Wednesday, March 08, 2006

Why do I blog? Why do you blog?

A couple of months ago I was meeting with one of the knitting groups to which I belong. We started talking about blogs and one of the other knitters expressed her puzzlement at bloggers. She couldn't understand why anyone would "put themselves out there like that". She also said she thought that blogging was a somewhat narcisistic activity.

Her comments caught me off guard and I didn't have a good answer for her. I confess that I do feel narcisistic at times. My blog is absolutely all about me, Me, ME! I also knew that somewhere in the recesses of my brain I had other reasons for blogging, reasons that had nothing to do with vanity. Getting back to my blog after such a long absence has really clarified a couple of things for me.

I knit because I love the process of knitting and I think I celebrate the fact that I’ve finished a project (and can move on to a new one) more than I celebrate the finished project. Having the blog helps me to celebrate the finished items. It also helps me appreciate them more.

The pictures I post help me to look at the finished item a little more objectively. When I hold a knit piece in my hand I see all my insecurities about various decisions I made along the way. I see all the little mistakes and stitch inconsistencies that didn't warrent fixing but still keep it from being "perfect". I see all the things I would do differently “next time”. Taking a photo and posting about the project helps me look at the project as a complete, functional (or decorative) item. It gets me to try to see things from your point of view. It gets me to see more of the big picture instead of each individual detail. Blogging helps me get more satisfaction from my knitting.

Why do you blog?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

oh gosh, good question.
I talked to a fellow blogger this weekend and I told her sometimes I don't understand what she has to say because she just kind of jumps into a subject and I feel lost. She then said, "oh you blog for everyone else? I blog for myself."
I think it's a combined effort. I blog for me but also to inspire others to be creative. I've found so many wonderful projects that I would never have found otherwise. I'm also a learner and can not get enough of what everyone is doing and if it's a new technique, I need to try it. Since having my blog, I've broken out of the same old knitting I had been doing, now I knit with beads, knit a bit of lace (which I love) and much more. If blogging were just for me then I think I'd be writing it down and filing it away in a book on my night table. I love to get feedback on the things I make, and it's a fabulous way to meet people with similar interests.
Oh gosh, am I rambling?? sorry. :)

Jenn said...

I think I blog to show off my children :-)


Really I blog for the contact it gives me to other adults with like intrests.

Being a mom of three yourself, you know how hard it is when they are so young to get out and enhoy adult time!

Sarah said...

Hi! I'm glad you found my blog. I love reading knit blogs, so I'll have to start checking in on you.

I started blogging because my husband was leaving for Iraq. He's normally my sounding board, so I needed a place to vent while he was gone. I do it for myself, but sometimes I get wrapped up in negative comments. I try not to let it get to me though.

I will update with knitting content soon, so check back in if you think of it!

Ketutar said...

Hi, Lou :-)

I blog because I enjoy reading blogs and I want to give the experience forth, as a small way of thanking the bloggers of the world.
Maybe someone, somewhere out there, finds my blog as entertaining, amusing, helpful, inspiring, comforting and what else, as I find many other blogs.
Maybe I can work as a link between a bloggie/bloggee/blogder and a blogger, and that would be great too :-)

Hugs and good luck with your blogging and knitting :-)
Ket