Lotsa brown

Thanks for all the book suggestions--having great readers like you all is very nice.  I was looking at some blogs yesterday (for work, really) and I noticed most of them never have any comments.  It was weird--why blog if you don't have people pop in and say hello? 

Anyway, the weekend was spent painting my upstairs hall.  The only vestiges of green left are around the fireplace which will be our first spring project (power tools are best for outside).  I need to paint the kitchen too, but it's yellow so it's not so horrible.

The other brown thing I finished was Uncle Ken's sock--the first one.

I used the Timberline sock pattern from Lucy Neatby's Cool Socks Warm Feet book.  I love this book, it's full of great ideas for socks and good technical advice for doing heels (like doing the heel with a separate ball of yarn--even taking the yarn from the other end of the ball to make a nice clean heel and so the pattern continues on the instep).

I used the short-row garter stitch heel (my favourite) and garter stitch toes.  I even started the second sock--the tubular cast on is *not* subway knitting.

And you may notice this sock fits me perfectly.  We have the same size feet (I snuck a look at his boots when he was visiting).  I love these socks, but Ken painted a good portion of my house; he deserves them more than me.

Comments

[Kat]

"It was weird--why blog if you don't have people pop in and say hello?"

Ugh. How offputting.

We have our reasons.

[Karen B.]

Cool socks. They're perfectly patterned, too! What yarn did you use?

Re: the "why blog" question, whether or not anyone reads or comments? Sometimes you just need to say it - even if no one hears.

[Bethe]

Just because there are no comments doesn't mean people aren't reading.

I am a lurker by nature and rarely leave comments, but I read many blogs.

And, for what it's worth, I second the "Ugh. How offputting." comment from Kat.

[Cathy D]

I have Lucy Neatby's book but have yet to knit anything from it. Your "Uncle Ken's sock" has inspired me; next pair of socks will be from that book. Time to try something new.

[Katherine]

I read your blog frequently, but do not often comment. Sorry!

I occasionally ask if "anyone is out there" on my blog, and it turns out that they are--reading, but not commenting. I even meet knitters in knitting groups who comment on something I have written, but they didn't comment at the blog. Anyway, it's a good question, and something to think about.

[anne]

I suppose there are a lot of reasons for blogging. I do it to get myself in the habit of writing regularly.

That said, I'd love a large audience and lots of comments. But there are an awful lot of blogs so it can be difficult to get noticed.

I do like your blog very much.

[brenda in toronto]

Many reasons to blog...

Curious: did you pop in and say hello to any of the commentless blogs?

[jen c]

i blog for my family and friends. they rarely comment - but instead pick up the phone and call or email me privately. they like to know where i am and what i'm doing (i've recently relocated 4 and a half time zones away). i don't care if anyone comments - i know the people i love are reading. that being said, i read a ton of blogs (your included of course!) and do i ever comment? rarely. i usually am echoing thoughts of other commenters anyway and so it would be just the same old whatevers.

[MARTIN M]

How come is comment and centred?

[Corvus]

My blog is relatively new (less than two months), and while I've been slowly gathering an audience, it'll take a while. It takes a lot of brainstorming to find ways to get the word out into such a large forum. We'll see.

I can see where your phrasing is offputting, though I assume it was unintended. A blog can be an outlet even if it never gets read. It can be a way to motivate oneself, or just a healthy habit. People have kept journals all through history for thousands of reasons and with thousands of mediums- the internet-with-commenting aspect is just a recent feature, and by no means required for motivation.

[Kim]

I've discovered that there are many more lurkers than regular commenters on my blog. My brother-in-law, a cop, told me that he reads the blog at the police station and other cops read it too. None of them comment and that's ok. It kind of freaks me out to think the cops are reading my blog. I am so grateful for my regular commenters and the occasional commenters.

[Seanna Lea]

I'd say I'm a new blogger, but I really am not. I've been doing it for over a year, but I've never really generated comments. Part of it is finding my voice, my way of saying things that indicates my personality, and part of it is just a record of my days (so I don't inundate my livejournal with tons of knitting and crafting related posts). I know my husband reads it, but anything else is just icing.

[minnie]

i have to say that i blog for me. if i have readers (and commentors (sp?)) so much the better. and i know several people read without commenting.

and if your uncle painted your house, i think he deserves an entire knitted SUIT if he wants it, lol.

[lekkercraft]

now that is a great looking sock! I'll keep in mind the new ball of yarn for the heel trick. I'm interested in learning more about the garter stitch heel too - thanks for sharing :)

[inky]

What Kat said.

[Chrissy]

I've been wanting to try that pattern. Your sock looks great.

