A Visit to Glenbrook Station

“You must be Kirsty,” I said, extending my hand to one half of the husband-wife team that manages Glenbrook Station, a merino ranch in the South Island of New Zealand. She met us — JP and Sarah — along with our kids in the gravel driveway of her beautiful home, framed by mature trees, dotted with gardens that redefine farm-to-table, and radiating the joy of raising three boys in one of the most idyllic settings on earth.

Wearing a merino base layer underneath a wool sweater, she showed uncommon grace as she welcomed us into her home — having just walked several kilometers down from mountainous meadows to meet us at the base of her property by 10am. She and her husband, Simon, had already put in several hours of hard work on the ranch, moving hundreds of sheep from high up on the mountain to the lower reaches of the station.

Like the most fortunate merino sheep, Glenbrook Station’s merinos spend the majority of their days unperturbed by human hands — grazing in rich mountainous meadows and displaying normal patterns of sheep behavior. In fact, it’s one of the five essential freedoms guaranteed of a ranch certified under the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS). From time to time, the sheep are rotated from one grazing area to another (for example, to avoid over-grazing of a particular spot), for healthful care, or an annual sheering.

By happy luck, our visit coincided with one of those days that required Simon and Kirsty to move several hundred of their sheep down mountain. And yet, in the midst of all that work, Kirsty took the time to meet us — the two founders of Chasing Windmills and our children on spring break — with warmth, generosity, and openness.

Walking into her home, she offered us coffee and tea, and then started working dough to make homemade date scones. When pressed how she could possibly carry on a conversation while making scones from scratch, she reflected that in her twenties she worked as a chef in the Alps. Next to a wood-burning stove, we enjoyed warm scones while chatting about her lifelong connection to farming, from childhood to her adult years as a merino rancher.

As we finished up our scones, she told us that we would be able to meet Simon and their only employee, Pete, along with a few hundred sheep working their way down the mountain. We jumped into Kirsty’s pickup truck, and she drove us deeper into the station, pointing out a lake where her teenage sons camp, fish, and live the outdoors life.

And then we crested a hill and saw the mob (which was what New Zealanders call a herd of sheep). Simon and Pete, with the help of excellently trained dogs, expertly guided several hundred sheep down mountain. We were able to join the shepherding for the final hour or so, and we were washed over with immense gratitude for the gift of the work of their hands and hearts.

Heading back home for the second time that day, Kirsty left us with Simon who took over the working tour of the station. With Simon calling commands to his dogs, we walked behind the mob of sheep as they worked their way down the mountainous farmland. We chatted about deepening our relationship to the clothes we wear, the challenges of ranching (with the South Island undergoing drought conditions at the moment), and the good fortune of raising a family amongst the hills and valleys of Glenbrook.

It is one thing to read about RWS-certified ranches that promote “the welfare of sheep and the land they graze on.” It is quite another to step onto such a ranch, to watch the sheep through the protective eyes of a ranching family that cares deeply for the animals and their land.

Once we made it down mountain, we returned to the Williamson home, where we sat around a table for lunch, prepared by Kirsty, of course, brimming with the freshest ingredients from her garden. As we enjoyed a home-cooked feast, we were filled with gratitude — for the hospitality and kindness shown by Simon and Kirsty, and also for the privilege of witnessing the care, skill, and dedication shown to their craft.

Ranchers like Simon and Kirsty do not just earn a living off of their sheep. They have created a life, borne through a commitment to hard work, a deep appreciation for their sheep, and an abiding love for family.

And, for several hours in the midst of a busy day at Glenbrook Station, they opened up their world to us. It was one of those days that we hope our children will always remember.

Kirsty & Simon of Glenbrook Station and us, JP & Sarah. An impromptu photo, hence we are all wearing our merino socks from just being inside ;)

A Visit to Lake Hawea Station

“This is all so worth it,” I thought as I stood with my family, waist-deep in a biodiverse regenerative pasture at Lake Hawea Station (LHS) in the South Island of New Zealand.

A few days earlier, we had emerged jet-lagged and tired after the long trip from Colorado. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I wondered if we made the right choice bringing our kids halfway around the world for spring break. My time at LHS pushed all those doubts out of my mind.

For almost a decade, our kids have been the original wearers, the prototype testers, and in their infancies the inspiration behind the founding of Chasing Windmills – our quixotic quest to capture the adventurous spirit of childhood through the natural goodness of merino wool. They have literally worn Chasing Windmills, day and night, for most of their childhood.

We have told them stories of where their wool comes from – the merino sheep living in mountainous meadows – but we’ve had a bucket-wish desire to show them; to spark their gratitude and curiosity; and to connect with the beginnings of our journey as a family in a deep and intimate way.

And so, as one of our stops in New Zealand, we had circled Lake Hawea – a station recently purchased and transformed by the Ross family. Although we do not currently purchase our merino wool from Lake Hawea, their mission to create a fully regenerative farm system has peaked our interest. Importantly, LHS recognizes the critical importance of biodiverse soils to sequester carbon and promote healthy plant and animal life.

For years, we have partnered with New Zealand and Australian ranches certified by ZQ Merino and the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS) to source our merino fiber. Importantly, ZQ and RWS merino ranches meet strict guidelines to ensure environmental stewardship (including water quality and soil health) as well as animal welfare markers (including the guarantee of the five essential freedoms for healthy sheep).

