Day 11... K is for knitting

“Peace... the knitted way”

— me

Knitting or crochet, weaving, cross-stitch, needlepoint, quilting, painting, writing…

any creative act that speaks to you…

stitch by stitch, we create the path of peace…

Knitting is my way… it has been way for almost five decades… it is part of who I am

it brings me comfort, something to do during idle times, and results in clothes to wear… and so much more.

If peace is about relationships,

and relationships are cultivated via knitting,

then knitting is peace

Peace… right and just relationships with self, others, and the Earth. How can we use our creative super powers to create said peace… both metaphorically and in reality? I invite each of you to participate in a collective group think… let’s write a list of all the ways we can use knitting (or insert your own creative medium) to create peace. I’ll provide some examples that may spark additional ideas…

Three jumpers… inspired by three pilgrimages to Shetland: Eshaness, the ocean and seaweed of Shetland, and Storm Babet. October 2022, July and October 2023.

Self…

Knitting connects me to the here of now and the here of far, far, away. In the series of sweaters (aka jumpers) that I knit over the past year using the same pattern, I chose yarn colors to reflect places and experiences that were meaningful to me. These jumpers link the yarn that I love and embody my relationship with a place I cherish.

Buggiflooer beanie, Shetland Wool Week annual hat. Photograph taken at the Tall Ships Festival, Shetland

Others

How can I support others with my knitting when I am not a huge fan of knitting for others? As I reflected on this element of peace, it came to me that mindful purchases can be an aspect of peace. For example, purchasing the Shetland Wool Week 2023 annual hat pattern, the Buggiflooer beanie, supports Shetland Amenity Trust, an organization that promotes the arts (and so much more) in Shetland.

Summer in Shetland, July 2023

Earth

Over the years, I have knit with a lot of different yarn for many reasons… cost, color, impulsive shopping, a momento from a trip, to match the “requirements” for a specific pattern… the list goes on. As I find myself in new chapters of my life, my relationship with yarn (and knitting) has evolved. Now, when I purchase yarn, it is mostly Shetland wool.

The sheep in Shetland consume the vegetation from the land and sea (yes, they eat seaweed)… those nutrients are incoporated into the “fiber of their beings,” their fleece, which is in turn processed into wool. When my hands hold the yarn, I am connected to the Earth through this fiber… another example of the “flow of nutrients” as we discussed on day 6, “food as relationship.”

And when I purchase the yarn from Shetland, it supports their local economy (an example of “other”).

Buggiflooer beanie made from Shetland wool (Jamieson’s), knitting and coffee at Bonhoga cafe, Shetland, UK.

Peace nugget #11

Take some time today to be extra curious when you sit down to knit, crochet, quilt, etc…

How does your creative practice create relationships with self, others, and the Earth?

All metaphors and phyisical examples of how we create peace through our creative practices are encouraged. The more abstract the better. I look forward to reading your comments.

peace…

one stitch, one step at a time…

Christina

Day 10... journey

And here we are with the tale of a weary peace traveler…

Day after day, walking the path of peace, the traveler grew tired. Of what she did not know…

it could have been the physical action of walking each day, step after step along the well worn trail…

or the emotional drain of striving for change when so little seemed to take root…

yet maybe it was her dampened spirit, when so much darkness seemed to prevail…

Late in the afternoon, she sat down along the edge of the path to ponder… “I must rest,” she said. “I am not sure I can continue. I am oh so very tired. If I can just find a place under a tree to lay my head…”

She sauntered on until a trail appeared heading off into a woods that seemed to come out of nowhere. Without hesitation, as if called to exit the main path, she found herself walking in a new direction. Her fatigue persisted, yet she felt a spark from deep within… she must find out more.

Deeper and deeper into the woods she walked. Darker and darker it became. Never quite feeling lost but still in search of a place to rest. Nightfall was on it’s way. And as she walked, off in the distant she saw an old stone building nestled in the side of a tree… smoke rising from the chimney. “Perhaps there is someone home and they can guide me to a restful place?” The weary peace traveler found comfort in this thought…

and made her way to the old stone building nestled in the side of a tree.

