The Purpose & Beginning

    Once upon a time, there was a small group of girls who grew up together, mostly, weaving in and out of one another's lives until they emerged to live in middle age all in one neighborhood. Most of them - but not all - engaged in sewing, needlepoint, and/or/but especially knitting. As lives, yarn, threads, and stories weave together, as artists add colors, the group of women added more friends, friends who also knit or crafted, but who especially created themselves in distinctive ways.
   Once a month, over years as we have grayed together (or not!), we shake off our job and family responsibilities to create a circle of needles, conversation, stories, resources, book recommendations, political opinions, and the tears and laughter of sharing ourselves. Just us, without age, without men, without children. Sometimes with dogs or cats.
    On May 18th, 2011, we found ourselves so bursting with ideas, connections, and recommendations, that we needed one place in which to share it all; hence KnittingBites was born!
    This month we met at Nancy's home. Present were Nancy, Anni, Moira, Kathleen, Jody, Melanie, Susan, Martha, & Linda. Missing in action were Anne and Katy; it will be great to see them next month!

Books to read: 

- Nancy: In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin (just out by Erik Larson of Devil & the White City); Matterhorn (Vietnam)

- Jody: Unbroken (WWII survivor), Warmth of Other Suns (migration from south to north) and The  Rising Tides(our error in thinking we can "tame" rivers)

- Annie - The Invisible Bridge, by Julie Orringer -- architect goes from Paris to Hungarian Labor camps during Third Reich, with a wild romance along the way!

-Melanie - The Emperor of Malady, by Siddhartha Mukerjee, the history of cancer. 

Wine Tasting -- at Kathleen & Phil's June 9, 6:30

Tempranillo we liked that Susan brought: Valdemar 2008 at Grape Expectations (cheap bin she says) Susan also recommended an article in the Style Section of the NYTimes, Grafitti's Cozy, Feminine Side, about street art created in YARN by crafters!

Linda highly recommends Tattered Cover's Authors Respond to Readers (happened in January). Says she'll let us know when the next is scheduled so we all can go.

Melanie provides a link on symptoms of heart attacks in women: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/heart-attack-symptoms/HB00054

Blog -- Some suggested we need a blog as a way of keeping track of, and interacting about, the kinds of info listed here. Martha mentioned Katy'd set one up and knows how. Moira said she'd set it up. (And Moira is busier than Linda, so Linda did it!)

Question for Katy about schedule: Is there a hosting schedule for the months ahead? Several folks volunteered.

If you wish to add info, you can either comment or send me the info to post @ my e-address.

♥Linda