119. Erica the Traffic Cop

Some of us old-school bloggers have been starting to feel like we're becoming a little bit antiquated or left behind due to the Ravelry influence.  I hope it will be simply a detour -- a passing phenomenon 'til the novelty wears off -- but it may be a permanent thing. Blogs may go the way of the polar bears, some of us stranded on mini-ice floes, with no food supply, 'til we die off. It would not be entirely unexpected. People are always off to the Next Big Thing, and I am proud of and applaud Jess and Casey for turning Ravelry into a thriving concern for themselves. That sort of success is far too rare in this world. They had a great idea, took the risk, ran with it, and they're being rewarded for their brilliance and hard work.  Bravo!

But it is alluring to the masses to get in there (Ravelry) for whatever reason, and by all accounts it's like a black hole. You get sucked into the vortex and may never come out. Ergo, there is no time or interest left for reading blogs.   

Personally, I have no real interest in seeking out yet more patterns and yarns and seeing what other people have done with the patterns and yarns (the number one reason that people give me that they love Ravelry).  I know about myself that I am the proverbial kid in a candy store. Finding too many choices is overwhelming and just makes me unable to move on anything. I have a hard enough time, it appears, to finish the three or four sweaters, and two or three pairs of socks I already have in the works.

It can be a fun activity in itself to add more items to the queue, or buy more yarn, but that sort of activity has lost its appeal for me at this stage of my life. I've been there, done that, in my past. Does the word "eBay" mean anything to you? I'm in the K.I.S.S. and nonacquisitive-of-stuff phase of my life. (Tell that to the new clocks, right? But those weren't really "mine.")

I don't have time, or the interest, to take up one more thing, and as I've mentioned once or twice before, I certainly do not have any interest in forums. That to me seems like a step back to the early '90s days of the internet, not a progression forward. Maybe I'm missing something.

Over time various bloggers have discussed the question of whether a person is a KNITTER or a knitter, usually in a rather superior tone, some of them saying, "I'm a Knitter with a capital K. The others are just people who knit."

Well, I'm a knitter with a small k, just a person who knits when I feel like it.  I'll borrow the slogan from the pride parades: I'm here, I'm a knitter, get used to it.  I'm a casual knitter who likes to knit on occasion.  It is not the be-all and end-all of my existence, and it is not what defines me.  I am the polar opposite of the people who claim that if they don't have knitting in their hands, they feel like a part of them is missing and they don't know what to do with their hands. I am not an avid, or maybe better phrased, rabid knitter, and I know exactly what to do with my hands if I'm not knitting. I will never be a great knitter.  I knit for relaxation when I'm not doing something else that I like equally well for relaxation.

I love my blog more than my knitting. I enjoy the act of blogging, treasure the friendships I have attained through it, the fact that it forces me to be more observant in order to find something to write about, and I love the interactions it creates. It's my therapy. Maybe I'm a Blogger, not a blogger.  I don't know. And perhaps if all the former knitblog readers are just Raveling and not blogging or reading blogs, this is the time for me to metamorphose into something else. But I'm not planning to change anything until I'm writing into the ether with no one reading, and maybe even not then.  I'm not complaining or whining -- I'm leading up to something, I promise.  I have a good amount of traffic here, and a lot of lovely loyal readers.  A skein of sock yarn, no matter how special, though I might like it fairly well, will not send me into shivers of indescribable pleasure as I've seen some claim it does for them. I suppose this revelation will probably make a few people unsubscribe from the blog, because that must mean I'm not a Knitter. 

We pause this unintended diatribe to bring you news of some of my yarn having been knit -- not by me, of course, but by Mary B., who bought some of my alpaca yarn in a stash sale a couple of years ago.  She knit it up in this pattern, though the gauge is not the same and she had to do some adjustments, but how awesome is this? Mary shares with me that she discovered how hard it is to do the self-portrait-in-the-mirror trick. And how well I know this.

Anywayyyyy, the other day, Erica wrote me to share that a simple free pattern she had written had been picked up by Knitting Pattern Central, and that she had noticed a sizable increase in traffic due to that.  She said she'd checked to see if any of my humble patterns were listed there, and could not find them.  I believe her words were, "Dude, write the woman."  Well, I did.  And Knitting Pattern Central has now linked my super-simple double-thick Dulaan kid's hat, and my Dulaan cupcake hat.  She rejected the Magic 28 sock for the moment, because there is no photo of it in the pattern, which I intend to remedy and then resubmit it.  I have not yet linked her to the lining-a-hat-with-microfleece or the Sophie-bag-with-beaded-handles tutorials.  Both of those things get a lot of hits on their own through my blog, but I expect they will get even more if directed through the KPC site. 

