To non-knitters it simply looks like a pile of yarn cluttering my footrest, a slow growing puddle of fabric that is in the way. But what they don't know is that it is really a reward. A decompression of stitches picked up after a long day of obligation, a few precious moments waiting to soothe my mind into relaxation. It rests in this spot so that I will reach for it when the need is there, a constant companion that helps to slow the world down.