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.”
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...