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!

wednesday observations: artifacts & inspiration

A RECENT VISIT TO ELLIS ISLAND yielded much more than the discovery of the date of Grandma Pepi Fuchs’ transit to a new world at the age of 23. Accompanying her husband, Chaim, she had taken passage on the Noordam out of Rotterdam, Holland, and according to the ship’s manifest arrived in the States on September 29, 1913 — 86 years ago.

After my successful search of the archives, a tour of the museum was in order. Most fascinating was the room that showcased objects, artifacts and clothing that the new immigrants had deemed worthy of travel to the new land. As those who came through Ellis Island traveled third-class and steerage, they had limited funds to transport their belongings and had to carefully choose what made the journey. For many, though, all they had were the clothes on their back and what they could carry in one suitcase (with no easy handles and rollers).

What couldn’t they live without? Family photos of those left behind, a coveted feather pillow, their best holiday dress, important books (both religious and learned) and the family dishes. Artifacts used to steady to the soul, remind them of their legacy and act as a foundation for building their dreams.

If you look close at the current passion for tribe and origin, you can see patterns and styles that are showing up in today’s fashions, housewares and everyday objects. A seasonal Ralph Lauren design looks like it walked out of the Ellis Island display case onto the runway.

Classics and traditional are having a good run of it right now — a rediscovery of what stands the test of time as well as the economy. But Ellis Island isn’t the only source: Any well-traveled artifact can offer the seeds of inspiration. I think Grandma Fuchs would have been jiggy with that.

friday finds: longwood gardens

wednesday observations: the not-so-good earth

THIS PAST SUMMER, THE IDEA OF THE VEGETABLE GARDEN really took root nationwide. A nod to the very nice P-patch on the front lawn of the White House is certainly deserved, but momentum for the current home-grown movement actually began as a sprout many years ago. We have an innate nature for taking matters into our own hands, literally, during troubling economic times, seeded by the fact that we are a nation of farmers.

In case you missed it, the forecast was that 43 million U.S. households would grow their own vegetables this year. Vegetable seed sales jumped dramatically, city lots have been transformed to edible inner-city paradises and there’s a chance that your neighbor may have dug up the parking strip to grow green beans for dinner, pumpkins for Halloween and cucumbers to preserve for holiday gifts (while crafting tags to say “From the garden of …”).

Well, I’m sad to say, not me.

It’s not that I didn’t give it the ol’ college try. In the spring, my husband and I went to our local big-box store and bought all the fixins. The new cedar frames held such hope and were filled not only with rich soil and compost but great potential.

The fact is the “before” of our garden is much prettier than the “after.” Turns out, I didn’t pick a sunny enough spot, planted some items that weren’t such good choices — and then there were the slugs. Oh, and the rabbit.

I thought I’d be canning with the best of them come harvest time. Visions of tomato sauce bubbling on the stove and filling the kitchen with a sweet scent while I picked herbs for dinner never really materialized.

So much for yes we can-ning. For this year, at least, I can’t.

friday finds: upclose at biltmore estates

wednesday observations: from worry to whimsy

“FORGET YOUR TROUBLES, COME ON GET HAPPY” is what some recent products in the marketplace seem to be saying. While we’re still in the throes of economic recovery, consumers surveying this season’s gift-giving landscape can find plenty to make them smile, and maybe even let out a much-deserved belly laugh.

A stool covered in unblown bright-color balloons has a way of recalling childhood birthday-party joy while also intimating that blowhards are no long welcomed or needed.
Who says being “green” can’t be fun? Notecards, calendar and journals infused with a bit of whimsy are eco-friendly but also a subtle reminder to keep thoughts happy and hopeful.

Even the high-end 2009 holiday wish books are toning down both their pretension and their prices (consider where they used to be) with a literal embrace of cupcake-driven mania. A vehicle inspired by a 2004 cooperative art-car project at Burning Man by Bay Area artist Lisa Pongrace gives a whole new meaning to muffin top. Of course, your choice of icing flavor is included. While this one may be more than an average budget can handle, you can get your choice of flavors by indulging at one of the many cupcake shops that continue to grow in popularity. Cupcakes, whatever their size or origin manage to evoke innocence and embrace individuality.

Balloons, cartoons, cupcakes? Maybe it is time to get happy — or, at the very least, crack a smile.