For its part, LHS has positioned itself at the forefront of the movement to promote regenerative and carbon-neutral systems of farming. In regenerative systems, biodiversity is critical, as farmers partner with natural systems to rehabilitate and protect vibrant soil life. In return, the rich soils nurture healthy plants, which nurture healthy sheep, which ultimately produces fine wool fleeces. And so, as the new kids on the block for merino ranching, we wanted to see firsthand what the Ross family had created at Lake Hawea.

And that is how we found ourselves in a LHS pasture as a family, halfway around the globe from home, standing amongst a dozen or so different species of flower and plant life – the future breakfast, lunch, and dinner of some lucky sheep!

Richie Laming, the LHS Educator with a deep appreciation for vibrant ecologies, provided our family with a tour of the working ranch. He introduced us to Jack Mansfield, the Farm Manager, who was training his younger dogs the art of shepherding. We watched mesmerized as Jack called commands to the young pups, who quickly and eagerly responded – herding the sheep with ease.

But Richie’s eyes really lit up when we moved into the pasture. Hopping out of an ATV, we stepped into a rich pastureland. We marveled at the bees buzzing throughout, the birds flying, the thickness of the vegetation.

And that’s when it hit me: idealism and optimism live here, in this vibrant pasture, at Lake Hawea Station. My heart filled with gratitude to share this experience as a family. It was all worth it.

Our grand journey

When we graduated from college in Maine together, full of idealism and youthful energy, we always imagined that we would do something grand in this life. In all of our imaginings and dreaming, we did not envision spending so many hours in our basement fulfillment center packing up orders! But that’s where we’ve been this past week, working together day and night, just the two of us, physically seeing the dream of Chasing Windmills come to life, all thanks to your generous support.

And to some, this may not seem like a grand thing. But each time you send us a message with a photo of your kids on an adventure in their merino, or share your words about how your family stays so cozy in their wool, or tell us about how our goods are a constant in your family memories, or express your appreciation for the care that we put into this business — you give meaning to our work.

So, as we busily have our hands in each order that goes out, we think of the little ones that will be playing in the snow. We think of family snuggles while reading together. We think of those beautiful explorations in the wild. We think of the everyday adventures of childhood that our merino gets to be a small part of. And we think - wow, this is pretty grand. Thank you for giving us this work and this meaning to our days.

Winter Shipping Break -- All Orders to Ship Week of February 26th

Our shop is on a winter shipping break this week, as we take the chance to experience the goodness of the season as a family.

In the meantime, all orders placed during this break will ship the week of February 26th. Rest assured, in a few days, JP will be packing up your orders with care and gratitude :)

We’re also taking this time to prepare for our spring season. If you’d like to be notified as soon as our fresh stock lands on the shelves, feel free to sign up to our newsletter.

In the meantime, we wish you and yours a wonderful winter season!

All the best,

Sarah & JP (Co-Founders)

That Orange Merino T-Shirt

You never know when a seemingly insignificant moment will turn into a significant one — this is the story of JP’s orange t-shirt. It was a casual afternoon at REI when I happened to run my hand past this orange t-shirt on the rack, and was amazed by its super softness.

It was the first time we had discovered the wonderful qualities of merino wool, and it quickly became his go-to wardrobe staple. At the time, he was still a corporate lawyer and often felt miscast in his daily life, Monday through Friday. Relief and comfort came to him on the weekend when he traded in his suit and tie for his orange merino tee.

The tee became symbolic in a way for what he longed for — adventure, exploration, and a way to live out his values and dreams. Fast forward to 2015, and the launch of Chasing Windmills gave us a path to do just that. Though his tee has become threadbare from memories made at home, with our children, and out in the wild, it’s still a part of this journey.

He wears it on all of our launch days in our basement warehouse -- bringing a smile to our faces and maybe some luck too, thinking about this journey we have traveled. It will always have an honored place in his wardrobe.

May we always remember to take notice of all those tiny moments in our lives

On Caring a Whole Awful Lot

“What can I do to help?”

That was the question posed by our young son, full of earnestness, care, and hopeful curiosity. He wanted to know how he could help care for our Earth.

We try not to overburden our children with the heaviness of living on a warming planet. But they can hear, see, and smell the siren call of nature. They live through headlines of wildfire haze, record heat, and poor air quality.

They can sense our alarm, and they can see these patterns repeat themselves, season to season, location to location. One month it’s Colorado, the next it’s California, then Michigan, then New York, and so on.

At the same time — and this is what is so confounding about living during this moment — they experience nature’s goodness and abundance. They spy spring’s early flowers poking through the soil, they eat tomatoes and zucchini grown in our backyard, they climb small boulders on a mountainous hike, they feel the summer grass underneath their toes. Nature is beautiful.

And so, our son asks, from a place of love and care, “what can I do to help?”

Our kids are too young to carry this burden. And so we tell him: go outside and fall in love with nature. Get to know the trees, spot the birds, dig in healthy soils, and recognize the beauty all around.

Because if our kids grow up loving and respecting nature, then they will be ready to care for our planet as they mature. They will become the environmental leaders of a new generation. 

While our kids forge a deeper way of being with nature, we grownups can collectively take action. Although none of us can do everything, all of us can do something. To name just a few steps, we can:

• Plant new trees or tend a small garden;

• Reduce what we consume, reuse what we love, and recycle what we must;

• Break our reliance upon fossil fuels and seek out clean energy solutions;

• Drive less and bike more;

• Support local farmers;

• Compost our organic waste;

• Pass on single-use plastics; and

• Vote for the environment.

At times, our environmental crises may seem insurmountable. We may be tempted to fall into fatalism or despair. But the truth is: we can all contribute something. 

