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This weekend is World Wide Knit in Public Day(s)! And, so is next weekend! Yes, it's true-and no longer a one day event. WWKiP Day started in 2005, now spans two weekends. Get those knitting needles ready!

What, you might ask, is WWKiP Day? Well, it's just what it sounds like. Around the world people are planning events in public spots to knit with their fellow knitters. While in New York, this is not so uncommon an occurrence, in other less populated places (or quirky; take your pick), knitting can be quite a solitary engagement. That's why WWKiP Day was founded to get knitters together and share the yarn love. To find a WWKiP event near you, check out their website.

Now that the pressure is on to knit something that will be on public display, allow us to make a suggestion about what to knit. Come July, the awesome Wacky Baby Knits will find its way into bookstores. But since WWKiP Day is this weekend (or next, depending on your observance) here are two taster patterns for you; they're so cute! And if you don't have a baby or know one, maybe you can alter the pattern to fit yourself.

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In this blog post, I'm going to give you three of seven reasons why must keep up your passion for art.  And I mean for every day you have in this world. 

1. Art confronts people with realities they might otherwise ignore.  Let's face it-the world has a lot of miserable realities.  Our country has spent many of the last several years fighting a war in Iraq, a country that many Americans probably still can't find on a map. We're also fighting a war in Afghanistan-but it's a country Americans are better acquainted with, given the huge success of a powerful novel, The Kite Runner.  At the same time, international tensions are rising with government of Iran.  We might think our conflicts are with the whole country, but anyone who has read the remarkable graphic novel Persepolis, or seen the film by the same name, understands that the people of Iran are not the same as the government.  What about our frayed educational system, violent crime, rising health care costs?  It is the work of artists-photojournalists, writers, fine artists, filmmakers-that keep these problems on the public stage.