Knitting Group

I am a part of a knitting group. Twice a month, at Starbucks, a group of ladies get together and we craft. I have read novels based off of knitting groups. These books are strong in character development, but weak on action. You learn about each of the members and begin to understand the bits of their lives. You see each character struggle with their own problems and how the fellowship through their knitting group catalyzes the changes they make.
There is something special about going to my knitting group. I look forward to it and am disappointed when I cannot make it. We range in age from  young twenties to sixties. Everyone brings their projects including knitting, crocheting, bead work, or any other craft that someone is working on. I usually crochet. We get a coffee and start working on our project and talk. We talk about nothing and everything. Sometimes we talk about serious things and other times about grandchildren. We discuss our projects and where we buy our yarns. Every one's projects are admired and praised. We love having new people join us. The couple hours we spend together on Wednesday mornings is more about enjoying each others company than actually accomplishing something. One of my friends likes to say that the knitting she does during knitting group she pulls out when she gets home because she is distracted and makes mistakes.
Attending this group reminds me of back in the pioneering days, when the entire town gathered together to raise a barn or do a large project and the ladies spend the time cooking together or working on a quilt together. It represents women of different generations getting together and learning from each other. It is something we have largely lost in our fast paced western society. I enjoy seeing the handcraft arts revived as adolescents are starting to knit and crochet for fun and I relish the inter-generational connection that knitting groups foster.