I have a feeling that the lurgy that Kaela and Hamish have been battling with all week is catching up with me. Nothing that a couple of hours sleep and some panadol won’t help. Only problem with that is that I am at work. Heh heh. Think anyone will notice if I make a little camp bed beside the Reception Desk?
I have been going to bed around 8.00pm (I know! It’s early) the last 3 nights to stave it off but, well, enough about me and a cold. We have had masses of information coming into the Sports Clinic telling us about colds/flus and how antibiotics don’t work.
I don’t know about that – I only know that when I take them I feel better (when I’m sick).
ANYWAY! Enough already.
This is a knitting blog and boy have I been lacking in that at the moment. Thing is I am knitting all the time as per normal but seem intent on working and finishing the WIP’s I have on the needles at the moment. Doesn’t make for very interesting Knit Blogging really. I have made progress on my Biggest Bug Bear at the moment is Hamish’s Digger sweater. I know I could finish the #$$#&($# thing this weekend if I just buckled down – but he is having ANOTHER growth spurt and I think he will only get a couple of weeks wear out of it. That is my problem. I think – why bother when he is going to grow out of it, and then I feel bad cause I promised him I would make it – such Mother guilt.
I am tossing around whether or not to sign up for the Mystery Stole 3 – mainly to banish the Lace Devil that befuddles my every lace move – I trembled a bit when it said that it is “not for beginner lace knitters” as I am not sure that I am, or aren’t for that matter. I will have to toss that around over the weekend. It may be my KING of the Mountain Project for the Tour de France thingey.
All this does bring me to another thought about blogging – one that’s been tossing around in my head for a while. Although articulating it is kind of hard. Not that’s its a hard subject to bring up….more like I don’t know how to say what I think.
I guess it’s about Blogging and Content (Blogging Content) and what constitutes a “good” blog or an indifferent posting, one that makes people comment/respond, or simply click on to their next Bloglines notification.
Do blogs like mine, that waffle on about things that are in my sphere of thoughts fill a void to someone? Ones that have photos of knitting, but also silly links, quizzes, stuff about family and friends ex-cet-er-a ex-cet-er-a keep people interested? Do blogs that never feature personal thoughts about life etc but stick to only knitting projects do the trick? What about ones with a bazillion beautifully photographed projects? But then again through typing this I have answered my own question because really a blog is one’s Own. To do with as they will. To type what they want. Link what they want.
This post hasn’t been brought on by anythings nasty or anything like that. It’s just every now and then the blog world amazes me. I think about the people I have met and the inspirations I have found, through great projects, lovely photos, great words, all that sort of stuff.
Occasionally I find myself limiting myself to clicking the next blog on Bloglines and not going outside the square – and in fact the one thing I hate about Bloglines is that the blogs come up under Bloglines format – not in the actual blogs template – so sometimes I miss out on that personal touch that people add to their sidebars or when they change their colour scheme.
Then sometimes I go to a blog that I love looking at, and look at their blogs they features in their sidebar – and suddenly my bloglines are filled with many many new blogs.
I have added some I have discovered recently – not that they will be new to everyone, but you might find a new pearl to add to your collection.
Creative Brainwave – such lovely travel photos
Fig and Plum
Fair Isle and Norwegian Knitting – tres cool
Creative Kismet – nice
Bowerbird Knits – just discovered this one.
Enjoy your weekend – keep safe out of cyclonic winds, and knit on! BTW – have signed up for the MS3 – couldn’t resist and god knows I have SO much laceweight yarn.
Usually knitting content gets me interested in a blog, but it is the laughs and the conversational tone that keep me coming back. Blogs that sound like a robot… “I knit today. I ate lunch. I am going to the store now.” … not so much for me. I admit writing a post can be hard, but I don’t think too many would talk like that. Also bloggers that can find humour in themselves, others, and situations (without being a nasty put-down) are usually good reads.
Tee hee! 2paw’s wet hair = “rheumatism of the head” – this made me laugh (which hurts)!
My mother says things like that too – she tells me that I get so many chesty colds because I have a short neck!
It took me forever to figure out where you were from (I need you for the bingo game) I had to look up the news paper you have on here… You may have had it posted, but I couldn’t find it. Oops, my husband is now looking at me like I have gone crazy (I just hooted across the house).
I love that the blogs I read are so different. I love all the individual touches: some people are really focussed on their craft, others have a bit of everything, some have clean and simple lines, others are like mine- busy and frantic. I think they reflect the bloggers’ personalities.
