Kate Jacobs

The members of The Friday Night Knitting Club have continued its weekly meetings five years after the death of the founder, Georgia Walker, owner of Walker and Daughter. Dakota, her eighteen-year-old daughter has been able to keep the shop open with the help of some of the other members, especially Peri, who has expanded the business to include felted handbags and accessories. Dakota loves the women, but her real career interest is somewhere else.
The women are all going through changes in show more their lives. A widow, seventy-eight-year old Anita is in a serious relationship with deli owner, Marty. Her sons strenuously oppose it. As she plans their wedding, she decides to try to find her younger sister who she hasn’t seen since throwing her out decades ago. Lucie, a member of the sandwich generation, has a career as a film maker which creates problems caring for her daughter and mother. Professor Darwin has finally been able to carry a pregnancy to term and is carrying twins. And Catherine, owner of an antiques and wineshop, is looking for love after her divorce.
Knitting and love of Georgia are the bonds that hold the women together, though all of them don’t knit very much. But they care for each other and help each other find themselves as well as reach their goals. Much of the story takes place in Italy where several of the women spend part of their summer on separate projects.
Some interesting observations:
Anita used her age to her advantage. “Doddering old woman? Far from it. Though playing the act was one useful thing about getting older: folks let their guard down around seemingly harmless old people, and sometimes that made it much easier for things to work out the way she wanted them to.”
How to tell if you’re going senile? “Do something fairly outrageous–rude, even–and see if people still treat you kindly. If they do, you’re officially an old bat.”
“People change. Life is just a process to figure out who we are.”
KNIT TWO ends with the instructions for an afghan and recipes for Maple Apple Muffins and Raspberry-Lime Granita.
This book is the second in the series. There are a lot of references to the first book, but it isn’t necessary to have read it to appreciate this one. Kate Jacobs’ writing style is first class. Unfortunately, I found the ending much too contrived. Anita wouldn’t be as difficult planning the details for her wedding. I also don’t think the women would be as fixated on Georgia five years after her death. show less

Utterly adorable chic flick/lit.
There is so much I could relate to this in this story -- the death of their mother; the fighting against everyone just assuming that you're going follow in your mom's footsteps, because why wouldn't you? The growing into yourself once you accept that this part of you that always was is no longer and you CAN move on and continue to live and grow.

Great little story and novel!
I loved it.

Adrianne

This is a really good read filled with unexpected friendships formed by a mutual interest ... or dislike as the case may be for one party ... knitting. Georgia Walker owns and operates Walker and Daughter, a yarn and knitting shop on the Upper West Side of NYC. Her life revolves around the store and her 12-year-old, Dakota, the daughter of Walker and Daughter. Georgia has raised Dakota as a single mother but with the undying love and assistance of her friend, Anita, who also helps her with show more the shop. What Georgia doesn't have is the support of Dakota's father who left her before he even knew Georgia was pregnant. The story follows the lives of the shop regulars who show up often, but definitely on Friday nights when they work on their knitting projects and get to know each other. It's a motley crew of different personalities and lifestyles but they all enjoy each other's company, for the most part ... there is one Friday night club member who is there not to knit but to interview (or badger with questions!) the knitters to complete her thesis which more or less states that we live in a patriarchy and knitting is an antiquated form of female suppression. Georgia's life is upended when two individuals from her past come back into her life at the same time and she is left to try to figure out if she wants them to be part of her life and, if so, how much of a part. The characters in the book are so well written that you feel you know them and come to care deeply about their lives. You watch the group shift and grow and see how they benefit each other as they learn to open up and rely on one another. A terrific book that will make you laugh, cry, and just maybe want to learn to knit. show less

I really liked this follow-up to "The Friday Night Knitting Club". I was particularly drawn to Dakota - I think the exploration of all that she lost in losing her mother was really interesting. And it was nice to see her beginning to mature and figure out who she was going to be. I also enjoyed watching Catherine's growing maturity - it was an interesting contrast to Dakota. Now I wonder if there will be a third?? This book reminded me a little of Jennifer Chiaverini's quilting books. There show more is the same sense of interaction among women, plus the handicraft element. Though I think Ms. Jacobs writing is a bit more interesting. show less