Winter is Here!

On the southern hemisphere we are revving up for what seems to be a pretty rude winter.  This month has served as a forewarning for what’s to come in the winter front, and fortunately for Knitting Peace, we are prepared.  Our winter line is full of versatile pieces that are sure to shield the winter breeze, dim sunrays and long months of minus zero winter mornings.

My favorite early morning yoga gear during these cold months includes my Knitting Peace Alpaca Cardiwrap, Hardtail leggings and Ugg boots. It’s the gear I wish I could wear in LA during the winter months of whopping 68^oF weather. Don’t get me wrong, I love LA but I do yearn for a real winter, where I can fully enjoy all the beautiful pieces my Knitting Peace girls make.

This fall a favorite in Bolivia has been our Alpaca Handknit Cardiwraps which we re-designed for this season. They are as always ultra soft, ultra warm and now surprisingly lightweight, weighing in at only 500grm which makes them so much yummier to wear; and to continue to spread the warmth, we included pockets on each side panel, keeping all extremities out of the cold.

Alpaca Cardiwraps

  

For the fashionistas who refuses to be bothered by threats of bronchitis or the flu, we have a very sexy piece that is sure to keep you healthy while jumping from dinner party to bar to club. Our Vneck Sweater dress, worn with skinies, leggings or as is, is ultra soft, sexy and warm enough to keep you comfortable on those long nights out on the town.

 

Alpaca VNeck Sweater Dress

When I first presented these designs to my team of knitters, I was met with confusion, a bit of enthusiasm and a lot more confusion. My girls had never made or seen anything like these pieces, they were eager to learn; but not quite sure what they were making. After many (more than I care to count) finished prototypes, we finally achieved pieces that are Knitting Peace worthy, which we are sure you will love.  So, whether you are on the Southern or Northern hemisphere, keep an eye out for these pieces, which are sure to become a favorite in your closet.

~Namaste

Making Survival as easy as Breathing...

Life has been full of surprises, one being my recent marriage which turned Knitting Peace’s routine upside down. Apparently I had an internal bride sleeping within who took over my life for two months, and I watched myself get taken down the wedding rabbit whole, in the midst of a whirlwind of wedding dresses, color pallets, up-do’s, half-do’s, flower arrangements, round cakes, square cakes, party favors, center pieces and a million more details… exhausting, yet so tempting I couldn’t help but to allow my internal bride follow her hearts fairy tale wishes.

As the wedding date came near, Eulogia and Emiliana (2 of my most loyal and hard working knitters) pulled me aside, they had concerns to share with me. They confessed they were worried that my new role as a wife would consume my time, and focus; keeping me too occupied for Knitting Peace and them. At first, my initial reaction was aloof, since that hardly seemed possible, and continues to seem unlikely. I love my work, and feel more focused than ever. However, after taking some time to sit with what they were expressing I understood that their fear was very real for them, and shouldn’t be dismissed.

I realized that not only were they worried about their future survival, but that these women were also carrying their experience of being an indigenous woman in Bolivia, which more often than not meant having multiple children, and carrying the burden and weight of their families survival and well being; in a society that limited their potential to break out of their cultural box and offered few opportunities for a future in which their children thrive. 

Once again my girls teach me, and remind me that my reality is not always the rule or the exception, and when working with these strong spirited women, it’s important to listen beyond their words, and step into their shoes for a bit, in order to offer a new light to their perspective; meeting them where they are and share a new vantage point.

In providing new perspectives and opportunities we are able to break walls, limitations, and open doors for future generations to expand beyond our projected reality. In doing so, we can achieve together a world in which all women will have the opportunity to experience their inner fairytale wishes, childlike dreams and the sweetness of committing to a life in which we each can thrive, making survival no longer a burden, but as easy and natural as breathing. 

~ Namaste

Non-linear Life as I Know It

After a long absence from the blog world, I feel my creative juices overflowing with excitement. So much has happened in the first 4 months of this year, curiosity pulls me to question what else is being brewed by the Universe for the remaining 8 months to come; although I know in spiritual terms time is of none essence, and we each hold the power to create what we want to experience and learn, at a spiritual level. More often than not, our growth comes when we choose to align with the truth of who we are, and physical time has no bearing on that.

I have learned and continue to learn every day that surrender is the key to experience the perfection of life, its wisdom and its surprising and amazing synchronicities. How many times have I found myself trying to accomplish something in a certain time frame, which my human eye deemed to be the “only” solution; while finding on the other side multiple obstacles and closed doors? So many that through mere exhaustion I finally just let go, which turned out to be the real solution; giving way to a flow of new found doors, synchronicities and opportunities my human eye had never even considered possible.

Surrender does not mean giving up, or being passive. It means accepting that I am not alone or separate from the Universe. It means choosing to embrace my oneness with the Universe, and believing that I, as a Divine Being have the opportunity to allow the Universe to guide me beyond my human experience. It means aligning with what is, and letting go of what my humanness deems as right or wrong, allowing for space through which the Universe can assist me through.

Surprises that came forward when I finally just let go

 Train Cementary, Uyuni Bolivia

 In the Siglo XX mine... (not too long ago, women were not allowed in)

 Traveling on a Train

 Working as an interpretar, translating Pres. Evo Morales

 Coming out of the mine

Magical Salar de Uyuni

Dani, best surprise of the year :)

The real beauty of surrender is that as we experience it authentically from within, not only do we create an inner state of peace, but our outside world starts to gravitate towards that peace and synchronistically our physical world reality aligns with what we were trying to accomplish in the first place.

I am reminded of this every day, especially while growing my business. By nature, I have the tendency to plan… I plan our budget for the year, our sales, our cash flow needs, I make assumptions based on the current price of Alpaca, plan on lines of credit, etc… all good tools to get a better understanding of how I would like the business to grow. Now, more often than not, these plans don’t get accomplished as I had planned. In the past this used to bring forward feelings of being inadequate to run my own business successfully, judgments of not knowing what I am doing, and thoughts of going back to getting a normal job where I could count on a steady paycheck without the risk of “failure”.

After running on this hamster wheel until exhaustion, I finally realized the lesson.  I learned to view my planning tools as a way of establishing my intentions for Knitting Peace, which I then choose to surrender to the Universe for greater guidance, trusting that whatever comes forward will bring additional lessons in service to the growth of not only my business but me. It’s that simple, no need for judgment or self inflicted punishment (i.e. a 9-5 job).

It is from this space that I can more easily flow with what comes forward, as I no longer feel burdened by the need to accomplish things in a certain time frame, because I know and trust that linear time is of non essence when working and aligning with the Universe.

~Namaste