WEBS Connects on Heart Health

At its core, the Stitch Red campaign is rooted in the idea that we can make a bigger difference together than we can alone. Uniting individual knitters and crocheters, local yarn stores, manufacturers, independent designers, and big names in knitting and crochet, allows us to touch more people's lives and raise awareness in more communities than any one individual can alone. That's why we are proud to partner with companies like WEBS, who have made a name for themselves and now choose to use that for a good cause.

We asked Kathy at WEBS to post a guest blog for us, and here's what she had to say...

I ran into Laura at TNNA last June and she presented the concept of Stitch Red to me and asked if I would consider participating. I told her yes immediately! I believe its important that we support each other as much as possible within our industry. The fact that Stitch Red was built around increasing awareness of heart disease among women was just the icing on the cake.

For me, a healthy heart is tied to being a healthy person overall - both physically and emotionally. About 3 or 4 years ago I ended up in the ER thinking I was having a heart attack. My chest was heavy, my arm was tingling - I was freaking out. Everything was fine and ultimately my symptoms were brought on by stress and anxiety. Needless to say, this was a huge wake-up call for me. Its so easy to skip exercising and eat quick, non-healthy meals and get so wrapped up in everything that is on the "to-do" list we forget about taking care of ourselves. I think this is especially true for women. For me, learning to say "no" made a huge difference. I don't have to be on every committee, at every meeting, agreeing to every lunch date or play date with my kids for that matter.  Sometimes saying "no" is just enough to free up a wee bit of time to do something for myself. I've also found that as a family, we are calmer knowing we don't have to do everything that is asked of us.

Nothing gets my heart racing more than when my oldest son Jackson is in net with his hockey team! Being a goaltender has been his passion since he was about 7 years old, but being the mom of a goalie has been one of the hardest things I've ever done.  Although my heart is pounding during every game, at least I'm able to be there to watch him. It was so stressful for one goalie mom that should would sit in her car, outside of the rink, during the entire game. She couldn't bear to watch!

Thank you so much Kathy, and all the folks at WEBS!