So here I am hawking my latest new addiction, another sort of social internet site to try and keep up with. I have Facebook (which I neglect terribly) and my own email accounts, which maybe get cleared out weekly, and Ravelry (I am on it a lot but not really keeping up very well with my own notebook let alone my friends), and Blogger (I have gone for months without updating). Not to mention other people's blogs, and sites and digests, and lists and stuff. Of course this is on top of work, where I use about 8 different web-based applications for 10 hours a day (all with separate passwords that expire with different frequency).

  There are now so many accounts, subscriptions, applications, and freaking passwords to keep up with, it's enough to make my head spin. For example: yesterday I updated my email password. I then go to my iphone settings and try to update my email passwords there so they will talk to each other. And: GASP!!! it wouldn't save the new email password! And then I panicked. Frantically trying to save it over and over. i sent myself test emails. They were stuck in my outbox. I went back to my email account on my PC, tried again. Back to my iphone. Back and forth. This went on for a frantic 45 minutes before I finally gave up and went on to other things. Somehow it was magically resolved when I woke up this morning. But before that all I could think of was all those lovely pics of the grandkids, forever trapped on my phone... Well,  at least until the next time I sync it. I have a hard time keeping up with that too, syncing, I mean. Not to mention the fact that my daughter uses my PC to sync her iphone, so now each time it thinks we are syncing the other's iphone and we end up with each others contacts, pictures, apps, etc!

Deep breath. There that's better... Ahhhh...now time for me to wax nostalgic. Consider yourself warned.

Remember the good old days when all you had to keep up with was Myspace? It was great, You could rearrange your layout, pictures, font, videos, lists of stuff, music, colors, backgrounds, post your thoughts, rearrange everything according to your whims, moods, or needs. You could thumb your nose at people, greet people, stalk people, fight with people, or shock them, or just post a bunch of blabbing that was of interest to yourself.  Then Facebook came along and edged out Myspace. I liked the way you could change the appearance of your Myspace site better. But everyone who is anyone is on Facebook. So, I am too.  Even my brother is on Facebook. And I think he just got his first cell phone. I am sure I haven't begun to explore all Facebook has to offer. "Enlisting" in Facebook is practically a law. People get kind of irate when you can't keep up with them.  Facebook seems to inundate me with people to like and things to comment on, and pictures to post, etc etc etc, but it's okay. Of course I neglect my blog, except for today, but there again I can make it my own. Kind of. I could make all this even more my own if I just made the time to research and evaluate these things. I need to research other possibilities for my blog.

So now as if all of that wasn't enough for the average person, for your following pleasure, I give you:  Pinterest! I saw references to it repeatedly on sewing and crafting blogs I follow.  So, finally I looked at it. It piqued my interest. Naturally, I scrounged for an invite to join and a little while later...yesterday, to be exact, VIOLA! In less than 24 hours I am hooked! I only have a few boards going so far, but its insidiously addicting. The first time I logged into it, it appeared I am following about a thousand unknown people and it scared me, but that was just Pinterest's home page. Now I am captain of my own fate, my own boards and my own pins. I haven't even scratched the surface of what's on there and already feel the need to add my own collection of crap, sort of a web version of interest exhibitionism. Why do I feel the need to share with the whole world, or at least everyone on Pinterest who may care to look, all of my knitting projects to date? Well, to be fair, not all of them, just my fav's. I have Ravelry for that don't I? But Pinterest lets you create multiple boards, not just for one subject. I will have a sewing project board, and a writing board, an art board, etc. All in good time.
Check it out: gramanana1 on pinterest

Eventually, I am going to delve into monetizing my blog. Not that I have any followers, mind you, but just in case, hey, i might someday. Don't laugh. Maybe. I mean I won't quit my day job (at least not yet, chuckle chuckle) but I have lots of knitting and sewing related sites that I want to share and if any passerby happens to click a link-- BOING! I'll get a few cents. Can't hurt. I, mean, can it? Probably. But let's not think of that now.

After I conquer my blog, I may get brave enough to delve into the cloud, or as I think of it, the "icloud" or perhaps the "eyecloud". I haven't created my account yet. I very nearly did create my cloud account yesterday, then I had the email incident and then conspiracy theories flashed before my eyes, and I chickened out at the last minute. I have an iphone so of course every government entity and criminal already can probably track my every move, not that anyone would be interested in an average Joe like myself. Still, its a sobering thought, and yet I am as addicted to this new technology as I am apprehensive. Ya gotta stay connected, right? Am I right?

Having said all of this, here is what I think about privacy vs the Internet. To me the Internet is inherently not private. Isn't that why we are all here? But on the other hand, I would no more give my employer my Facebook password than fly to the moon. Why? Because if they want to know as much about me as they have a right to, they can look for my account just like everyone else who wants to spy on me. But my passwords? Nobody gets my password. If you use your work computer to get on Facebook, there might be an argument in the employer's favor. But all I really have to say is, if my employer wants to know the real me, they won't get it off my facebook account anyway. They will have to look on Pinterest.

Wow! It has been forever since I have written here. Isn't it crazy, I mostly remember to read other's blogs in relation only to crafting (knitting and sewing).  I tend to ramble once I am faced with the blank page. Otherwise I can think of many things to say.

I have gotten back into sewing again. In fact, I will be "hitting the machine" again as soon as I have finished with this. Sewing is an ongoing thing. I have a goal for myself for the rest of this year. To sew one new item for myself per pay period along with, knitting one new thing for myself per month (sometimes will be little things, sometimes big projects), and all of this is regardless of whatever else I am knitting. So i had better get on it. This week I currently have on the needles a hooded raglan sweater for Riley. I only have 8 rows left of ribbing and the body will be finished. Then just the sleeves and hood. It is adorable. Erin gave me a ball of really pretty RHSS in Banana Berry so I of course am knitting something for her son out of it! Just had to. And a bunny. I am going to knit a soft cuddly bunny for Riley.
Trin is going to get a "twirley skirt" later on in April, not for Easter, just for everyday.

I am planning on knitting myself a cardigan next, long sleeves and longish black to wear with everything. After that a twinset for myself made from a TBD cardigan and the Essential Tank Pattern by Wendy Bernard in her book Custom Knits.

I mostly want to remind myself and any dear readers out there, that this year's Worldwide Knit In Public Week is June 9th through 17th. I plan to go sit in a park somewhere and knit. And then go to a coffee shop and knit. Knit something for me.

I am celebrating my entry into the world of being crafty and green. I am celebrating my new found confidence to use my own hand made items. I am making it a goal to use or wear something I have made for myself EVERY day. Even if its just a dish scrubby, or a felted bag, or a knitted iphone cozy, or my latest sewn skirt of the week. Since I have gotten brave enough to wear my creations at least a few times a week I have discovered the joy of knowing I have done a good job on making my own creations. How much more fun, then, to hear others compliments on my crafty products.  It sort of "seals the deal" for me.