Well, the first day I was listed in her site under "new patterns" was Saturday, and my blog traffic for a Saturday was increased by approximately a third. That's huge!  I'm sharing this with you so that those of you who have free patterns that are not listed and who want to increase your blog traffic, you might want to check that out.  I have no way of knowing whether this will be a permanent flow of traffic, whether it's "good" traffic, or if it's just an initial spike, but I feel it was a worthwhile exercise anyway.

Excuse me, I've just thought of something good to go do with my hands.  See you tomorrow.

Comments

[Kristen]

You are a Blogging Goddess!

[Mel]

I pop into Ravelry regularly to see what's up, but I just can't see spending hours on end looking through patterns or forums. It has its place in the greater scheme, but I don't see it replacing blogs altogether since it doesn't give the kind of access to an individual's voice (or voices) that a blog does. Besides, the knitternets and the blogosphere are overlapping magisteria (to use Stephen jay Gould's terminology) but not mutually inclusive.

[Mel]

Oh, and go vote on my shoe poll.

[toni in florida]

Looks like I'm a small-k knitter, too. And that's just fine with me. I'm a small-b blogger, too, although I do try to be more regular with the updates than I was last year (my first year with the blog). And that's just fine with me, too. I joined Ravelry months ago, but have only been on the site once since. I might use it when I try to find patterns for some sale-yarn stash that needs to be knit, as I understand you can enter a yarn and search for patterns that have been made with it, but I just can't see myself investing the time and energy into being a Raveler. Or even a raveler, at this point. And (you guessed it) I'm just fine with THAT, too.

Blog on, Norma. I'll be reading.

[Sally Villarreal]

I think neglect Ravelry to read blogs. :)

[jessie]

Ya know, those people who knit up your patterns and post them to Ravelry will cause more and more people to come to your blog to get them...

[Sibylle]

Although ravelry is entertainment it means more a tool to me. Blogs are entertainment, give more sights of the writer and are kind of getting/staying in contact. I like your blog, although I am not reading every entry complete I have my subscribtion on this blog and check every entry :)
So keep on writing. I know you have so much more readers than I have and nevertheless I keep on writing.

Liebe Grüße

Sibylle

[Kae]

I read my blogs first and only log into Ravelry for a little bit before I go to bed. I hang out in one of their forums. I rarely update the thing and hate surfing through the patterns. I've lost whole days doing that and I really have much better (and more pressing) things to do. I barely knit at all but I do spin a lot. :) Guess that makes me a knitter and Spinner, right?

[Michelle]

Mel has a very well-said point. I did at first spend hours upon hours on Ravelry, but at the moment I just use the "friend activity" feature, which I love because I like watching the "telephone" effect of a queued pattern. I log in, I check, I log out, badabing, I'm back to reading blogs.

[elizabeth a airhart]

norma you are so right and i like to read just do
knitting central is a good place i know i use it

in case you have forgotten you are our red scarf lady

[maryse]

i like ravelry for sorting through patterns and yarns and stuff but i gave up on the stupidity of most of the forums ages ago. and i think i'm a small k knitter too. because no self-respecting KNITTER would crochet ;).

[Lynn]

Any place where the commenters refer to Stephen Jay Gould is my kind of place. Love you, Mel!

Oh, were we talking about you, Norma? Oh. Yes. Well.

Me too, in reference to the blogging/Ravelry thing. I would much rather read blogs than browse Ravelry. I do knit obsessively, and spin and weave just as obsessively, but oddly I feel no need to spend time matching up yarn and patterns or looking at what other people have knit. I've done a lot of that pre-Ravelry, and I guess I'm over that stage. My neeeeeed to acquire more yarn has even calmed down (although some Kauni came home with me on a recent trip to WEBS).

Blogging is a real connection. I wish my life were such that I had more connection with various knitbloggers, but I'm afraid I'm too dull to run in those circles.

[DebbieB]

I'm reading, I'm reading!

I use Ravelry for the forums, mostly the spinning groups, because there I can connect with other spinners and pick their brains. I tend to knit shawls and socks, and I have a bazillion patterns for each, so I don't need the pattern functions nearly as much, and I spin my own yarn, so.

