Kim Werker: Blog - Latest Comments in Where Are the Crochet Bloggers?

Re: Where Are the Crochet Bloggers?

Chris Arlington — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 18:40:31 -0000

Great post! It took me a while to stop blogging if I didn't have something good to show. It never occurred to me that I always have an opinion about something,(LOL). I was ecstatic when I discovered you live in Vancouver, B.C. I live in Coqutilam but was raised in Vancouver. I love crochet! I have been creating off and on since I've be 5, that was 57 years ago. But, I never stop learning new and improved methods etc. Thank you for your contributions to my world.

Re: Where Are the Crochet Bloggers?

Irene — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 22:41:55 -0000

Crochet is shaking it these days. Love that!
I crochet and I blog about it, but I don't have a rule about when I do it. I blog when I have something to tell, that is what makes it interesting for me. Writing for the sake of writing serves no purpose in my opinion.

I love when I come across sites that have cool words and cool crochet spiced up with cool photos. I read them and I make sure to interact with them, to encourage more of the same from them. To me, interaction is vital!

www.yarnclasses.com

Re: Where Are the Crochet Bloggers?

Jess — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:17:51 -0000

I am a blogger that crochets. I am in the process of switching to a blog that talks more about crochet. My "problem" is that I have a 3 year old and a 10 month old, am a stay at home momma, and so the times that I get to do anything are from 9pm-2am. I burn the midnight oil most nights. Not the best time for picture taking.
Yet, I am determined.
What do people want to know about? I think that's what has kept me from it in the past.

I second Kiba's response in that I would love to be a part of a crochet bloggers community. I know of a few blogs that I frequent...http://easymakesmehappy.blogspot.com/
http://peoplewebs.blogspot....
http://dottieangel.blogspot...
http://crochetforfree.blogs...

Other than the last one, they aren't JUST crochet blogs but personal blogs of crocheters.

Re: Where Are the Crochet Bloggers?

jd wolfe — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:38:01 -0000

my blog is 100% crochet related. i'm sponsored by a larger craft community which features blogs from a variety of interests (knit, beads, upcycling, etc). there are a lot of crochet bloggers out there but many of them don't seem to have a lot to say. i think that's too bad as i have a lot to LEARN! thanks for your blog.
jd
http://crochet.craftgossip.com

Re: Where Are the Crochet Bloggers?

Jacqueline Mukweto — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 19:13:05 -0000

Great article. I am a crochet blogger www.mukweto.blogspot.com but like you said there is only so much you can say about crochet and keep it interesting and crocheting moves slower then lets say card making or sewing so sometimes it is a few weeks in between amazing work.

Re: Where Are the Crochet Bloggers?

Dsavoie — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 14:34:59 -0000

everything is not ok to try once, suicide, heroin, you get the idea, otherwise ok, yeah stick to one topic.

Re: Where Are the Crochet Bloggers?

Kim Werker — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:46:21 -0000

You'll find your voice as you get going, Brendy. All the best of luck to
you!

Re: Where Are the Crochet Bloggers?

Brendy — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 18:18:56 -0000

I have been trying to get my knitting and crochet blog started for months; my problem is that I am not as computer savy as I thought I was so I keep getting caught up reading and joining sites of topics that pop up while I am setting up the page. First I was in Blogger but I couldnt get my menu categories to work; so I have loads of drafts not posted; I just joined wordpress.com and it has the menus I need and so I transferred over all my posts but in reading how to create traffic to your blog I decided to find top crochet blogs and see the style used to communicate that makes their blog so good; that's how I landed here, Kudos to you, for being listed as one of the best, but dont ask me what list you were on lol I have no clue; but I do want to thank you for your list of things to not be boring; I will follow them as best I can. I personally have visited many crochet sites that's how i collected so much information and then decided to blog about my best findings. My categories are free patterns, japanese, tutorials, andcrochet news and upcoming events. I hope I finally manage to start posting boring or not at this point posting something is better than nothing for me at least...hopefully I will get it out soon; would love to get some feedback Thanks. Brendy Couture Stitches.

Re: Where Are the Crochet Bloggers?

