Category: The Rocking Yak

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Wild Fibers Magazine

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My mail carrier brought me an unexpected box today!  I love it when that happens.  When, I opened it, I found this stack of magazines setting inside.  I had been looking for the spring issue of Wild Fibers Magazine to arrive for a few days now, but I was not expecting a box of these magazines.

You see, Linda over at Wild Fibers Magazine chose to write a feature length story about The Rocking Yak in this spring issue. I have anxiously been waiting for months now for the story to be written & published.  I am so excited about this.

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It was well worth the wait.  The article is FANTASTIC! Linda has this way of being in a moment.  She has the ability to take in everything. The sights, the sounds, the smells. Then, when she sits down to write about it, she is able to put flesh & bones into her writing & the story comes to life.

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I have been working with Bret on this project for 6 years now, having never set foot in China. Linda was able to pull stories out of the field & give me glimpses into the very heart & soul of this company that I love so much. It’s a gift that she gave to me.

If you have even an ounce of appreciation for the fibers of this world ( If you are reading this blog you probably do!), and have never read any of these magazines, you need to.
This is such a fantastic magazine, often being called, “The National Geographic of Fibers.” It is an extraordinary blend of photography, culture, environment and FIBER!
“The mission of Wild Fibers Magazine is to understand the role natural fibers have played in developing cultures and supporting communities throughout the world. We are as devoted to the people who spin, weave, and create “magic” with fiber, as we are to the farmers, nomads, and shepherds who have tended these endearing creatures from the start.
Wild Fibers travels to places that have yet to be rubber-stamped by the trappings of the modern world.  We sleep in yurts. We comb camels. We spin cashmere. And most of all, we learn about a way of life that is held together by one very long, long thread.
 But it’s not all yak butter tea and pup tents. With the voracious march of synthetic fibers, we stay connected to new initiatives including Prince Charles’ Campaign for Wool and Discover Natural Fibers – an international coalition of fiber producers and processors dedicated to preserving the importance of natural fibers on the planet. 

 Readers love Wild Fibers not only because they discover the world in ways they had never imagined, but because they have such wild fun in doing it!” ~ Wild Fiber Magazine

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DeepGreen

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Deepgreen is a knitting business that provides work for women who have suffered injustice. The desire is to see these women empowered with the internal capacity & external resources to grow professionally, personally and spiritually and to make independent changes in their lives.

When I learned that Jon & Elissa are working in Asia to bring hope to victims of social injustice through the fiber arts, I wanted to know more.

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Interview with Elissa of DeepGreen

Was knitting a hobby of yours before moving to China in 2009?

Actually, I am still just in the early stages of learning how to knit! Before DeepGreen, I had always wanted to learn how to knit, so that sort of became part of my incentive to getting things going with DeepGreen. Our knitting teacher, and even all of our knitting team far exceed my skill level, so I get to learn from them. I think it’s a great dynamic for our team to be learning different things from each other – I think they enjoy that they can teach me things I don’t know about knitting, and I love having to look to them for help.

How has your personal outlook/philosophy on knitting been affected by DeepGreen?

I was excited to begin learning how to knit. I had seen through my previous work with a jewelry company that giving impoverished women a chance to create something beautiful with their hands can bring great fulfillment to their feelings of value and worth. I don’t think I realized that I too, could feel a similar sense of value as I began to create. It was quite refreshing.

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You mention on the website, that you discovered that knitting was a popular hobby in your community.  What sort of knitting is traditional to your region?

I’m not sure if there is just one type of knitting that seems more popular than others in our community. I’ve seen women using dozens of different materials and techniques to create everything from a simple stitch to an elaborate pattern.

How did you come to choose The Rocking Yak as one of your suppliers?

We learned about the Rocking Yak from our good friend Bret. Actually, it was our relationship with him and his project that caused us to have some interest in yak wool. We really believe in his project, and wanted to support it in some way. We figured if we could get our knitting business going, we could funnel some support to him through buying his textiles….which we do! We love their unique, rugged natural quality.

