STIK takes the Cape

Hi there! My name is Sarah and I’m a STIK Summer intern! I’m so excited to be writing a few blogs for Sh*t That I Knit, and as I was thinking about what to write about, I just knew that I had to include my favorite place on the planet.

When I think of Cape Cod, in particular Harwich Port, I think of a summer retreat. Most think of places like Hawaii, California, Florida,  as places that are “beautiful retreats;” but I think of the breezy coasts and the quaint towns that make up beautiful Cape Cod, Massachusetts. There’s truly nothing better than relaxing on a beach on a Saturday afternoon with the waves crashing, and getting absolutely fried by the sun with your besties (fun!!). As soon as I cross the bridge, I instantly feel a sense of relaxation and the anticipation of an amazing weekend with my best friends. 

Memorial Day weekend was coming up, and I was so ready to get to the Cape to #makememories with my friends and family. This weekend, two of my best friends, Hannah and Alexa, were coming to stay with me which made the weekend all the more exciting. That Thursday, I packed up my sh*t and got on the road. I had to bring some STIK with me because I knew accessories like the Pardy Wrap and the Pardy Poncho would be perfect for the cooler nights, and the earrings would be the perfect touch to any outfit.

Dinner at The Ocean House

One of my favorite things to do is go out to dinner and spend time with my Grandmother, Aunt, and Mom. So Thursday night, we decided to do just that since it was our first time down this year. We chose to go to one of our favorite places, The Ocean House in Dennis Port.

The Ocean House has an amazing atmosphere and a space that looks over Nantucket Sound; from there, the view of the sunset never fails to impress. Since this restaurant has a beachy vibe, I knew that the Chickies would go perfectly with a white romper. The Chickies added a little detail that made a big difference in my look. 

Chilling with the fam

On the Cape it gets much cooler in the evening, so as we were about to go out for a family dinner at Cleat and Anchor in Dennis Port, I grabbed the Pardy Poncho as a light cover-up. This was the perfect addition to just throw on over denim shorts and a cropped tank. My favorite part of Cleat and Anchor is the patio area—we ended up playing an intense game of corn hole and this poncho was perfect because I had full mobility which, if you have played corn hole, is very important.

We ended up sitting inside for dinner, and I was totally comfortable in the Pardy Poncho. Because of its versatility, the Poncho is definitely one of my favorite Sh*t That I Knit products. I can wear it on a warm day on the Cape, or a 50 degree day at home. One of the best parts of the Cape is spending time with my family.  It always seems like my family is moving at 100 mph and it’s great when we can all come together and spend time with one another. And it’s especially nice to spend time with my brothers since I barely see them due to their very active social lives (lol).

Beach Day with the Gals

The best part of the summer without a doubt is going to the beach with my friends—those are the days I never want to end. Between tanning, listening to music, cooling off in the water, and maybe getting so burnt that it hurts (oops), it’s one of the things that makes me miss the summer most when it’s over. The girls asked to borrow hats since we may have gotten a little too much sun on our first beach adventure, so I gave them some fangirl sh*t to throw on. Of course, we went to the beach again the next day because the weather was so gorgeous. They kept asking to borrow the wraps and the hats; my friend Alexa especially liked the Poncho. 

My friends knew that I had a job in Boston, but weren’t sure where I worked.  When I told them the name, they laughed, but I don’t think they understood what it actually meant. Yes, Sh*t That I Knit is a totally awesome name for a store, but I told them STIK’s story, and about the fabulous group of women in Lima, Peru who hand make almost everything that STIK sells. They loved how these women are able to do what they love while making a viable income to support their families. At this point I realized that my generation, and even my friends, know nothing about what it means to shop smart. It’s so easy to get blinded by the next big sale at huge retail stores, but it means so much more when you shop with your heart.

Why my generation should be shopping with a purpose

My generation, Gen Z, is so different from any other generation. Aside from obvious tech and social media changes, as my generation has grown up we’ve witnessed tragedy, we’ve been victim to terror, and we’ve been witness to change. Through all of this we’ve seen young leaders emerge, and we’ve also seen originality and creativity.I know this sounds cliche, but we the fact is that we are the future. We are the generation that was taught from a young age to question the world. So, why aren’t we questioning the source of our clothing and textiles?

Clothes are a critical mechanism for how we express ourselves, and now more than ever we are in a constant search for authenticity and a sense of connection. What a better way to become connected than shopping with companies that you trust. It’s a small task, but it’s up to us to research the commodity chains that produce our favorite items. While we are becoming more ethical members of our communities, we should continue to strive to become ethical shoppers.

Why does it matter where products are made? We have to be conscious in recognizing where the materials needed to make these products come from so that we can protect ourselves from toxic chemicals, and defective products. We need to hold manufacturers accountable by buying from companies that provide their employees with safe work conditions and fair wages.

By shopping with companies or small businesses such as Sh*t That I Knit, we can being to understand the full impact of our actions. It does feel good to shop with your heart, but every dollar you spend on a morally responsible company’s product, is a vote for ethically manufactured products.

Yes, going to the Cape and wearing these beautiful products is fun, but knowing that they are making a direct impact on someone’s life makes it feel good in your soul. I’m happy that I could make a small impact on my friends by telling them about smart shopping and I hope it’s something that they will hold with them forever.

XO

Sarah