“Difficult and meaningful will always bring more satisfaction than easy and meaningless.” – Maxime Lagacé
Hi there,
Wellness is a life-long journey that requires personal responsibility and commitment to living up to your full potential.
It’s a conscious and self-directed approach to living a healthy, balanced and meaningful life.
We all have the potential for learning, growing, healing and transformation – no matter what situation we find ourselves in.
Even in the midst of chaos and great challenges, we all have a capacity for happiness and peace of mind that is restorative, nourishing, and healing.
But we must choose to cultivate these capacities that lie deep within us – in the depths of our hearts and in our souls.
May you find inspiration to pursue a conscious, creative, and healthful lifestyle through these weekly curated newsletters.
Peace, love, & Knit OM…
Becky x
:: Knitting – Wellness – Conscious Living ::
All About Knitting for Australia’s Animals (and Other Crafts, too)
The tragedy of the wildfires in Australia has killed countless animals, and many others have been injured either in the fires or from fleeing the flames. Crafters are being called to help wildlife rescue organizations in their efforts to provide comfort to these rescued animals. This article provides helpful links and more information on what the needs are and how crafters can help.
Koala Mittens And Joey Pouches: Australian Wildfires Spark Global Knitting Frenzy
Another inspiring feature about the knitting and crafting effort in response to the devastating wildfires in Australia. The Animal Rescue Craft Guild said it has been inundated with offers of help after putting out a call for volunteers to make bat wraps, joey pouches, bird nests, possum boxes, koala mittens and other snuggly homes for marsupials. Knitters unite!
Substituting: Thinking About Yarn
Yarn substitution – choosing a different yarn from the one used in a pattern – can be a simultaneously exciting yet daunting experience. So much can go wrong! Never fear, though. This in-depth post has everything you need to know to start substituting yarn with confidence.
Yarn Substitution Search Tool
Check out this very cool site that helps you to find appropriate substitute yarns. Simply type in the yarn you want to substitute and it will provide you with a list of possible options based on a number of factors, such as gauge, texture, drape, fiber content etc. Very cool!
This is a follow up post from last week’s mind-blowing MDK post How to Make a Needle-Felted Steek. If you’ve ever been tempted to try steeking, this might just be the read you need to motivate you to give it a go. As Ann writes, “the stabby joy of felting up a five-foot steek cannot be overstated.”
20 Changes You Can Make in Your Home to Make Life Simpler in 2020
Is your home is serving you well? Is it a safe harbor from the storms of life—a space to relax, rest, and connect in meaningful ways with loved ones and friends? Or are you serving it – spending less time living the life you want, because you’re spending more time cleaning, maintaining, and repairing? The good news is it doesn’t have to be that way. Here are 20 changes you can make in your home to make life simpler.
10 Questions You Should Ask Before Knitting with Merino Wool Yarn
You may be wondering, why is merino wool so highly regarded, what makes it different from regular wool, and how do you care for this yarn? In this article, Nancy from Nobel Knits covers everything you need to know about Merino Wool yarn.
Why is Making by Hand Important to You?
Last fall, Melanie Falick travelled around the USA to promote her new book, Making a Life: Working by Hand and Discovering the Life You Are Meant to Live. Along the way, she handed out cards asking a question: Why is making by hand important to you? Melanie collects the answers on her website, and also on Instagram using the hashtag #makingalife. Inspired by this conversation, makers and contributors at at Mason-Dixon Knitting share their answers to Melanie’s question. An inspiring conversation!
Three Ways to Refresh and Renew—No Resolutions Needed
The turning of the New Year can be a source of anxiety as we consider all the changes we should make to “better” ourselves. Rather than brainstorming ways to improve your life, practicing mindfulness helps you accept the life you already have—and embrace it for all that it is. This article offers three ways to feel refreshed and renewed, without the resolutions.
:: Pattern Inspiration ::
Still Light Tunic by Veera Välimäki
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About this design:
The dress (or tunic) is knitted all in one piece, from top down. With lightweight yarn and fitting upper body this dress flatters many figures. It’s perfect for many seasons, easily altered with yarn choices and the pockets are most convenient!
Catchall by Hunter Hammersen
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About this design: About these cute little jar cozies, the designer Hunter Hammersen writes:
“These are perfect for you if:
- You’ve got a secret stash of jars you always meant to do something with tucked away in the back of a cabinet, just waiting for inspiration to strike
- You suddenly find yourself wanting to organize your desk (or your bathroom, or your knitting space, or your bedside table) and look good while you’re at it
They’re not for you if:
- You are completely immune to the siren song of a cute jar
- You don’t like charts (the pattern uses charts)
The pattern is detailed and gives you lots of options. It includes three different textures (stockinette, reverse stockinette, ribbed) and three different closure methods (seamed, grafted, buttoned), and you can mix and match to make exactly what you want. This is easy knitting (it’s all worked flat, and it’s about as many stitches as a good sized swatch), and you can probably make one of these in an afternoon.
The Traveling Afghans KAL/CAL
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As part of Lion Brand Yarn’s “My Life in Yarn” campaign for 2020, the Traveling Afghans project Is a way for designers and makers from around the world to come together and form a GIANT KAL/CAL.
Starting in January, the Traveling Afghans will set sail from NYC and journey to a new designer every two weeks. Each designer will create a 10″x10″ square to add to either the knit or the crochet blanket before sending it off to the next person to add theirs. They will each publish their pattern for free online so YOU can follow along and create your own knit or crochet afghan!
This year-long collaborative effort will feature stories from the designers about their paths as makers, and will give you the opportunity to learn new stitches and make new friends in the community along the way.
:: Final Thoughts ::
If you made it this far, I want to thank you for taking time out of your day to read my newsletter! I hope you found something that inspired or motivated you.
Do you know someone who would enjoy this newsletter? If so, please pass it along. It may be just what they needed to receive today!
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Have a great week, and stay safe!
With gratitude,
Becky xo