Like almost everyone else I know, I have a busy life–sometimes it feels like I never sit down. And I don’t get to visit my local businesses like I mean to. We have the cutest knitting shop in Dripping Springs called “The Sated Sheep”. It’s been open for a year now right next to the UPS store on Mercer and I drive by it all the time. I intended to stop in just to see it, but I haven’t picked up a knitting needle, haven’t even thought about knitting, for at least 15 years. Until January, that is.

 Suddenly I am almost overwhelmed buy the need to knit. I wandered through the shop fondling creamy Angora, fluffy blue Alpaca wool, variegated green silks, and a sense of calm and peace settled into my mind I haven’t felt in at least a year. 

I’m not even a good knitter and I have only the most basic scarf pattern in mind but I bought five skeins in yummy colors and a couple of circular needles in assorted hopeful sizes. As I paid for my goodies I had an enlightening conversation with Allison the shops owner. 

“My business exploded since the election,” she said. “Families are fighting and everyone seems so stressed out. I think people feel the need to do homey, comforting things right now. A client come in yesterday complaining of a recurring bout of PTSD. ‘ Quick!’ My client said, ‘I need to knit a blanket ASAP!’” 

Sometimes this life feels like we’re trying to stand up in a canoe. We fight to stay upright and balanced while the water rushes around us, rocking our boat. On instinct we search for ways to stabilize our emotions. So we seize opportunitiees to sit still for a while, to run soft, colorful yarn through our fingers, to make something from nothing. We go back to the things that calmed our grandmothers and grandfathers. We build things from wood, Or bake cookies. Or make bread. Or knit. And somehow, through these small acts, we feel better.

The Sated Sheep posted this fun item on Facebook:
“KNIT ALONG ALERT! Lambkins! Six of us (so far) are going to ROCK knitting Nancy’s Vest beginning on February 24th. We’ll meet from 4-6pm to do the tubular cast on together and then every two weeks to get it DONE because it’s like wearing a soft hug!  
If you’d like to join us, go to: http://www.thesatedsheep.com/schedule and advance the calendar to the 24th to register. There is NO FEE for this, it’s totally about us doing this together and helping each other. 
You will need to come in and get the pattern and select 4 or 5 hanks of Angelic by SundayKnits. You’ll want to start your swatch NOW though so you know if you’ll need a 3, 4, or 5 needle (it’s written for a 4, but people knit differently and gauge is IMPORTANT because this is a garment). Pattern, yarn, WASTE YARN in a CONTRAST color (just a little of it for the cast on), needles, a couple of stitch markers and 7 5/8″ buttons are all you need! Bring a great sense of adventure too! We love you!”
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/nancys-vest-2

pinkchronicity.com

Photo from: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/why-like-knit