Needlework is perfect for those times, occupying your hands and your remaining brain power. She continued knitting after her son was born, and now can't imagine a plane trip or doctor's office wait without her yarn and needles. Whenever a colleague gets pregnant, she encourages her to take up knitting, but has found few takers. Manufacturers, retailers and designers are all struggling to maintain handwork in a disposable and technological era. Pointing to a comeback There are signs of a resurgence.
Shelter magazines extol traditionally furnished homes.
High-end catalogs such as Ballard Designs are full of needlepoint pillows. And needlework designers are tempting a new generation by going outside the old standbys of pillows and framed pictures. A major obstacle is connecting those who know needlework with the new recruits. With fewer old-fashioned shops like Pischke's and Dykstra's to pass on the craft, Minor hopes the Internet may end up linking experts and newcomers in needlework. Monaco uses the Internet to look for knitting shops before she travels.