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Knitting Blogs and a New Year's Resolution -- Your help needed!

So I've kept up the Knitting Blogs website even though I turned over the knitting blogs web ring (does that even exist anymore?) almost 2 years ago. Man, has it really been that long? Time flies. But I digress...

I realized that I should probably do something constructive with it since it's generally the first hit when you bring up the search "knitting blogs" in just about any search engine. So one of my New Year's Resolutions is to make something happen over there.

Now, here's where you all come in -- if you know of a knitting blog that is outstanding in some way, email me or leave me a comment letting me know about it. I want the blog name, url and a brief explanation as to why you think it stands above the rest.

Please help, and please spread the word. I'll be starting to post blogs -- hopefully at least one a week -- starting in January.

Yeah!

Risa has stepped in to take over the ring -- Thank you, Risa!! She already has a co-host and is working on putting together her team. Whew! I'm so glad to know that the ring will continue & I'm very happy that Risa, who has been one of my ring checkers, has taken it over. I'm very relieved!

To those who want to host the Knitting Blogs Web Ring. . .

Okay. . . more info. . . 

First of all, Risa had a great idea -- joint hosting.  There are already a bunch of ring checkers.  But I think it would be great if 2 (or 3 or 4) of you decided to host the ring together.  It takes a lot of time and it's big enough to break up.  You could each concentrate on a section -- like one person could take sites 1-500 and another could take 500-1000 and one could be in charge of new applicants maybe? 

I've never really logged my time, but here's how it would go if things went smoothly:

There are about 1000 sites in the ring at any given time.  That’s 20 sections of 50 sites.  So your ring checkers will ideally be sending you a ring check about every 2 weeks.  Usually a ring check has between 1 and 10 problem sites listed (average of 5 maybe?  I've never kept track).  I would say it takes about an hour for me to go through each ring check -- email each person, move each site to the queue or do whatever else I need to do -- so that would be about 5-10 hours a week right there. 

Now if the ring is open, you have new sites to check.  I usually don’t check sites every day because I just don’t have the time!  But it takes about an hour for 5-10 sites, depending on if they have the code up and meet the requirements.  (You also have to go through and delete spam now -- and sites that join when the ring is closed, etc. . . )

In addition, there are emails pretty much every day.  This is variable, but increases a lot when the ring is open, or just after it has been open.  It can eat up a lot of time. 

So as you can see, even with all my helpers, it takes several hours each week -- so I think it would be great if several of you got together and took this on as a group thing.  I'm going to stay on until January 1st, so I'll be happy to help you out and get you started!  Please feel free to talk amongst yourselves in the comments.

Who wants to be ring mom?

I'm announcing it here and now, so that I can't change my mind. . . or come up with some way to justify keeping it. . . but there is no way.  If you listen to Confessions of a Work at Home Mom, you may already know that I am overwhelmed.  Make that Overwhelmed!  I am so busy that I don't have time to enjoy the things that I like to do anymore.  And I know what that means -- it is time to simplify.  So I'm turning over control of the ring to a willing soul on January 1st.  Who wants it?

(I hate giving up control of the ring.  But what can I do?  I'm exhausted and depressed.  I need time to play with Maddie and hang out with Pete and do some crafts -- maybe even read a book.   Something must give.  Maddie wants time to play more card games -- I cannot resist her.)

The ring is open again. . .

I may be crazy, because I opened the Knitting Blogs Web Ring again.  I don't know how long it will remain open.  Usually this is how it works.  I open it and get flooded with applications -- it's kind of exciting!  Everyone wants to join the ring -- yeah!  Then I realize how much work this means for me.  I start doing the work -- it's okay. . . I actually like to work.  Work is good.  I come across a few sites that don't meet the requirements -- frustrating but no big deal.  I start to realize that I have more sites than I can check in the next several months so I close up the ring.  Then people start emailing me because they want to know why it's taking *so* long to get moved from the queue to the ring (when something like 500 people joined within 3 weeks!)  Then more people complain -- then I start not even wanting to deal with the ring.  It's a vicious cycle and every time I re-open the ring I try to prepare myself for what is about to happen.  I give myself a little pep talk and swear that it will be different this time.

We shall see.

Knitting Blogs Web Ring hits 1000!

The Knitting Blogs Web Ring now has over 1000 members.

Can you even believe it?!?!

Knitting Blogs Web Ring hits 900!

