What a great weekend! The perfect mixture of getting things done & relaxing – sigh!
On the getting things done front …..
Here is The Vest!! This project was begun in early 2002. In the fall of 2001 I attended Stitches East and took a class with June Hiatt. She pounded the importance of gauge into my skull. Not simply trying to fit your gauge into the pattern, but also changing the pattern to suit your gauge.
This is a lot of math for me. I am not exactly bad at math – I lack numerical self confidence and lacking the courage of my calculations, I am easily confused.
So I undertook The Vest as my first foray into the Land of Swatch. The pattern is from Interweave’s Fall 2000 issue. It is called Cider House Rules Vest and the designer is Linda Daniels. The yarn is an alpaca blend – I have long since lost the skein bands, but I did buy it at a Smiley’s Yarn Riot.
Despite the ungodly amount of time I let this project languish, I would say it was moderately successful. I did indeed swatch & measure. It fits My Boar like a glove. This is why I am giving it a moderate grade. It is not supposed to fit like a glove – I neglected to allow for ease. Knit & Learn. My swatching and calculations were right on the money – next time I will remember the ease!! and yes, I will stretch it next time it needs to be washed!
In blogging news, there has been a bit of a brouhaha out there in webland. All over the content of knitting blogs. Ridiculous really. It does however pertain to things that I have been mulling over.
What to put in the blog. What to leave out. The sites I love to read are those that mix it up – learning about the fiber projects is great, but I also love to hear about people’s lives. But where do you draw the line concerning your family’s privacy? Some funny yet aggravating yet typical yet maddening things have happened this past week with one of my lovely daughters. It would make a terrific post – it consumed my mind for two days. But if I put in on the site, it would probably upset her. (although I never did ask her, I suppose I could have simply asked her permission) If I want this to be about life situations as well as knitting, how is that achieved exactly?
so, feedback please! and I will leave you with this photo
purlingswine 
Blog brouhaha- being the one that reads, comments, and dearly wants to START a blog, I am stalled in doing so because I’m wondering the same stuff you were discussing!!! Right now I feel like I’m a ‘outside’ person looking in. Window shopping so to speak!! literally! Anyway, I think it’s a very personal thing what you want to read or put in your blog. I LOVE the many pictures of projects, dogs/cats, books people read, or other creative endeavors people put in their blogs. ( crafters -whether it’s knitting, crocheting, painting, reading, needle art of all kinds usually are not limited to one thing and I think that is inspirational and interesting plus it’s nice to know people go through things too-we aren’t alone!) I understand the idea of ‘a line that may be crossed’ but that idea or limit is only with the author of the blog because, as a reader of blogs, I can click away, but once an author shares items that are personal its engraved so to speak. It’s very personal.. since I’m seriously considering a blog I’m not sure I’d want to dulvulge the names of my children. Perhaps ‘my daughter, my son, my hubby’ ect. is enough! These are just my thoughts look forward to see what others say! If we all lived like a PUG the world would be a better place!!
In my opinion, it is extremely rude to pick on a blogger over her content, or to tell her to concentrate more on knitting, less on personal stuff. What biz of theirs? Are THEY paying for her blog account? The bottom line is, it’s HER blog. She chooses. If readers don’t like the personal stuff, they should not read it, or they should move on. There are sixty bazillion other knitting blogs to choose from.
As far as private matters – I used to try to Walk The Line. No fun. Now I stick to funny anecdotes I know my family would be delighted to see in print. Easier that way – no guesswork!
I wear my heart on my sleeve. At the end of the day, it is my “personal” blog. Autism and knitting are so intertwined for me that I couldn’t separate the two. I think your blog is perfect. I wouldn’t mind if you added more personal stuff Ann, you have a wonderful sense of humor and I love the daughter stories.
The vest looks great. I don’t recall seeing that at your house. :) I can’t wait till this Friday. Kevin will be home and has offered to go in for Parent Training with Owen. I’ll be on time!
Oh, wait! Was that too personal a comment? ;) Just kidding.
The beauty of your blog is because it is truly you!! You discuss your passion for knitting as well as how it fits around “the litter”. Don’t change a thing. Poo poo to the others that live so sheltered a life. You go girlie!!
When I started my blog in March, I was so anxious to reach the month-of-blogging mark so I could join the Knitting Blogs webring. Well, it’s been nearly 3 months and I still haven’t joined that ring (it has been closed for most of that time, anyway) or any other. I’m not sure that I will. ‘It’s my [blog] party and I’ll cry [write about whatever] if I want to!’ I keep and write my blog for me, but with an awareness that it is public. I am flattered and dumbfounded that people enjoy it and have even created links from their blogs to mine. Though I’d love to concentrate solely on knitting at times, my life is not my own and, in reality, knitting occupies very little of my time — I know it’s like that for nearly everyone. I much prefer “slice of life” blogs, with knitting thrown in for creative encouragement! And I love yours!!
I love the personal stuff just as much as the knittin’ stuff. There was another rant on another blog about the cliche-iness of Webrings and they even took a stab at my poor, lonely Long Island Knitters… I ain’t cliche-y, I’m looking for more pals to play with, and what better way to do that, then to get a small glimpse into the lives of the bloggers you like. :-) Blog On!
I love the personal stuff just as much as the knittin’ stuff. There was another rant on another blog about the cliche-iness of Webrings and they even took a stab at my poor, lonely Long Island Knitters… I ain’t cliche-y, I’m looking for more pals to play with, and what better way to do that, then to get a small glimpse into the lives of the bloggers you like. :-) Blog On!
Oh no, is that me you’re talking about, Melissa? I wasn’t ranting, I was making amused observations. The Webrings aren’t cliques…I see them as attempts to find the familiar among the huge world out there. I wasn’t stabbing your LI ring…I was publicizing it. YOU are one of the bloggers I like. Please forgive me if my post came out differently than I intended. It was intended to amuse; not to criticize in any way.
Ann, to respond more directly to your dilemma, I echo that we all share it. I think everyone has to decide what is right for themselves. When we blog, we sometimes forget that we have readers outside of the little circle who comment and become friends. I say many things to my friends, that I would NEVER say at work. But nothing prevents my employers, colleagues, parents, and students from stumbling onto my blog. So I do some self-censoring. For the record, so far I love your blog (and you) just the way you are.