A knitting community in California has started creating "emotional support chickens" that are taking flight to knitting circles all over the world. Joy Benedict reports.

California

A knitting community in Inglewood, California, has embarked on an innovative project, crafting what they call "emotional support chickens." This initiative, originating from The Knitting Tree LA, has gained worldwide recognition, with patterns for these comforting creations being sold across 60 countries. Thousands of patterns and kits have been distributed, enabling knitting enthusiasts around the globe to partake in this unique venture.

Jaclyn Camacho is one of the regular attendees at the knitting sessions, expressing a deep affection for the craft. These gatherings serve as both a social and therapeutic outlet, where participants enjoy the camaraderie and find solace in knitting. Shop owner Annette Corsino highlights the mental health benefits of the newfound knitting craze. The concept has resonated globally, with the patterns available in five languages and sales topping 30,000.

The emotional support chickens, with names like Shakira and Beyoncé, are crafted from a pattern that emphasizes mental well-being. The popularity of these adorable creations underscores the universal desire for comfort and stress relief. Participants at these knitting gatherings find both community and tranquility, illustrating how traditional crafts can adapt to contemporary needs.



Knitting emotional support chickens to relieve stress

We end with a yarn for you. You know, a story from a knitting store in Inglewood, California. For tonight's Weekend Journal, CBS's Joy Benedict shows us how a community is stitching together to feed souls with one chicken at a time. This is the neck and it works downwards. Through a cast or a cable, the click of the needle is quiet among the chatter inside this shop. You go from one sleeve to the other. Miss Jaclyn Camacho puts her hands to work as she's done for decades, knitting. It's one of the things I love to do the most. But on Sundays, you'll find her here at the Knitting Tree LA for the weekly potluck as a traditional activity of one becomes a flurry of fiber-fusing fingers all creating at once. I love the social commodity of it. Also, you learn when you come out. The art form may be as old as time, but the reason to cast on is changing. My husband says it's a good stress reliever. Mental health in every pearl. It keeps me sane. You know, there's t-shirts that say I knit so I don't kill people. Annette Corsino opened the shop more than a decade ago. Oh, you found some. But what recently put her on the international yarn map is a pattern for mental health. But it is a little foul. What do you do with an emotional support chicken? You hug it, duh. Her emotional support chickens are taking flight to knitting circles all over the world. Oh, this is Shakira. She's one of our newest ones. Shakira. She didn't know that she could collect like this. From Brit Henry Spears, Glyn Hinda, or even Beyoncé, there seems to be a pattern for everyone. The pattern has been translated into five languages. So in the last year and a half, the Knitting Tree has actually sold more than 30,000 patterns for its emotional support chickens to 60 countries around the world. And as for kits, they've sold more than 5,000. All you need is stuffing. I know, it's cuckoo. Just crazy enough to give knitters an outlet they need and an outcome to hold in a world where we all could use a little mending. We're so sad for her. Joy Benedict, CBS News, Inglewood, California. Beyoncé is my favorite. I love that story.

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