[Christy]

Hi Norma,
I pop off and on Ravelry for 1) the fact that I can put the info up on my project and the forget it for a while, then comeback to it and know what size needle I was using and 2) whenever I need inspiration. Even though I am a mod for two groups, I don't spend a whole lot of time on there as far as reading, commenting on posts etc. I guess I don't fit into the 'cool club KNITTERS' there too!

[Ann]

Norma, Dear, I am so glad that we are both knitters and not KNITTERS. I know a few and they are real sticks in the mud. I have other things to do as well as knit, like reading your daily escapades. Where would I be without my Norma! You are my sunshine. And I need alot right now. You blog-your friendship means the world to me!:)

[margene]

After reading your post I can see that I am a KNITTER and blogger (could be made smaller). I'd rather knit than do anything...including blog, but I love the friends I've made and want to keep in touch. Ravelry is a good tool and I use it daily, but blogs are much more fun to read.

[pixie]

well I use ravelry a lot, now I don't have to scour the web looking for people who knit something on random blogs that may or may not show me anything useful. I still read knitting blogs full force and have noticed people posting less etc. I still love reading blogs, they serve an entirely different purpose for me then ravelry. They have some things in common but are different in my mind. I think the people getting "out" of blogging for ravelry weren't in it for the long haul anyway. Blogging also had a HUGE over-influx anyway and now its just going to be those who stuck with it left, and people will still read their blogs as before. it seems like normal change and growth to me.

[kathleen]

I am a way small b blogger. Not even sure I can consider myself a blogger...it's been so long. Currently, it is Gracie's fault. She is supposed to send me an image of herself for letter G. I have a post saved in draft...since yesterday...and saved in my head for ages!

I enjoy Ravelry. It was a huge time suck in the beginning but now it is more of a resource. For my own knitting...and work at the shop too.

[Elizabeth]

Ravelry has a place, but it isn't as a replacement for blogs. Blogs were somewhat the demise of some good email lists, as people quit posting their technical stuff to lists and just put it on their blogs. That left the lists with just the fluff and the gabblers, which wasn't good. Ravelry, as near as I can see, might somewhat replace the lists, and might give people a place to chat, but is doesn't really replace a blog. A blog is a coherent single voice (for the most part) and I've never really seen it a medium to chat in. If one can't provide that single voice for a blog because one is too busy gabbing on a list or on a forum in ravelry, well, the blog probably wasn't going to work anyway.

[Britt]

Hey if you aren't feeling ravelry no one is gonna stone you for it. I read your blog b/c I enjoy it. I go to ravelry because I enjoy it. I still like ravelry for pulling yarn out of my stash and thinking... what in heavens name am I going to knit w/ this? and then finding a million ideas, but if you have a way that works better for you who am i to criticize? Differences between people and how they knit is exactly what I like about blogs. For the record I am a knitter who just vaguely pretends to have KNITTER status. Thanks for another great post :-)

[Rachel]

Oh for heaven's sake, there's just too much to read out there and not enough hours in the day. How does one have time to knit, much less shower, if one is busy keeping up with all these outlets screaming for one's attention? I gave up trying to consume all pieces of information as an English major in college when other snooty students would try to make one feel somehow Less Than because one had not read This Book or That Book. It's easy in our Culture of Many Voices to be mislead into thinking one has not heard all of them, is not "in the know" and therefore "not cool."

I remember an episode of Cops (shhh, just listen) where a guy just keeled over behind the steering wheel and wrecked his car on the Strip because he'd been up for, like, three days straight unable to rest due to over stimulation. It seems the eye candy of Vegas just plum broke him.

I don't want to be unconscious behind the wheel of my little car on the cultural superhighway. I'll stick to my bloglines feed, my life as a small "k" knitter and the use of a place like Ravelry as a tool, rather than Second Life. I like my life here with my blinders on just fine, thanks!

Good post, Norms.

[Tammy]

Your 365 posts brings me back every day. I most enjoy bloggers who are consistent. If you or they are blogging - I'm reading! One thing I hate about blogs (I don't subscribe to any - just cruise as time allows) is when a blog will go weeks or months without an update. Those are the first ones I drop. T

[Helen]

I love me my Ravelry. But it cannot ever replace either blogging or reading blogs.
It's a totally different thing. I think blogs are a better thing, but perhaps that's because I like to write mine.
I did notice that some folks seemed to get sucked in for a bit, but they re-emerge soon enough. The good ones anyway :-D
I think the K on my Knitter title shifts back and forth between cases. Sometimes its lower case but in italics. It's a moody thing, that k ;-)
Keep blogging, we'll be here!

