Finding community through knitting, crafting & karaoke

Happy Friday, DMV*! It’s February 20.

We’re a little over two weeks into my Daily Dose. I continue to tinker with it and troubleshoot. Now I’m starting in-person get-togethers.

I met some newsletter readers at the DC Threads meetup yesterday at Kogod Courtyard of the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery. Some are regulars in DC Threads group, and one even submitted a photo for my previous Post Local newsletter. Another knitter joined because of my mentions this week in the Daily Dose.

Marge Colletta, who helps organize the group, gave me the lowdown on DC Threads, which she believes started around 2009.

“The group welcomes anyone who already knits, crochets, embroiders, mostly. We help each other with problems in their work, but don’t generally teach … We share ideas, projects, get inspiration and frankly enjoy sharing crafts we really enjoy. What I love is how welcoming the group is ….

“Conversations often are not about knitting and crocheting, but are [about] family, history, politics, movies, theaters, you name it and we talk about it. The Thursday group tends to be retirees or young people with flexible schedules … The Saturday group is just as lively, has more younger people because of work schedules, and has less core members and more people come and go.”

Nearly everyone found the group through Meetup, Marge said. Yesterday, those who came were all women.

“I want to stress is there no drama and we take all comers. It is about connecting and sharing our love of the craft. I’m protective of my ladies and hold them dear,” she wrote.

“When my mom got sick and died in November of 2024, they took up a donation in her name, and then when my father died 6 weeks ago, they hugged me and cried with me and offered so much comfort to my soul, I realized they’ve become friends in the truest sense of the word. Something about knitting communities inspire me to be a better person.

“This is absolutely not a ‘stitch & bitch.’ We don’t gossip, don’t complain about our partners and kids, we just enjoy each other!”

Last week, you may recall, I dug ice-encrusted snow off a sidewalk with the guy who runs the Takoma Torch satirical news site. Well, he shoveled. I chipped and chopped the “snowcrete” with a metal tool.

Anyway, he’s having a party for the 7th anniversary of the Takoma Torch. It’s tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. at the American Legion Post 41. There will be free beer, wine, cake and karaoke. We’re all invited.

Come say hello. Come sing a song.

One more cool weekend event I stumbled across:

Lynn Murphy, 67, who lives in the Layhill area of Maryland, sent in these amazing bubble photos she took Feb. 9, with the help of her husband.

“Playing around with frozen bubbles has long been a hobby of mine. They are a lot of fun. But they are also a very cold weather activity. Think 10 degrees or below — and there cannot even be a puff of wind. Rare conditions, indeed, in these parts,” Lynn wrote, adding that our recent cold spell worked in her favor.

“I decided to learn more about photographing them and have been working on that skill these last couple of weeks. I was in my front yard during the golden sunrise light,” which on Feb. 9, she said, was about 8 a.m. “And of course, my husband helps me!”

Yesterday’s squirrel photo made people happy. I got this note from a reader who is a “fellow squirrel lover” — Elizabeth Sparks-Holmes, 54, of St. Louis:

“Please tell Pam Lopez how much her adorable picture brightened my gloomy day today! I needed to smile ☺️🐿️🌞”

* For those of you wondering: The DMV is how residents here call the D.C. region, which includes Maryland and Virginia. I’d get emails from people asking about this every few weeks. Now you know. 🫧