“To write is human, to receive a letter: Devine!”
Yesterday, we chatted about creating commuKNITy yet while having that sense of belonging with a physical group may be an example of how to create peace, for many of us it might not be a reality. For whatever reason, having that physical group of like-minded knitters to meet with a regular basis might not be your reality… no transportation, haven’t found the people that you click with, physically unable to meet up, etc.
With the overwhelming presence of technology in our lives and the ability to correspond instantly with people all-around the world it’s odd that our communication skills seem to be deteriorating. Cursive is no longer a mainstay of the educational curriculum, teaching kids efficiency on the keyboard is actually being taught less as we transition to faster, more efficient ways of capturing our thoughts and words. Soon, we’ll “write” via dictation and maybe that sci-fi concept of having our thoughts directly transcribed from our minds will become a reality.
Writing with pen and paper is a dying art. Sending and receiving a letter in the mail is soon to be one of those “remember when…”
So, let’s write letters… or maybe even let’s knit letters.
Felicity Ford’s marvelous book series on colourwork provides a knitted medium for sending letters. In the Stranded Colourwork Playbook, Felicity outlines a tangible way to knit a “letter” and send it to a “knit-pal.”
So, creating commuKNITy has multiple ways to be implemented perhaps writing or knitting a letter might provide a new avenue for feeling connected.
Peace seed #17.
Write a letter to a friend or relative. Or maybe you need to write yourself a letter.
If you are so inclined to knit a letter, check out Felicity Ford’s Ravelry group and click on the link for “postcard pen pals.” If you happen to use Instagram, check out the work of @yumiket and @muriel. They’ve been exchanging knitted letters for several months and their “swatches” are inspiring.
I’ve been attempting to find another way to connect our “knit for peace” folk. I’ve decided to create a thread in The Healthy Knitter Ravelry group so if you are looking for a “pen pal” whether it’s a hand-written letter or a knitted letter, you’ll be able to connect.
If you aren’t on Ravelry or don’t feel comfortable using Ravelry, send me an email (thehealthyknitter at gmail dot com) and I’ll do what I can to connect people so they find a pen-pal. Please put peace penpal in the subject line. We’ll see how that goes… if it gets overwhelming, I may need to find an alternative solution.
We are in the final days of Project Peace 2018… so many more things to share about knitting and peace, at least 2 more giveaways that you won’t want to miss.
Peace… a choice. Make space for peace in your life.
~Christina
Giveaway winner #2 announced.
Jen W. is the recipient of the lovely watercolor and journal set from The Net Loft. Jen please email me and I’ll connect you with Dotty. Here’s what Jen wrote about her plans for Worldwide Knit for Peace Day:
“You know what Christina - I already think of Dec 21st as the official World Wide Knit for Peace Day regardless of whether it's pre-printed on a calendar or Google identifies it as such (but how sweet would that be?)... What better way to celebrate the shortest day of the year! To take a step back for even just an hour or two from the frenzy of preparations/shopping for the holiday to breathe, contemplate the true meaning of the season, and discuss with my knitting family - it's perfect!
My knitting group normally meets at a public location on the third Tuesday of the month which we are still doing next week, but we are also adding Friday as a special and more personal event and meeting at a member's home.”