In the words of the Lorax, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.”

So, to answer every child wondering what they can to help, we say: just care a whole awful lot.

Changing Our Relationship to the Clothes We Wear

Everything we do has an impact. Every choice we make has a consequence, some big and some small, but a consequence nonetheless. In our consumer-driven culture, we accumulate more than we need, we sell more than we have to, and we use more resources than would be wise.

All too often, we separate ourselves from those impacts. We do not see and feel the Earth providing its resources to us; we simply use those resources.

We take the important step of buying better, choosing carefully from ethical brands that align with our values. Chasing Windmills strives to be one of the brands. We tell the stories of the sheep, the ranchers, and the soil that make our merino possible. We work with caring and conscious partners to transform our merino into the long johns, hoodies, and t-shirts that our own kids wear every day and night.

But no brand is without impact, even the very best. Choosing better is only half the solution if we’re serious about healing our environment and protecting its skies, its water, and its soil.

We need to fundamentally change our relationship to the things we own. As an apparel brand, that change starts with the simple act of dressing ourselves, morning and night.

As a whole, the apparel industry has skyrocketed in its size, its power, and its impact. In the past fifteen years, the global number of garments sold has doubled. We now produce and consume 100 billion garments per year.

Many of these 100 billion garments quickly end up in donation centers or, worse, landfills. According to a 2016 study, 6 of 10 garments are thrown away within a year of being made. They sit in garbage dumps or they are taken to trash incinerators. 

We did not need so many billions articles of clothing. But the multi-billion-dollar advertisement industry told us that we did, and so we consume clothes at unprecedented levels.

As a very small part of this enormous apparel industry, we are lending our voice to an emerging chorus: buy better and less. Love the things you own more and keep them longer. Repair what you have and extend its life.

Our children can be hard on their clothes. Holes will pop up from time to time. It’s just part of living an active life filled with exploration and adventure. But that small hole in the knee doesn’t mean that our long johns should be added to those 6 in 10 garments destined for the trash.

That hole can be mended, and new adventures can be had in those garments. For those who have not yet embraced the mending life, we have several tutorials to help you make basic repairs — to clothes made by Chasing Windmills or any other brand.

We can help this Earth heal. And it starts with changing our relationship to the things we own, including the clothes we wear. It starts by buying better and less.

Where Our Story Begins

We are often asked: where does your merino wool come from? Underpinning this question is a desire to make a conscious and ethical choice. Simply put, the farm-to-garment story is critically important.

For us, it all starts with the merino sheep roaming mountainous meadows in New Zealand and Australia. The sheep gather under the sky’s wide embrace, roam grassy meadows, and simply live the good life of a sheep. Importantly, our wool is always traceable to a select group of audited ranches dedicated to the welfare of the sheep and the land upon which they graze.

Caring for merino sheep is truly a labor of love. One such rancher is Philip Rive, a multi-generation merino rancher with whom I had the great pleasure of meeting a few years back at Cecil Peak Station. I spent the day with Philip and his wife, Kate, on their ranch in the Remarkables mountain range outside of Queenstown, New Zealand. As we toured the ranch, he pointed to hills that he explored as an eight-year-old by pony. To Philip, Kate, and other merino ranchers, taking care of merino sheep is is a way of life (not just a way to make a living). 

Because of this level of care, our merino wool is certified by one or more of the gold standards of ethical and traceable wool: the Responsible Wool Standard (RWS), ZQ Merino, and the Global Merino Quality Assurance Program. All three programs audit merino ranches to ensure that the majestic sheep enjoy five essential freedoms (outlined below), are never subjected to mulesing, and graze upon environmentally sound and biodiverse ranch land.

Notably, RWS is a voluntary global standard, subject to independent auditing, that promotes the “welfare of sheep and the land they graze on.” Their mission is to “provide the industry with a tool to recognize the best practices of farmers; ensuring that wool comes from farms with a progressive approach to managing their land, and from sheep that have been treated responsibly.”

In addition, the merino sheep are guaranteed the five essential freedoms of responsible shepherding:

• Freedom from thirst, hunger and malnutrition

• Access to adequate comfort and shelter from adverse weather conditions

• The ability to display normal patterns of behavior

• To be handled in a manner which minimizes pain or distress to the animal

• Protection from, or rapid diagnosis of, any significant injury or disease.

From protecting soil health and biodiversity at merino ranches to ensuring the humane treatment of sheep, the RWS allows consumers — and brands like us — to identify conscious companies in the merino wool supply chain. 

Our clothing choices matter. Our choice of supply chain partners matters. They reflect our values, our aspirations, our visions. When you choose our merino wool kid’s wear, your child is living in harmony with nature’s cycles and in reverence for her gifts.

Field to Garment: Creating Clothes That Matter

"Wear Clothes that Matter."  - Solitaire Townsend

From field to garment, every step matters. As part of #fashionrevolutionweek, we wanted to share what matters to us when creating our cherished merino wool goods. 

The land and sheep where are merino comes from, matter. Our story starts with merino sheep living in free-range pasture-based ranches in New Zealand and Australia—all of which are certified by ZQ Merino, the Responsible Wool Standard, and/or the Global Merino Quality Assurance Program, meaning that each individual ranch meets strict animal welfare and environmental standards. Never mulesed, our merino sheep display natural patterns of behavior, namely roaming and grazing in mountainous meadows.

