Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Mid-Winter Sale - January 22 - 24

Enjoy 25% off during our Winter Sale January 22 - 24.


Shelagh and I have spent these last few weeks indoors, hibernating from the now-chilly Canadian winter. Actually, winter hasn't been all that bad in our part of the world this year, thanks to El Niňo. But we have seen some crazy weather all over the world right now!

Are you someone who loves a typical wintry weather? Or do you love El Niňo (yeah, we know it's bad, but . . . ) and a green winter? Either way, we've got you covered—literally! We're putting our gorgeous and stylish hand-knits in our Etsy Shop on sale for 25% off.

It's cold. It's dreary. Valentine's Day is just a few weeks away. So if you are in the mood for something new or want a gift for someone you love, check out our store starting Friday, January 22 and until Sunday, January 24 at midnight.

From our FaceBook page, click on the Shop Now button beside the “Liked” button at the top of the page. Or, go directly to our Etsy shop at www.threesistersknit.etsy.com. Once there, use the code WINTER25 at the checkout and your 25% will be automatically deducted from your total!

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Beating Blue Monday


Three Sisters Knit Blog; Blue Monday; Mandala
Colouring or anything creative this time of year will help beat the blues.

Have you heard about Blue Monday? Well a few years ago some group used an algorithm to identify the saddest day of the year for those of us living in the northern hemisphere. And this year, that day is January 18. It is the confluence of cold weather, time between holidays, lack of daylight, and influx of bills.

But Three Sisters Knit is all about the happy! So what are we doing to maintain our happiness levels? Well, I think we spend a lot of time with one another. Although we work from our own homes, we chat online constantly. Occasionally we FaceTime, especially when we want to show each other a yarn or an almost-completed project. I think Shelagh even mentioned the time we video chatted online while she was in Florida so she could show me how to turn a heel on a sock! We are the greatest supporters, sounding boards, and cheerleaders of one another. And fortunately, on the odd occasion we do feel blue, it's at different times.

Of course, we focus on doing what we love—knitting! So we look at patterns, check our stash of gorgeous yarns, and plan what we'll work on next. This year we are working at being focused and organized about implementing out ideas. Oddly, this doesn't take the fun out of our projects: it leaves me really excited to think about all the beautiful things we're about to make. It's as though the passion Shelagh and I—and before that, our mother and Irene—share for our craft burns brighter and stronger. Being focused on our plans actually allows time for our creativity to flourish.

And I think the final activity we do to maintain happiness levels is practising gratitude. This one is actually something I am working on strengthening in my life. I was doing really well there for a while in 2015, but then I kind of got out of the habit of being thankful and I need to get back into the habit. Shelagh and I are following a suggestion from author Elizabeth Gilbert: at the beginning of each year, she—and now we—find a big, empty jar and label it our HAPPINESS JAR. Here's some of what Ms. Gilbert wrote:
Every day, at the end of the day, I write down the happiest moment of my day, and I put it in the jar. . . . There is no simpler or less-demanding spiritual practice in my life than this one—when I literally take note of my gratitude for a moment in my day when things felt good, or I felt lucky, or I merely remembered that I was alive.
It has been almost two weeks and it's amazing how wonderful it is to see all those little pieces of paper filling up our jars! I keep my Mason jar on my desk, so when I'm working online I can look up at my jar and instantly feel thankful—and a little better too.

So what do you do to tackle the January blues?

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Happy New Year!



Shelagh and I consider ourselves a very fortunate pair of sisters: not only have we found something we love doing—and love doing together!—we have been incredibly fortunate to be able to share our knitting stories with you through our blog. We had so much fun in 2015 and received great feedback on our posts, we are really looking forward to continuing in 2016.

So what can you expect in the upcoming year? Well, we will
  • Post more consistently: look for our posts on Tuesday mornings.
  • Continue to share stories about some of the items we are making.
  • Add some new ideas into the mix: a little bit about colors and fashion—we are making accessories for stylish women, after all! Perhaps some information about yarn—there are so many options out there, but what does fiber content mean for a garment? And who knows what else may strike our fancy? Maybe some guest bloggers or Q and A posts from other yarn-ophiles.
As always, we look forward to hearing from you, dear reader. We love reading comments. But we'd love to hear if there is something you want to know. Or perhaps there is something you'd like us to knit up—or wonder why we don't knit particular things. Drop us a line!

And of course, knitting and making is very visual, so you can find us posting on Instagram and Pinterest. Just look for @threesistersknit in both platforms and follow us.

For now, Shelagh and I want to wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous 2016. Hold your family and friends close because they are what make this life wonderful.