful choices as those will certainly have an impact on others. Yet how can we do more?

And since we are knitters, how can we use knitting to spread peace? Knitting for others whether as a gift or for someone in need in always an option. However, I find myself thinking there has to be more. Here’s one company that’s doing just that…

When I returned to knitting more than 20 years ago, the first yarn I bought was a skein of Peace Fleece yarn and some special wooden needles. We had very little money and this purchase felt so special. Little did I know where that one skein of yarn would lead but ultimately it's brought me here today. So, yes, this is some yarn that is near and dear to my heart, yet the bigger picture is why this yarn ever came into existence.

Peace Fleece is a yarn company that began in the 1980s during the Cold War. Peter Hagerty and his wife Marty Tracy started buying wool from the Soviet Union back in 1985 with the hopes that through trade they could help diffuse the threat of nuclear war.  He collaborated with sheep farmers in Russia, brought the fleeces to the US and spun the Russian fleece with fiber from the US to create a yarn. It was unprecedented yet the yarn symbolized the ability of people to work together leading to opportunities for mutual understanding and economic interdependence.

 Mr. Hagerty and his family continued to operate Peace Fleece for more than 30 years until recently retiring. Harrisville Designs, owner of one of the country’s oldest fiber mills purchased Peace Fleece allowing the production of this meaningful fiber to continue. The mission of Peace Fleece is to “support pastoral communities that have been historically in conflict with the US.” Today, they work with the Navajo to offer fair market prices for the Ramboulliet fiber raised by families on the Reservation.

Supporting yarn producers with a worthy mission is another example but what else can we do to “teach peace.” Here’s a few ideas:

Teach children to knit at schools, after-school programs, or for kids in the neighborhood.

Use knitting to raise awareness of social issues such as climate change. Check out The Tempestry Project created by Emily McNeil. She's using knitting to visualize climate data in a way that is accurate, tangible, and beautiful.

Host a knitting group and have conversations about how you might help those in-need in your community.

Paint “peace” on little tocks and leave them around town as a small reminder to others to choose peace.

Here's a resource for teaching peace in schools... just think if more children were actively engaged in peacebuilding.

Peace is a practice.

Peace is not passive.

Actively choosing peace in our own lives will ripple.

Day 17. Peace tip.

Pour yourself a cup of tea, find a chair, take a few moments to practice alternate nostril breathing, and then ponder this question:  How can I "teach peace?"

Day 16... yarn

Ripples on Avalanche Lake, Glacier National Park, Montana

Yarn... just think of the magic contained in this simple string.

There's a story in your yarn, actually multiple stories. Each hand that has touched the fiber infused some part of their life into the final product.

Yarn makes our senses come alive...

soft, scratchy, rough, smooth, or even a bit greasy from the lanolin of the sheep,

smells of the earth,

vibrant with color, sparkles, muted tones created by the dyes of plants.

I recently attended a marketplace filled with gorgeous yarn for sale. After perusing the vendors shops, feeling a wee bit overwhelmed, I took a seat to ponder what yarn I really needed (perhaps that should be wanted). As I sat I began observing people's reactions to all the yarn...

and I noticed three common responses:

1. verbal in the form of an ahhhhh or squeal;
2. bring the yarn in to their face either against the cheek or nose; and/or
3. clutch the yarn and pull it near the heart.

It's safe to say that we love yarn...all kinds of yarn and there are all kinds of yarn for different people. We buy yarn for lots of reasons including color, texture, fiber content, price, it came from a local shop, was sourced locally, the name of the yarn color or company, souvenir/momento, supporting a specific business, it's what was needed to make a specific project, etc.

Yet, how many times do we ponder where the yarn came from? Who made the yarn? And this is actually a very complex question because making yarn isn't a one step process. Making the yarn includes growing, cultivating/harvesting, processing, spinning, dying, and putting labels on the skeins. From there the yarn needs to be shipped to a distributor, then to the shop (online or brick and mortar) and finally you had to get yourself to the place of purchase or have a computer to access the website.

How many people are involved with the production of the yarn you are using today? How many lives have been touched in this process? Each step outlined above involves multiple folks and it keeps extending out at each phase of production.

