Section: Life, Pg. 08d

Knitting — and increasingly, crocheting — is the craft du jour, practiced on subways and modeled on runways. USA TODAY’s Olivia Barker looks at a few of the ways Americans are getting, um, wound up.

Via the Internet . . . The Web is revolutionizing the trend, as virtual knitting groups connect through sites such as Knitty.com. Stitchers write blogs about their yarn experiences. Knitting is a top topic at Meetup.com, an online means of organizing local interest groups. “It’s a comforting social experience,” says Pam Allen, editor of Interweave Knits magazine. And on Lycos, searches for crochet patterns jumped 447% this week over last week. . . . the tube A small-screen knitting klatch called Knitty Gritty premiered in July on the DIY Network. Host Vickie Howell chats with three guests as they work on a knitting project. . . . the bookstore This fall, more than 50 knitting and crochet books are being published, compared with fewer than 20 this time last year, says Jaime Guthals of Interweave Press, whose new titles include Allen’s Scarf Style . . . . and the catwalk Crochet cropped up during New York’s recent Fashion Week. Tommy Hilfiger showed a lacy flowing white tunic and matching pants, Oscar de la Renta trotted out delicate crocheted tops and frocks. Michael Kors put a model in a snug but nubby hand-knit sweater. A learn-to-knit booth was positioned backstage in the tents, where editors, designers and celebrities, reportedly including Keith Richards and his wife, Patti Hansen, took up the needle.

TECHNOLOGY

Log on to . . . laundry?

You can hear it from computers in dorms across America: “You’ve got mail!” Now there’s “You’ve got laundry!”

It’s called LaundryView, a new technology that allows students to monitor their laundry online and be notified via e-mail, pager or cellphone when their wash is finished.

“I started out thinking it was kind of stupid,” says Josh Raines, 21, a residential adviser at Worcester (Mass.) Polytechnic Institute. But he doesn’t think that anymore, and neither do the freshmen he oversees.

The system uses Internet-connected Maytag washers and dryers. Students visit laundryview.com to see which machines are open or finished.

So far, 18 schools, such as Yale, Emory University and the University of Miami, have hooked up this fall.

“Students are boasting about it to friends at other schools,” says Bob Tuttle of Mac-Gray Corp., which developed the system.

It’s definitely convenient, Raines says: “When it’s pouring, you want to know before you go (if a machine) is open.”

— Maria Puente

WEDDINGS

Worthy of a newsletter

People who cringe at the sight of a newsletter tucked into a Christmas card may be horrified when these missives start arriving with wedding invitations.

No, brides, you really don’t need to include resumes for everyone in the wedding party or a treatise on the Belgian lace in your gown. But “they’re increasing in popularity mainly because weddings are more complicated, involving weekends’ worth of activities,” says Antonia van der Meer, editor in chief of Modern Bride magazine.

Tanya and Chris Lattner, who married in August in Bellingham, Wash., sent their newsletter six months out, accompanied by a save-the-date magnet.

Brides are “so excited about their weddings, they get a little overbearing” with their newsletters, cautions Joy Weaver, a Dallas-based protocol expert. “People might not get to the good information.”

Unlike bragging Christmas newsletters, van der Meer says, wedding newsletters aren’t tacky. Still, they’re not always necessary.

Says Tanya Lattner: “If most of your guests are local, you don’t really need it.” Except for showing off.

— Maria Puente

(c) USA TODAY, 2004

Olivia Barker, and Maria Puente.. “They all yearn for yarn.” USA Today (n.d.). MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. [Library name], [City], [State abbreviation]. 9 Apr. 2009 <http://0-search.ebscohost.com.millennium.mohave.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f5h&AN=J0E095026137504&site=ehost-live>.