[deeni]

I only post when I gots somethin' to say. lol

Aren't Lucy's patterns cool? I love that sock book. I also have several of her other patterns in my stash. I find I always learn something new while knitting one of her designs. And you know what got me first to even buy one her designs? Her funky hair colours. I never buy anything based on a person's appearance, not knowingly, but the hair so intrigued me....Never regretted it. Enough raves about Lucy. Nice sock by the way. What yarn?

[Geertrude]

I have a counter on my blog, so I can see there actually are (few) people (other than myself) reading it.
I started blogging in 2001, way before the comment thing was invented. Being in linklists and receiving an occasional email was enough back then.
I have to admit, there are times when I would like to post a "hello, anybody outhere?", but being a lurker myself most of the time, I can hardly expect other people to comment on my blog...

Oh and I like the sock! (Have to learn to knit socks!).

[Mary de B]

The blogger just writes the blog, and can't control the comment side of it. Should I stop blogging because people don't always stop and say hello?

[christine]

Oh my, more drama in blogland! I've been blogging for almost 2 years, and look forward to hearing from my usual readers, but I'm also aware that many people read my blog and never comment. Oh well.......perhaps I just don't provoke them to comment for some reason.

[Melody]

i cant believe the attention your one little question got? i love comments.. it's not the reason i blog,but I love the attention when I get it, thats fo sho!.. lurker or commenter.. it's all good.

[Kari]

Your comment is short-sighted at best and rude at worst. Why make assumptions about why someone blogs?

[Margaret]

I started a blog to motivate me to think about my knitting and creative process more, and to hopefully empower others both through my trials and successes. It is nice to get comments, and I would like to build some community through my blog, but for me, that isn't the main reason why I do it. I have never been much of a commenter until recently, and I've never commented on your blog before because I just didn't have anything to say.

[Ruth]

I started blogging for myself - my statcounter tells my I have plenty of regular readers - but I admit I do love comments. Sometimes I get a bunch, and then sometimes days on end with none, and I wonder if nobody loves me anymore and then give my head a shake and get on with life. When I start feeling bad about the lack of comments, I just follow the "do unto others" rule and discipline myself to leave comments on other blogs - it's so easy to just think things and not take that extra minute to type them.

[Helen]

Hmm.
I blog because I enjoy it. But comments DO inspire me to do it more.
I also blog because I know that my friends afar have a way to see what I'm up to if they want to look. Lets me be lazy and not write to each of them everytime something happens.

As for commenting,... Often, I enjoy a blog but don't have anything to add. Comments that say nothing more than "great blog" or "interesting point" or "pretty" don't do much for me as a reader, and so I don't send them much. I prefer to comment when I can engage in conversation (and yes, I do answer most comments made on my blog)

[StacyZ]

To document and hope that someday someone will delurk...but I am a new blogger so I don't expect anyone to really read yet.

[Bells]

When i find a blog that doesn't seem to get many comments, I comment. I think it's ok to blog without comments - stat counter can tell you you have readers - but it's not much of a community if no one actually talks to each other.

Early on I commented lots - because I was excited to find so much to read and comment on in the knitting blogosphere. Now I really try to keep up the commenting because, well, I like comments a lot so I figure others do too, even if they say they don't want or need them much.

[Michelle]

I like blogging because I have sort of a journal and tracking my projects....but I do love my comments. I get a little bummed when I have a post with a FO or cool picts. and then I don't hear antyhing from anyone...then I get over it and go on...

[Gillian]

I don't blog although I have considered it. I'm not certain I'd have enough to say. I certainly comment from time to time. Sometimes I get a response and sometimes not There is a dietitian's blog that I read and I don't know if there are other readers, but there has only been one comment other than mine. If I have something advice-like to say, I generally try to e-mail the person directly. I think it's more courteous.

[Diane E]

Really like the look of the garter/knit heel and toe! Will implement that in next sock, Thanks!

[catsmum]

I started Blogging originally as a way of keeping distant friends and family in the loop. Ya know the feeling I'm sure. Someone asks what you've been doing for say, the last 3 or 4 months, and you can't really think of a coherent answer but you know you've been awfully busy not doing whatever it was.
Anyway after that I joined a couple of rings, a [very] few people started commenting, and then I got a site counter and totally freaked out when I realised just how many people were reading my ramblings. I read a lot of blogs through Bloglines but generally I try to avoid leaving the "me too" type of comments and I only tell people that their work is awesome if it is.

