Bees???

Just finished my holiday reading and have to share: "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd is a fabulous read. I just couldn't put it down.

How does a book about bees (it's really about a group of black women and a white girl in South Carolina in 1964) connect with a knitting blog? Well, until I got to the Readers Guide at the back of the book, I hadn't considered a connection, either. And then I read the author's words about a sisterhood of women ...and all of a sudden, the ladies who come to knit at Little Red Mitten filled my thoughts:

"When women bond together in a community in such a way that "sisterhood" is created, it gives them an accepting and intimate forum to tell their stories and have them heard and validated by others. ...We found that there is a way of being together that sustains us..." (Sue Monk Kidd)

Our Wednesday afternoon and Friday Night knitting groups don't have much of a name, but we are a community. Faces change from week to week, yet some knitters come to every meeting; some sit on the sidelines and listen while others entertain and make us laugh; questions are asked and help is given; problems are shared and support is offered; and stories are shared.

Although I often struggle for the chance to sit and knit with the group, these people have become an important part of my life. When kids grow up and leave home, all of a sudden, we have time to ourselves ...and fewer chances to share it with people who are close to us. The same happens at retirement - people you have seen every day for years are no longer there. For those who spend their days looking after children or ailing relatives, they need a community that listens to them.

Knitting groups give us a reason to belong to something outside of our regular lives. I hope you can come out and join in the "buzziness" of knitters and enjoy the community they share. And yes, drones (males) are always welcome to our beehive of activity!