Our Call to Share

January 9, 2017
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“We are called upon to use our gift, our gift we have to share with the world.”   –Terry Tempest Williams

Here I am, ready to begin this year with renewed focus, an open willingness to take risks, and great optimism about the impact many small actions can have.  As a knitter, I am well-versed in what a million different tiny stitches, created one at a time, can create. I have many sweaters, hats, socks, and shawls to show for it in fact.

As a result, I have found myself in a position of abundance. Quite honestly, I have more shawls than I could ever hope to wear. Creating these gorgeous wings of wool, I’m finding myself feeling weighted down by the sheer number of them. I’m ready to let some of them take flight and find new shoulders to warm, new bodies to embellish.

It is not enough for me to give them away, though, or even just to sell them. As I knit, I feel a deep sense of purpose, clarity, and peace. To sell them for profit negates the beauty of the shawl for me. Instead, I want my knitted shawls to continue creating that peace in this world, carrying with them all that I felt while knitting them to the recipient and even to the broader world.

My idea is this: I will auction off one shawl at a time, committing to auctioning six shawls over the next three months, and all the money will go towards a charity or cause of my choice. Once the winner has been notified and donates the winning bid to that charity, I will pass the shawl along into the hands of the kind winner. If the winner lives away, I will cover the cost of shipping the shawl via Priority Mail.

Every shawl I auction will be knit out of the very best yarn, will be free of errors, and filled with good karma.

The first shawl is the Jujuy Shawl. This shawl is knit out of Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere, a gorgeous blend of merino wool, cashmere, and nylon. I knit this shawl along with an amazing group of women in coordination with my first ever Knitalong. Because this shawl embodies the strength, comraderie, and kindness of women, all proceeds of this shawl’s winning bid will go towards Planned Parenthood.

Please feel free to share this post with anyone and everyone, because the higher the bidding goes, the more impact this one beautiful shawl can have.

  • The opening bid starts at $50 and begins NOW.
  • Please bid in whole dollar amounts.
  • All bids need to be within the comment thread of this blog post in order for everyone to keep track of the highest bid.
  • I will close the auction at 7:00 PM MST on Monday, January 23rd.
  • When the auction is over, I will send the winner an email; the winner must donate directly to Planned Parenthood within 24 hours and must forward the confirmation email to me as proof; I’ll coordinate getting the shawl to you by February 1st.

Here’s hoping this idea takes flight… Much love to all of you…and happy bidding!

Letting Go of Perfection

October 27, 2016
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I made a mistake in my shawl. It is a mistake right in the icord edging that I cannot fix without frogging it back at least 40 rows. img_3954

Since I tend towards perfectionism (understatement of the year), I was agonizing over wanting the shawl to be perfect and yet not wanting to lose what little recent progress I’ve made on this shawl.

Fortunately for me, I discovered this mistake on a Wednesday, and on Wednesdays I just happen to lead a weekly Knitting Support Group, a group filled with truly kind, funny, generous women. As none of them are shy about sharing their opinions, they were very vocal about what they thought I should do with this mistake.

Although I didn’t take an official poll, I’m pretty sure at least 85 percent of them thought I should leave the mistake in (with proclamations that they couldn’t even see it, that I should inject more purl ridges and call them a “design feature,” or that I could just cover it with a shawl pin). The rest agreed I should take it back and make it perfect. Regardless of what they thought I should do, the interactions were hilarious and honest and fun.

Even as they were voicing their opinions, I’m about 98 percent confident they all knew I was going to take it back no matter what they thought. And, honestly, I’m kind of proud of my crazy, knowing they knew I would demand perfection from myself.

What made this week’s group especially interesting, though, was as I was pondering how important this crazy level of perfectionism was to me, my 16 year old daughter who also attends Knitting Support Group arrived and was visibly upset about an interaction she had had over a decision she had made and in making that choice, she had disappointed someone. My daughter had done nothing wrong, she was just wisely creating her boundaries and recognizing her limits, and yet she was agonizing over having let someone down. She is used to making everyone happy; she is used to being perfect.

I had plenty to say to try and buoy her with confidence in her decision, but yet again this amazing group of women stepped up, becoming her Mama Bears, supporting, consoling, and emotionally embracing her. It was exactly the kind of community you want on your side, at your back. It was especially heartwarming to see them all at my daughter’s back.

It really was a “thing of beauty.” Right then, right there, I knew I couldn’t take my shawl back. That mistake had now become a story. It had become a reminder of this wonderful group of women supporting me, supporting my daughter. It had become a symbol of accepting my humanity in my imperfections.

I do not expect perfection from any of my knitters, and I am really going to try to release the expectation of constant perfection in myself.

Because, really, sometimes it’s the mistakes that make something truly beautiful.

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Knitalong Alert!

May 21, 2016
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Fancy a knitalong?? I absolutely love Helen Stewart‘s patterns and am intrigued by the idea of this.

Coming soon… I will be concocting a knitalong that will take us through six shawls in six months (or however many you’re up for!). I still have some things to organize, but if you’re interested, at least go ahead and pay for your admission for the society while she is still offering discounted pricing (don’t know how long she’ll offer that–guess it’s part of the secret!).

I think it would be fun to meet as a group perhaps once per month and have a Ravelry group for those knitting along with us from afar. I’m really wondering what interests people, so please let me know your thoughts! Since it will take place over six months, I don’t want it to be too terribly formal, so no one gets too stressed or burned out, but it would be fun to support one another and watch each other’s shawls grow. Wonder how many of us will actually knit all six in six months?!?!

Please pass the word along to others who might be interested–the more the merrier!

Link to purchase pattern! 

Link to Updated Knitalong Information!