Knitting Peace: 2 Year's in the Growing

Knitting Peace is celebrating its 2 year anniversary, and along with 2 years under my belt come many lessons learned, new perceptions, cultivated relationships and the opportunity to question what have I done? How far have I really gotten?

Photo © Diana Mrazikova

During these 2 years there has been many times in which I have questioned if I am the right person for this job or if someone else might have done it better. The reality is that this may have been the case, I am sure other women could have Knitting Peace in many major department stores and magazines by now. However, this project came to me, and I have to trust and be patient with myself as I learn the ropes which is a big part of the journey of a 1^st time entrepreneur. Learning what questions to ask and acting on the information received is another big part of the journey. If it were all up to me, I would happily spend my time at the jail creating new designs with my team of knitters.  That is all I would do, and let the business aspect manage itself… however as many business owners know, being in business for oneself requires a lot more work than a normal 9-5 job, and the wearing and juggling of many hats. A normal day for me can range anywhere from going to the jail to see how my knitters are doing with our products, to having meetings on Skype with prospective clients in Europe, to sewing labels on each finished product; while managing cash flow against projections and day to day expenses.  It’s a big deal, and a lot of work, and thus far, without the monetary compensation or benefits a steady 9-5 job provides.  

At times the challenges that emerge feel like tests, provided for me to question how invested am I really? These opportunities emerge to evaluate and ask if I am the right person for this job. Do I have what it takes to make Knitting Peace all it can be? And essentially how badly do I want this? Moments like these are challenging, however I am grateful for them, because they provide me the opportunity to rise above my physical world reality and guide me to go back to the basics, the beginning; to remember my initial motivation, inspiration and ultimately reconnect with my heart. 

Physical world reality can at times seem stifling, or slow to reflect progress and growth. Staying grounded in ones initial inspiration makes each day, lesson and challenge worth the initial discomfort. And maybe that’s what it’s really all about: being inspired, being the inspiration, and allowing inspiration… being, allowing, flowing and accepting. And how that manifests in physical world reality is up to us to decide.  For me it looks like Knitting Peace, for you it may be your family, the environment, money, singing, or an infinite number of things. Whatever it maybe, it’s important to be clear.  What does your inspiration look like? What inspires you? How do you inspire others? And more specifically, how can you choose to be the inspiration you want to experience in the world?

These are important questions to ask oneself as we seek to align more fully with the calling of our hearts. ~Namaste

Mariela... a Mothers Love

With the New Year just around the corner, I feel inspired to take a look back at the unfolding of 2010 and make inventory of what I would like to bring forward to 2011, as well as what I can chose to step away from, in service to continued alignment, growth and stepping deeper into the truth of who I am.

One of my greatest lessons this year has come by means of Mariela, one of my favorite knitters. She has been incarcerated for over 3 years. She was brought in days after her daughter was born, who was initially taken to a home for the first year of her life, until she was reunited with her mother, in jail. This little girl named Giovanna is now a bit over 3; she is a beautiful strong being and is not afraid to express herself. One day I found her at the main gate, crying to get out, while her mother watched from afar understanding that this little one did not want to be incarcerated any longer.

Mariela has little support from family outside of prison. She is very young and more often than not, needs to buy Giovanna medication for ear infections, teeth decays, bladder infections, and stomach infections. It seems Giovanna is always sick, and Mariela is consistently working hard to help Giovanna heal.

Mariela and Giovanna, 2010

Mariela is a very talented knitter; she learns fast and knits fast once she gets the hang of a particular design. We worked for months to come up with the Sweater Vest design pattern, making one proto type after another. It was a long process, yet Mariela never gave up, she persisted even after having to unravel her work many times, until it was perfect. Any knitter will tell you that unraveling a knit piece is not fun; it’s like drawing a painting and then having to erase it.

She took great pride in the creation of the Sweater Vests and took it upon herself to make each one to perfection. I noticed she became very protective of this design, and diligently worked on each one, without any rest in between. She seemed more content and centered as each piece was finished. One day she asked me to hold her pay until she delivered all of the Sweater Vests I had requested. I agreed, knowing that she probably wanted to save the money for something important.

Once all the Sweater Vests were delivered and Mariela was ready to receive her payment, she shared with me that she was planning on using the money to buy a “toldo” which is a small (tiny) covered space most inmates buy as a place to spend their day in and hold all of their belongings. It’s the only private place they can have, if they can afford to purchase it while they are in jail. Once they leave, they can sell it to another prisoner recovering their investment. These “toldos” are very important for mothers because it allows them to nurture and care for their children in a private space, a space they can call their own, a safe space for their children to rest and be.  