Dryden — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:00:06 -0000

I think these are great tips for ALL bloggers. I hope you've inspired some fresh new perspectives in the crochet world.

Re: Where Are the Crochet Bloggers?

Cora Shaw — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:17:02 -0000

I have to say my blog, http://craftygal1965.blogsp... is about everything, not just crochet or knitting. I have been developing some crochet ideas and hope to have more on my site. Lately it has been about politics and social issues. I have dealt with a lot in my little old life so I tend ot talk about. Sometime sit is out there as it I work through feelings surrounding the deaths of friends at the hand of a serial killer in Vancouver, BC. I do live in Edmonton, Ab now however was deeply affected by this. I am a person who needs to blog about my life and my struggles, so others can see that no matter what happens in life it does get better.

Re: Where Are the Crochet Bloggers?

jd — Thu, 14 May 2009 18:34:51 -0000

i'm a blogger! i'm a crocheter! i'm a crochet blogger! check me out at http://crochet.craftgossip.com. i'm probably a bit older than you who tweet and text and such. but, i can write and i love to crochet, so writing about crochet just seems like a natural to me.
jd in st louis

Re: Where Are the Crochet Bloggers?

monika — Fri, 01 May 2009 14:59:17 -0000

This is so interesting! But, sorry if I'm being a bit dense here but I'm not totally clear from your article whether you want more crochet blogs with other elements of life included in it, or not? It seems you want more crochet blogs, but think crochet blogs that blog ONLY about crochet might be boring? I agree with your point about not wanting to look at 'endless lists of projects, badly photographed and badly written, but I really wish there were more crochet blogs that blog ONLY about crochet!

As someone who is relatively new to crochet (but not to blogging) I am constantly seeking out other crochet blogs. I'm not always looking for patterns or tutorials (though they are v. useful of course), i find just looking at other people's WIPS and FOs inspiring and exciting in itself (and discussions about crochet such as this one are very compelling to me).

For me personally, crochet bloggers (in particular) definitely do not need to bring in other elements of their lives (e.g. recipes etc) to keep it interesting. If anything, i get turned off if someone blogs too much about their cooking/church etc. I guess I'm pretty 'narrow focused' in that respect! And in my own blog, so far I've kept it solely crochet crochet crochet, as that is what I want to read myself. (rule no.1 of your list!) But I admit that so far, it does follow mostly a 'list of things I made' format, so I intend to add more writing eventually.

Anyway thanks for a good read, it made me think :)

Re: Where Are the Crochet Bloggers?

tintocktap — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 06:11:24 -0000

Great post - and the comments make a fascinating read too! When I started crocheting more about a year ago, I looked around for crochet blogs and was disappointed not to find anything much. I've been blogging as a stitcher for almost 3 years and we have a wonderful community of stitching bloggers. Bloggers need to blog about what they find interesting and inspirational as it all feeds in to what and how we make things whether crochet or otherwise. And the internet is such a wonderful resource for this kind of thing.

Re: Where Are the Crochet Bloggers?

mkcarroll — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 23:21:46 -0000

Oops! I'm moving my blog to www.mkcarroll.com; everything *should* be there now. Back in February I wrote a long post about crochet symbolcraft and how I'm trying to bring a more user-friendly charting into my self-published patterns, and I got exactly zero comments and emails regarding it. It was kind of the last straw for me. If I really want traffic, I should post more free patterns. If I really want comments, I should post more photos of my dogs. *shrug* As I said earlier, with the other networking options out there, blogging may be something I choose to stop doing in favor of other activities.

m.k.

Re: Where Are the Crochet Bloggers?

Jessica — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 12:55:06 -0000

It is very rare to find a crochet only dedicated blog - there are a few and they are very good but mostly I get my crochet blog kick from reading a selection of craft blogs that also do the occasional crochet post. Crochet still isn't as big as knitting and perhaps it never will be, because of this there just isn't the volume of patterns, books and events for the avid crocheter to blog about.

I love crochet - it's definitely my number one thing to do when I have a rare spare minute, but when I decided to join the blogging community I did it as a crafter and not solely as a crocheter. Why? Well maybe because crochet fills the gaps so nicely, quick easy projects that can be done to embellish and add interest to other crafts. I didn't want to limit myself to just crochet and in a way that gives me the chance to experiment more and feed that back into the crochet I do.