The environment and the ways in which we impact it, matter. At the beginning of our supply chain, we have chosen to work exclusively with Bluesign systems partners as our merino fabric suppliers. Bluesign's aim is to reduce the ecological footprint of the textile industry and realize environmentally responsible textile production worldwide.  

We recognize that our fabric production is not the only step that impacts the environment. We are continually looking for ways to reduce the footprint of Chasing Windmills.  Our home office subsidizes the generation of wind power.  We offset the carbon produced by our home office energy use and shipping worldwide, thanks to the good people of TerraPass.  We use recycled materials for our mailers. Our merino fiber is naturally renewable, with the sheep being shorn once per year. And, best of all, merino is biodegradable -- all thanks to Mama Nature. 

The livelihood of all workers sewing our garments, matters. Since Spring 2016, we're proud to have partnered with a USA worker-owned facility called Opportunity Threads. Based in North Carolina, they are part of a concerted effort to revitalize the once-booming textiles industry in the Carolinas. Opportunity Threads believes in its workers, so much so that after a vetting process, the workers have the opportunity to become owners in the company—quite literally spreading opportunity through needle and thread.

Our design and final creation, matter. We strive to create simple, timeless merino pieces that will be cherished by your children. Made to withstand the trends and seasons, we hope our goods are always loved, cared for, repaired, and loved some more -- joining your little adventurers on their memorable journeys. 

Together, all of these things matter. Our vision has always been to be a conscious company that cares for not just profits, but the lives it touches and the environment it graces. We are grateful for you -- our costumers, cheerleaders, and supporters -- for always inspiring us to do what matters.

Something to Read, Something to Do, Something to Listen to, and Something to Support - Earth Day 2022

On this Earth Day, we find ourselves reflecting upon our relationship with nature, as we do many days. We yearn for connection, for healing, and for a path forward.

Today, we are sharing a few resources that have inspired us in our own personal journeys. We are sharing something to read, something to do with your children, something to listen to, and something to support.

Something to Read: Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants.

Braiding Sweetgrass is written as an appreciation of nature’s wisdom and as a call to reconnect our hearts, our souls, and our minds to nature’s healthy rhythms. Robin Wall Kimmerer asks the question: “How, in our modern world, can we find our way to understand the earth as a gift again, to make our relations with the world sacred again?”

In moving prose, she “invites us to hold a minidewak, a giveaway for Mother Earth, to spread our blanket and pile it high with gifts of our own making, in return for all we’ve been given, in compensation for all we’ve taken.” We must heed this call to move away from an attitude of entitlement, and instead towards gratitude -- knowing that the generosity of the Earth is not to be taken for granted.

Something to Do: Go on a Nature Scavenger Hunt!

Our amazingly talented friend Lana of Lana’s Shop (outdoor-loving-mama of two and illustrator of all things in our natural world) painted a beautiful nature scavenger hunt to inspire wonder, curiosity, and appreciation for the great outdoors in your little ones. Something as simple as a neighborhood walk and noticing a ladybug, an acorn, or butterfly can nurture that connection to nature- learning to recognize its many gifts every single day!

You can download the free Nature Scavenger Hunt shown above by entering your email below to join our email community! The pdf link will pop up here immediately after you submit.

Something to Listen to: “Fast Fashion’s Dirty Little Secret (Hint: It’s Oil),” on Spotify’s How to Save a Planet podcast, hosted by Alex Blumberg and Kendra Pierre-Louis.

Blumberg and Pierre-Louis explore the ecologically and socially destructive phenomenon of fast fashion. Our clothes were once prized possessions, passed down from generation to generation, carefully mended and repaired, and eventually reused as rags when they became too threadbare to wear.

However, three forces — industrialization, globalization, and a supply of cheap oil-based synthetic fibers — have conspired to produce an entirely new phenomenon in the history of apparel: limited use, disposable, fast clothing. What can we do? Buy less, buy better, and choose natural fibers.

Something to Support: Ceres, a nonprofit organization committed to transforming the economy to build a just and sustainable future for people and the planet.

There are many wonderful ways to invest in our shared Earth, and this year we will be supporting Ceres in honor of The Ryan Martel Fellowship for environmental justice advocacy.

Ryan is a beloved friend of ours who passed away earlier this year from cancer. During his life, he modeled the type of heroic climate action that each of us should emulate: he tirelessly worked as an environmental justice advocate and policy influencer for Ceres. We are grateful for his friendship, for his vision of a more beautiful world, and for the inspiration he gives us to help carry on his work.

May we care for our planet, today and every day -- for our future, for our families, and with gratitude.

What is Enough?

Earth Day is a single day per year, April 22nd. But, when you stop to consider that we celebrate our only home in the universe just once per year, it seems strange that we choose a single day.

A single day is not enough to remember our stewardship of this Earth, to inspire action to care for our environment, and to recognize our part in the grand ecosystem.

To fulfill Earth Day’s promise, we must embrace the every day opportunities to give thanks, to make amends, to make progress. Each and every day, we must remind ourselves to live in gratitude with the Earth, until it just becomes automatic, until we no longer have to remember because we could never forget.

As a business, as a family, as members of a community, we find ourselves pondering challenging questions about our impact in this world — questions without easy answers, questions whose solutions cannot be purchased, questions that cannot be answered in a single day.

One such question that we ask ourselves is: what is our enough?

Henry David Thoreau’s Walden is, in many ways, a meditation on what is enough. Thoreau “went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts.” In a word, he wished to simplify — to strip away the excess from his life, to embrace the magnificent stillness of the breaking dawn, to reconnect to the myriad rhythms of nature.