Mariela did not have the means to buy a “toldo”, but she created the means by working diligently in something she believed in... her daughter. Her response and growth inspires me to continue to work diligently, unraveling and erasing that which no longer serves me, and stepping forward with what does, accepting guidance to steer my vision while allowing my journey to become a co-creation.

Hand Knit Alpaca Sweater Vest in Mocha

Photo taken by Daniel Caballero    

 Hand Knit Alpaca Sweater Vest in Grey

  Photo taken by Daniel Caballero

Mariela and all the women of Knitting Peace are a gift. We hope you love Knitting Peace and continue to help us grow as our intention for 2011 is to grow and expand, touching more and more lives each day. ~ Namaste

A story about Eulogia... who makes Knitting Peace possible

I have been in LA for a couple of weeks sharing with many people stories of my Knitting Peace experience and in this exchange, I have grown to realize that I miss seeing my team of knitters in Bolivia and their amazing children as well as being with them in the jail. Its funny to hear myself say this, its not something I had ever aspired to experience or even dreamed of, but these spirited women have weaved themselves into my journey and heart, and I am all the happier for it.

Eulogia, my Team Coordinator and Friend

I find myself raving about my team coordinator Eulogia much of the time. She and I met the  first time I went to the jail many years ago, and have worked together ever since. At one point she was my only knitter, but in time she brought forward the majority of the girls I currently work with.

In the jail there are women of all walks of life, and I would be more than happy to employ them all if I could. However, Eulogia has more street smarts than me, she protects me like a lioness and doesn't allow just anyone on our team. I trust here blindly and only bring on board who she feels can harmoniously work with us. She helps me stay focused and grounded with the reality of the jail and what we are seeking to accomplish in the long term, she points out to me when I may be off course and consistently keeps the knitters and the quality of their products in  check. Many of my knitters have shared with me that Eulogia makes them reknit some of the work when she feels it isn't up to Knitting Peace's standards.

I love and appreciate her proactive-ness, she takes pride in our work and social movement. She is an inspiration to me, and teaches me to keep on moving forward no matter how big the hurdle to overcome may seem. She was sentenced to 30 years in jail, and is on her 9th year. In a year she can re-open her case and based on her conduct, work and lawyer's ability may be eligible to reduce her sentence. I plan on standing by her in that process, assisting her the way she has taught me to assist others, with lioness pride and loyalty.

I am blessed by Eulogia, a woman of strength, pride and deep courage. She has two grown sons who visit her frequently.

Eulogia, I love this woman!

Visit our website today, to see some of the beautiful creations Eulogia makes. She has perfected our Ponchos, and makes truly amazing Throw Blankets. We are having a holiday SALE now, to inspire you to give gifts with meaning, that directly assist women like Eulogia to step out of poverty and into sustainability.

Visit www.knittingpeace.com today.

~ Namaste

The Fruits of 10 Months Work and lots of Play

With Christmas around the corner and me being back in LA, I am filled with a sense of gratitude for this years journey, lessons learned and continued pull towards greater clarity, alignment and acceptance of what is.

After 10 months of working consistently with my team of incarcerated knitters in Bolivia, I find myself in LA again with the familiar initial culture shock of the traffic, speed and marketing overload. However, I am now a week into it, the culture shock is gone and I am back to business as usual.

During my time in Bolivia my intention was to focus on creating better products, designs, opening more markets and strengthening the technical knitting skills of my knitters. As I look back, I can appreciate having accomplished all of this, however I can also see that this was the least of all that blossomed from this 10 month stay. Although I can certainly appreciate the business importance of bettering our product and expanding our market share, all of that now seems more like the icing on the cake, as opposed to the eggs and milk themselves.

In this process and journey I am learning that if I choose to make the conscious choice to focus my awareness and intention on what my heart is seeking to experience, meaning: peace, authentic connections, joy, authentic self expression, etc... and channel this intention through Knitting Peace, then it is inevitable that the feedback is going to be more peace, loving connections, joy and authentic self expression. Which  has magically shown up in our new products that have created the opportunity for new markets and greater awareness about Knitting Peace.

My point is in a very round about way, that when we let go or detach from the obvious outcome, and surrender to our hearts song, all will be accomplished perfectly and beyond our wildest dreams, leaving the initial obvious goal seemingly small compared to what in reality came forward.

Our latest 2010 Winter collection reflects the trust and deep connection that blossomed with me and my team of knitters in Bolivia. This line is more daring, unique and playful. We hope you enjoy it!

Photo by Daniel Caballero

This holiday season gift to your loved ones a Knitting Peace alpaca product, that directly assists incarcerated women and their children, in Bolivia to step out of  poverty and into sustainability and self empowerment.

