Anarchy and Apron Strings

Obviously, someone who embraces bravado and progress but clings stubbornly to an idealized, even imagined tradition. Is this supplication to the hearth sentimental or toxic, empowering or insulting? Women today might have the privilege of mastering the fuzzy, insular domestic arts over the male-coded skill sets favored in the corporate world. Unfortunately, progress requires preventive maintenance, and if women don't continue to challenge men at their own game, or worse, choose to re-ghettoize themselves in the home, all our hard work could unravel like a poorly knit sock.

Perhaps there's a more poignant side to this movement, a flash of tenderness buried beneath all that punk rock bravado. Maybe today's young women, largely raised by working mothers, are grasping for some kind of concrete connection to the distant past, a time when women relied on each other, kept close company, created the things they needed, and took pride in their homes and children, rather than feeling ashamed of themselves for caring. There's guilt and conflict inherent in being a modern girl--how does one attain gender equality without devaluing the skills our mothers and grandmothers cultivated? If being successful means devoting oneself solely to "man's work," then what does that say about women?

Or maybe it's all much simpler than that. "To have someone come up to you and tell you that they love your scarf, shawl, or hat is nice, but to be able to tell them that you made it is a million times better," Hysell says. "I've always been a 'make it yourself' type. I am not the domestic diva I lead some people to believe I am. I'm just a knitter, basically a scarf and hat kind of gal."

"People bond and become friends," Hoskins says of the gatherings at her shop. "Sometimes there's a lot more chatting than crafts going on."

Perhaps Bogusz has the best (and simplest) explanation for the growing ranks of the New Domestics. "I do believe we're having fun."