Re: Where Are the Crochet Bloggers?

Mia — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 02:55:05 -0000

Hi Kim,

I've kept meaning to chime in, and then have been distracted. I did want to say that I also quite frequently wondered about the lack of crochet blogs. When I got back into crocheting I searched high and low and was frustrated that there weren't many substantial crochet blogs.

I think offline more so than online I've been a lot more vocal about discussing crochet, even though probably 90+ percent of my posts are about what I've crocheted. Feelings of inadequacy also creep into the back of my mind when calling myself a crochet designer, because I make dolls/amigurumi, not necessarily garments, so I sometimes feel like I shouldn't always speak authoritatively on the subject. I think especially because I tend to be very blunt in real life, and been accused of putting on airs often enough to feel as though I should tread lightly with people who don't exactly *know* me online.

And, as witnessed, I also tend to get somewhat tangential, and have to reel it back in. I do try to discuss crochet, and I've been meaning to show more about how I do things, because even though the things I do to make my dolls seem commonplace to me, I forget that it would be helpful to others who don't think the way that I do to get an idea of how I crochet.

I've just gotten too busy, and I've been trying to do too many things at once- new patterns, embroidery, picking up knitting, figuring out the book proposal thing, being a mom to 2 maniac (major time vortex there), reading and being intimidated by way too many other blogs, etc. Then it's been 5 days between posts! Twitter is something I've been trying to figure out lately as well. I signed up, but I'm trying to negotiate a balance between talking about what I'm doing in my personal life with talking about my craft. It's all very thought provoking though, and your post, as well as all the comments after it have been rather interesting.

Re: Where Are the Crochet Bloggers?

Kim Werker — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:46:40 -0000

I hope the potential really is there. Note that you mentioned that you found
like-minded people -- this ties into sharing your thoughts about the craft
in your blog. To get to know other bloggers, you have to open up a little. I
haven't seen much in the way of that on crochet blogs, with some wonderful,
notable exceptions.

Re: Where Are the Crochet Bloggers?

kristi — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:35:32 -0000

I'm posting sort of as an outsider as I have never blogged about crochet... I don't blog much about knitting anymore either though! But I'm thinking about blogging in general... is it still as vital as it was now that there's twitter and facebook and ravelry and various other fora for discussion? Maybe it's just too diffuse?

I do remember way back when in 2002 when I started knitblogging, there was a webring and the membership was small enough you could really surf the whole ring on a good day. There was such a sense of community to it! I remember feeling compelled to keep up with it, seeing what everyone was doing and doing my part to comment and keep the conversations going and i think that feeling was very much shared at the time. I think people discovered it and really did sense that there was a community and wanted it, wanted to be part of it. And that's what caused the explosion in the number of knitblogs. Sure there was great content, but I think the sense of community and discovery of like-minded souls was really the driver. Knowing that people I admired and was learning from would be reading me too inspired me both to blog and to be creative in very powerful ways. Maybe the fact that there are relatively few crochet blogs makes the potential for community building at this moment stronger?

Re: Where Are the Crochet Bloggers?

