Yesterday, I joined the project called NaBloPoMo, a blogging take on writing everyday for 30 days. So I thought it was only right to start at.the.beginning…
The Back Story
In the pre-historic days of the internets, there was something that popped into the cloud that has spun us right into a communication revolution.
Wasn’t texting. Wasn’t Google. Wasn’t even the ability to buy shoes 24/7 using my laptop, in bed, eating a pizza I ordered online…
That something was blogging.
All of a sudden, many, many people from all over the planet were writing, sometimes every day, sometimes several times a day. And, they were telling their stories, telling them in a way no one else had ever done.
Into pages that launched into the void, people poured their passions of life, from the mundane details to their personal bests, in a way that eventually, hooked the rest of us. People were sharing their triumphs and tragedies like butter on bread, served up plain as day.
I was one of these writers (and still am).
Why do It?
For me (quoting myself is weird but this IS from 2002 – Bust Magazine survey):
1. When did you start your knitting blog? I started in November 2001 when I launched Chic Knits. It languished for months and it wasn’t until much later when people seemed to start visiting it.
2. Why did you start it? The urge to write about knitting overwhelmed me – I *suffer* from the disease of Startitis. Many behavioralists recommend keeping a journal to manage your cravings and acting out. You can go back and read and understand the triggers that cause you to pick up the needles and that new ball of yarn when seven other projects are littering the couch and surrounding floor…
3. What do you get out of it? The thing I like most about knitting is almost the thing I like most about writing. When you blog, you take words (lines and scratches, symbols, punctuation)and record your thoughts and the mental progressions of your creative ideas. If you’re lucky, this vaporware becomes a conduit into someone else’s reality. And, drumroll please, COMMUNICATION is achieved. You’ve reached out and touched someone using the most mysterious, ancient art of signing.
For me, blogging took my rather solitary experience of creating and pushed it out on the horizon. I’ve met many wonderful people and have been inspired by their like efforts. Commonality with manners – all of the group seem like people I’d have over for dinner, with knitting afterwards, of course…
Yes.
(insert blinkie here) 
to be continued…
I’ve read your blog since the beginning–I was just teaching myself how to knit around that time, and I learned so much and gained so much inspiration from reading it! Thank you for that :)
So this means we will hear from you every day! I think I like that. Funny, how I enjoy reading other people’s blog. It’s one of those things I do every day, like checking Facebook at night. Like checking in with family to see how they are doing, but not really disturbing them.
I have gotten so much inspiration and motivation from you! It is incredible to go back in the archives and see how we’ve all grown together.