The True Start To My Year

The Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend is usually the "start" to my year. The first two weeks in January are usually a time of reflection, as well as planning things for the upcoming year - and 2023 has been no different. 

Service has been an animating force in my life - the logo on that bag represented pretty much most of my 2022, including last year's MLK, Jr. service project with my VISTA team. While the logo may have "updated," the goal behind it remains the same - the eradication of poverty in the United States. 

As I have turned to a different type of civilian service, I find it relevant to look back at my previous blog posts on this service weekend. I am amazed at the consistency of purpose and how notions of social justice have animated my personal evolution. My design life is certainly a creative outlet (!), but it has changed in the face of my commitment to treating the environment with more mindfulness. My two moves in the last two years have shown me all that I carry (and it is clear, I have an awesome yarn problem), and how I can walk with a lighter footprint. The increased making of my own wardrobe and home textiles, as well as the re-use and re-imagination of what I already own remains an area of personal growth and change. Of course, I want to do this all well and with my own personal style - good, bad, or indifferent. Good or bad - well, on that I will let others decide, but I am indifferent to outside critics. I remain committed to following my own north star.

So on this long weekend in which everyone is urged to be "on" and not take the day off, serve justice according to your own conscience. For me, I have started a new pullover (using my own design as well my own hand-dyed yarn I have in stash), am communicating with friends, and strengthening my continued commitment to community in all its forms. Building community takes work and commitment in a world of skepticism, deep distrust, and constant motivational questioning. I hope, in the process, I am not misunderstood.

In these times of division, this seems incredibly appropriate.

For more information on the above call, head on over to my Ravelry group,
or check out the call's comments here on Instagram.

A New Year, a New Progress, Hope & Happiness Collection!!!

Deadline for dyer submission materials to be received:

 

Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Call Inspiration:

In 2023, we are still living with this pandemic, although you’d never know it. A new normal indeed!

Last year continued my time of radical transformation. In late autumn 2022 I moved yet again across several states and two times zones to continue my commitment to public service . The new position continues to teach me things daily; the move … well, let’s just say it’s been a bumpy ride.

Nevertheless, 2022 was a year of amazing growth and transformation. But expansion has its limits – one cannot always exhale. So this year, I hope each of us will explore the tension between living in community and the need for authentic self-expression. How do we define and show up for ourselves in a real way while still tending to our community responsibilities (however you define them)? Around the globe, women have had long established rights taken from them; additionally, they have shown and continue to show amazing courage in the face of war and restriction. How does one express an authentic, autonomous self in the face of restriction and consistent emotional bludgeoning?

What colors from the above (if any) convey a sense of balance between self and community responsibility? Can we show up in an authentic way and not lose our voice in the face of constriction? What colors feel less about reaction and more about flowing from an authentic place of self-expression? What feels playfully audacious? Since this year’s collection will transition between late summer and early autumn, feel free to tailor your dye pots to the lighter or darker ends of the color spectrum above, depending on how you and the dyes show up for each other. 

Respond with colorway submissions anytime prior to the deadline at the Voie de Vie email address (yes, it's a gmail account). Additionally, for those of you who can still access Ravelry, I have this dedicated thread if you want to check it out there. 

I am looking forward to seeing what everyone creates!!!