Contain the Chaos

I've been told I'm obsessed with containers of all kinds - baskets, boxes and bags in particular.  Rubber and plastic tubs, too.   Today, in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy I'm thinking about containers again.  The news was too much to take last night, so I laid myself down on the sofa with my dogs, put on a movie, and woke up at 4 am.  I'm a teacher, and, many times, have thought about being attacked in my classroom, or in the hall, in the cafeteria, in the library, etc.  We are drilled on lock down procedures, etc., but when all is said and done it is tough to be ready for an armed assailant determined to take down as many bodies as he can.  A colleague of mine said we expect something like this with our student population and the administration's policy of leaving all outer doors open, with no security guards or metal detectors...but an elementary school in an upscale area like Newtown, Connecticut?   Sometimes the world is too much to take.  The weight is too overwhelming to contemplate.  So I make things to carry the load -  to somehow keep it organized and contained.  Lately I've been making Yarn Pockets.  These little fabric pots hold pull skeins of yarn snug and warm while you knit and prevent the balls from falling apart when unraveled.  They hold your sock projects and knitting needles while you sit on the sofa,  and fit nicely into a bigger tote bag full of stuff.  I think I'll make two sizes - one pull skein size, and one taller for longer knitting needles.  I'll put tabs on them for hanging from a belt so you can walk around and knit with your yarn ball safely stowed in a pretty little sack.   I like the idea of keeping things neat and contained in a world full of chaos.