Happy New Year! It’s been a while since I’ve sent you a COVID housekeeping update …. I know we all would have loved to leave COVID in 2022, but viruses just seem to do what they want.

Currently, NOTHING is changing in the store …

• We still ask that everyone put on a mask before coming into the store, and there’s a box attached to the front door with a bunch in there, so if you don’t already have one in your pocket please help yourself.

• All classes and help are booked privately through our website HERE.

• All social knitting is still suspended.

• We ARE accepting donations of yarn, needles and hooks for charity (please drop your donations off in a sealed plastic bag and make sure it contains no perfume, cigarette smoke or moths) … read more on our ABOUT US page.

What is changing (or may be changing) is the COVID situation, and since in the past you’ve let me know how much you appreciated the heads-up from my intuition/spidey-sense, I thought it might be a good idea. A new COVID Omicron variant is out and about, making its way around the world – its science name is XBB.1.5 (no, it’s not named after Elon Musk & Grimes’ baby) but it also goes by the name Kraken. As far as I’ve read, they don’t know a lot about this subvariant right now, but it is definitely the most contagious thus far and is spreading around the world (things seem to be blossoming in China, but their government isn’t reliable about sharing information, so who knows.)

According to doctors, it’s important to make sure your COVD and Flu vaccines are up to date – if your last COVID vaccine was over 6 months ago your protection has expired and you need to get a booster. Luckily, there are now ‘bivalent’ vaccines that cover the Omicron subvariant, and you can get them pretty easily at your local drugstore. COVID vaccines are not the “one-and-done” type of vaccine, they are like the Flu vaccine, you need to get them updated for them to work. Covid vaccines also aren’t the type that prevent you from getting the virus, but they can help keep you from getting really sick and ending up in hospital, and that helps keep the hospitals running so the people who do need care can get it.

Other important precautions include staying home when you feel sick, washing your hands, and wearing a mask when you’re out and about (I equate this to wearing a seatbelt when you’re driving …. it’s just a super easy way to protect yourself from illness.)

Some people still feel a lot of fear around COVID, some are indifferent, and the rest of us are somewhere in the middle, swimming in an Olympic-sized pool of mixed emotions. I’m pretty good about masking, and when I’m out with my family or friends and they ask me “Should we wear masks?” I always respond “What are your plans next week, and would you prefer to do that or be stuck at home, sick?”

The past and the future don’t actually exist, they’re just concepts in our minds. None of us actually have control over anything beyond the choices we make in the present moment, so I say try to live consciously. If you’re having a hard time being in the present (or letting go of the past, or worrying about the future), want to work on getting out of your head, still feel shaken or burned out by the pandemic, or just want to try something new with your life, check out our Knitsana Mindfulness Workshops below.

KNITSANA 1: Introduction to Mindfulness Through Knitting

NEXT SESSION STARTS: SUNDAY JANUARY 29, 2023  

Mindfulness is the basic ability to be fully present and aware. The practice can help us  when we feel overwhelmed, and help us manage how we react to stress. Luckily, mindfulness is a quality that every person already possesses, you don’t need to conjure it up, you just have to learn how to access it and practice using it. In this workshop, we will use knitting as an entry into the practice of mindfulness, with the intention to help you learn how to both improve and maintain your well-being. The craft of knitting with its repetitive and rhythmic motions is well known for its calming and healing properties. Mindfulness practice has been used for years to help people focus themselves in the present moment. Together, we hope to provide you with the needed tools to decrease stress and support your daily well-being. 

The only prerequisite is that you already know how to cast on, knit and purl. You do not need any prior experience with mindfulness or meditation, you just need to show up and be present. 

DETAILS & REGISTRATION INFO

KNITSANA 2: Expanded Mindfulness Through Knitting

NEXT SESSION STARTS: WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 1, 2023 

Welcome to Knitsana 2 – if you are looking for a way to expand your mindfulness skills then this is the group for you! We will continue to use knitting in your practice with mindfulness. Knitting with its repetitive motion, illuminating colours and textures offers so much in the way of healing properties. This group will ‘go deeper’ into concepts explored in the first Knitsana group (ie. fierce self-compassion, perfectionism, burnout, etc.) and will help bridge into your daily living. 

Prerequisites: Knitsana 1 (or prior expereince with mindfulness practice). You should already know how to cast on, knit and purl.

DETAILS & REGISTRATION INFO

What Our Clients Are Saying

“Knitsana has been a “moment” of peace and growth over the past few months.  I’ve taken the opportunity to reflect, find some balance and focus on ‘now’ not ‘then’.  I look forward to the group hour as my time to learn and grow.  Of course, the growth continues as the learning continues … I appreciate change is wonderful and necessary as long as we are alive …”  ~ F.D.

“I joined the Knitsana group last winter – we met Sunday mornings for a few weeks.  It was lovely – so relaxing, so interesting.  I love knitting & being able to incorporate mindfulness to knitting is joyous.  Knitting can be so relaxing & so loving – especially if you are creating things for loved ones.  I realized I put so much love into what I create.”             ~ Lisa H.

“As someone who has practiced mindfulness meditation for a few years, I found the Knitsana group a fantastic way to extend that practice and to bring mindfulness and an  greater sense of calm into other parts of my life.” ~ Linda B.

“Knitsana for me is a mindfulness knitting community right in my living room. It’s meditative, relaxing, and peaceful—my one hour of contentedness in a stressful world.” ~ Karen H

“I’m relatively new to knitting, and I love it for the relaxation factor. Knitsana brought me together with a group of warm, creative people and helped inspire me to love the journey, not just the outcome. ” ~ J.F.