I recently bought some American made yarn and reviewed the label. Fiber from Wyoming, milled in New Hampshire, dyed in Pennsylvania, transported back to the West Coast, mailed to the retailer, who shipped it to me.  The lives of hundreds of people were involved in the creation of my single skein of yarn. Talk about a ripple effect.

Day 16. Peace tip.

Take out a piece of paper and write down your top 3 reasons for purchasing yarn.

Flip the piece of paper over and trace the steps of your yarn beginning with your purchase. Where did you buy the yarn? Where was the yarn produced (e.g. milled, dyed)? Where did the fiber come from (e.g. where do the sheep, alpaca live, or where were the plants grown)?

Today, think of the enormous impact that your simple string of yarn has on the lives of so many. As you knit, take some time to envision the people that made your string come to life and thank them with each stitch you take.

“Every choice we make, sends out ripples.”

— Ocean Robbins. FoodRevolution.org

Day 15... birds

“We must live in peace with nature and other animals, before we can live in peace with other people.”

— Anthony Douglas Williams

Respect.

Perhaps peace is as "simple" as that... respect for our home, both the planet and our bodies.

If peace was a priority wouldn't it be easier to respect the world, both the natural elements and the people?

What if everyone took a moment to go outside and firmly planted their feet in the soil and reached their hands to the sky out of true awe and appreciation for all that is.

Think of the stillness that would occur if everyone stopped and listened... to the birds sing.

If there was respect for the earth, the people, the animals...

then there would be peace.

What if it was that simple?

Sandhill crane migration, 2017, Albuquerque, NM

I'm not a birdwatcher, per se, however I take great pleasure in watching birds and thinking about what they accomplish. Migratory birds fascinate me with their dedication, commitment, perseverance, and effort. Watching the birds interact on the ground it is clear that they are disagreements, however when it's time to fly, they put aside their differences and work together to accomplish greatness. They share the workload communicating along the way to reach a destination often times 1000's of miles away. And they accomplish this year after year despite the fact that their resting grounds are slowly disappearing due to human "advances."

I recently made a purchase from a yarn shop that I discovered on Instagram called The Net Loft in Cordova, AK, a fishing community. Although I have yet to visit, I find the shop owner, Dotty to be inspiration with her thought-provoking blog posts and commitment to revitalizing the connection between fishing and knitting. When my package arrived, there was a 4x6 card describing the Birds by Hand project to celebrate the annual Copper River Delta Shorebird Festival that occurs this year from May 3-6, 2018.

The Net Loft has created the Copper River Delta Knitted Birds Project to celebrate the annual migration of hundreds of 1000's of birds along the Pacific Flyway and invites everyone to join in a knit-along and become a "ornitholoknitter," one who studies or is an expert on knitted birds.

The goal of the Knitted Birds Project is to raise awareness of the value of the Copper River Delta and its rich tidal mudflats in regards to the mass migration of shorebirds each spring. To join the knit-along, all you have to do is knit a bird and send it to Alaska and it'll be included on display in the local museum during the festival. The goal is to collect 1000 knitted birds. All the details can be found here.

As soon as I discovered this project in August, I just knew I had to include it in Project Peace 2017. Just think if we sent 100's of peace birds to the festival. Not only would we raise awareness of the migration of birds and nature but also peace. I'm asking all of you to knit a bird of peace and let it wing it's way to Alaska.

Knitted dove by Nicky Fijalkowska

I set out to find a pattern to include in PP17 and discovered the book Knitted Birds by Nicky Fijalkowska. I reached out to her and she has graciously provided all of you with a copy of her pattern for the knitted dove. You can download the pattern for free now through December 31 using the coupon code PEACE. So please, knit a bird of peace and send it to the Knitted Bird Project.

Perhaps knitting a bird of peace during Worldwide Knit-in for Peace Day would be an extra special way to think about knitted peace. Or ask your local yarn shop to host a gathering after the New Year to knit a flock of peace birds. There are a few "supplies" needed to create each bird so working together in the spirit of accomplishing bigger things like the migratory birds might be most efficient.

Day 15. Peace tip.

Take a moment today to go outside and sit. Close your eyes and listen for the birds. Think about birds and what characteristic of the birds provides you with a moment of awe and wonder.

~Peace in all things

Christina