In our fast-moving world, we seldom ask ourselves what is essential. We inundate our minds with data, we push for continued and uninterrupted growth, we accumulate more and more.

But this endless pursuit of more is not healthy — for us or for the environment we grace. And so, we again ask: what is enough?

As parents, “enough” does not mean just the bare necessities for survival. For us, “enough” includes the family dinner around a gathered table with a delicious meal. For us, “enough” means getting outside to play, to explore, to swim, to climb a tree. “Enough” is snuggling together, sharing love and warmth and laughter. “Enough” is reading a treasured book.

“Enough” is the good stuff of life — that which adds significant value to our every day. The excess is that which distracts us from all that is wholesome and lovely and joyous.

As a brand, “enough” is a tricky concept. We engage with our customers through transactions (that is, the act of purchasing a piece of our merino), but we hope that this relationship never feels transactional…for you or for us!

Chasing Windmills is a deeply personal mission for us. We are a literal mom-and-pop brand, a two-person company that lives, breathes, and touches merino every single day.

We are the dreamers, the content creators, the order fulfillers, and the every-thing-in-between-ers. Our kids wear merino every single day, to school, to bed, to ski, to hike, and to just be.

There is not a day that goes by in which we don’t spend some of our waking hours (and sometimes dreaming hours) on Chasing Windmills. And at our core, what drives us, is the chance to spread the joy of “enough” to you and your family. To offer clothing that is simple and adaptive and just allows you and yours to explore this beautiful world.

And so, on this Earth Day, we pledge to hold onto this question, as parents and a business. And, hopefully, to inspire others to consider their “enough” too.

What to Expect for our Merino in 2022

We are beyond grateful for the support and trust so many of you put into this little company in 2021. Together, we’ve shared in the joy and adventurous spirit of childhood through the natural goodness of merino wool.

This past year exceeded our expectations, hopes, and dreams. We launched a new style (mid layers!), expanded our selection of Disana outerwear, and increased our production of the much-loved and much-worn long johns.

And yet, thanks to your enthusiasm and support, we’ve somehow sold out of many styles. While there are still gems to be found, we recognize that our inventory is very low currently. So, what can we expect for the early part of 2022?

• First, we will be restocking our mid-layer sweatshirts and sweatpants by early February. Our team at the worker-owned facility in North Carolina is hard at work cutting and sewing our mid layers.

• We’re also bringing in new striped merino fabric for our short johns, long johns, hoodies, and more! Our first style to launch with this year’s fabric and colors will be short johns in early spring — just in time for all of your warm weather adventures :)

• And because they are a cozy staple all year long, we’ll also release a collection of our beloved striped long johns this spring too!

We’ll have plenty more merino goodness to looking forward to as we journey through the year! To stay up to date with all of our happenings and releases to come, we welcome you to subscribe to our newsletter.

As always, we are a small brand that dreams big. We grow with intentionality, cognizant that we cannot afford to grow faster than our support allows. Thank you for your patience as we continue journeying together.

Here’s to an adventurous 2022!

With gratitude,

Sarah & JP, Co-Founders

Hope & Observation

“Do not hope; instead, observe.” - Flora from “Flora & Ulysses” by Kate DiCamillo.

We have so many hopes. For our kids, for our communities, for the world we share. And sometimes those hopes can sustain us and inspire us. Sometimes hope becomes an action, compelling us to create beauty, to love, and to overcome.

But hope is not a place where we can live. By its nature, hope is future-oriented, a not-yet-realized dream to fulfill. And so we must remember to observe too. Observe the present, observe the everyday, observe each other, observe the world all around.

Our children are intuitive experts in observation. They observe us — our actions, our words, our mannerisms. They observe nature and its many gifts. Their senses are alive with curiosity and wonder. They very much live in the present.

And maybe we, the grown-ups, should too. After all, when facing the challenges of our changing earth and thinking of what we are leaving behind for the generations to follow, it is easy for us to feel hopeless. Perhaps, however, we need to begin observing, not hoping.

We can observe nature, observe our impacts upon it, observe its beauty. We can help our children fall in love with nature — through simple acts of playing outside, digging in the dirt, hiking and biking, and just being present with the wonders before us.

We can embrace our being as part of nature itself. We must change the way we view ourselves and our relationship to each other and to this world. Once we see ourselves as inextricably linked to the natural world, then we can become part of the solution.

Preserving nature means turning inwards. It is part of us, we are part of it, and that realization leads to progress.

So let us observe. It will move us one step closer to our hopes.

Going Outside

“We’re going outside,” our kids shouted as they ran to put on their shoes.

“Okay,” I responded, "what are you going to do out there?”

“We don’t know yet,” came the reply. And then, they were outside, the crunch of fall leaves underfoot, the possibilities wide open.

I smiled to myself as I watched them from the window. I tried to remember a time when I could access joy so freely, so effortlessly, so purely. I think back to summer afternoons of my youth, on my bike with a group of friends, peddling down dirt trails that meandered through our neighborhood. We didn’t have a destination in mind; we just knew that the world would open itself up to us. And so we explored with enthusiasm and joy.

Edward Abbey once said that his favorite flowers are “wild, free and spontaneous.” Perhaps he was drawn to those flowers because they reflect childhood, that sense of wonder and possibility and spontaneity.

In our zeal to enrich our children’s lives, we sometimes view this wild, free, and spontaneous time to be aimless and unimportant. But nothing could be farther from the truth. When our kids joyfully engage in life through play, they are building a hardiness, a wisdom, a reservoir of joy within themselves.

