There's Some Knitting & Felting Goin' On

Today - Sunny. 66 degrees. No plans. Loving life.

As I continue making art every day for the month of November, I've had the bug to play with some fiber. Here are a few of my recent projects.

Funky, fuzzy, knitted scarf:

And felted wool rings. I'm excited to make more of these!

Your Personal Reflection: What are you creating today?

Today is the first day of the Art Every Day Challenge. For the entire month of November I am making the commitment to do something creative every day.

My choice today - to knit. I'm working on a soft, yummy, yellow bamboo scarf. So I took some time today to knit some rows.

Your Personal Reflection: Are you ready for a creative challenge?

Too Cute Cap

Here's my latest knitted hat. I played around with the stitches and tried something new, which resulted in this really fun ridge effect. The hat is bumpy, lumpy, colorful and is the perfect size for a sweet little toddler. (fits 18-24 months)

Check here to see it on my Free Spirit Knits Etsy store.

Quite stylish on a pumpkin, too, would you say?

Your Personal Reflection: When have you tried something new and were happy with the results?

It's All in a Name

Here's my most recent scarf. I originally started it with Lissa Rankin in mind. She's the creator of this cool company called, "Owning Pink". She offers great inspiration for women (and men) on living their fullest lives. After felting this crazy wool wrap, I remembered that Lissa lives in California, so she probably doesn't have much use for something so warm and woolly! So I've started a new pink scarf for her that's a little lighter and more cali-friendly.


This thing is warm, really warm, and ooooooh so super yummy and fun to wear. And it needs a really great name. Any ideas? Leave a comment, with your name idea, for a chance to win one of my crazy felts!

Your personal reflection: What kind of creative fun will you have today?

Fiber Speaks

Simply put, my yarn cubby has been whispering to me lately. "Hey....pssst....play with me. Make some scarves. Psssst....seriously....get to makin' some scarves. Yo....what are you waiting for? Make some scarves, already."

So today, I stopped ignoring those voices and pulled out a yummy, light yellow, baby alpaca yarn, and found an old felted flower that has inspired an idea for a new scarf.
I've been working on the computer so much more these days as I'm developing my Creative Adventure e-course, so getting my hands on some fiber has been long overdue and it feels amazing.

Your Personal Reflection: Is there a particular project that has been inside your head or heart for a while now? Are you ready to get your hands on it?

To Inspire

Free Spirit Knits has been nominated for the "Shine A Light" contest as an inspiring small business. I need your help! By the end of today I need to have at least 50 votes to be considered by the judges. Could you please take a few moments and cast your endorsement? Click HERE.
(You must register on the site first, then follow links to ENDORSE Free Spirit Knits.)

As I continue practicing dreaming BIG and believing in myself, I am excited at the possibilities that manifest and unfold. Being included in a mix of such amazingly compassionate organizations is a great honor. And winning such an award would be a welcome gift to help expand my business ideas on a bigger, bolder scale to so many more people.

This contest has offered me a great opportunity for self-reflection. I've had to ask myself, "What do I want Free Spirit Knits to represent?" "Where do I want it to go?" "How do I want it to grow?"

So I wanted to share with you why I started "Free Spirit Knits" and what it means to me to "inspire".

About 8 years ago a friend asked if I wanted to learn how to knit. My first reaction was, "Why? Sounds boring." (How limiting!) But I gave in and was hooked ever since. When I learn something new I want to share that enthusiasm with others. So naturally, the more my knitting obsession took hold, the more I wanted to bring others with me! And that's when I really started to see that even something like learning to knit, can bring out the destructive behaviors - fear, self-doubt, negativity - those nasty things that keep us from being our true selves.

Many women I met had the desire to learn something new, but had such a fear of breaking out of the box. If they made a mistake, they wanted to tear out the project, or made an excuse or decided to give up. I want to inspire knitters and non-knitters that being creative is something we ALL can do. It's something we MUST do. So the idea of Free Spirit Knits started as a place to show others how playing with yarn, and trying new things, and doing something that you love, can be a meditative, spiritual, creative experience. I started my first program "Knitting & Giving" because I saw women's joy that came from feeling creative, discovering new things about themselves and how much they loved giving back to those in need. Click HERE to learn more about this collaborative knitting circle.

Free Spirit Knits has grown way beyond knitting. I now see it as a place that "knits/links/joins/unites/connects" us to mindful awareness, self-discovery and inspiration to live a life of vibrant authenticity.

To be free, to live free, to FEEL free, is a gift we all can enjoy. My goal with Free Spirit Knits is to provide you (and myself) with opportunities to grow. Opportunities to expand. Opportunities to think a new thought. Try a new thing. And ultimately, to see what you already know. That your wisdom, your beauty, your strength, your peace, and your creative potential live within you ALL the time. You CAN live a happier life, everyday, doing the things that bring you bliss.

Through inspiring art, yoga, life coaching, connecting and my soon-to-be E-Course ("Inside Out: A Creative Adventure of Self-Discovery), I see what Free Spirit Knits is today, I see where and how I'd like it to grow, and I am OPEN to the endless possibilities that the future holds.

Your Personal Reflection: How can you be a source of inspiration to others?