[kelli Ferrigan]

lovely socks. i have only tried a short-row heel once, with disastrous results. i need better directions, methinks.

this discussion is like a microcosmic replica of the debate going on in my head -- some days, i just don't have time for all of the *dramatic exchange!!* between mommy-blogs, and cooking blogs, and knitting blogs, and everybody having their opinion -- all making the world a richer place for their creations and activities, for the most part -- the essential can get scattered and lost.

(that said, i often have 0 comments on my posts, and i try not to anazlyze why-- i'm insecure enough as it is. i enjoy the feedback that i do get and really try to follow up with at least a quick note. sometimes this leads to a nice exchange, sometimes it ends there: so it goes.)

this is a good example of how our intention can be interpreted and turned around, after we've put those words out there in the ether...

[Alisha]

Great looking sock...I love the colors.

[Debra Roby]

I think the more important question is: why regularly read a person's blog and not commnent? After all the blogger cannot force comments, it's up to the reader to step up and say: Hi! Since blogs are supposed to be conversations, I wonder why one would accept the role of silent witness when conversation IS the option.

[Beth in WI]

I started a knit blog in order to hook up with other knitters. Before I could knit, I read KnitLit and realized I was envious of the community knitters had. Now I want to be part of it. Sometimes I'm writing for myself, I suppose, but I really light up when there are comments on my posts. When I comment on someone else's writing, I try to say something beyond "me too." But we are all different and have different reasons for doing what we do....

Now, back to our knitting!

[Francois]

I read a lot of blogs but rarely comment. I look on it as a publication like a column in a newspaper - and I hardly ever have a reason to write into a newspaper.

On a really popular blog there is little point anyway - there are already a million comments up by the time I get there that say what I would have said. Also, a lot of them are just shout-outs from people that want to be associated with a succesful blog - it's very boring to read. If you haven't got something interesting to say for goodness sake don't.

[Chris]

That's the second garter short row heel and toe sock I've seen this week. I'm inspired to try the technique myself. Thank you.

[gray la gran]

well, there certainly were a few sourpusses in the comments ... folks should just lighten up! i think if someone is "offended" it's because you struck a chord with them ;)
but, onto the socks! your heel short rows are divine. i have often avoided the short row heel because i can't ever seem to get the holes to close up nicely. i should give it another try though. i have that lucy neatby book, and from that book i learned how to do the tubular cast on. i love that technique, especially for self striping sock yarn (just my opinion, but i don't like the look of a long tail cast on when the yarn self stripes, because it creates a line at the top of the sock that seems to interrupt the flow of the pattern changing).
now, let's talk about me :) i've been blogging for almost 2 years. i love receiving comments (it's the narcissist in me). when someone leaves a comment, i like to be able to follow their links to visit their blog. it is a community, and i have more interests than just knitting, so i love it when i find bloggers that also like to quilt or bead, make jewelry, or just about anything crafty.
i started blogging because a friend of mine was doing it, and it seemed very appealing. it's also a great way for friends and family far away to "see" what i've been up to.
i comment when i have something to say. sometimes i comment and then immediately delete it because i don't want to offend someone else. it is open and public, but i don't want to rain on someone else's parade. i find blogging to be very positive, and i'd like to maintain that.

[Marti]

I dont get comments much on my blog. I wish I did. I am a very beginning knitter and I often visit small blogs and leave comments in hopes that someone will visit me. I will still knit and blog because the second is my record of my first.
Very nice sock...I am not a sock knitter...I am sock challenged!

[Khalila]

I'm knitting the Timberline Toes right now. I'm almost to the end of the foot and am probably going to get to the toe this weekend. I love Lucy's book and am trying every pattern in it just to learn some new techniques.

[Alarming Female]

Found you through BlogHer; though I've read your blog before, back when I was blogging as "green-eyed grrl." Anyhoo--

What's with all the snark? Sheesh! I took your question as an actual question, inviting conversation; why would that be rude or off-putting? What, you can't even ask a question on your own freaking blog?

I used to read knitting blogs a lot; now I read feminist and political blogs more. I notice that knitting blogs' comments seem almost always addressed to the blogger, as a dyad, while feminist and/or political blogs often extend the ideas and conversation into the comments. One hundred or more comments fawning over the blogger are B-O-R-I-N-G, but thoughtful conversation can be fascinating.

So thanks for an interesting thread, and don't let the holier-than-thou types get you down.

[erica]

Five years ago when I started blogging purely for my own record-keeping purposes there were very few blogs and even fewer commenters. I've been through the whole why do I blog and when I see the stats, I've realized there are many more readers than commenters. I read so many blogs and don't comment on all of them because I don't have the time and once in a while they haven't said anything that I find worthy of a comment.

[The Menu Coach]

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