[Roxie]

I'm just here for the Norma. You keep writing, I will keep reading. And if you put together a book of your favorite posts, I will buy it. Yayyy, Norma!

[marianne]

Great post! I just enjoy a bit of knitting in the evenings, with the news and the occasional program (House last night) but I'm a sloooow knitter... and it is for relaxation, I have always enjoyed 'making'. I'm in Ravelry due to a bit of sneakiness on Gretchen's part and I'm glad for it, I don't spend tons of time there, I don't HAVE tons of time to spend there, I DO enjoy the 'friend's activities' page..... I'm a very lazy blogger, that or perhaps just having feelings that my life truly is boring... due to the absolute brilliance of certain blogs I read....ahem. I do love you.

[Kathy]

As long as you are posting, I'm coming by every day with my cup of coffee!

[Carole]

I enjoy Ravelry for the database aspect of it - yarns, patterns, my projects. The forums are something I check into when I'm bored at work. Heh.
Blogs are a whole different thing and I can't imagine life without my blogging friends. Listen, if you're writing patterns I think that makes you a KNITTER.

[Carrie]

How come when you say "do something with my hands" it always sounds dirty?

[Jill]

When I first learned about Ravelry, I remember hearing it described as a big party with lots of people, where blogs are more like dinner parties. I thought that was a brilliant description.

I enjoy Ravelry because about the same time I discovered it, I learned about the concept of podcasts. It also satisfies the "researcher" in me. But I haven't slowed down reading blogs because I enjoy reading about what "real people" have been up to and what they have discovered.

[Gillian]

I always watch for your posts, and I must admit that I only applied to Ravelry so as to access links that are posted. I don't spend any time exploring except for Runagogo. Keep on writing.

[Jennifer]

I'm a knitter (small k), a non-blogger and use Ravelry primarily as a database (and a means of staving off boredom). It has also led me to meet new people. But the blogs I read are a lot more interesting than Ravelry.

[kathy]

How funny is this? Reading blogs is something I just started doing recently so it's still totally new and fresh to my little world. And I don't have one of my own. Can't imagine keeping up with it. I do enjoy reading Norma's, precisely because it isn't just about knitting. Knitting, knitting, art quilter or regular quilter....why do people feel they have to distinguish between these things? It's kind of silly n'est-ce pas? And as for the clocks, I'm sure you got rid of two old, unwanted items when you brought two new items into the house, right? :-) Love your musings.

[Nora]

You're making me think, as usual. I, too, use Ravelry more as a resource or tool - I don't hang out there. I COULD hang out there, but the black-holeness of it all would take over my life, and I have stuff to do. I'm not a fan of the forums, either - I get way too overwhelmed by all that input, all of which is opinion, some of which is of questionable quality. I'd rather ask my friends. I am subscribed to blogs I enjoy, the majority of which are written by folks who have been real friends to me since I jumped into this pool with no idea what lay ahead. I'm not impressed with the blogs that get tons of traffic solely for that reason - there are many fabulous blogs that are very well-kept secrets, and I think their hosts are OK with that intimacy. Any time you or Margene or Sandy link to me, my traffic goes through the roof, and I usually pick up one or two ongoing readers from each of those spikes. That's great for me - but I always have to ask myself why it's important to me that lots of people passed through. I think I'm a blogger (small b)... I love tending my blog, but I don't think I could handle it if it became an enterprise. I, too, am a knitter (small k) - which is something more than "knot much of a knitter," but I don't need to be knitting all the time. I like to focus on faces in conversation, and read books, and be outdoors. I love my knitting time and treasure everything I'm learning, but it's just another facet in the prism of life. 'Nuff said!!!

[Cynthia]

Dear Norma, I read you EVERY day. I look forward to reading you EVERY day. Please don't stop. I'm on Ravelry, I read a number of forum but that's about it. I have nothing stashed, I don't really look for patterns, don't post about my WIP or anything. I don't even know if I have a queue! I see it as a means of connecting with a greater knitting world. And I think I'm a knitter, with a small "k". I don't subscribe to any knitting magazines, paper or otherwise. I don't know the latest yarns, patterns, or cool thing. So what DO I know? That I really love knitting, and quilting, and that these are my creative outlets, totally different than what I do to earn a living. I make what I want to make, not the latest and greatest pattern. I knit and quilt with real, live friends, and those connections are what matter most to me. So Norma, I read you and will continue to read you as long as you blog.

