I started this blog five years ago. Five years. Oh my! That's a long time. I've met a lot of friends through blogging who have changed my life in both subtle and substantial ways. It's amazing how much inspiration and influence can come from people I've never met in person, yet whom I've spent countless hours with online.
I've changed in these five years. I married my college sweetheart, earned a graduate degree, found a career, discovered a love of knitting, bought a house, planted gardens, baked countless cakes, and became a mother to the most wonderful little boy.
As much as I've changed, it's funny to look back and see how I've remained the same. I started this blog with a quote from "Apples and Oranges," a short story by Alice Munro: "The list of things that Barbara doesn't want to do is as long as your arm. Apparently she wants to do what she does--read, and go for walks, eat and drink with pleasure, tolerate some company." I planned to write this blog as long as it was something I wanted to do.
I've been wrestling with what to do here on field wonderful. I love writing and crafting, sharing my life with you, and reading about yours. But I've been feeling uninspired lately. It's hard to find time to write here while taking care of a toddler all day and working at night.
A couple weeks ago I wrote a post to quit my blog. It was a fond farewell, but it also felt like I was breaking up with someone I still loved. I hit the save button and wanted to cry.
I lived with the idea of seriously ending my blog for a few days before deciding that field wonderful is still a place I want to be, still a place I want to come together and share with you all, but that I want it to change to fit me. I want to give myself the time and space to sit down and be creative here.
The blogs I love are the ones where writers share their personal narratives. I want to get to know people through their words in addition to their photos, which is why I shy away from other social media platforms. I know, I know, I feel like a Luddite saying all this. Deep down I'm an old lady stuck in her ways. Maybe I just need to collect addresses and send each of you a nice handwritten letter. To hell with all these screens.
In the end, I decided to take a little time away and return refreshed and ready to write.
But before I go, let's have a giveaway. Shall we? Oh yes. To celebrate the time I've spent writing this blog and the time you've spent reading it, I have a small giveaway for you. It's a skein of Shetland wool yarn from Ballyhoo Farm that's made from the fleeces of a mother and daughter sheep: Thistle and Shamrock. It's 250 yards of worsted weight and smells wonderfully sheepy, if you like that sort of thing (I do!).
To win, simply leave a comment on this post telling me your thoughts on blogging. Why do you read blogs? Why do you write a blog (if you do)? Make sure I have a way of contacting you if you win.
The contest is open to anyone. I'll ship to the far reaches of the world if that's where the winner lives. I'll close the contest on June 14, 2014.
Be well, my friends, and thank you so much for reading!
I do hope your hiatus is not a permanent one! I've greatly whittled down my blog reading in the last few years...as much as I loved reading the words of talented mamas, I just didn't want to spend so much time in front of the computer. But, I've kept a select few that I still frequent. Like you, I like the personal narrative. I like the little peek into someone else's world. I find it inspiring and comforting. Like I'm not quite so alone in this great big ol' world. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm commenting to say that drawing a breath on your blog is admirable, I love what you have shared before and will be here whenever you feel like sharing again. I enjoy the blogs that feel real more than any others and with a busy life I don't know how bloggers share with such regularity. I read as part of taking a break from my everyday and to see how others from around the world spend theirs. I hope you enjoy whatever you choose to do away from here, take care x
ReplyDeleteI read blogs while I nurse my son. I like the stories people tell and I get inspired by what they are creating. I just started blogging recently and it is very time consuming. I'll enjoy reading when you have time to write.
ReplyDeleteThat yarn does look like such squishy goodness! :)
ReplyDeleteI read blogs as a source of inspiration for my knitting, to see what other people are doing, to see what patterns and yarns are recommended by others. Especially as I didn't know many knitters when I first started, so it was nice to feel like part of the knitting community. I've had my own blog for about a year now, and although I don't have many readers, it is nice personally as it gives me a chance to practice my photography and also to reflect on what I've created. It can be so easy to just finish a project, but blogging makes me think more about the process and the journey with the creation :-)
I've recently found your blog, but I have enjoyed what I've read so far, and look forward to future posts, whenever that may be :-)
I read blogs that share my interests and for different ideas.
ReplyDeleteHow thoughtful of you to host such a fun giveaway. I read blogs for the company and for inspiration. I live in the middle of 'nowhere' and have no neighbors so blogs for me are visits with friends I have made around the world.
