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A COMMUNITY PLATFORM IS NOT LIKE SOCIAL MEDIA. At all...

Because social media platforms are usually full of advertising and have crazy algorithms they don't feel private, they can be triggering and feel unsafe.  

"A community is more valuable with every member that joins."

–Gina Bianchini, founder of Mighty Networks

Communicating differently The community might look like a forum or a social media timeline in many ways. But it's not the look but the way we communicate in it that makes our community valuable to all. 

'Sharing is caring' differently We share our experience and experiences with each other so that we can grow and learn from each other. It's not about likes, it's about learning. Because our community is behind a pay wall, we keep it safe from internet pests and offer a kind environment that makes you feel safe enough to share. It's like sitting around a table together and looking in each others eyes. 

A different timeline A chronological timeline or filtering just wat you want to see. Posts from your host. Posts from the groups you belong to or posts from people you follow. You can change the content of your timeline to your needs. So no weird algorithms. Can I get an 'Owwww yeah!!"?

Focussed on our focus There are absolutely no adds. I might mention a product or course I'm running every once in a while, but that's it. You will not be triggered, annoyed or distracted by advertisements. 

Paying in a more constructive way  Free social media platforms are not free, you pay with information about your life. You are giving companies insights so they can target you directly in ways you don't even notice. Paying to become a member here will turn your money into a safe space because we don't have to attract companies for adds. It will help us to offer you information in an environment that is build TOGETHER with you. Decisions are not made ABOUT you but WITH you.

So if you were getting overwhelmed on social media, this is an opportunity do say goodbye to all of that and have all you need to grow and enjoy your craft practice here in a warm, safe, calm and loving community. 

"The Ja, Wol Community (JWC) is an island of focus in a sea of passing waves."

SO WHAT DOES THE Ja, Wol Community OFFER?

• Bringing together likeminded (needle) crafters in a community that cares,
• Offering (information on) sustainable materials & tools,
• Teaching confidence & consciousness in (needle) craft, 

• Opening a safe space for everyone and make sure that our members feel welcome so they can meet and learn (from) each other,

• Opportunity to join our specialized courses and memberships that do a deeper dive into conscious crafting and running your business consciously.

My name is Saskia, meaning as much as ‘short stone sword’. … just saying. I love Wes Anderson and Tim Burton movies and have way too many fountain pens. (deliberately not mentioning yarn...) I believe knitting with confidence and making conscious decisions will help you get more focus, make you feel les overwhelmed and get more done in less time! Making good and intentional decisions is a much more fun practice than you'd think. No blame and shame but an open and honest journey to a healthier lifestyle."

I’m entrepreneur, mom of 2 teens (I hear your emphatic sigh fellow parents, thanks!), partner to another entrepreneur. Daughter and granddaughter of even more … you guessed it… entrepreneurs! My DNA code probably has the letters D.I.Y. in it. My family worked with wood, grains and stone. I went with wool. Oh my god, I just realized…. we’re a Catan board game!

I am most definitely the black sheep of my posh family. A creative, emotional, odd-humored, full figured (but you can call me fat), beautiful girl that didn’t care about etiquette and rules.

I am forever curious and pigheaded. A bon vivant that thrives when I can use my creativity to solve a problem. I am always struggling to find balance in enjoying the things life has to offer and staying focused. I found out later in life that I am what can be called ‘neuro-divergent’, non typical, gifted, and it explained a lot about how I communicate, how I learn and how I perceive te world. After a lot of struggle and finally finding the right coach/therapist that gets me, I am now using my specific talents to connect people to each other and make the world a little better. 

At 16 I escaped small town life because I deeply felt I was ment to experience bigger things. I went to art-school to become a fashion designer but decided I was going to be a photographer instead. Got kicked out of school for being too pigheaded (told you…) and tried my luck again at a second art academy. Then decided I wasn’t much of an artist, I was too practical. I can see you face palming! I know right...?!

For a while I was a bit lost and sold jeans to people with too much ego. I ended up running the shop but it wasn’t my thing, they weren’t my people.

Still feeling the pain of being different, judged and not good enough for my family, at age 21 I decided to break the chains with my toxic past and find my chosen family. It was the hardest and most freeing thing I have done in my life. I feel sadness but have no regrets to this day.

After another education I became a marketer/communication manager for (pop/rock) music events and venues. I started a music website and a DJ collective consisting of 8 talented women on the side. We were DJ’s, fashion designers, video makers and graphic designers and we kicked so much butt! Understandably 8 bursting vessels of estrogen didn’t last that long. It was fun while it lasted.