Sorry to hear you’re not well. My GP gave me antibiotics because my cold developed into an infection thing rather than a virus, maybe that’s why the antibiotics work. My mother (‘Dr’ Kay as we call her) recommends fish oil. In her day everyone took fish oil and there were No colds!! Mind you, this is the woman who tells me if I go outside with wet hair, ever, I will get rheumatism of the head!!!!
Darn children, growing, they have no feelings for their knitting mothers. Try a brick on his head!!!!
Great thoughts on blogging. When I created mine it was about my hobbies and maybe to entice me to stop procrastinating so much, to actually get some things finished. I also blog about everyday happenings just to update our families and friends who live miles away and they check in once in awhile, lots of lurking.
But now, as time has passed I have found myself using it as a placeholder of time, sort of a diary with pictures. I can go back and find out what I was doing, how I did it, what was going on at the time and so much more. It has become a great tool for me and a showcase of productivity (or lack of). Right now, my wrist is bothering me so my knitting is down and I’m so frustrated over my weaving and the weather is so nice right now, I’m lured outside and so my blog has been more about my grapes than the darn tea towels stalled on the loom.
I like the blogs that mention a little background to the knitting content – kids, home, life – it all adds to the sense that I get of communication between bloggers. I comment far more than I blog and I blog when I have something to say (I don’t lead a very exciting life) but I do read regularly and knowing that your kids have been sick IS of interest to me – mine have too. Knowing that other bloggers sometimes hate everything that they have on their needles or are scared of doing lace and getting behind in MS3 (I am!) or just can’t cope with dpns – it all adds up and is what makes me enjoy knitting so much more now that I’m active online.
It’s especially nice to read a Down Under blog too!
Hey man, don’t go changin’ to try and please us….
And don’t pretend like you are not old enough to know the song that last line came from either.
MS3… I’m scared a’ u! Sounds to me like Ailsa might be rubbing off on you!
As someone who is pretty bad about “lurking” I guess I read a lot of blogs, and don’t comment because I don’t feel like I have much of interest to add.
Each blog is different, so the author should do what they want, and not worry if they don’t get a lot of comments or feedback.
I find this frustrating at times, because I get very few comments on my blog, but then, the main point of it is to talk about my life, and what I am doing. I blog mostly for me, to document and keep track of things, vent a little and sometimes whine. So I’m not sure that any kind of blog doesn’t work, maybe just doesn’t have a huge reader base or lots of comments.
This blog is always interesting, and fun to read. Sometimes inspirational and sometimes funny. Is it successful? I suppose that depends on how you look at it. But I think that you touch people, and probably help them in their knitting, and you don’t ever even know it. That is really special, and I am sure that happens here.
I love your blog just the way it is! I like the extra stuff you put in; it makes me feel like I’m getting to know you a bit better. I’m in MS3, too. Be prepared for an avalanche of posts for a while. Everyone in the group seems to want input on their particular yarn/bead choice (getting a bit frustrated with that, I have to admit). I’ve joined all the MS’s so far. Haven’t actually knit one of them. I just seem to NEED to be part of the group.
Oh good thoughts. I think there are places for all sorts of blogs. I dearly love many and they’re not all the same. I do think the ones i’m most drawn to give a little bit of the person’s story, too. I’m drawn, in blogland as in life, to a certain warmth and openness. People that don’t give of themselves, that’s their choice and some of those blogs are good too, but I’m more likely to go back to the ones that open up a bit.
But there’s gotta be the knitting content. Has to be. The giving of self stuff is merely a backdrop.
Sometimes I think the more interesting question is, what sort of blog DOESN’T work?
A thought provoking post D. I’m going to follow this one with interest…
Musing about blogs is all part of the conversation. Sometime people want to contribute and other times it is just nice to know that out it the big, wide world there are other who think the same thoughts and enjoy the same pursuits. It is great to feel that you can be part of a huge creative community, admire the work of others, get inspired and feel a sense of belonging just by having a blog and by reading the blogs you discover along the way.
I often have the same thoughts about blogs as you – what makes people read them, what is a good blog etc. I think about it in relation to my blog as well as the blogs I read. Sometimes what I think is a really good post (of mine) gets only 1 or 2 comments, and sometimes a pretty ordinary post gets maybe 10-15 comments. Who knows! I read a range of blogs, for different reasons. I think you’ve given me an idea for a post! (rather than a reeeeally long comment on your blog!!)
Hope you beat the dreaded lurgy. I’ve been suffering all week but think I’ve got it whipped!