Saratoga Peace Pods

Busy Hands, Happy Hearts

WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER | PHOTOS BY SUPER SOURCE MEDIA

Peace Pals knitted by Amy Thomas.

Crafters can work from templates available at the Saratoga Peace Pod website. Saratoga Peace Pod volunteers display a sleeping mat crafted by Christa Rittner for donation

Handmade infant sweater for donation. Volunteer Amy Thomas.

Last March, while isolated at home, a small revolution was beginning to take shape. Studies show approximately 45 million Americans know how to knit or crochet, and last year, many of them used their knowledge to knit their way through the pandemic. The repetitive movement, gentle clicking of the needles, and soft yarn passing through their fingers is a therapeutic form of meditation that reduces anxiety, replacing it with a welcome sense of calm and connection. “I call it my Zen. My true Zen is fishing. I love to fish but when I can’t get out because of the weather or when I’m not feeling well, I can knit,” said Rachel Baum. Rachel came down with COVID-19 last March which then stretched into long-haul COVID. Despite her illness, within a couple of hours, while watching shows like Bridgerton, she was able to create a warm hat, a small baby blanket, or a soft scarf.

KNITTING TOGETHER THE COMMUNITY

Many organizations accept handmade donations of knitted, crocheted, woven, and quilted items, including Knitting4Peace, whose mission is to bring hope, healing, and peace by providing warmth for people in crisis one stitch at a time. So moved by the Knitting4Peace cause, Rachel decided to start a local chapter with others who wanted to help. The Saratoga Peace Pod was born. The Saratoga Peace Pod now has approximately 40 men, women, and children, ages 10 to 80 years old. Some are retired like Rachel; others are busy professionals. “It’s amazing, when you have a busy person, they’re also very productive about making things and they make it with love,” said Rachel.

RULE OF THREE

To reinforce their mission and the magical symbolism of doing things in threes, Knitting4Peace encourages items containing this element within them. It represents the trifold connections of the creator of the item, the recipient, and the Spirit of Life that unites all of Creation, as well as knitting the three Abrahamic faith traditions -- Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (which represent two-thirds of the world’s population)- to compassionately coexist. “When you’re making something, you’re thinking of the recipient, how precious and wonderful it will be for them. You infuse it with these three elements, of hope, peace, and healing. You make it because you care and you want to help,” said Rachel.

BEING OF ONE HEART

Because of community partners like Albany’s Up-Stitch, donations of yarn to the Saratoga Peace Pod have been plentiful, sending the completed items to the Knitting4Peace Denver headquarters however, is expensive. Luckily, there is no postage when the Saratoga Peace Pod donates to local groups; their blankets are being distributed through Wellspring, their hats through To Life! and their baby items through Wait House. The group has met virtually but the Saratoga Peace Pod is excited for the future. “This is not a one-person operation, it’s a collective effort. The biggest thing I’m hoping for is when we can get together in-person, sit, talk, and have coffee. This should be a very social thing. When this pandemic is past us, I’ll be so delighted. All these people have the same heart, one heart, and I’m so grateful,” said Rachel. The Saratoga Peace Pod is always accepting new members and invite non-profit organizations whose clients might benefit from their work to contact them. Find them on Facebook, or go to rachelrbaum.wixsite.com/saratogapeacepod SS