My husband and I support ourselves by our on-line http://www.jennyjune.com mail-order, and “brick-and-mortar” needlework shop in Randolph, Vermont. Just this week, we read about embroidery cafe’s springing up in Japan, where men and women go to drink coffee, eat pastries, and stitch! Wow!!! How cool is that! We’re hoping to get that started here in New England.

Our sales increased a full four-fold during the months following 9/11, as women scrambled to embroider something for posterity, something they could stay safely at home and do, something that would comfort them as they listened to the news on T.V. Sales have dropped back to pre-9/11 levels now, and the Embroiderers’ Guild of America reports its membership is hemorraghing, but this is not due to lack of interest.

All needlework has a rhythm to it which is soothing, while the satisfaction of making something is comforting in itself. We all need this, but particularly during stress-filled times. And with embroidery, even a small, simple project, if done well, provides this. What is a deterrent to learning and becoming more adept at embroidery, though, is the poor-qualilty supplies that most American manufacturers produce! We all recoil with horror when we see those ghastly orange, yellow and brown owls or mushrooms from the 1970′s, or the goofy, cutesy, country cross-stitch of the 80′s! Poorly designed kits, poor-quality materials, with insufficient instructions led to the decline in the popularity of embroidery here in the USA.

Embroidery is decidedly low-tech, but the feel of the fabrics, the appeal of the colors, they rhythm of the stitches, and the beauty of the work are all rewarding to the human spirit, which is also low-tech.

Knitting is wonderful — thank you for an outstanding program.

Finally, I want to recommend “The Twisted Sisters Sock Book” to anyone who is interested in getting started with small scale dyeing and spinning. It is one of the best how-to books I have ever seen. Takes you right through the process from dyeing the roving, through spinnning, and finally knitting socks.

Flangum, don’t worry too much about the current knitting fad lacking spirituality – there was an article in the NYTimes a couple of years ago (excerpt can be read on the Making Light blog archives, as the NYTimes would charge you a fee to read it now), about children at a New Jersey elementary school learning how to knit with chunky #9 needles and getting that “serene buzz”.

http://teruterubouzu.typepad.com/andknitting/2005/07/whinge.html

When I listened to the show last night I caught something that was cut off during my call. Elise attempted to comfort me by saying that a lot of the new knitters are moving down in needle sizes to nines and tens. The niceness police are gonna catch me on this one, but PUH-LEEZE! Nines?!? That’s like knitting with telephone poles! I just bought another set of one and a halfs! And one of my best knitting friends (a psycho that I want to be just like her) made her own needle case for five sets, 000, 00, 0, 1, 2. We don’t have to go _there,_ exactly, but let’s not pat ourselves on the back for “progressing” to nines, for godssake.

Okay, off my soapbox. Thanks Chris for a wonderful show. I’ve been your fan for almost as long as I’ve been knitting.

i completely agree with you about the spirituality of knitting, and that there are a few too many publications touting “quick and easy” projects in novelty yarns for the fast-paced, multiple social-event-focused person who dabbles in everything (which is not to say that those people never become dedicated knitters!). my favorite things about knitting are the process and the learning that comes along with it, and the time it takes, the time you HAVE to take to create something. the problem you are addressing, however, is one not just related to knitting, but to our society as a whole–it is entirely too fast-paced. i could not agree with you more about that.

although there are a lot of new knitters who may not want to take the time to knit a longer, more challenging project, and may stop after one iPod cover or scarf as you say, it sounds like you are lumping all new knitters into this category and it is perhaps not nearly as common as you think. every person i have taught to knit in the past few years has surpassed me in project difficulty within a matter of months, and is completely addicted to knitting more and more challenging projects and new techniques. new knitters have to have somewhere to start, and they may start with a scarf, or an iPod cover, but for the most part what I am experiencing is that from doing these first projects, they fall in love with knitting and it becomes a passionate part of their daily lives. if you have doubts, i would encourage you to read more knitting blogs (which you may already do)– remember, many of these knitters are “newbies” too. everyone knows that people have been knitting for centuries, and it is ok for things to become more popular; it makes for more yarn accessibility for everyone, and adds an element to people’s lives that enriches them, whether they will make only one small project and move on, or adopt knitting as a part of their life forever. i don’t mean to quote martha stewart, but, embrace the fad, it’s a good thing.

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by the way–well said, allison, on all counts.

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