I just added the 900th site to the Knitting Blogs Web Ring.  Can you believe it?

Go check out. . .

The felted fortune cookies at IndigoMuse! So clever!!

Web Ring

First of all, I appreciate all the people who wrote to thank me for running the ring.  It was good to hear some positive feedback.  I also think it's good to put things out there when they start to bother me.  When people write in and I reply, it's a great exercise that forces me to delve into the real reasons that things are troubling me.  Here are some conclusions that I came to:

First of all, I was frustrated because I was putting in many hours of work and getting no tangible benefit.  No thanks, no appreciation, no pay, no feedback -- not anything really.  And it's human nature to not want to do something if there is no benefit.  Now if I heard, saw, was told -- wow, the ring is a good thing and it has made my life better in some small way -- I would consider that a pay-off.  Just think about it for a minute.  You are putting in hours of work and you are receiving pretty much nothing in return.  That just doesn't work for humans!  So I'm sure that was a huge source of my discontent. 

Second, I discovered that quite a few people believe that the ring is "automated."  Yep -- that it is some machine doing all this.  HA!!! I mean, I have to laugh at that or I'll cry.  Seriously!  I don't want to think of the hours I've put into this and people think that there's just some machine behind it all.  So maybe that explains some of the lack of communication from my ring members?  I'm not sure because I maintain the ring homepage, so I thought that kind of put a human face on things.  But maybe not.  Any ideas?  Is there a way to make this into more of a community?  Maybe then there would be less of this feeling. 

At any rate, I have heard from some of my readers and I know that some people do enjoy the ring and find it worthwhile.  So for now I will soldier on.  Just remember, keeping a ring this size in working order is a *huge* job, the pay sucks and it really eats into my knitting time.  Expect occassional crabbiness.

Questioning. . .

Okay, you have to give me your opinion.  I need to hear what you think.  I just sat here for the last couple of hours adding sites to the ring.  I love my ring and try to keep it in good working order, but working on the Knitting Blogs Web Ring take a lot of my time. 

So, I re-opened the ring on the 7th, almost two weeks ago.  And I have added over 50 people already.  Now go look at the comments.  Go on, I'll wait. . . . oh, back so soon?  Yeah, not one comment.  People seem very eager to join.  I always get a lot of applications when I re-open the ring.  I usually get some people who email me, trying to get me to hurry up and add them.  Then I do get them added and that's that. 

I mean, I don't know what I expect really.  And every once in a while I get a thank you.  (Maybe once every 100-150 site that I add.) 

Okay, enough of the whining.  I'm not shutting the ring down or anything, so don't go all crazy on me.  I guess I'm just feeling very unappreciated and I just needed to vent a little. 

Poll results

Obsession with magazines it is!  I'll gather them up and post later today.  And Chris asked if I would post about all the topics listed in the poll -- sure!  Although it appears that you all aren't too interested in my musical tastes  :)

Poll time!

First the final results of the product vs. process poll.  As of today there have been 286 votes.  63% of people responding said that they were both process & product knitters, the process knitters came in second with 24% of the vote and the product knitters came up last with only 13%.  The process and product knitters were really running neck and neck there for a while, so I was surprised when the process folks pulled ahead.  I lean toward the process side myself with a bit of product thrown in for good measure.

On to today's poll. . .

What should I post about?
	My 2006 reading list
	Music I've been listening to
	My obsession with magazines
Free polls from Pollhost.com

I've had a few posts rolling around in my head for awhile and none of them is really jumping out at me.  Any sound interesting to you?  Go ahead, don't be shy!  Cast your vote!

** Update **  Looks like the magazine obsession is ahead so far!  I'll keep the poll open until tomorrow morning, but I'll begin gathering magazines "just in case".

Still here. . .

I'm still here.  Just *so* busy.  I re-opened the Knitting Blogs Web Ring which is always insane!  And on top of that I am buried in the 2006 stamps that have arrived at my rubber stamp store -- Stamping Online.  They are totally cute and it's keeping me very busy.  I'm not even mentioning the folder full of Black Sheep Bags orders that I need to fill.  I worked all afternoon Sunday trying to get caught up (and failing) there.  (Did you see all the new shops?!?)

But busy is good.  And Maddie has been an angel the last couple of days.  And my migraines are staying in check.  And my new migraine medicine hasn't given me any terrible side effects.  So mostly I can't complain. 

Off to do some more work!

Tell me where you are from!

