Oh So Quiet
I have noticed over the last couple of years that Summer usually brings with it a bit of a lull in the blogosphere — or at least the portions of it I tend to gravitate towards. I think during this time of year we are probably more willing to actively engage with the world around us and we don’t need the digital buffers of a virtual community as much (or, at least, this sometimes introvert doesn’t). In essence we want to get out in our backyards and smell the proverbial roses and maybe watch the grass grow a little, figuratively speaking (and if you’re the sort who isn’t terrified of bugs and things like lyme disease or west nile virus, probably literally as well).
For my part, the quiet around the Village lately is due to a number of things. For one, I still feel like I am recovering from the frenzied pace that marked the beginning of my first summer here in Philadelphia. The crazy work schedule followed by the exhausting visit with my family has left me with a great fondness for naps and sleeping in (a luxury I rarely afford myself). And, while the knitting and spinning and fleece processing continues, it does so at a much slower pace. My summer of knitting naturally has been a tremendous part of this as, more than ever, I think before buying.
I have also finally accepted the fact that I am not the kind of person who enjoys purchasing other people’s patterns and making them, that I will not readily plunk down a sizable amount of cash for a collection of someone else’s designs. It is just not something I do (easily). I simply want knitting to occupy this space in my brain that is something like second nature. I want to be able to just find yarn that I like and use it to create something of my own. I know this is not a new expression of desire for me. I’ve said it at least a dozen times. And I’ve lamented my lack of knowledge and the lack of classes that explain on a fundamental level just how this knitting thing works. I’m not talking about purls and knits and step-by-step instructions that walk you through a specific pattern or isolated technique. I want something that will give me a knitting foundation. You know, the kind of instruction people used to get when having socks and sweaters depended not on your ability to buy a $35 book and follow directions, but on knowing how to take yarn and turn it into a sweater or pair of socks that fit the intended recipient.
But to blame the lull here on slower, more process-oriented knitting wouldn’t be entirely accurate. The truth is, I’ve been a lot more preoccupied with thoughts about writing, or to be more accurate, what I want to accomplish over the next couple of years. I’ve also been reading a lot (which further reduces the amount of knitting time I have). At this point, I’m not sure how blogging fits in to all of this, or rather, I’m not sure how blogging about knitting fits into that. And while I recognize that I haven’t ever blogged exclusively about knitting, it has provided a framework for what is here. However, I find myself feeling a bit limited by that framework lately. Fiber and its various incarnations are only a part of my life and there are avenues I’ve been wanting to explore and haven’t felt able to in this space.
When I first started blogging, I was really struggling with my writing. It had become a source of tremendous stress for me and the act of writing something out here where it was visible to the world was an important act at the time. Blogging became a tool by which I was able to rediscover my voice and while it might sound melodramatic, it saved me at a time when I was in want of a little saving. Then there was the unexpected and very welcome side effect of finding this little community of amazing people who were supportive, surprising, creative and thoughtful. I don’t want to lose that, but lately I’ve been feeling as if my focus is split. I’m wanting to make some changes but I’m not quite sure yet what they are. Until then, I suspect the Village will continue to be a little on the quiet side.
July 10th, 2006 at 2:11 pm
We’ll miss hearing more from you. I too have found blogging to be away to change my writing life. Most of what I do is typed into a document that I pour over and over until I finally let go of it. Blog entries are thought about but then let go of quickly. The world does not cave in if I make a typo or an editing error or a thinking error. That has been good for me.
I’m always moved by your posts about IDEAS. Unlike some blogs, yours really engages more than just what is on your needles. Thanks for all you’ve given us readers.
July 11th, 2006 at 9:53 am
Many knitblogs are not just about the knit. I, too, have enjoyed your forays into other topics. Perhaps the blog can accommodate enough of that too.
July 11th, 2006 at 11:56 am
Whether you blog about knitting, your day-to-day happenings, or great universal ideas, I always enjoy what you have to say. But blogging is only good when it is good for you!
I echo you and Purloined…blogging definitely helps me with my writing. It is a very informal way to write and helps me untwist the Muse from other, less creative processes like over-thinking and editing! However, I have had to be very careful not to exhaust my available writing time just on blogging. Go where your pen (or keyboard) takes you. Your readership will stick around.
As to the knitting and creating your own designs…I can’t speak to knitting specifically, but I found that my sewing skills took a huge leap in that direction right after I left grad. school. I spent several months perfecting skills; being very “knit”-picky about technique. I didn’t actually produce anything more that a few curtain panels during that time, but I installed and re-installed zippers, I concentrated on cutting things on-grain to the thread, I worked very hard on getting a well-fitted sloper (a very basic garment of muslin custom made to fit just me), I worked on my hand stitches, hemming, etc. Very boring!!!! But at the end of the Summer I saw a huge improvement in my skills and suddenly I knew instinctively all I needed to know in order to do my own patterns. I hope you can find a parallel in knitting because I know you have the creative genius to make some fantastic stuff!
I hope you and Mr. K are well and enjoying your summer!
July 16th, 2006 at 6:22 pm
Maya Angelou plays Solitaire when she has an idea she wants to percolate on for awhile. She says it keeps the little mind busy so the big mind can work. I think the purchased patterns are to keep the little mind busy so the big mind can create its own patterns. You are so talented in so many areas, and you are one of the few people I know who is actually willing to put in the work required to master a skill, so I know you will create wondrous things, both with fibers and with words. Blessings for the summer.
July 21st, 2006 at 10:43 pm
Hey, it’s your blog, to write what you want to write, or not, as you will.
An opinion about knitting:
Once you know the basics: knit, purl, decrease, increase - you decide what shape you want, cast on enough to get started, and add and subtract as needed. Everything else is special effects, pretty but not vital to the basic idea of something to keep you warm. The written pattern is just to make it neater and faster than thinking it out all over again every time, and to help you keep track if it’s complex. (Luckily, formula knitting isn’t as decried as formula writing!) Some of the oldest knitting found in England has random decreases; the hat still fits a head. There are more than half a dozen types of sock heels, and probably some that were never recorded; they all work. The details of how some work better for some shapes of feet - that’s why I read knitting blogs.
_Knitting In The Old Way_ by Gibson-Roberts and Robson is pretty good as a foundation book.
August 18th, 2006 at 3:43 pm
Maybe a class geared toward clothing construction in general, rather than just knitted clothing, would be a good solution for you. Once you know the basics of construction, you can translate it yourself into knit.