These qualities will sustain their hearts, minds, and bodies as they grow up. They don’t need a reason to be joyful, an errand to get them outside, a plan to embrace life’s adventure. They are the wildflowers of our lives — beautiful, resilient, and joy-filled.

As grown-ups, we cannot live the life of a wildflower as often our kids. We must also be gardeners too — planning, sowing, harvesting. But, every now and then, we should put down the burdens of the day and embrace all that is wild, free, and spontaneous…if only for a few moments.

We will find our joy renewed, our hearts lightened, our bodies invigorated. Just as nature intended.

DIY scrap hair clips - a handcraft tutorial

May no scrap go unused! If hair clips could be comfy and cozy, these would be them. Put your teeniest and tiniest merino scraps to work with some cardboard and you have yourself a functional and upcycled accessory. Although my girl prefers her hair wind blown and wild in her face most times, I always appreciate when she has something sweet and simple to keep the hair back so I can kiss her unobstructed! These can be a no sew project and are super quick!

WHAT YOU NEED:

– merino fabric scraps
– wool roving for stuffing
– alligator hair clips (I used 1.75” clips)
– hot glue gun
– cardboard
– sewing needle (optional)
– embroidery thread (optional)
– scissors

INSTRUCTIONS

– Make your pattern and trace it onto your cardboard and scrap fabric. Cut out your cardboard and scrap fabric pieces. Feel free to download our free pattern below by entering your email below to join our email community! The pdf link will pop up here immediately after you submit. Note that Chasing Windmills respects you, your privacy, and your inbox! By joining our mailing list, you may receive emails regarding special happenings, new styles, and a bit of inspiration. You may also unsubscribe at any time, but really, who would want to ;).

– Add any embroidery onto your fabric if desired! I opted to add some simple sashiko patterns onto a few, I couldn’t resist making a little windmill hair clip!

– Layer your fabric scrap, a bit of wool roving, and your cardboard on top of one another in preparation for assembly.

– Like wrapping a present, fold over the fabric to the back lengthwise and glue down to your cardboard with hot glue.

– Fold over one end of the fabric to the back and hot glue down.

– Add a strip of hot glue and attach your alligator hair clip. Be sure to have the end of the clip that you pinch on the same end of the fabric that still needs to be folded to the back.

– Add a bit of hot glue to the underside of the clip on the end, and fold the fabric over and hold down. You are done- make a whole little collection!

How We Bring Intentionality to our Children's Activities

Will this activity bring happiness and growth to our child? Does this activity fit us well as a family?

These are the questions that we ask whenever a new opportunity presents itself to our kids — which, as our kids get older, is increasingly often. From dance to soccer to field hockey to crafts to swimming to biking, our kids love to be active. And as parents, we love to see their enthusiasm to learn a new skill, make new friends, and find joy in movement.

And yet, if we jump at every chance to “enrich” our children’s lives with a new activity, pretty soon there will be no time left for an unscheduled childhood. And truth be known, we cherish our unhurried and unplanned moments too.

If we make space for unplanned time, usually the good stuff of life fills it in — baking gingerbread cookies, taking a family bike ride around the neighborhood, reading a good book together. And sometimes, in those moments, our kids take the lead, allowing us parents to relinquish the title of supreme activity organizer.

With our kids leading the way, we can marvel at their imaginations and allow their interests to develop. Sometimes they create make-believe worlds, sometimes they overturn small rocks in search of interesting bugs, sometimes they play a game as simple as tag. When our kids have the freedom and space to choose what comes next, they are exercising their will and their imagination in profound ways.

As our children get older, we find ourselves more and more balancing this freedom with new organized activities. And that is why we ask ourselves these two questions:

• Will this activity bring joy, happiness and growth to our child?

• Does this activity fit us well as a family?

The first question pushes us to consider our motivation. As parents, we do not want to make choices for our kids from a place of anxiety — for example, the all-too-often parental “fear of falling behind” or “racing to get him/her ahead.”

Instead, we strive to make a decision from a place of trust and love. Will our child grow positively from this experience? Will we see smiles and laughter? Will our child’s confidence increase? If we can answer these types of questions positively, chances are that we’re leaning into a new activity for the right reasons.

The second question — does this activity fit us well as a family — recognizes that we are a family unit. We have multiple responsibilities and opportunities, and consequently we need to consider the overall family fit.

As we continue our journey as a family of four, we understand that this balancing act does not have a single correct answer. But if we’re asking the right questions, we’re pretty confident that the answers — whatever they may be — will bring us all joy, happiness, and growth.

Reimagining Earth Day

“The first step to creating the change we need is imagining that it’s possible.” - Eric Holthaus

For too many Earth Days, we’ve tinkered around the margins of possibility. We’ve pledged to recycle a bit more, drive a bit less, and consume a bit better. And, truth be told, all those bits add up and make a real difference.

But what if we could go further? What if we could dramatically remake our day-to-day lives to create a world that is more sustainable, more just, and more equitable? What if a more beautiful world awaits if only we have the vision to see it?

In 2020, two books pushed us to rethink possibility, consider the role we play in Earth’s unfolding story, and inspired us to think and dream bigger: Eric Holthaus’ The Future Earth: A Radical Vision for What’s Possible in the Age of Warming & Hope Jahren’s The Story of More: How We Got to Climate Change and Where We Go From Here.

