Knit and natter over a coffee
In these turbulent economic times, have you noticed how gentle activities that do not involve going too far afield have become de rigueur? Glamping – glamorous camping to the uninitiated – for example, or the interest of many in home-cooking or growing your own vegetables on an allotment are other instances of a new trend.
So too, is knitting.
Home crafts are making a come-back – in towns and cities all across the country, Stitch and Bitch groups are picking up their needles to make homemade garments and ‘makeries’ are flourishing too.
Cue: the introduction of coffee to the mix. There are reports in the news that knitting clubs and coffee houses make a rather pleasant coupling. For instance, in the Adamson Square coffee shop, West Georgia, USA, called ‘Gallery Row’, as reports in the Times Georgian, the local ‘Chicks with Sticks’ group gather on a Tuesday morning.
While the group sips on their cappuccinos and lattes, they are an industrious force. The group has created lapghans which are for the organisation Angels for Soldiers and is generally interested in creating articles for similar causes. Articles that have been created in the past include blankets and military regulation scarves.
Like many such groups, the beginnings were humble. A collection of individuals decided that they would rather like to learn to knit. Over time, others were attracted to the activity too and the gatherings became more formal. Now, there are some 14 members of the ‘Chicks with Sticks’ knitting group.