There's much to be said for knowing where you're going before you set out. In fact most of us don't leave home unless we've a destination in mind. Spontaneous
Jack Kerouac types excepted of course, along with the average niche blogger. How many of us had our route through Blogtopia mapped out on the day we first hit 'publish'? Not many, I'd guess. Did you? I sure didn't.
Mostly we bloggers begin with a passion for something and the desire to communicate that passion. Be it food, family, or fashion, we blog about the thing we love best. But, like most folk, bloggers are multifaceted. So what happens to all the other stuff we have to say? As the author of a knitting blog that's been decidedly light on knitting of late it's a question I've been pondering. Particularly as my knitting posts often prove to be my least popular.
I've realised that, without meaning to, I've morphed from a knitter who blogs to a blogger who knits, and along the way, it would seem, I've switched from a niche topic to a niche demographic. Looking about me I see I'm not the only one; I read a fair few blogs that began with a single creative endeavour - crochet, cooking, caravan adventures - but which now encompass so much more. Blogs written by my kind of person for my kind of person. And I cherish the sense of community I get from those peeks into the lives of complex people who I know would be chums if they lived next door.
But if I didn't need a road map before, maybe niche-less - but still with knitting - I do now. Which brings me to Jack Kerouac's
Belief & Technique for Modern Prose: A List of Essentials.
... Submissive to everything, open, listening ... Write in recollection and amazement for yourself ... Write for the world to read and see yr exact pictures of it ... Be in love with yr life ...
Yep, in the absence of a Blogtopian Baedecker remembering Jack Kerouac will do just fine, don't you think?
And now, I haven't forgotten that you're waiting to discover who won the
Craft it Forwards giveaway. I popped the names into a hat earlier -
Rikke, recently completed - and the Mr. did the honours - no pics I'm afraid, he was in his PJs at the time. And the winners are - imagine a little trumpet fanfare here if you will - Jane at
Marigold Jam, who wins the egg cosy and egg cup combo, and Gillian at
Tales from a Happy House, who wins the muffatees. Ladies if you could email me your contact details and postal addresses that would be fabulous (there's a little email icon top left). Hugest thanks to everyone who entered, I just wish I had prizes for you all. And thank you too to all who joined the apple conversation ... some great recipes m'dears, ta muchly ;D
Since I only started blogging 2 months ago, I don't yet know whether my blog with change or not! I expect it shall, as my life changes, and the things I am interested in change too. I didn't really start with a goal, or criteria in mind, I just started thinking "I'll blog about this, this and maybe a bit of that". Though I must say, I haven't written of some things that I thought I would, and vis versa. I really love blogging, and hope that my little spot on the web continues to grow (slowly, slowly as it is!) It gives me a little thrill every time I receive a comment, or get a new follower - probably because I think, hey, someone does actually want to read what I write! I love writing, and I have tried writing books, but I seem to have trouble finishing them. But blogging is different, and still gives me that same buzz I used to feel when writing chapters for a novel.
ReplyDeleteWell, I think that is enough about me and my blogging quest for now, lol.
Sarah <3
PS Congrats to those who won the give away, you lucky ducks! :D
So true, so true.....we are multifaceted, multi tasks personalities.....Sometimes I'm really tempted to write another blog were to put all my interests....But, do I really have the time of that, too???
ReplyDeletexxxx Alessandra
As long as we don't morph into being paranoid about blogging only what we think is popular, I think we will be ok, otherwise blogging will become an exercise fraught with anxiety.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing that quote today. I struggle as the years pass, and old blogging friends fall by the wayside, with what I am doing in my space. But being in love with my own life sounds like a great goal.
ReplyDeleteDoesn't it just! I'm working on it ;D
DeleteHello Annie:
ReplyDeleteReally it is a question of simply being true to oneself. And just as life constantly changes before our very eyes, although often imperceptibly, then we see no reason why a blog should not behave in much the same way. After all, it is in most cases a personal reflection on the things which matter to the writer at any one time.
I like that way of thinking, and only the other day realized that my life is taking different turns to when I first started blogging. Like a lot of folks it seems wanting to write but finding writing a whole book a task too far blogging seems to fill that gap. As you know I took a bit of a leap a while back with putting on some of my poems a bit of a leap as things like that can be personal and not always well recieved. So far I have always had a good response and this makes me confident to put more and thus reveal if you like more of my interests and personality.
