5 years ago today, I started this blog. Looking back on it is a bit strange... it's like a timeline of my life... in yarn. Sure, lots of other stuff has happened to me, but much like last year's SIAC projects, I can pick out the different phases of my life in the last 5 years and many of the projects bring back memories tied to them and the people for whom they were intended.
5 years is both a long time and a short time. I'm still in grad school (but not for long, suckas!) but yet I also met, and married, the love of my life in that period. I have more than 200 projects (211 to be exact) in my Ravelry notebook, and I'm sure there are a few that didn't make it on there, especially since I actually joined Ravelry a few months after starting this blog. This will be post 550 on the blog (just a coincidence, that).
I like blogging. I'm not sure how relevant my little knit-blog is to the world, but it's fun and affords more space for me to talk about my projects in a way I somehow don't see as appropriate in the ravelry notebook space. I like blogging so much that I recently started a new blog: Bikram, begin again to document my progress in yoga. Last October I decided that I was putting off feeling healthy and happy to work on the thesis, but that if I wasn't healthy and happy my work was suffering for it. It's one of the vicious cycles of grad school: you don't think you should do things that make you feel good because you think you should be solely focusing on work... but solely focusing on work is not healthy or happy and eventually the whole thing just falls apart on you. So taking the time out of my day a few times a week to do something I a) love and b) makes me feel better mentally, emotionally and physically is actually helping my work, not hindering it. Sort of like knitting while I read, I guess!
Anyway, if you've gotten this far, here's the deal: to celebrate my 5 year blogiversary there will be prizes! To enter, comment on this post with answers to the following 2 questions:
1. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? (Knitting, life, love, whatever)
2. If you could suggest a rename for this blog, what would it be and why?
As for me, in 5 years I'm pretty sure I'll still be knitting, I really hope I'll still be practicing yoga, and with any luck, holding down the elusive tenure-track job. As for the rename, well, as I mentioned before, the grad school thing won't last forever... in fact, I'm getting close to the point where I can confidently say it should be over much sooner, rather than later. So I think that it's time to start considering a graduation of sorts for my blog and my ravelry persona. Something that encompasses not just my love of knitting but perhaps a mishmash of the other aspects of my life as well. One day, perhaps I'll incorporate Bikram, begin again and a knitting blog into one... we shall see.
But really, let's face it. You're still here because you want to know what the prizes are:
First place (for best answers, as deemed by myself and perhaps DH, if I need some help deciding) will get one skein of Neighborhood Fiber Co's studio sock in "Thomas Circle". I bought two with the idea that I would make some kind of striped sweater but I don't really think I have enough. I do have enough for socks though, even out of one, or perhaps a small shawl? In any case, I think the other will be put to good use by one of you good people.
Two more commenters will be chosen at random and I'll gift them the paid-for ravelry pattern of their choice.
Comments will be open on this post from now (Jan 18, 7:30-ish AM) until the end of the weekend (Jan 22nd, midnight-ish). Please make sure you leave your ravelry name in your comment so I can contact you!
OK, that's it, commence commenting!
9 comments:
Funny, I actually just did a little last 4-years of my life review too. 4 years ago I didn't even know how to knit! It's hard to say where I'll be in 5 years…maybe still in Madrid, maybe in Chicago…maybe somewhere else entirely. I hope by then I'll have a more clear career path, whether I stay with the yoga thing, photography, or go back to what I actually have a Masters in. And if all goes according to plans (though the best laid plans of mice & men…), we'll have a kid or two by then. Which may mean I'll be knitting way less--haha!
That said, I really do hope the yoga studio here is successful. I'm just not clear I still want to be living here in 5 years, which makes it complicated/confusing.
Suggestions for another blog name: offhand, maybe "My Life in Yarn", since you mention how even though you don't often blog about other stuff, the different yarn/projects throughout the years help mark different events in your life.
I'll keep musing on the other blog title thing, though, and let you know if I think of anything else worth considering. And I think you know my rav name…and have lots of ways to contact me.
Happy 5 years! That's amazing!
I have no idea where I'll be in 5 years, and I think that's okay. It might be grad school, it might be working, it might be on a farm. It probably will include knitting, and writing, but other than that. IDK! Let's say I hope it includes some kind of income, some sort of romance, and enough time on the side to do things that I love.
As for a rename, I can't say I've ever been good at titling things. I'll just leave that one there. :P
1) Hopefully I'll be jetting back and forth between Cairo, Egypt and NYC. I would love to be in a loving relationship. Work-wise I would hope to have set up my nonprofit which would focus on education/empowering women. Also, I would hope to be designing more as I'm about to release my first pattern.
2) I would keep your name! Why? You may no longer be in formal education you still are in school of sorts. I am sure you have kept your love of learning and want to keep it for the next 5 or 50 years.
1) In five years, I will hopefully be in a tenure track position... I will definitely still be knitting, reading, and thinking, even if I'm not doing those things on the tenure track.
2) I love the name you have! If you change it, you should still incorporate aspects of your career. Honestly, I started subscribing to this blog in my Google Reader because of the title. I like reading about other knitters who are also in grad school. I feel less alone!
Congratulations on 5 years! That is quite an achievement!
Life changes so fast these days that it seems hard to imagine what I'll be up to in five more years, but I hope to be finished with my degree, dissertation and all, and I would love for my husband and I to have finally started our family.
For your blog name, I agree with other commenters that you shouldn't change it up too much. It's how we know you! If you want to update it, maybe you could still stick with some reference to academic life.
I think you know how to reach me, but I'm silkworm77 on rav just in case.
Happy Blogiversary!
Happy blog-aversary! :)
Man, in five years I hope to have a job. I hope it's in the museum/library field. I might be back in school (again) for some archival degree within five years, depending on work. I hope to have a kid or two within five years as well. Living somewhere a bit more suited to us... I'm trying not to get ahead of myself though, lol. :)
For your name, I'd try to incorporate your profession into it somewhat, like you did with the grad school thing. I'm not good at names though... lol My blog is not at all creatively titled!
My rav is nzfriend
I'm at the other end of the career spectrum... In five years, I'll be retired from my career in education which included several years of teaching followed by work -which I loved - as an academic advisor at a 4 yr. public institution. At that point, I hope to be doing A LOT of knitting for my sons, their wives and - maybe - lots of grandchildren. Right now there's just one grandson.
For a new name for your blog, how about "Academic Knitter," or "Knitting in Academia," or "Knitting in the Academy."
OOPS! forgot to tell you how to reach me. I am suelknits on ravelry.
Ha! I was already going to leave a comment saying "YAY! 5 years!" and how I liked this post, but then you introduced the bribe and now I feel cheap. That, however, will not prevent me from saying:
1) This is awesome, because you made me think about the last 5 years. Which in general were rough but awesome, because I think that's what our late 20s are for. In 5 years? I'd like to have put into action some of the things I've been figuring out. I'd like to have written a lot, and formed some more loving, fun relationships, and be reasonably fit and healthy. And adopt a yak. :)
2) Well you could keep the same and go DraTejedora or something. Or you could do something not related to work. The yoga thing actually seems like a big part of you, so I suggest something stupid like HotKnitting. That will get you a lot of traffic, anyway.
PS My senator changed his stance on SOPA, all because I emailed him. Yes!
PPS I'm whitekl on rav. Because unlike you I'm creative. Ha!
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