[Beth S.]

It's true, Ravelry gives me that oversugared-kid-in-a-toy-store feeling. My queue is LONG, and no way will I ever manage to knit all of it, but I still check obsessively to see what fabulous new patterns my knitfriends have discovered and queued. I'm thrilled to have so many beautiful (and often free) patterns brought to my attention, but at the same time I feel depressed and annoyed that there is just not enough time for me to knit even half of it. So I guess you could call Ravelry a double-edged sword.

[Jennifer]

As always, thanks for the words of wisdom. I was feeling a bit ravelried and having questions about blogging. But your pep talk reminded me why I like to blog.

[June]

I have not heard Ravelry's siren call, either, but that may be because I'm a people hater and am not interested in internet-based (or, hell, real life) social networking. :b

[--Deb]

I visit and enjoy Ravelry, but for me, it doesn't compare to blogs. Mostly because they're such different things. Ravelry is a resource and a social-meeting ground. The forums are great for conversation, the Project gallery is a handy place to show finished objects, but it's not a place where I can really chat about the trials and tribulations of a project as I work through it. So far as showing what I've worked on, it complements my blog but doesn't replace it. And that goes for everyone else, too--I do flip through galleries of patterns I'm considering making, and I enjoy "meeting" new people in the forum, but if I really want to get to know them, I want to see their blog. The place where they (theoretically) talk about other things than knitting, show shots of their dogs, complain about the weather, tell about vacations ...

I guess it comes back to that "my blog is my living room" idea. Ravelry is like a warm, friendly yarn/coffeeshop that's a fabulous place to spend time, fondle the yarn, meet new people, chat about anything under the sun. But a blog is like being invited into somebody's home--more personal, more eclectic. I'm very much enjoying both, but they're not the same thing at all!

[Marcia Cooke]

Ravelry is fun, and very handy on occasion, but it will never replace blogs for me. Honestly, after the initial excitement, Ravelry got almost boring, although I do check what my "friends" (half of whom are a total mystery to me) are up to daily, and I do check several of the group discussions periodically. I put all my knitting books up (that was easy) but you'll never be seeing MY stash, oh no. It's a resource and a diversion (and became a substitute for a well-known forum that I needed to get away from) but will never replace my blog reading....or writing. Don't know if I have any capital letters in my life, K, B, or anything else. Certainly not S for spinner!

[Miranda]

I enjoy Ravelry as a database, but not as a social environment. The forum scene, knit alongs and clubs and the like, just isn't for me. People flock to these things and to the next "big thing", because for a while, at least, it makes them exclusive -- it makes them the Knitter, or Blogger, or Raveler, and lends the elusive air of coolness. At some level that's very seductive, being a member of the in group, but you're only in when someone else is left out, and if those left out MIND that they're left out. I'm pretty happy just doing my own thing. I really enjoy blogs because they are more personal, and because like any good friendship, you have to invest the time, read them regularly, and get to know the blogger... develop a history. Long term relationship versus one-nighter, if you will. And although I seldom comment, I love reading your posts, Norma, and look forward to stopping by for a visit. Blog on!

[Annie]

I'm not blogging anymore, but I'm still reading the blogs. I am only using Ravelry to keep records of what I've knit- sort of what I started out using the blog for. I didn't stop blogging because of Ravelry, but rather because of two (or three) psycho readers.

Having said that, I'm forever amazed at the people I see on Ravelry with hundreds and hundreds---thousands even---of forum posts. Huh??? Who has that much time? Or interest? To debate "big issues" with a bunch of random, internet strangers just seems really sad and pathetic. And if they are doing it while at work, well, I'm sorry, but that's just wrong on so many levels. I'm like you in that I think Ravelry is a great tool, but to replace blogs? Not so much.

[Cookie]

I love you. Those KNITTERs scare me. No, not Margene because she's too normal to be one of them. Besides, she has a life outside her knitting bag and those people seem to frown on that sort of thing.

