Make My Day!

Posted on | February 1, 2008 | 12 Comments

I’ve been remiss – Cosy sent me a You Make Me Smile tag ages ago and I had (and have) been planning to address my blogroll and find a different way to share the links of my favorite blogs. My intent was to roll my “smiley” links into this process and re-introduce the blogroll alternative at the same time – but the path to hell, well, you know. I haven’t settled on something I’m really happy with and so the Make Me Smile links got lost in my inability to make a decision and I didn’t make anybody smile! BOO on me! So, yesterday, when Barefoot Rooster commented to let me know that I made her day, I decided I’d better save the retooling of the blogroll for another time and share some of the blogs that I love right now before it gets lost in the shuffle again!

First, let me just say that Barefoot Rooster is a gem, I’ve become really fond of her blog over the last couple of months; she’s a regular post-er, you can count on it, and she always has some great knitting, outings, Boh pics or skyscapes to share, and I love talking music with her. If you haven’t discovered her yet, she’s great, and so it completely made MY day to hear from her that she enjoys my blog too!

And so, here are some of the other blogs that make my day!! This includes some old and new favorites (and really, these are just a fraction of the list. Seriously, there are so many more blogs that I visit and comment on and I love them ALL.) I think I’m supposed to do 10, but since I’m behind here, you’ll have to forgive me if I throw in some extras.

Sew-Mad – Katrin is a multi-crafting superstar! I love her blog with her great projects & photos, she has a great sense of humor and her comments are always a sure pick-me-up. What a great find!

Ruthless Knitting – Ruth is smart & creative, a skilled knitter and gifted writer who tells a great story and gives thoughtful and valuable feedback. I have so enjoyed following her design process over the last year (among others, Slim could be an IK cover – easily). I’m eagerly awaiting Spring and some warmer weather to work on my own Florence! IMO, Ruth is an underappreciated treasure in blogland and I feel so fortunate to know her.

Physicsknits – In addition to being a talented designer that I look forward to seeing more & more of (Have you seen the IK Spring Preview? Congratulations Connie!), Connie is accessible, kind, encouraging and generous with sharing her design advice and experience. She’s terrific.

CosyMakes – Cosy makes me smile! Her hats, her embelishments, her handspun, her fiber adventures – Her apple hood photos had me grinning so much. Who can look at that happy face and not smile? She’s a tireless advocate of knitting, spinning and recycling, and well worth the read!

The Sanguine Gryphon – Gryphon rocks! Her color sense is incredible and is exhibited in her beautiful yarns – I’ve tried in vain to describe the organic complexity of her colorways. She also happens to be one talented designer – and I consider her a bit of a mentor. I’m so very thankful for her patient guidance and technical expertise in the patterns we’ve collaborated on.

The Times We are Living – Rachel is a bit of a kindred spirit and has introduced me to some great music lately. Though our lives are very different, I’m living vicariously through her in some ways. I find her posts on her work with Elk populations in the Pacific Northwest to be incredibly fascinating, and her knitting and artistic ability are great draws as well – check out her gourds, they are beautiful.

Mind of Winter – I’ve admired Julia’s designs for as long as I’ve been a knitter, and recently stirred up the courage to comment on her latest design in Ravelry (Why is that hard with established or admired bloggers sometimes? Silly, I know!) and she was just as kind and accessible and affable as you would expect from her blog. She’s a talented designer, and an excellent and introspective writer whom I’ve enjoyed reading immensely. As an aside, this has made me want to comment more on some established blogger’s sites, those whom I read and adore but don’t comment when I have a thought or appreciation because there’s this strange (self-perceived) wall there. It’s similar to the insecurity I felt about meeting other bloggers for the first time, though that too was absolutely worth it. Anyway, I think those folks who’ve been around for years or have half a million subscribers or whatever definition you place on it – they appreciate the conversation and feedback just as much as I do, and blog for many of the same reasons, so there is something in common there at a pretty basic level. I’m trying to get over some of this shyness and come out of my shell a bit more, and bloggers like Julia make it so much easier and very rewarding.

Trailing Yarn – I love Elizabeth. She’s kind and funny, she’s strong, a fellow hiker and a very talented and prolific spinner and knitter as well. Her posts bring a genuine smile to my face with their warmth and humor!

Garn Boet – Maud is one of my favorite knitters. She’s currently on a quest to “collect” all of Eunny’s designs and is well on her way – in addition to some other lovely projects and cute pup pictures too. I love her Rosebud mittens and particularly enjoyed her historical posts on these.

knitsane – Great writing and process posts – and for someone seeking a balance between lovely fashions and meaningful ones (or what they may mean to us), she has some very thoughtful spot on musings on this.

Adventures of a Desi Knitter – A recent discovery, she is funny and talented, has great posts on knitting and food and a lovely free hat pattern I’ve been intending to make. An all-around good read.

Girl Eats Soup – What can I say about Mel that I haven’t already said? She’s a great knitter, a funny and caring individual, and my blog-twin on the opposite coast :)

House of Wool Repute – The new home of Laura (formerly of Stream of Consciousness) and friends (it’s a great group blog with some other folks that I also really enjoy), who I also admired for a long time before commenting. She is one of the most skilled and detail oriented knitters I’ve read and I’ve really appreciated her in-depth posts on technique and the specific patterns she has knit.

yarn bee – Another recent find, Cheryl is warm and friendly and has some really amazing FOs. Her Poetry in Stitches sweaters are inspiring me to get going on my Festjakke, and her Circles Yoke original is one of my favorites.

Knit Me a River – This blog has it all – knitting, spinning, and beautiful photos. I recently had the great pleasure to meet Shannon in person – she’s just as nice as you would imagine from her blog, and her Geddesburg handspun yarn pr0n shots have me drooling and itching to dedicate some more time to my poor neglected wheel!

Knitosaurus’s Alli – Fun projects with great posts and unbeatable scenery (she lives in Alaska!) – I also love the knitting-dinosaur-rainbow logo, it’s the first thing I see when I pull up her blog and it always makes me grin.

Who Needs Gauge?! – Steph is funny and a thoughtful writer, and I’m really enjoying her re-organization posts (since I have such a need for it myself!). She also heads up a stitches group at the high school where she teaches and I really admire her for passing along her skills to a new generation of knitters and crocheters and finding a way for everyone to participate.

Ladies, Thanks for sharing your fiber lives, your knitting, spinning, your writing, and a bit of yourselves with all of us – You all Make My Day!!

*Edited to Add – This is a no obligation excercise, so play along only if you like!  Warm fuzzies and good feelings only, no stress or concern, just know that you’re appreciated :)

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