Just saw this on Theresa's blog and thought it was so cool! 

So it's this map that you use to see where all the people who stop by to visit your blog are from!  Please click on the button and leave your location.  I would love to see where all my fellow knitbloggers live!

Lots of new sites added to the ring!

I just added lots of new sites to the Knitting Blogs Web Ring.  Go check them out!

Thanks -- Ring Checker Positions Filled!

Thanks to everyone who offered to help check the ring. All the open positions are filled and I tried to email everyone who responded. Without the ring checkers' help, this ring could not be the size it is and still work!

Morning Meme. . .

Since my chronic ear pain has woken me up at 5AM, I've already been looking through the blogs and it looks like this is the meme of the day.  Deb tagged me so here it is.  I warn you. . . my answer is terribly boring!

Rules:
1. Go into your archive.
2. Find your 23rd post.
3. Find the fifth sentence (or closest to).
4. Post the text of the sentence in your blog along with these instructions.
5. Tag five some other people to do the same.

"I should have sock number 1 done this weekend."

See, I told you. 

I know I'm supposed to tag 5 people, but this meme is going around like wildfire and the first two people I went to tag had already been tagged!  So If you see it here and want to put it on your blog too, consider yourself tagged.

Tagged!

I was tagged by Jillian!

ten years ago: I was a single woman living in Chicago

five years ago: I was about to give birth to Maddie!

one year ago: I had just moved into my new (old) house.

five snacks:
-----------------------------------
Ice Cream
Dark Chocolate
Biscotti
Chips & Salsa
Popcorn

five songs I know all the words to:
------------------------------------------------
Just about anything from:
Ben Folds
Sebadoh
Built to Spill
Bad Religion
Halo Benders

five things I would do with $100 million:
-------------------------------------------
Open a Yarn shop/coffee shop/used bookstore
Start a charitable foundation (seriously, what would I do with $100 Mil?!?!)
Open an animal shelter
Pay off my house and student loan
Buy Pete a new car

five places to run away to:
-----------------------------------
Alaska
Canada
Sweden
Ireland
Seattle

five things I would never wear:
----------------------------------
Fur
Mini skirt
Bikini (since pregnancy)
Poncho
Hmmm. . . white after Labor Day  :)

five favorite tv shows:
----------------------------
ER
Prison Break (this show is *so* good!)
Oprah
(those are the only three I'm really into)

five biggest joys:
----------------------------------------
Pete
Maddie
The cats
Reading
Crafting

favorite toys:
-----------------------------------------
Ashford Joy spinning Wheel
Golding Ring Spindle
My computer
Nintendo Gameboy
Books

five people to pass this on to:
-----------------------------------------------------
Deb
Caitlyn
Teresa C
Vicki
Kristen

New Look for Autumn

Well the pink was fun while it lasted, but I'm really an autumn girl.  I've made lots of changes, so please let me know if things look weird in your browser.

Categories!

Categories are so useful!  Why didn't I do this from the start?  Now I'm going back through my old posts and categorizing them, but it's taking quite a long time.  If you want to see my progress so far, look over in the left-hand sidebar.  Scroll down.  There's the list. 

I'll be going along, categorizing my little heart out when suddenly I come across a post that I don't have a category for.  Then I have to create a new category and republish the entire site, which takes quite a while since I have over three years of posts archived.  But I suppose it's my fault for not starting the category thing before now.

sigh. . .

What's Your Favorite Blog?

I have had no time for anything lately.  As a result, I haven't really added any blogs to my Bloglines in a while.  I know that there are a lot of great sites out there that I don't know about.  So if there is a craft blog that you are crushing on right now, leave me a link in the comments!

Knitting Blogs Web Ring!

Okay, instead of spinning (which I would have preferred to do) I spent the last 2 1/2 hours going through the sites that applied to join the Knitting Blogs Web Ring.  There are 787 sites in the ring now.  Can you believe it?

And earlier today I went to a get together for the local knitting guild -- very fun!  Although I just did work knitting, so I don't have much to show you here.  I am about 3/4 finished with my next Carroll Bag though.  So hopefully that will get finished and felted this week and I'll  have some pictures for you.

So go check out all the new sites I added today!

CSS Hell

How can one (one being moi) so completely forget how to write code?  It took me almost an hour to remember how to use the <div> tag so that I could change the font on my Bloglines list over there in the right-hand side bar.  But it is done and now you can see what sites I'm keeping track of.  Whew.