ReplyDeleteThanks Annie for another interesting post!
P x
An interesting post Annie - my own blog seems to have a life of its own and goes where it pleases. I think I started with the intention of blogging mainly about creative pursuits but it wasn't having that and has gone off in other directions some of which have proved popular (to judge by the comments) and others less so. I agree with others that we must be true to ourselves and that as we are multi faceted beings our blogs should show some of these different facets and be about who we are at the time of writing. Like Alessandra I too have wondered about having a separate blog for certain things but like her I have thought that I wouldn't have time so I stick with my mixed bag of topics on the original one. I am so blest to have won the dear little egg cup and cosy and am looking forward to receiving that - I have e-mailed you my address. Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteinteresting thoughts Annie, I like the quote by Jack Kerouacs. Heather
ReplyDeleteOhhh, thank you Annie! I am thrilled. What a wonderful start to the week. :-)
ReplyDeleteI will email you my details.
I like your thoughts on blogging journeys very much. I think I am still settling into what "type" of blogger I am. Jack of all trades and master of none on the crafting front, that's for sure. x
I like the saying 'go with the flow!' and I think that's how my blog will go! I can't believe how, in such a short space of time, how much it means to me! Not, obviously as much as my family and friends but I have a real attachment to it, very unexpected! I love your musings on life! Just go with the flow my friend and it will be great! Ada :)
ReplyDeleteIn my two blogs that ran parallel and previous to my current one, Garden Hopping, which did what it said on the tin, it was about garden visits, and all things garden related, and The Journey, which was my account of dealing with Breast Cancer during the first couple of years post diagnosis - I was definitely aiming at a niche. I was quite strict in the subject matter. Both were popular blogs until professional journalists hit on my USP and copied my format. I moth balled both blogs, and stopped blogging for about 18 months. I did miss the interaction though, and drifted into Twitter. Later, after some persuasion by friends I decided to write about me and my life, as much for myself as anyone else. If anyone happened to be interested, that was a bonus. Being me was then my USP, and as we are all so very different, no one was about to trample that. My blog is very much WYSIWYG. I don't plan posts. Much happens in my life that I don't write about. Stuff I do write about is because I felt the inclination to share it and then logged in and wrote about it.
ReplyDeleteWhat attracts me to your blog is not any niche, although I love the knitting, the person behind shines through. That is what appeals and has me returning. Glimpsing another facet of Annie and her interests/life.
What a lovely thing to say Zoe, thank you :D
DeleteThis post really hits my spot, Annie. I think a lot about what makes me, and others, blog and although I didn't start as a 'niche' blog (instinctive and spontaneous, erratic and eclectic - some of the nicer words to describe me and my style - though you can read 'disorganised'!) - I found your blog because you were a knitter who blogged. But how glad I am that your are really a blogger who knits! I love your blog, your thoughts and your photos probably even more than I love your muffatees - and that's saying something!
ReplyDeleteAxxx
What a lovely post ... although fairly new to blogging I am loving the journey ... I like the idea of using my blog as an online diary of sorts ...a way to keep a record of the goings on in my family's life ... and I am so glad to have 'met' so many lovely like minded people along the way ... I love to read all your posts ... congratulations to the lucky winners of your great giveway .. Bee x
ReplyDeleteTotally, concurr with all you say here, Annie, and with your friends Jane and Lance, you can't really say more than be true to yourself. I'm not a knitter, and these days rarely crochet, but I love your blog. Mine began heavy on the textiles and ostensibly to document working towards craft fairs......but it has morphed into so much more than that, as you yourself know! I do try and drag it back round to creative stuff, but family, books, the garden, food and whatever is tickloing my fancy at the time, just creep in. Not forgetting the odd rant!
ReplyDeleteAnd as Bee says above, the blog becomes an online reference to look back on. Just keep on doin' what you're doin', Annie, and we will keep right on readin'! Lx
When I first visited your blog it was because you were a knitter who blogged and so was I (although now I'm more of crocheter!) but I now love the blog of the blogger who knits! Keep up the good work Annie. :)
ReplyDeleteCongrats to the lucky winners!