She knocked three times… waiting paitently between each knock. The door began to open, slowly, very slowly… and a darkness was all that could be seen when looking inside the old stone building that was nestled in the side of a tree.

A very, very old woman stepped forward… yet remained on her side of the doorway, the peace traveler on hers. Oddly, the peace traveler felt a twinge of unease mixed with a wonderful feeling of acceptance.

This very, very old woman was a sight to behold…

her long grey hair, the color of clouds on a stormy day,

her weathered, wrinkly skin akin to the crevaces of the earth,

a long brown cloak, the same color as the bark of trees…

and her eyes, a softness that was not marked by time… aquamarine.

“Come in…” she said to the weary, peace travler. “Come rest your head…”

So the weary peace traveler, stepped over the doorway and into the old stone building nestled in the side of a tree.

And as the two walked from one room to the next, it seemed that the old stone building nestled in the side of a tree began to get bigger… to go farther and farther… into the unknown.

The very, very old woman asked the traveler, “besides rest, what is it you seek?” “Peace” was all she could mutter.

Follow me said the very, very old woman who lived in the old stone building nestled in the side of a tree… and they moved into a new room. The very, very old woman sat down and picked up a pair of socks and began to mend the holes.

She looked up and said, “I will grant you three wishes, one for yourself, the second for others, and the third for the Earth. But there are two rules… you may not use the word “peace” and it must be realistic, an action within your reach.”

The weary peace traveler paused… and said “but I want world peace! that’s why I have been walking.”

The very, very, old woman replied… “you must continue your walk, you are on the right path, yet mend what is within your reach. Your intention is good, yet your approach unrealistic.”

The very, very old woman set aside her own darning, and as they walked from room to room in the old stone building nestled in the side of a tree, the peace traveler stated her wishes, one at a time, with intention and compassion…

for self,

others,

and the Earth.

The very, very old woman sat down, picked up a holey pair of jeans and began stitching the threads together to repair the well worn spaces of the fabric. And while the weary peace traveler sipped on a cup of tea, feeling rested, she began to notice the room and the woman fade away…

and fade they did.

The weary peace traveler found herself among the ancient oak trees and moss-covered rocks, grey clouds high in the sky, and the most brilliant sea… aquamarine.

“And that is how change happens. One gesture. One person. One moment at a time. ”

— LIbba Bray

Peace nugget #10

You probably already know the question for today. What are your three wishes? Within your reach, actionable, and without using the word peace…

Feel free to share your wishes

or your thoughts about the tale

or themes you noticed from the previous posts and how they showed up in the tale of the weary peace traveler.

Other

What wonderful comments about islands. What struck me as a theme is that our lived experiences definitely influence how we view islands. I really enjoyed the sharing of childhood memories and the mention of particular islands, such as Orcas and Bainbridge which made me nostaligic for the years I lived in Washington state.

With deep appreciation for all of you for walking the peace path… even when we are weary.

Day 9... an island

Before we begin, jot down the first three words you associate with islands?

Foula, off in the distant…

As a person who grew up in a “land-locked” part of the world, islands represented places of tropical vacations with beautiful beaches… a land far, far away and out of reach physically and financially.

Or, they were places I read about in books (Lord of the Flies), or watched on the screen (hello Gilligan’s Island or Tom Hanks in Castaway) where people would be isolated, lonely, stranded, desperate, waiting to be found…

And as I look back over the years, it becomes apparent that my fascination with islands is not new. One of my most favorite questions to ask graduate students at their final oral exam is this…

“If you were stuck on a deserted island, what three “foods” would you want with you?”

I love this question… so many creative ways to express one’s understanding of nutrition science.

But one year, the faculty in the exam room interjected before the student could reply:

what kind of island? where is it located? tropical or frozen? how long is this person stranded? what’s the weather? is there fresh water? are there any other supplies? is there shelter?

“Woah, woah, woah, this is a “simple” question. Let’s not overthink this.”

My reply “you tell me… where is this fictitious island? And let’s come back to the intent of the question… I just want to know a little bit about your knowledge of nutrition… .”