Holthaus doesn’t flinch at the hard truths — the environmental degradation and the human suffering caused by climate change inaction — but he offers an optimistic peek at a future where we’ve collectively met these challenges. In doing so, he places each of us at the center of this drama: “Our lives and actions may be temporary and imperfect, but by accepting our tiny place in the world, we unlock a deeper way of being. And we help to bring about a future that will be unimaginably better for everyone.”

What we do matters for ourselves and future generations:  “By our daily actions, we are changing the living conditions for the next generations—for better or for worse. The implications of that knowledge could inspire a whole new understanding of what it means to be alive on this planet.”

While Holthaus challenges us to reimagine our collective responsibility in creating a more sustainable and just future, Hope Jahren offers a simple yet profound prescription for the present: consume less, share more.

Like most books on climate, The Story of More is a difficult read — emotionally and intellectually as we ponder the plight of our living planet. But books like The Story of More push us readers, us citizens of the world, to confront an additional challenge: our own patterns of consumption.

To be an ally of life on Earth, we must both consume better and consume less. Humanity suffers from want and excess, the provision of too little and too much. This imbalance is both a cause and symptom of climate change.

For those of us who are lucky enough to have enough — shelter, food, and security — the message of “consume better” is easy to take. And, as a small brand, as parents, as lovers of the natural world, we of course embrace the mantra of consuming better.

It’s why we 100% subsidize our electricity to ensure an equal amount of renewable wind power is brought online. It’s why we 100% offset the carbon footprint of shipping our merino goods around the world with an investment in carbon capture and renewable energy projects. It’s why we partner with merino ranchers who nurture biodiverse soils capable of sequestering greenhouse gases. It’s why we source our 100% recycled and recyclable mailers from a Colorado company dedicated to changing the way our country packages and ships. It’s why we salvage all of our usable scraps. It’s why we encourage mending of worn wear instead of adding them to the trash pile.

It’s why, it’s why, it’s why.

And yet, consuming better is only part of the solution. We cannot forget the second half of the equation: consuming less and sharing more. Our future depends upon it.

* * *

A few other books that inspire us, challenge us, and push us to reconsider our place in this natural world include:

* The Blue Zones of Happiness: Lessons from the World’s Happiest People, by Dan Buettner. National Geographic’s Dan Buettner has traveled the world (from Denmark to Costa Rica to Singapore to the U.S.) to study the habits and secrets of happy long-living populations. Buettner provides an inspiring blueprint for how we can organize our lives, our neighborhoods, and our daily activities to find pleasure, purpose, and pride (the three “P’s” of happiness).

* Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life, by Peter Gray. This book is probably JP’s favorite parenting book. Peppered with personal anecdotes, scientific observations, and even evolutionary biology, Gray’s book pulls at the heart strings while bringing intellectual rigor to the very simple, human, and necessary act of play!

* In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto, by Michael Pollan. We love food — not just the necessity of its nourishment, but everything else that comes with it. A gathered table surrounded by friends and family. Its daily rhythms and pauses. Its pleasure and anticipation. And we thank Pollan for being a guide on much of our food journeys.

* The Last Empty Places: A Past and Present Journey Through the Blank Spots on the American Map, by Peter Stark.  In some ways, Stark is the latest in a long list of nature writers inspired by the words of Thoreau and Muir. In this book, which is equal parts environmental philosophy and exploration, Stark sets off with his family to explore the “empty places” in the US — natural and untouched wonders from Maine to New Mexico to Oregon.

* The Uninhabitable Earth, by David Wallace-Wells. Wallace-Wells' book just may have been the most important and most difficult book JP has read in a long time. It is a window into the devastating human, economic, and environmental cost of climate change—not just in the distant future but today.

* Last Child in the Woods, by Richard Louv. This book is both an emotional and scientific plea to let kids be outside! As strange as it seems that nature needs an advocate, Louv is that person. By letting our kids immerse themselves in nature at a granular level, they learn to become stewards of the Earth—not to mention that it promotes their physical and mental health too!

* How to Raise a Wild Child: The Art and Science of Falling In Love with Nature, by Scott D. Sampson. Written by a paleontologist with a passion for inspiring families to explore nature, How to Raise a Wild Child laments the fact that most children can identify more corporate logos than plants! Likening children outside to playful scientists, Sampson shows how nature is an invaluable teacher for our children.

What “Chasing Windmills” Means to Us

This brand, to us, represents a journey with an open heart. The phrase — “chasing windmills” — captures our commitment to pursue dreams, even when they seem impossible.

It’s about chasing an ideal bigger than yourself; it’s about remaining an optimist even in the face of cynicism; it’s about striving to live up to heroic visions of what we can be, what our children can be, and what our world can be.

As devotees of literature may recognize, our brand name of “Chasing Windmills” finds its roots in Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quijote. To some, Don Quijote was naive and delusional. And, to a degree, he was. But he was also an eternal optimist and adventurer whose belief in a grander reality improved the lives of those fortunate souls who counted him as a friend. When the hard realities of life told him to become a resigned cynic, he chose to believe that a more beautiful and perfect world existed, if only he worked for it.

Sarah’s dad, who passed away from cancer over ten years ago, loved to gift classical music to his family and friends. When we were just college kids, Sarah’s dad gave JP a CD of the Broadway musical Man of La Mancha (the story of Don Quijote). He saw JP’s youthful optimism and idealism. He said that the song, The Impossible Dream, reminded him of JP.

