wednesday observations: what a stitch

I WAS JUST BEING POLITE, REALLY. My friend was inspired by the best-selling book The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs and wanted to get a group of ladies together to learn how to knit. I didn't really see the point, but apparently she isn't the only one. Julia Roberts has secured the rights of the popular novel and has a movie in development about the group of fictional N.Y. Upper West Side women who meet every Friday night in a yarn store to knit 1, talk, perl 2, and bond, despite their many differences.

Yup, that's what knitters do. They meet in yarn stores, living rooms, retreats, even retail shops like Anthropologie to cast on and create. Knitters range from those with indie spirit fashioning wool into creative works of art to grandmoms knitting pale-blue baby sweaters. There's even a new online community where you can organize your projects, show your work and discover yarns, patterns and those of like inspired spirit.

Knitting has seen a dramatic increase in growth, along with other crafting activities, but what is somewhat unique about knitting is that it has mass cross-generational appeal and combines universal, time-tested techniques with au courant personal expression.

And the laughter. Even the most polished professional can't take herself too seriously after she's dropped a stitch or two or three. Even the very best knitters have to rip out rows because of a mistake. You laugh, ask for help ... and begin again. The wonderful thing is the yarn is very forgiving and springs back into action ready to be woven back into your next knitted vision.

I was surprised, I actually liked it. And the group said I showed some talent!

Whatever, I'm hooked. Oh, wait a minute — that's crochet.

sunday stories: no place like home

DOROTHY LANDED ON MY DOORSTEP five separate times last night -- and it wasn't because there was a little bit of Kansas brewing outside. The gingham-clad, ruby-slippered trick or treaters ranging in ages from four to twelve showed up throughout the busy night of Halloween activity. Amid the usual goblins, ghosts and superheroes the innocence and simplicity of the pig-tailed Dorothy seemed quite the contrast.

It's true that the Wizard of Oz has remained a perennial favorite throughout these many years. According to Wikipedia, it was the repeated network showings, between 1959 and 1991, which helped it become a family tradition. And, Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg's Over the Rainbow ballad is considered one of the most popular songs ever written and recorded in the American Songbook. But to see such a wide-spread embrace of the iconic Dorothy this season seems to speak more to a rediscovered appreciation of our core values.

Along with that simple costume comes the widespread embrace and longing for a simpler life. Can it be just a coincidence that vegetable gardening (your own piece of Kansas) has seen significant growth? Or, that canning has become a popular by-product (be ready for all those lovely holiday gift baskets filled with preserves). Oh, and if you didn't know, crafting has become a 30+ billion dollar industry embraced by both indie artisans and grandmoms alike. There is something special sprouting from the seeds of common sense planted alongside all those vegetables.

Perhaps it's just what Dorothy says before bursting into song as she longs to go "someplace where there isn't any trouble." An escape. The ability to feel at peace. Have some control. Find a creative outlet. Give me those ruby slippers, my pretty!