Boon, Blast, Bust . . .

I saw the male model posing as my orthopedic surgeon today. Looks like he ditched his non-model-with-the-braces assistant in favor of a new colleague, a very, very nice Dr. Wong. Hello Dr. Wong: Shouldn't you be running on the beach, instead?

So anyway. I came home ready for a day of work, and like most of my days, nearly every moment I managed to grab got interrupted by a phone call, two poops on the floor, and of course, at least an hour of deep and important knitting blog/forum research.

I don't normally read too many blogs for a lot of reasons, but hello?  The forums here and there? What the heck is happening in the forums?

Have a goodly percentage of the posters lost their minds?

Has kindness, generosity, grace, and all those other nice words describing how one should behave gone to heck in a hand basket?

I was just talking to a friend who works at my not-so-local yarn store (NSLYS). I mentioned something about certain forums and lists to her, and she said: "Oh, I stopped reading them months ago. It's like the knitters are a bunch of piranhas, laying in wait for a snark fest."

And it isn't just knitting, either.

The other day in my Temari class, one of the gals mentioned a list where there was yet another hububub. Some really bad you-know-what. The list owner had to actually round up the stitchers and tell them to behave.

The internet has been a boon and a blast, but it's also a bust in some ways. As much as it has brought us together, it has also torn us apart.

That said, I'm going to do something that I rarely do and have only done once before in my life. Join a sock yarn club. First, I want to give a virtual hug to the independents out there, because I know that they rely on our support so they can pay their bills, etc. PLUS, my experience with the Wollmeise sock yarn club has been such a delight, so why not try one more?  (The colors Scout is using are based on Lolly's Project Spectrum, so it should be a lot of fun. Oh, and check out a hank of yarn I already have on hand, above. The woven item that it is sitting on? Well, that's just something that I whipped up last night on my loom. Just sayin'. PM me if you want to come over to the dark side because sock yarn works like wonders on a loom...)

Comments

[Kristin]

I stopped reading forums about three years ago when the Knitter's Review forums got particularly nasty. I know for many people they can be a great resource and are a lot of fun. After my own experiences, though, I'll never go back.

So yay to my good friends here in town, and my guild and my LYS which has worked to build community! That's where I chose to spend my time!

[pixie]

I love Wollmeise orders, packaged so nicely! I never got in on a club yet but it would be one of the few clubs i would do! I still need to try scout's swag tho!

[Wendy]

Scout is cool.

[Lynn]

Beautiful piece of weaving there - now I've got something else to add to the growing list of "to do someday"!

I'm pretty sure it's the anonymity of the internet that fuels the "snarkfests" - they should be ashamed of themselves. They'd never say those things if it wasn't anonymous . . .

[Katie]

We call 'em "forum trolls" - no matter what the topic, they get snarky. No bueno -

[chocolatetrudi]

Ah, weaving. So addictive. Try some thick and thin yarn as weft - it weaves up into the most fascinating wavy texture.

It's so much fun watching others discover and enjoy a bit of weaving. (And laying bets on who'll end up with a huge floor loom by the end of the year.)

[Rev Linda]

Hey, that is the EXACT same sock club I was contemplating....hmmmm.

Loving your book. Reading it - won't knit it for a while but it is grand. Somehow I feel "part of it" as a reader. Just jammed up right now - Thanks Wendy. For everything.

[pdxknitterati]

My piano forum just went through a major snarkfest. The mods quit.

That is beautiful yarn; my favorite color combo!

[Nancy]

Wendy, you are seriously tempting me. I took a tabletop loom weaving class about 20 years ago and fell in love but I've never had room for a large floor loom (which I was sure I had to had). Following your adventures with weaving have me convinced that, come MD Sheep and Wool Festival, I'll be joining the dark side.

With regard to the nastiness, I had an epiphany the other night. I belong to an online exotic pet forum and have been very active for 9 years. Recently I realized that many of the forums and communities I belong to are nothing more than a repeat of the High School Mean Girls. Sadly, yes, they are mostly women-run/women-owned forums/communities and, in my case, I was a minion to the Mean Girls and they really only like me b/c of what I do for them. Not for myself.

Oddly enough, my husband is active in a forum which is extremely male dominated (professional truck drivers) and they don't have any of the fighting/nastiness issues that my forums have.

I have made it my goal to not participate in anything that is negative or nasty online. No matter how tempting it is to tell someone they are a moron for taking such poor care of their pet, I will educate and support. No matter how silly the question about knitting, no matter how awful the photography, no matter how terrible the fo is, I will be supportive and kind.

We can't turn the internetwebz around but we can make our little corner nicer.