Visit our website to enjoy our holiday SALE at www.knittingpeace.com

Photo by Daniel Caballero

Lessons in life, during the light filled times~ Happy Thanksgiving!

It is a rare person who can pierce the veil between ordinary life, consumed with matters of physical survival, and pursuit of the empowered path of purpose and meaning unless he or she is motivated by a crisis. Most often we require the failure of some system of power that we rely on before we take action. ~Carolyn Myss

I love this quote from Carolyn, probably because it has proved right for me on many occasions. However at this point in my life, I am also experiencing the power in taking action from a space of complete clarity and peace… and not only the dark filled times when a power system falls out of alignment.

Today I feel inspired to share about the lighter moments in life, which if we really stop to think about are more often than not and interestingly less appreciated or remembered than not.  I ponder upon this and wonder why our human condition tends to dictate a need to use our hard times as leverage to do our inner work from which we grow, taking for granted the opportunities which the lighter experiences offer to teach. 

If life in its entire splendor has its ups and downs which serve a deep purpose to us all, why is it that the downs or harder experiences tend to leave a deeper impact than the ups or lighter experiences? Have we become so immersed in our self growth that we have developed a tendency to see only the jewel in the midst of the darkness leaving less appreciation for the light filled times, that bring forward experiences of joy and love. In other words, why not also learn from the light filled times, not as parameters for how things should be, but rather opportunities to learn to simply immerse ourselves in the delight and love of what is.

During this journey with Knitting Peace, I am learning that nothing is as I had expected, yet the experience of peace and purpose which I wanted to have is fully present and embedded in my daily life. I am learning to be present to all that is, especially the moments of joy that serve as reminders and inspirations to continue to walk this path of purpose and meaning.

In service to sharing my gratitude for this light filled time, during this day of Grace and Thanksgiving, Knitting Peace is sharing our work at a drastically reduced price, for all to enjoy.  We hope you love our products, which are made with enthusiasm and joy by incarcerated women, seeking moments of empowerment and inspiration.

To enjoy our Thanksgiving Sale visit www.knittingpeace.com

May this Thanksgiving season bring you blessings of true joy and peace.

~Namaste

From Rebellion to Devotion... lifes many twists

The idea of devotion was a concept I set aside when I made the choice to step away from traditional religion, and open myself to spirituality. At the time I didn’t know what spirituality meant, but I knew in my heart I needed to follow my own spirit towards a higher meaning and life of purpose. Something away from the pre-conceived concepts of a God contained within the frame of fear and judgment. At the time this felt much like an act of rebellion which perfectly suited the 20 something year old that I was. I didn’t realize until much later how magnificently wise that young woman was. She was pretty amazing and I am so proud of her.

Once the intention to live in alignment with a higher purpose was set, many opportunities for developing the needed skills for aligning with this purpose surfaced and looking back, I can honestly confess that these have not been comfortable or easy lessons to learn, some even painful. However the new relationship that has blossomed from within myself has made each hard spot softer and easier to appreciate, bringing deep purpose to each experience as I gently knit stitch by stitch the tapestry and mastery of life.

These past weeks have brought forward on numerous occasions the opportunity for me to re-evaluate my concept of devotion. At first the word devotion started to pop up in conversations with friends, later in books and soon in my yoga and meditation practice. I opened a curios ear to all of this, but it wasn’t until I lost a significant sale opportunity for Knitting Peace due to my own procrastination that I realized... uh-oh Houston, my Angels really want my attention.

The loss of this big sale helped me come to the awareness that I wasn’t devoting myself fully to what I considered to be my life’s work and this was a representation or projection of how I was being with myself and ultimatly God. Meaning I was not fully allowing myself to authentically embrace a life of devotion to something higher than myself.

During this process all the old preconceived notions of religion, God and devotion came forward for a re-visit. However this time with the skills I accumulated since my last wrestle with devotion, I was able to hear my hearts deep yearning and longing to love open heartedly, with absolute joy, loyalty, humility and fervor. To be devoted to something higher than myself, to something which I can’t see, taste, hear or feel but know in every cell of my being loves me unconditionally and wants only for me to experience authentic, the cup runeth over kind of loving, and radiate this love unlike any love imagined by my mere mortal mind.

It is from this space that I am learning that devotion is gratitude to the sacredness of life, making each breath a moment of connection and love expressed with Source. Devotion to the spirit in every form, living in devotion to something higher than ourselves and everything in between, revealing the ilussion of separation. Living in flow as ONE and part of the whole, like drops in the ocean.

To me, this is the face of pure, unconditional love.

This is my dog Nicolas, one of my favorite beings in the Universe