A cool rocker-turned-businessman came along, I kept him and we made babies.

Then I was ejected from my job because I was pregnant. Landed frustrated but focused on my newborn. (I didn't land on my newborn! Read that sentence again.) I gave my boss the stink eye and before my maternity leave was over I had started my own business as a knitting professional.

I had picked up knitting again because I missed making things with my head and hands. In knitting I found a practice that keeps mee grounded, sane and served as a bridge to mindfulness, meditation and living a more intentional life. A small part of my life where I started to take full control of the buying, making and wearing proces. The knitting community has taught me countless life lessons and from day one I’ve been eager to share my experience with others. 

I started teaching people what knitting had brought me; calm, focus and literal warmth in a time when I needed it most. I wanted other people to experience what the touch of wool and making things can do for your well-being and mental health.

Alongside teaching I started designing and after opening a studio I eventually turned my design studio into a yarn shop and needle craft school. In 10 years I grew my business and established my name in the international wool and needle craft industry.

I have always loved to connect people and their talents. As I am someone that easily masters things but loves so many things that I rarely take a really deep dive, I love finding people that do and elevate them by connecting them to others.

As I am very sensitive I quickly sense how a person is feeling. When I owned my yarn shop this was my biggest talent and my downfall. I wore myself out but I’m forever proud and grateful that I have connected people to each other, taking away some of their loneliness and awkwardness around others as I could serve as a translator and connector using the language of needle craft. I have taught hundreds of people to knit. They were burned out and overwhelmed, tense and tired. I helped more and more people transform their lives with the power of wool and warm words.

In my journey I have taken on the role of curator and found skilled people to make tools and accessories for my shop. I have transformed my shop collection to a conscious range of products that are produced with respect for humans, animals and environment. I am cool that way. ;)

My strong sense of equality, fairness and fearlessness to speak my mind has sometimes given me challenges in my life but I’ve also been able to use my sensitivities to speak up for others and I’ve not shied away from taking a stance in my business when it might not have been the best business decision.

Seeing how even in the world of crafting fast fashion vibes are taking over with knitters focusing on what the coolest brand is and what the newest designs and hippest tools & accessories to have are. Not to mention the matching fomo, insecurities, peer pressure and overwhelm. 

I increasingly got more and more vocal about my opinions about this unbalance in a community that can potentially do so much to be a counterweight to fast fashion. 

As a female entrepreneur I am an advocate for fair pay for other business owners. I started to open op the conversation with other entrepreneurs in my industry, offering them questions and ideas to ponder, waking them up to a more intentional and more conscious way of running their businesses so that they could sustain their businesses and their (mental) health by asking for the actual prices things cost and spreading that knowledge to their respective customers. 

Change happens trough community in each link of the chain. 

There are so many ways to appreciate our craft in a fun and fashionable manner while still sticking to some basic principles of good consumerism.

Over time I have become an advocate for this good consumerism and am weaving that into my practices as a knitter, teacher and community builder. 

My path has lead me to use my podcast to spread my message and open up a community of likeminded knitters that want to learn with and from each other to make positive changes in their lives and in the industry. Funneling from overwhelm to focus and turning their stash into an actual beloved wardrobe. 

I have come so far and am immensely proud of myself. From black sheep to Shepherd, I now live a happy, full and balanced life with my chosen friends and own family. Embracing my character, awkwardness and talents, turning all the knowledge I’ve gathered into healing and helping other knitters, entrepreneurs and tree huggers to find their balance in intentionality and consciousness. 

My motto: Buy Less, Buy Better, Make More, Make friends, Make it Last.

Whether you are here to 

• support the 'A Smaller Life Podcast'
• make friends or
• do some work

We're here for you in a safe and fun space full of inspiration. There is only one better day than today to join us, you've guessed it: yesterday!

Click your membership plan of choice below for more info and subscribing. 👇 

From 2020 to 2021 A small group of enthousiasts joined the first cohort of the Conscious Knitting Club. During that year we've worked on figuring out what we need to become more conscious crafters and get more focus, more balance and... MORE PROJECTS DONE! 

I have worked with this group to build a solid foundation and soon the Conscious Knitting Club will re-launch in a slightly tighter outfit, a little tweaked a little more tuned into your needs. 

If you want to learn more and keep posted on when we are re-opening the Club for a new cohort, join the special  mailing list or 'waiting list',  just know that there are no strings attached to signing up, you'll just get information and updates. (Unsubscribe is easy and can be done at any moment.) 

JOIN THE CKC LIST!