[thea]

I love love love sock yarn, but I can't seem to hide it in my boots. Instead I end up with things that go on my hands - so I can show it off! At least it's easy to adapt a sock pattern for forearms, right?

As for the snarkiness, I think too many people sitting at home in their PJs find a set of cahones at the keyboard which they would never own in person. My feeling is that if you wouldn't say it to an actual human, don't type it either.

PS - still cruising Ebay occasionally for your boot bargain. Someday!

[Kandy]

Your latest woven project is GORGEOUS! I have a knitters loom and it's currently in "time out" due to a chenille incident. I just might have to cut it off and start with the sock yarn. What yarn did you use - is it the same for the warp and weft? Must say it again - WOW, is that only your second project?

[scoutj]

Aw thanks for the shout out girl! I'm glad you are coming out to play this time. It will be a fun round this time doing it with Project Spectrum.

mwuah!

[LittleWit]

I think you may have just tipped my scales on signing up for the sock club...now to decide how much to get ...

[robinv]

forums! You want to see some snark, head on over to something like a Soap forum. Just for grins I go to a couple of All My Children forums every few days. If I were a soap writer, I might fear for my life!

I never thought twice about the temari, even after seeing your beautiful work. But this loom thing has me thinking......

[Wendy]

I will photograph the woven scarf later and show it to you. The warp is red, blue, light brown and the weft is a variegated colorway with greens/blue/red/brown--all misti alpaca.

[km]

Scout's Sock club is wonderful. I've been a part of it this year and really enjoyed EVERY package.

[Debbie]

I hear certain forums at Ravelry have gotten rather nasty. I know folks who read the venom with a thrill and then want to tell me all about it. I change the subject with whiplash speed. No thanks, I'd much rather have my own life and live a positive life around positive thinking people.

[Isabel]

I've been considering an Ashford knitter's loom. Your great results are tempting me.

I see that you are reading the Nora Murphy book. I found it very soothing and rewarding. Hope to hear your comments about it one day.

[Holly]

C'mon, I just started quilting of all things! You cannot suck me in on this weaving thing too! Argh!!!! (It's beautiful, but I guess I don't even have to say that.)

[moiraeknittoo]

It's very easy to just flame away on the internet, "hiding" behind a perceived anonymity that doesn't really exist for folks who are savvy enough to dig just a little bit deeper. Strangely enough, crafters of all kinds are the meanest, bitchiest bunch I've encountered, and I've been in media fandoms for over fifteen years now.

On the other hand, they can also be some of the most generous people you could ever hope to meet. I think the pendulum must swing equally the other way to balance things out cosmically. Or something.

[Hookie, UK]

I know what you mean about how nasty some people can be.
You are one of a short list of designers I buy patterns from (I have also bought Custom Knits) YOU, Stefanie Japel (Fitted Knits is fab also), Ephyr Style (last letter of alphabet is broken on my laptop, sorry) Stitch Diva and, lately, Kristen Kapur are worthy of the title 'designer' IMHO, but all of a sudden, everyone seems to think they have the right to charge money for so called new 'patterns' that are an affront to the Trade Descritions Act and may possibly be in breach of the European Human Rights Act because I find them painful to look at!! They dont seem to understand that it takes some skill and good taste to come up with decent designs but they seem to have had a 'good taste' or 'style and colour sense' bypass at birth. Suddenly, everyone thinks because a few good designers are earning a living out of knitting, anyone can do it. To paraphrase your new PRESIDENT OBAMA; NO THEY CAN'T and I do wish they would stop paining my eyes and torturing my spirit with their nasty patterns made up in terrible yarn in horrible colours.
just take a look at the patterns on Ravelry -many the free patterns are fabulous but apart from a small minority your good self included, the paid for patterns are, in the main, crap. Sorry, just had to get that off my chest.

[susan]

The sneak peeks you've given us of your new weaving projects are so compelling! I wonder if self-striping looks a little better (IMHO) in weaving because of the cross-threads...

[Nancy]

I LUV weaving... I am the owner of three looms, floors looms are the most fun things in the WORLD.
Is that enough temptation??

The knitters looms looks cool too. I began with simple frame looms, and card weaving, had a rigid heddle loom (AKA knitters loom) which I sold to buy my first floom loom, a kit.
Welcome to the LIGHT side!

[Linda]

Love the color play in your weaving, Wendy!
--Can't combine colors to save my life

[Shannon]

Sock clubs can be great! A regular infusion of yarn-y goodness=much happiness. I've tried the 'Three Irish Girls' Club and its awesome. Scouts service is really top notch as well so I can see how she would have a GREAT sock club.

As for forums. I gave up on trying. They really seem to bring out the worst in people. And I'm still idealistic enough that I'm looking for the best in people.