Molly Mahoney — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:37:02 -0000

This has seriously got me thinking. I've been crocheting for over 10 years now. This has been a great year of selling items to friends/coworkers, and random people through my facebook group - Molly Made. I promised myself that this year I would actually start posting things on Etsy and set up a blog (http://mollymade.blogspot.com). I have a few very good friends who are great crocheters/knitters/actors, but I've not really known how to get involved in the fiber arts community. I've had a lot of success as a musical theatre actress, which is great, but also keeps me on the road. Living all over North America makes it hard to establish a connection with a local community, and I'm unable to attend classes or regular group meetings.
I thought a blog might be a great way to motivate me, and help me to stay invovled. HOWEVER... after reading this, I think the way I have approached my blog has been all wrong. First of all, I know I don't write enough - that is something on which I will definitely work. And, I find myself apologizing. Even if I don't apologize in print, I do in my own head. I worry about the fact that I am a much better crocheter that a knitter. In fact, I enjoy crocheting more than I enjoy knitting. Why do I feel the need to hide that fact. (I think I know why and I'll soon address it in my blog) I started knitting a year ago, and I find so many things that I love about knitting. I love combining the two, and I wish everyone could appreciate the beauty of both crafts. But, I don't need to hide the fact that crocheting is really where I do my best work, and where I am able to really express myself.
I decided to use my blog as a list of the yarn shops I've been able to visit on tour. How boring! I have loved each and every LYS I have visited and I've loved writing about what I have found in each shop. BUT... I know I have much more I could be writing about, and asking about with my blog.
I'm vowing to stop apologizing (even if it's just in my own head) and to start conversing. This post has been so helpful. I know this will not only make my blog more interesting to read. It will make it more interesting to write.
Thanks for the inspiration and advice!
Molly

Re: Where Are the Crochet Bloggers?

Michelle — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 23:53:21 -0000

There are several interesting topics here. Thanks for hosting the discussion.

I was with a group of knitters the other day and the hostess had a couple complaints about crochet: one, that it was difficult to work the first row, and, second, that she had been told to "just increase wherever you want to." It was too loose-y goose-y for her. I do think a certain personality type is attracted to crochet, me included -- maybe the type doesn't really like a bunch of rules, is more willing to take risks, is rebellious and won't be put to such mundane tasks as using stitch markers or editing a post? I like how free-form crochet can be. I can refer to a stitch book, do a little swatching if I feel like it, and then make a custom garment. To tie this back into the topic, I guess I think that knitters make better bloggers. Knitters probably read their camera instruction book, too. ;)

Re: Where Are the Crochet Bloggers?

Sharon — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:07:44 -0000

sorry forgot to add my webpage to my profile.

Re: Where Are the Crochet Bloggers?

Sharon — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 16:03:27 -0000

I see everyone saying they have a blog, but don't list their blog address. Please post your blog url :) I just started mine, www.the-fish-cube.blogspot.com

Also is there a list of twitters who tweet about crochet? I am fishcube on twitter!

Sharonkay

Re: Where Are the Crochet Bloggers?

Kim Werker — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:22:33 -0000

You nailed it, Annette, and I've experienced the same thing: When I stop
thinking about what I should (and shouldn't) write and just sit down and
write, I do my best work.

I'm surprised by how common the perception of the need to self-censor is. I
don't see being professional and being honest and true to self as being
mutually exclusive. I'm going to write more about that once I send these
book proofs in...

Re: Where Are the Crochet Bloggers?

Annette — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:12:16 -0000

Most interesting thread since the one on Sarah Palin, Kim! Seriously!

I don't blog often enough. This is particularly true in winter, since I believe that a good post on my blog must have a nice photo, and the light is so crappy here in the winter.

That being said, I think that my best blog posts have nothing to do with the photos. They come when I stop thinking about what I should write, and just sit down and, well, write.

I think it's very interesting to see how new social media, like community sites, Twitter etc. affect blogging. Personally, I can't keep up with it all, but I've noticed a new focus on blogs in my own case. And definitely more quality than quantity - I follow just a few blogs regularly, but I read them all the time.
A very good blog is about a million times as interesting as any forum on the Internet, IMHO.

Re: Where Are the Crochet Bloggers?

marikka — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 13:30:49 -0000

See, I don't really subscribe to blogs. I poke around and my taste in blogs changes. Right now, I love reading the comic bits. A couple of months ago, I was back to the book blogs that were brutally honest and never apologized. Before that I was into the craft blogs with beautiful pictures (and Alicia Paulson's because of her food pictures).

I have a blog for a long-lost reason. Back when I had a LJ account, it was to be able to say the brutally honest things I couldn't say out loud, but then when people found me, I self-censored. And now, I self-censor because I have a life outside of what I put on my blog that needs to be tended and protected. I can't be brutally honest anymore because employers look at Facebook and MySpace accounts and blogs. I'm okay with the self-censoring because it helps one know reasonable boundaries, but I wonder how interesting a blog can be if there are these recognized boundaries.