i blame it all on the war. it's got me all on edge and defensive and ready for a fight! :)

p.s. where can i get my hands on one of those eggs!?!? yummy!

Why deride trendiness? Isn't the very essence of trendiness to be shortlived? Here today, gone tomorrow. I can't even get worked up about Martha. I have to admire her creative zeal. (She has to be a miserable wretch in her private life, though.) Her ambitious perfectionism isn't my thing but she sure can make things look beautiful. And we all could use more beauty in our lives. Yuppifying knitting? Depending on the audience, almost anyone on this knitring could be accused of that. I say, anyone who promotes knitting deserves applause. It would be a calmer world if more people knit or created something (anything!) with their hands.

Hello ladies! I know what you mean about the war, Carolyn. I think it's had the opposite effect on me. I've become sort of fatalistic and can't seem to get motivated about anything in the midst of all that's going on.

Kerstin, good point about trendiness. I guess since knitting is not a fad for me, I tend to do a little eye roll when people talk about it being trendy or trendy knitters swoon about it being the new yoga. But an eye roll is about all I can muster! About yuppifying knitting, it's clear that crafts like knitting and sewing are no longer tasks that a woman has to do. Yet needlework isn't merely an activity for otherwise idle "gentle"women as it once was. I agree that we're all proof that it has become an ejoyable and rewarding hobby for women (and men) of all ages and classes. My only beef with Martha Stewart is that she seems to turn crafts back into a chore and busywork at the same time. I worry that liberated women are being taught to think that they need to make their own baskets and rugs and furniture and clothes and sugar cubes and I wonder what that's really about....

Oh gosh. I'm not defending Martha. Personally, I think she's a major psycho case. I can't even read her mag because it's all too much work for me. Pretentious as hell, too. But I do love the photography! No, liberated women take what they want from Martha and leave the rest. I don't know of anyone out here in suburbia who feels they HAVE to be Martha. WANNA-BE Martha? Well, that's a whole different story. I run from their houses just as fast as I can . . . ;)

P.S. The cookies on my site today are courtesy of Martha. I'm not above using her for my own means. *heehee*

I learned to knit from an article in Martha Stewart Living 4.5 years ago, so I'm glad she's putting stuff out there that we can choose to do or not.

That said, I once ordered a boxload of kinder surprise on ebay. Fun stuff, wish they had them here.

You are sly. Imagine being a reference link along with ChicKnits. And you deserve it. Thanks for the link to a fun and well written article. I think you're on to something with the other one. It does sound like she has some hidden issues. I'm not allowed to roll my eyes when someone starts gushing about the joys of knitting. But I can smile vacuously.

You are too funny, Larry!

I didn't realize Kinder Surprise weren't available in the States. They're a favourite up here in the Great White North.

It's hard to say if I agree with you or not, but only because I don't live there, and Martha Stewart is not popular here. Then again, neither is knitting among women my age. As a matter of fact, when I decided I wanted to learn how to knit, it wasn't even as popular among women in my age group in the States.

I do, however, have issues with her article because she seems to be lumping ALL young knitters into the stereotype that knitting = holly homemaker = conservatism = domination. Why else would she say that home ec serves to make women "keep their place"? I wish she had better researched her piece, and included something along the lines that knitting is something that anyone can do which is fine, but that it doesn't necessarily mean that all young knitters are doing it in order to create a false sense of security. That's not why I knit, and hate to be lumped into this category simply because I'm in the 25-35 age group, American, and have recently decided to learn how to knit. I just like to knit!