Vivienne x
I read "On the Road" and "Desolation Angels" when I spent a year Kibbutz hopping in the early 1990's Annie and this post has brought some of those memories flooding back for me. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI do so believe we would be chums if you lived next door and am enamoured with your beautiful words and thoughts. As I have gone back to full time work, my knitting/crochet/crafting is much less indeed and so I end up chatting about other bits of my life, at times it feels a little self indulgent but then I remember why I am doing it and it continues. Keep your conversation coming lovely lady xox Penelope
It took me ages to work out why I was blogging, and in the end it really has been a weblog - a diary of things that I have been thinking about and doing, driven by pictures. Which is probably why I struggle in winter, when the light is too bad inside for decent photos, and not much better outside, and it all goes to one side when I am busy with work. It reminds me of things I have made and given away and would otherwise have forgotten, and means that I can always find my favourite recipes! I am still quite amazed that other people are interested in what I say and do, and how the blog just growed like Topsy - it is really nice to be able to write and think with no time pressure, no worries about recording my hours, and saying exactly what I want to say!
ReplyDeletePomona x
Dear Annie
ReplyDeleteMy blog has rather morphed away from the original intention, which was to focus on felt making. However, as I like an eclectic mix of things, my blog has incorporated them too - music, reading, jewellery making, gardening, baking, what I'm watching on TV (if I consider it worthy) and still a little bit on felting every now and again. I like to think that it reflects me and how I am changing as I age. I love writing it though, but then I like writing journals and diaries, so it is just another form. It is always lovely to have comments from other people and to know that I'm a part of a much bigger world.
Best wishes
Ellie x
So true. My textile blog seems to be about everything and anything but textiles, especially of late. It's usually my cakes that attract the most attention! I suppose a blog evolves like most other things in life. Likewise we lose some followers/contacts along the way yet gain new friends too. I know I would miss it if I stopped.
ReplyDeleteAnnie, reading this post of yours, and the prior comments, has again confirmed my notion that blogging is a generous, free form medium. Each of us treats that medium in a unique way, and yet...as in any sort of community, we are able to connect with folks whose interests interest us.
ReplyDeleteBlogging can be educational, inspirational, amusing, provocative, revealing, entertaining, and so much more!
xo
"blogs written by my kind of person for my kind of person" - that sums it up for me. The blogs I return to again and again are the ones written by people with whom I feel I could be good friends in real life because our interests overlap so much. They also do a useful job of reminding me that there are plenty of people out there who care about similar things to me, even if the people I actually live with think I am distinctly odd!
ReplyDeleteI am a fairly new reader of your blog, having found you through a comment on 'Needled', and particularly enjoy the fact that like Kate's your blog has footnotes! Many thanks for everything you publish here.
Helen
And thank you for reading, Helen ... we bloggers would be nothing without all the kind folk who make time to drop by.
DeleteI love this post. I love bloggers that share parts of their lives. I share knitting, crochet and weaving but I think it is the more personal things we share that keep people coming back. You get a sense of knowing that person, connecting in a way and building a friendship even if it is just over a blog. I want to send prayers to people who need them, laugh along with them and share in their joys and sorrows.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Meredith
I so agree with your blog and with these comments. I only started a few months ago, mostly to see if I could and to write about crafts and food. But then realized I wanted to write about anything and everything so I have. I love seeing comments on my blog, but I write about what I want and if someone reads it and likes or comments then that is a lovely surprise.
ReplyDeleteAlso my favourite days out are when we just go,and let the day take care of itself.
My blog probably hasn't turned out as I imagined. My original idea was featuring the sea but it includes all my interests and it has surprised me sometimes which subjects have dominated. I like the variety included in other blogs too, it makes them so interesting.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to your winners.
Sarah x
Mmm. I think it's very hard to keep strictly to one thing only - even dedicated food bloggers share little tidbits of their lives. And it's nice. We're all multi-faceted and sometimes one aspect will dominate and then it might recede and something else will come to the fore....I suppose it's the natural ebb and flow of life and if we're being honest about our lives, then our blogs will reflect this. And with blogging you begin to build relationships and make friends and then it's a natural progression to share things.
ReplyDeleteLovely thoughtful post.
It's a toughie for sure - I think I started out as a crafter and now look at me...am I lifestyle or photography or a bit of both. I'm not sure these days and then there is the risk of becoming too much of the same - I guess just go with the flow.....I guess.
ReplyDeleteHi Annie - I'm just catching up and wanted to pop in and say 'hi' - in a round about kind of way.
