Ravelry Reverie

I have to admit that my inclusion in the party that is Ravelry has changed a few things around here at the manse. Most noticeable is the new subject matter influencing the "conversations." The topics still include the yarn and the knitting...there are just some new directions.

Note: I put the word, "conversations" in quotes because I live alone and I'm pretty much just talking to myself or the cats most of the time. I find that there is a big difference between not expecting an answer and being surprised when you don't get one. It is, in fact a clinically significant difference. I am nothing if not ever-alert to the status of my own mental health.

Here are a few examples of the types of chatter going on these days:

(while updating my projects) I'm supposed to know when I finished these socks??? Omigod!! I have no idea... I'm going to have to fake it. Will anyone know? What if they find out that I threw a metaphorical dart at the calendar? Will my invitation be revoked?

(while cruising around seeing what others had in their notebooks) Yeah, right. I'm going to catalogue my stash. Sure. Right after I organize the spice cabinet. Or get a spice cabinet. Look. Here's some poor fool that got suckered into photographing all her yarn. That's just ridic...wait. This is actually sort of helpful. I should do this. I could change the lives of yarn purchasers everywhere just by posting my stash. I am an influencer of trends, here! Where's my camera??? Where's my stash??? Who left all the yarn just laying around all willy-nilly? Heads are going to roll!!

(upon seeing that I had a new friend) I dunno ya...but you're my friend!!! Welcome to my world! Can I come to your house? Will you make me lasagna? You seem like a nice new friend!

Now this next one is my personal favorite. You'll have to imagine the high-pitched, sing-song voice that fairly drips with creepiness:

(while forlornly checking my message box waiting to see if anyone has picked me for their friend) Whyyyyyyy wontchoo be my fweeeeeeeeeeend? Pweeeeeeez be my fweeeeeeeend! I wanna be oo fweeeeeeeeeeend! Hellooooooooooooo....fweeeeeeend?

That one sent the cats scampering to parts unknown and they are normally fans of my high pitched cooing voice. In my defense, it was late and things had gotten a bit silly. It is also entirely possible that my eyes were spinning a little bit as well.

My basic strategy with the friend-making is this: Since pretty much anyone who ended up in my inbox was there in response to my pathetic plea for pals, if you "friend" me, then I'll "friend" you right back. It's the least I can do. When you are blatantly begging for people to make sure that you're not left watching the coats and purses at the party, you show a little of the gratitude when they rescue you from your solitude. Plus there are some wicked cool people there!

I'm not really finding the whole experience to be the time-sucking black hole of diversion that many people are reporting. I'm not one for seeing a job through in one sitting if it can be avoided. If you are ever in need of brain surgery and you happen to see me scrubbing in, you may want to contact your insurance provider and see if there are other facilities they would consider for this procedure. It is highly likely that I will drill down to your frontal lobe then suddenly feel the need for a snack.

So what I'm really doing is fiddling around for a bit, uploading pictures, entering books or whatever, then wandering off to do something else for a while. It's ten minutes here, twenty minutes there...it has probably added up to a great deal of fiddlin' time, I suppose. But I've certainly made time for the activities of real life. I've eaten, shopped and talked on the phone. I petted and fed the kitties. I even slept. And I'm not missing an episode of Doctor Who or Torchwood for any website, no matter how long I was on the waiting list.

As proof of this, I remind you of my declaration last Thursday. I stated that I would, come rain or Ravelry, knit or spin this weekend. Further, I would post a picture. I didn't spin. That poor sock yarn that is so close to being finished can be heard sobbing from loneliness in the dark of night. But I've found that if you spin when you're not really "feeling it, " you don't really get the yarn you want. Best to not spin.

But, by gum, there was knitting!

Gotta have something to put up on Ravelry, after all.

SA