Lessons (Second Part)

It’s been about a year and a half since I joined the knitting community of Ravelry. And in that year and a half, I have learned me some good stuff!

And I am going to share some of it.

I had decent computer skills before, but Ravelry took my mad internet skilz to a new level. I learned about a Flickr account, and putting/pulling photos in and from there. The world of blogs, all different kinds, just not knitterly type, really opened up for me, and I got the idea maybe I could do something like that. (Sorry that has been inflicted upon all of you!)

While I have been knitting off and on for many, many years, with Ravelry, my access to resources for patterns, techniques, yarns, and ideas is limited only by my time. My mother taught knitting in my small hometown, in the back room of the ‘five and dime’. I am pretty sure (but am confident that the sisters will correct me if I am mistaken) that the only yarn sold there was of the acrylic variety. I definitely remember her talking about the wonders of Wintuk. (Oooh, Wintuk...washable! Dryable! Pillable...) In the early 60’s, my mother was pretty much the local knitting sage. Now she was pretty good, and she knew a lot, but out there in western Kansas, with her as The Resource, the resources were limited.

Not so for me!

Fearlessly, I have taken on numerous new techniques, including lace, socks, magic loop, and spinning. Learning! I love it!! Techniques? Some more than others…

And knitting/spinning down my stash… yep, there’s that aspect, too.

Ravelry is full of real people, learning new stuff all the time, just like me. We post photos of the stuff we make, real pix of real FO’s, not photoshopped photos knit by professionals on gorgeous, skinny models. My photoediting skills were barely adequate before, but now! Somewhat more than barely adequate! I have found I can have fun with them, though, and have a hunger for a new, shiny SLR camera. (Yoo Hoo, Wonderful Guy…are you reading….)

I have learned that the internet is a wild and wide open place, and when one puts an opinion or idea out there, one better be prepared for whatever comes back from it. The printed word comes without gestures or intonations, and it can, and it will be, read and responded to in diverse ways. Argh! There be program work there. Putting myself out there, being comfortable in my own skin, speaking my own truth…no matter what. Yikes!

Progress, not perfection, is more likely to be achieved. I can write a post in Word, spell check, preview, copy, proof, preview, spell check, and post. Then come back the next day, and find errors. Or knit a dress for a grandbebe girl, with a too small neck opening…or post a photo from Dearest Sister’s Blog, without even thinking about asking.

I have made connections to people through Ravelry and through the my little bloggery effort I would have made in no other way. And it totally mystifies, strangely intrigues, and even bewilders my family. Actually it may freak them out just a little. I like it! At least for now…I haven’t had weird stalker type commenters or hateful spammer stuff yet!

So here’s to broadening horizons.

Cheers. And thanks for reading.