Nina x
Ah yes I love that..... a blogger who knits! Somehow this whole enterprise of blogging is addictive, and magical and we outdo ourselves and our dreams, you have anyway.....and the knitting is what makes it unique and special and why we love your blog:~))
ReplyDeleteOh Annie, you are totally speaking my language today. I feel like I could have written this Post myself. I have been annoyed lately that my blog has changed so much in the last 12 months and lacking a specific direction - from caravan adventures around the country to posts about my new obsession with knitting things and now snippets into my pregnancies - a place I NEVER thought I'd go. But you've reminded me that we are a bit complex and multifaceted and that's OK. Thank you so much for this Post!!!
ReplyDeleteAnd congratulation to those lucky winners - those egg warmers are the cutest things I have ever seen and now of course on my wish list for things I want to make the kids :-)
Mel x
You are so right! I started blogging a little over a year ago because life just kept showing me these funny, quirky moments that I wanted to share with anybody who was interested and my children one day. It's tone has changed a little since then as life changes and unexpected blips turn up on the radar. So there will be the contemplative phase which hopefully will give way to the funny phase again and all will move on as in life. We are all really meandering Jacks, no matter how much control we like to think we have.
ReplyDeleteI never started out with a theme in mind and I have wandered all over the place ever since. I found you when you were a blogger who knits and I am so glad.
ReplyDeleteIt is an unfolding journey this blogging lark, I started out wanting to show case my paper craft with a view to selling it, then it quickly evolved into what it is today, I very rarely do any papercraft now as I am having the yarn love affair now, however I will get back into making my journals etc again one day. The only solution to me having the time to craft with yarn and paper is to win the lottery so I don't have to work anymore so that I have all my days free to create......oh sounds good to me!!!
ReplyDeletexoxo Sandi
Great post.
ReplyDeleteJan @Door251.com
Brill post!!!
ReplyDeleteAlthough somewhat uncertain why I started a blog ... I'd say my initial hesitant appearance in blogland was to display my crochet in the hope of getting constructive criticism and motivation. I have always understood crochet to be ever evolving it is such a versatile craft and I knew myself to be in a crochet rut ....I needed stimuli.
I found that and much much more!!!! Crochet but also crafts now continue to be the main focus but I can easily get sidetracked happily into other areas of interest. I love learning and I do that daily blogging and then another important factor is the palpable ambience...extraordinary if you think this is a virtual world. I am meeting some great people and there are no frontiers! I wouldn't give up blogging now willingly!
keep well
Amanda :-)
Great post Annie, I know exactly what you mean. I too started out as a niche blogger and very quickly found it to be waaayyy too limiting! I do love your very versatile blog... the knitting in addition to everything else. A good mix, keep it up!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Congrats to the giveaway winners!
Janine
Well, here's another missed post to chalk up to Blogger! How did I not see this before?
ReplyDeleteAnd I am in such complete agreement with all you have said, that there's really very little to add. I know I set out to blog about frugality, with perhaps a bit of sewing and cooking on the side (and now I'm egging people on to buy yarn). But the blog, as I imagine a novel might, took on a life of its own and become something else entirely.
I do like that Jack Kerouac quote: "Write in recollection and amazement for yourself ... Write for the world to read and see yr exact pictures of it ... Be in love with yr life ..." That's exactly what I've been trying to do. And it was only after I started blogging that I realized how very much I do like my life.
Wouldn't it be nice if we could all "live next door"? But in a virtual sense, I suppose we do. Thanks for being such a good neighbour, Annie. :)
So glad I've caught up with my blog reading to find this post. I can definitely relate to my blog becoming as multi faceted as myself. Thanks Annie for affirming that this is just natural and not something to worry about.
ReplyDeleteFunnily enough, I've been listening to his book -The Road - and I found it rather hard going. I think it may be the reader, who makes it all seem a bit lifeless and reads it very fast. I think the printed copy might be better.
ReplyDeleteI only heard about him when I discovered that one of the typewriters in my little collection was the same as the one he wrote the novel on...
Popping over via POTMC, and newest follower. Absolutely! You are so right - so interesting where blogging takes us and who we meet along the way :)
ReplyDeleteOh Annie. I loved this post which gorgeous Mel linked to. I completely get it! So beautifully worded - plaudits to you. thanks for linking up with the POTMC. J x
ReplyDelete