These are the lyrics:

*****

To dream, the impossible dream

To fight, the unbeatable foe

To bear, with unbearable sorrow

To run, where the brave dare not go

To right, the unrightable wrong

And to love, pure and chaste from afar

To try, when your arms are too weary

To reach, the unreachable star

This is my quest, to follow that star

No matter how hopeless, no matter how far

And to fight for the right, without question or pause

To be willing to march . . . for a heavenly cause

And I know if I'll only be true, to this glorious quest 

That my heart will lie, will lie peaceful and calm 

When I'm laid to my rest

And the world will be better for this

That one man, scorned and covered with scars 

Still strove, with his last ounce of courage 

To reach 

The unreachable

The unreachable

The unreachable stars

I'll always dream, the impossible dream

And yes I will reach

The unreachable

Stars

*****

The recent days, weeks and months have tested our belief in impossible dreams.. The pandemic, the scourge of gun violence, the inequalities that permeate our society…at times, it all seems too much to bear. Cynicism is a logical option.

And yet, the words of Sarah’s Dad — echoing through Don Quijote — remind us to hold onto our optimism and idealism. This journey of ours, to capture the adventurous spirit of childhood, is deeply personal to us.

We renew our commitment to reach for the stars and do all we can for change, though everyday small acts with great love. The world will be better for this belief in impossible dreams.

little scrap bunny- a handcraft tutorial

I always like to surprise my little ones with something handmade for each holiday. Their squeals of delight in surprise with seeing something that their mama made with her own two hands is so rewarding. And of course I can’t resist any excuse to use our merino wool scraps. These little bunnies are quite endearing with their simplicity and sweetness, and I’m sure they will hop their way into many hours of imaginative play.

WHAT YOU NEED:

– fabric scraps (merino preferably, of course- the natural stretch lends itself well to growing bunnies :)
– thin yarn or thread
– wool roving for stuffing (or other scrap material, it just may show more bumpiness in the body)
– wool roving for tail and eyes
– felting needle
– sewing needle
– scissors

INSTRUCTIONS

– Cut out the pattern (or make your own pattern) and trace it onto your fabric. Be sure that your fabric stretches mainly with the width of the body rather than the length. Cut your fabric body and ears.
– Fold the body fabric (with the right side facing each other), knot one end of your thread, and sew the top and bottom edge together with a running stitch.

– Turn fabric inside out so that the right side is now on the outside. This seam line will be the underside.
– Sew a running stitch around the opening and gently gather the fabric tightly once you have sewn all the way around. Secure with a knot and bury the end of the thread inside.

– The gathered side will be the nose and head. Fill with your stuffing of choice, putting more toward the back 2/3 for the body.
– Knot one end of a new piece of thread, and sew the back end closed in a gathering stitch as you did before. Tie off with a knot and bury end inside.

– Shape the head by inserting your needle at about 1/3 of the way in lengthwise from the nose. To form the neck, wrap your thread around and tighten and knot once you are back at the seam (the underside).

– To make the nose point downward slightly, use some of the remaining thread to sew the bottom of the nose to attach closer to the body.
– Insert your needle through the inside and back out to where you want to attach the first ear.

– Gather the first ear on your needle with a few running stitches, and sew on to attach to head. Repeat with 2nd ear.
– Push needle through to the underside and knot and bury thread end inside.

– Take a small piece of roving for the tail and attach one end to bottom with a handful of pokes using your felting needle.
– Wrap the roving in a sort of an ice cream swirl, and attach with more poking from your felting needle.

– Tail is done! Last steps are the eyes- you need hardly any roving- just the tiniest bit and some poking to get them done.

And you have yourself an adorable baby bunny! Ready to bring all the sweetness to spring!

Mending and the Seeds of Change

We need a change in the way we consume. In the way that we view our belongings. Yes, there is definitely a movement to buy better- to buy goods with thoughtfully intentional and ethical supply chains in mind. But we also need to buy less, and love what we already own more. To see that wear-and-tear of a well loved good as not the end, but a new beginning.

If you would have asked JP a month ago what a lifespan was of his favorite socks, he might have answered- until he wears a hole into the heel (which he does on every single pair of his socks somehow). I committed to learn to darn this year, and with this new skill it is surprising how empowered we can feel by this simple act of repair.

Sometimes, we look at the world and think that change is too hard, too big, too elusive. The problems of our earth, climate change, plastic pollution, etc, in every sense of the word, are global.

The bigness of earth’s problems requires bold action, yes, but also small acts of hope and resilience. To be an ally of life on Earth, we must change our relationship to the things we collect. Life is not disposable, and so we must not treat the goods in our life as such.

And so, what are we to do as a company that offers a product into the stream of commerce? At our best, we endeavor to provide a good well-made, well-used, well-loved, well-cared-for, well-needed, and well-repaired.

We are heartened to hear from our intentional, nature-loving, simplicity-seeking supporters who say that our merino long johns are the coziest pajama and best performing base layer. To us, creating multifunctional clothing is not just a feature; it’s a mission to consume better and less.

And as we learn to extend the life of things we love, we begin to live in better harmony with the rhythms of Mother Nature. We begin to change our relationship to that which we consume.

With each new repair, socks in this case- literally, we can stand on new ground, with a new appreciation for the life of the things we love. With a new perspective on what we need, consume, and own. And a new sense of responsibility to live in better harmony with the world we share. All with a little time, care, and the gift of our hands.

And, in that seed of change, rests the radical hope that we can tackle the big problems. That we can create, through our small acts done with great love, the more beautiful and sustainable world that our children deserve.

// Thanks to @thefarwoods for their wonderful darning instructions in their book “Mending Life- A Handbook for Repairing Clothes and Hearts”