Denise Knits Pink and Red

Barbara of Denise Interchangeable Knitting & Crochet has been creating pink knitting kits for years and donating a portion of the proceeds from each kit to help fund breast cancer research. Now she has signed on to do the same thing for heart disease. We asked her about her Stitch Red products and a little about her heart healthy advice. Here's what she had to say:

Why did you choose to get involved with the Stitch Red campaign? Laura Zander convinced us do this! When Laura told me about this germ of a project, I started looking up the statistics on health. I was surprised to see how big an issue heart disease is in the US, for both women and men. It is one health problem that we can do something to prevent to a large degree. Some of the other causes of death on the CDC leader board are less affected by our behavior. Heart health has a lot to do with our choices. Not entirely, of course. I would love to see more of us make the kinds of choices that reduce the risk of heart disease. It seems do-able in a context when many other health risks are not so easily overcome. Working together across our industry is an appealing way to work toward toppling heart disease from its top spot in our culture.

What product have you created for the Stitch Red campaign? What was your inspiration behind it? Denise has made red cords for our interchangeable knitting needles and crochet hooks.  These are available in the three extra long lengths (30”, 40” and 52”) and in the set of extra cords we call a Companion Set. We had already been making pink cords and a few other products in pink to support breast cancer research. With that experience, it was easy and natural to add red cords to support heart health for everyone. The red cords are beautiful and vivid! Visually they remind me of licorice laces, but these are so much better for us.

Do you have a heart healthy tip or recipe to share?
We live in Virginia now, but have lived in other places. We tend to eat here the way we do when near the Mediterranean: vegetables and fruit, grains, fish, cheese, yogurt, olive oil, red wine. If we could have this on a terrace overlooking the sea, it would be even better! In the meantime I have been known to keep jars of cornichons and capers in my desk drawer to enliven lunch in tasty and healthy ways. Lots of taste oomph in each small package! Denise staff all like chocolate occasionally, strictly dark chocolate, though I am not sure we can justify that as a genuinely heart-healthy choice.

4. What gets your heart racing?
A truly healthy habit is to adopt a dog who wants to go for long walks often. You need to walk with the dog, and that is good for you both. If that dog is a rescue, so much the better. If that rescue dog has a black coat, you do even more good, for dogs and for yourself, since black dogs are more often overlooked and left at the shelter.

Thanks, Barbara! We appreciate your contributions, both the breast cancer research and to the Stitch Red campaign for heart health. We also appreciate your fabulous knitting and crochet supplies.

For more information on Denise products, which are 100% made in the U.S., you can visit their website here.