Ravelry is what it is and I'll finish that thought in email. Don't want the whole world knowing what I really think. Some people just couldn't take it. XO

[Kayten]

I come to read you every day, and love that your posts resemble my life- more diverse than knitting, but still including it. I check Ravelry daily, but mostly just to see if anyone has mailed regarding my business. I joined some groups, but find that I go to them only once every few weeks. Having them in my profile lets people know what I'm interested in and where I am, but not much else.
You have inspired me to try gardening again this year. I LOATHE weeding, as my dad used to have us weed the large driveway covered in white stone on a weekly basis when I was a child. I'm in my 50's now, and figure perhaps it's time to let go of that particular resentment. I'll let you know how THAT turns out.
Keep posting. I learn a lot, you make me think, and I find myself re-evaluating the pros and cons of life due to those things. I don't always agree with you, but that's not the point, is it?

[Katie B.]

I suppose I count as a Knitter and a blogger, but I'm also a Sewer and a Reader, by my definition. For me, it's more about how I identify myself - yes, I knit a great deal for pleasure and utility, and I'm used enough to having a project in my hands at this point that they do feel empty if I have a few minutes free and don't have knitting with me (quel horreur!). But I've also felt that way about sewing and reading, at different points in my life. I was a Sewer (seamstress rather than the pipes that carry away the stuff you flush from the toilet ;P) long before I was a Knitter, and I was a Reader before I was either of those. I still feel that those activities remain parts of my identity, even though I haven't sewn regularly in years (but my fabric stash is still bigger than my yarn stash, and I have more sewing UFOs than knitting ones) and my knitting often gets in the way of my reading. Well, except my blog reading.

I was quite surprised the other day when a good blog friend of mine posted that she wondered if Ravelry would ultimately eclipse the personal blog. I had never considered the idea before, since I use Ravelry as a nifty tool, and occasionally browse a few of its fora, and actually found my first client through it. I like using the queue function, especially for patterns I don't want to print out yet, and I like being able to post a few basic details about WIPs, especially since I rarely post those details on my blog. I go weeks, often, without checking into Ravelry; I have too much going on in my life, too many other online things I follow, to be interested in spending much time there. As madly as I'm knitting now, getting certain WIPs out of the way before the baby arrives, I'm certain that once the munchkin is here, I won't be able to do anything else for a while, and that's ok. I enjoy knitting (and sewing, and blogging, and posting novel-length comments on other people's blogs), and I identify myself as a Knitter and a Sewer and so on, but you know what the only thing I WON'T give up for the baby is? Reading.

[JessaLu]

For me, Ravelry is a database that has helped me pick out my next project when I needed some inspiration and a place where I can keep track of what I'm working on and (someday when I work up the nerve) the size of my stash. I don't think I want to contemplate a future with no knit blogging - how depressing.

[Lorette]

I'm a knitter and a blogger. Though I might be a Yarn Collector, since I seem to do that with a professional zeal. Ravelry won't ever replace knitter-bloggers; though I check it out daily, and follow several forums on a regular basis, it's nothing like the "living room" feeling mentioned by another of your readers above. One of the best things about Ravelry is that it's led me to many new blogs that I wouldn't have found otherwise. Stay old-school, girl, I love you that way.

[Rachel H]

I think Raverly and blogs satisfy different needs really. I don't look for the same things on Raverly as I do when I check bloglines to see who's got something new up for me to read, and I do both almost every day.

[Jan]

The main reason I went to Ravelry is because so many bloggers were posting Ravelry-only links to patterns or yarns, and I wanted to see.

I'm like Michelle above - I get in, see if I have messages, check my friends' activity, get out!

Later, if a blog that I'm reading has an R-only link, then I log back in to see that.

I can't figure out the forums so far (although I must admit I've never taken a tour).

I love to read blogs, and don't think I'll stop anytime soon! And yours is one of the special ones that I save for last! My version of friends.

[Charlotte]

I'm not interested in joining Ravelry. I'm definitely not a KNITTER. I always think they need to get a life. I have one that includes reading blogs and knitting and tutoring reading and, and, and. I've started a blog of my own and I'm interested in writing there on a wide variety of topics. Don't know that I can inspire anyone like you do, Norma, but I enjoy writing my posts and checking my stats to see if anyone is reading them. Rarely do I get any comments.

[CindyCindy]

Wow! And, I wrote that really loud. You got some discourse here. I am a knitter and a blogger, but I knit because it's one thing I get to do that I want to do. Life pulls in so many directions, and when you're a parental caregiver you are pulled in ways you never imagined. As for blogging? I do it for me. I love comments because it means I'm touching somebody through my writing. Is it that way for you, too?