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Another aspect to the work you do in your community is your treks.  Tell us more about those. What inspired the summer 2012 trek?

Our summer 2012 trek was the inaugural DeepGreen Trek. Our vision for the first trip was to just get college students outside, experiencing God’s beauty, and engaging them in meaningful discussion about life. We worked with local universities to invite students and professors, and brought our team of native English speakers to lead the small group discussions as we hiked. We learned a lot on this first trek, and look forward to creating even better experiences in the future. We are working on a curriculum to bring students through that allows them continued opportunities over a semester, to hike, learn, engage and act. It will be an exciting year.

Are these treks intended for local students in your community, or foreigners to come join you, or both?

These treks are created mainly for local Chinese students in our community. However, we welcome visiting teams of foreigners to work with us in creating special weekend trips to offer the students.

threads-eastIf a reader is inspired by the work you are doing, what are some ways they could possibly become more involved?

We invite people to be involved in The DeepGreen Project in a number of ways! Here are some current ideas…

There is a lot more information about DeepGreen, Jon & Elissa’s story & the company’s philosophy on their website

 

The women at DeepGreen take great pride in their work, even adding their signature to every piece they have made. Their hope is that you will find their work lovely, comforting and enjoyable…just like the time they spent creating it. When you purchase a product from DeepGreen Threads, you invest in their future, bring them hope and give them life.

“Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of standing still.” -Chinese Proverb

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DeepGreen is generously offering one of their Saundra Lee cowls to one of you in a giveaway! For your chance to win, leave a comment.  The winner will be announce on Monday (1.21.13) ~ Good Luck!

don’t forget. . .  “follow The Fiber Nest” for your chance to win a box of Valentine Truffles

CONGRATULATIONS to Breezey514 for winning the giveaway!

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Indigo Blue & Plant Dyed Yellow

It’s the New Year & as promised, The Rocking Yak now has colored yarns available!

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The first of the colors to arrive are indigo blue, & a plant dyed yellow.  All of The Rocking Yak’s colored yarns have been dyed with natural plant dyes that are found locally on the Tibetan Plateau.

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You, dear reader,  have the opportunity to purchase this fabulous yarn before it available on the website! As I am working at sorting through this first shipment, I will be taking orders at

The Fiber Nest Shop.

You will also find that we’ve reduced the price on all of our yarns!!

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Tibetan Fairisle

This summer when Bret was in the U.S. he brought me a teaser of the new colored yarns that The Rocking Yak is producing for 2013.  They are fabulous!  The green yarn has been dyed with local plants found on the mountains in the region that we work in, while indigo was used in dying the blue.  I knew right away that I wanted to knit up something special for myself with the new yarns.  I rarely knit for myself.  Isn’t that how it always is with knitters.  Anyway, as the weather began to get cooler, I started looking around Ravelry to find something to knit.  I found this free fairisle hat pattern which inspired me to create a hat with my own design.  I wanted the hat to have a Tibetan design. Here is some of the colorwork I’m working on.  This is a sample swatch that I’m knitting up as I work out the designs.

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>>>> a busy time of year

Here in Indiana the autumn leaves are changing as the air turns cooler and the days grow shorter.  Preparations are being made for the colder months.  Handmade gifts are cast onto knitting needles, menus are being planned, and travel arrangements are being made.  As much as I love this time of year, and everything that comes with it, this year I find that I long to be in another place on the other side of the planet.

The Rocking Yak is moving into a busy season.  The villagers are coming in from working the fields.  The yak fiber is being purchased & delivered to our precious spinners.  The mountain sides are being combed for natural dye materials, and soon days will be spent dying, washing, and balling yarn.  It is a lot of work for the few living and working on the Tibetan Plateau and I wish I was among them.

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1,000 words

“a picture is worth a thousand words”

Sometimes, pictures say it better than anything written.

Pictures grab our attention, and spur our imagination.

They cause our heart to swell, and they inspire our hands into action.

Wednesdays, are without written words.