I digress…

What were your three words you associated with islands?

And what do islands have to do with peace?

If words such as isolated, lonely, vulnerable, and stranded came to mind for islands, it might be easy to overlook how islands are an excellent example of peace.

Sheila Geer, a long-time resident of Foula, an island located about 20 miles to the west of mainland Shetland, and author of Foula, Island West of the Sun writes:

Poised on the top of a high cliff there is a peace not found anywhere else: a vast space, an eternity of sea and sky, a freedom. Sit here and scan the distant horizon where sea and sky meet in a far silver line, let your mind roam free; here you will find a glimpse of understanding of life, of its eternity, formed from a million myriads of mortal fragments, a million upon million of livings and dyings, creatings and destroyings, buildings up and wearings down - a grain of sand, a wave, a bird, a man, an island, all add their small part to the eternity of the universe.

Islands can be places

of connection… between and among all things,

a space where community can thrive… where interdependence is necessary.

The island metaphor provides an opportunity to break down our own “mental models” (aka our own ideas and beliefs) about what it means to live in a land far, far away…

and reminds us that peace might include the need to step off the path and gain new perspectives (e.g. moving from one island to another), require us to shift our preconceived ideas and beliefs, and highlight the fact we are all interconnected.

Even Foula, an island that appears remote and isolated is part of a connected system…

the archipelago of Shetland.

Peace nugget #9

Islands as peace… so many ways for you to ponder this topic. What were your three words to describe islands? How do your three words provide you insight into your relationship with peace? Did you come up with other analogies about islands as peace?

Perhaps try doodling an island today… be like those professors… what’s on the island? is it tropical? in the Arctic? what does the shelter look like?

Leave a comment. I love reading your responses… others do as well. Leave a comment for each day and there will be a special treat waiting at the end of our 21 day journey.

peace as you move into this weekend space…

Christina

PS - There’s a movie about Foula called “The Edge of the World” made in 1937. I’ve not watched it yet it has been highly recommended. More info here and a link to the movie here. There are a few ads prior to the movie beginning.

Day 8... here

“Hello to here”

— Pádraig Ó Tuama

Crisp autumn morning, Ada Hadyn, Ames, Iowa

One of my all-time favorite phrases… hello to here.

A reminder, mantra, call… to be rooted in place.

“Stand still. The tree ahead and bushes beside you

Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here

And you must treat it as a powerful stranger”

These words are from a poem called “Lost” by David Wagoner published in In the Shelter: Finding a home in the world by Pádraig Ó Tuama and provide the inspiration for the phrase “Hello to here.”  

These three simple words… so much energy and power yet simple and direct.

This phrase, my companon through the pandemic as I sought to find my way in the “here” of a place I did not want to be.

As time has passed, my relationship and understanding of this phrase has deepened…

everywhere is here…

tHERE is the here of wHERE you are…

and the here of far, far, away…

Reawick beach, Shetland, UK

When I dream of writing about Shetland, in my mind, I always begin the tale with “in a land far, far away…”

Yet, when I’m there, it’s not far away and the people who live there think of my home as a land far, far away. Their home is here…

And as I rose this morning to write to all of you, the crescent waning moon high in the southeast sky…

the moon visible to me… here

yet also visible to your here

Hello to here… a reminder to be present, in the “here and now.” But also so much more… the here of everywHERE… we are all connected.

Peace nugget #8

Recall these words…

“Ours is not the task of fixing the world all at once, but of stretching out to mend the part of the world that is within our reach...”

— Clarissa Pinkola Estes

The here for many in this world is a place of violence, war, oprression, loss, and devestation. Those places may feel far away and out of reach. We’ve been focusing on how to mend the part of the world that is within our reach… however, if we are all connected, that reach may extend farther than you initially imagined.

Everywhere is here…

Today, light a candle, sit in the darkness, and still your mind and body.

A candle is a small thing. But one candle can light another. And see how its own light increases, as a candle gives its flame to the other. You are such a light.

-Moshe Davis, Rabbi

Hello to peace…

Hello to the here of peace…