November 2023 – Knitted Wit

For our final author of the year, we wanted to end on an inspiring note, with Karen Walrond, and her latest release, Radiant Rebellion: Reclaim Aging, Practice Joy, and Raise a Little Hell.

We love a good inspirational read, and Karen Walrond’s books are definitely that. She discusses how to exist and thrive and make a difference in modern-day society while also making sure to experience joy and fulfillment. She discusses being different as a gift, not a curse. And in the book that inspired our colorway, Radiant Rebellion, she tackles aging in a more celebratory way than we have seen, and we are here for it!

Expand, not restrict. That’s the central tenet to her philosophy on self-care and aging. Look at changes as differences, not restrictions. Look at updating the way we eat as granting us more opportunities, not fewer foods. Look at how the changes in our bodies inform what we do for physical activity as a deeper practice, not as a limiting downer. And most of all, celebrate our aging instead of fight it.

We all fall into these traps, don’t we? “Oh, my body is old, I can’t do that anymore…” “I’m too old for that…” Walrond asks us, what if we didn’t look at aging as something to fear or dread, but something to celebrate. We aren’t guaranteed these years on earth, so why not revel in the fact that we’ve got another year, that our body and hair and face and skin has made it through everything thrown at it, and that the signs of aging are badges of honor instead of embarrassments? We know we need to work on this ourselves here at Knitted Wit World HQ, as we experience menopause and injurious ankles and knees. As we realize if we don’t move every day, it becomes harder to move every day. As we notice more wrinkles in our skin…

Walrond takes a multidisciplinary approach to countering the anti-aging rhetoric and philosophy that barrage us on a daily basis, discussing her own journey and approaches in a truly inspiring way. In this book, she shares that it’s a journey, something to work on, this bringing of joy into our experiences of aging, and, as she suggests, raising a little hell while we’re at it, in this Radiant Rebellion.

Books by Karen Walrond:

The Beauty of Different: Observations of a Confident Misfit
The Lightmaker’s Manifesto: How to Work for Change Without Losing Your Joy
Radiant Rebellion: Reclaim Aging, Practice Joy, and Raise a Little Hell

Want more like this? Here are some other authors we suggest you read/listen to:

Brene Brown
Glennon Doyle
Michelle Obama

Cherie Dimaline is a registered and claimed member of the Metis Nation of Ontario, and it is this identity that is the foundation of her writing. Her stories blend fantastical elements with hard-hitting realities, and the central tenet of both her life and her writing is community, most particular, the intersection of her Indigenous roots and the women she grew up learning and hearing stories from (most notably her Mere, or grandmother).

Dimaline’s most-known work is The Marrow Thieves, which is a sci-fi-ish YA book that explores the continued colonial exploitation of Indigenous people. In this and many of her other books, she takes the Indigenous experience and adds a new twist: in The Marrow Thieves, Indigenous people are hunted and used for their bone marrow, as that is the key to non-Indigenous folks connecting with their dreams after an ecological disaster. When talking about this book in an interview, Dimaline said: “An Indigenous publisher had asked me to write a short story in the apocalypse or dystopian genre, and when I sat down to think about it, I could not think of anything worse than what had already happened.” Referring to both the overall way native people have been treated in North America (and, honestly, everywhere colonialism has taken root), and most particularly to the residential schools that existed all over Canada and the US, Dimaline’s work shares the pain and anguish, as well as the connection and beauty, that is inherent in Indigenous life in a colonial society.

Plus, her books are just plain fun; VenCo imagines a female-centered witchy coven, battling against a patriarchal secret society hell-bent on the coven’s destruction. Themes of connection are strong in this book (and all of Dimaline’s work); connection to other women, connection to native land, connection to tradition and magic and storytelling.

Perfect for this time of year, when the veil seems to thin and we are all hunkering down for a long and chilly winter, Dimaline’s writing is both a little bit scary and a lot bit thought-provoking. As is our November colorway, Marrow Thieves, which is inspired by that book’s cover. Wind this skein up, snuggle in, and lose yourself in Dimaline’s writing this month.

Books by Cheri Dimaline: