The resurgence of knitting as a hobby has increased the life expectancy of sheep in New Zealand that would otherwise be slaughtered for meat.
Save a sheep: take up knitting!
Addendum
BFG left an interesting comment about this posting so I've gone away and looked more into it. Gullible.info first posted this in 2004 I don't know how the sheep situation has changed over that period of time. However, it may have been better for me to have said "help a sheep live longer". Reading up on the whole wool process isn't pleasant and I'm beginning to wonder if I still want to knit with wool at all. Anyway, that's a whole different posting
However, in my bid to promote knitting in a favourable light I've found this article on the BBC news site. And this article mentions knitting too. So perhaps what I should really being saying is:
Excercise your brain: take up knitting!
I belong to several mailing lists that send out trivia, quotes of the day, motivational quotes and stuff like that. This one comes from Gullible.info - a site that promises everything it says has been checked for authenticity. I loved this one particularly :)
that's great! do they keep the sheep as much time as possible to make sure they don't run out of wool..?
Ummm, No. And yes I'm from New Zealand. They become either Lamb chops or hogget anyway, its just a matter of timing.
Sorry to disapoint. Oh the increase in knitting has meant two extra bales of wool moved from carpet to skeins a month, so you had better get knitting.
Let's get knitting then!
It's a much under-rated activity. I have a basket of knitting, and from time to time make a hat, scarf or similar.
R4 did a recent programme saying it's excellent therapy, relaxing, calming etc. It's productive and you can make clothes that actually fit.
Now we know we're helping the Kiwi sheep. Enough said.
Let's get knitting.
That is awesome. Where did you hear about this?