ReplyDeleteI love reading about what's going on in their world and I have been inspired by the talent of so many others, I have tried new recipes, painted pictures, learned to take photos and to knit, make lotion, buttons, planted new to me plants and well, the list goes on. Blogs just make my world a little brighter.
I read blogs because of differing interests. They are not all knitting or yarn blogs but I read those that also have a health issues like I do and I also read those that are interested in certain styles and then also homemaking and life in general.
ReplyDeleteI love reading blogs for many of the reasons you mentioned - you get to know someone through their words and photos. Often I find a blog I like due to the content (knitting, cooking, beauty), but end up visiting it regularly because I find the blogger so interesting. Glad to hear you're not giving it up yet.
ReplyDeleteI read blogs for inspiration and to learn! I have kept a blog in the past but it's so much work. I have the utmost respect for those who keep up with theirs!
ReplyDeleteI read only kntting blogs or blogs pertaining to my religion. I read them while eating breakfast, it gets me ready for the day. I love immersing in other peoples world and it helps me remember how similar we all are no matter where we are from. You should blog the same as you should knit, when you want, how you want, what you want. You dont have to give it up if you want to post now and then, just do what makes you happy!
ReplyDeleteHappy anniversary! 5 yrs is like 50 in blog land. I blog to let the part of me that is neither mother nor wife speak, play and think. I also blog to celebrate and honour what I make. I read blogs to feel I am not alone in this. It is hard to find the space with little ones...I couldn't begin a blog until my youngest was 3. It was just too 'on' all the time. I too only blog...I like the context it gives.
ReplyDeleteHi there! I've gone through dry periods with my blog too. I never wanted it to be something I felt forced to do because I knew it would lose its magic. I am mostly drawn to blogs that are family blogs with lots of photos, narrative, and, of course, craftiness. I think it is very wise that you are taking a little break. I've done that before. I think you'll come back feeling refreshed and reinspired. It's funny how much you can think of to post about when you don't feel forced to do so. That's what I have found anyway!
ReplyDeleteBlogs can become almost a full-time job along with guilt if you don't blog regularly. It's always tough but brings a lot of good things with meeting new people. I totally understand a hiatus but hope you won't be gone long - you'll always have days when you think "oh, I want to share that..." and you just don't make it to the computer. I'm a fairly new knitter over the last 3+ years so I love blogs for the learning aspect, ideas and inspiration as well. I think I've been reading knitting blogs for 10 years and actually knitting for 3 years. It's an obsession now so I'm always wanting to learn from the experts. I've bought more yarn after reading blog posts than ever before too. Enjoy your time off & gets lots of fun things accomplished.
ReplyDeleteI read blogs to find out who's knitting what. I write a blog because I want to record what I have knit and, sometimes, events that have happened in my life. But mostly I just blog about what I am knitting.
ReplyDeleteI read blogs to find out what other people are doing with their lives. I focus on blogs the center on creative endeavors - especially knitting - and I enjoy getting to know the writer. So much happens in life that it is important to take breaks, reflect and continue to grow. I do hope that you continue with your blog.
ReplyDeleteBordergirl on Ravelry
I enjoy reading blogs for inspiration and ideas. I also like to learn about how others approach life. knitterofhats on Rav.
ReplyDeletei like spending some time online and reading blogs because I find so many creative ideas! I've gotten so many recipes and craft ideas from bloggers it would be crazy not to read their stories!
ReplyDeletedtdady at gmail dot com
I agree! I love reading blogs for inspiration, encouragement and ideas!
ReplyDeleteI enjoy reading blogs because I love hearing about the lives of others and how they handle daily stresses, try new things, and go about life as happy as they can. It gives me inspiration to try new projects and helps me find new solutions to real-life issues that I may be facing. I love blogging, though I don't have nearly enough time to blog, because it gives me an outlet. I love to share my projects, experiences, and journey through life. It also gives me a nice archive to look back on and see how far I've come.
ReplyDeleteAwww. This post makes me sad, but I can understand the lost feeling. Sometimes I personally feel like I'm floating out in space.
ReplyDeleteYou asked very good questions. I read blogs to connect to others who share a love for a hobby that I adore - knitting and reading mostly. For me it's fun to see every day life through the eyes of others. I feel like I'm walking a bit of that mile in her shoes.
I personally write because I wanted to put myself out there more. I was shy in the past and can so involved in my family life that I don't make time for others. So I started out with a private ohana blog. Then I wanted to take it up a notch. So I started blogging publically about my knitting. Then I started sharing about my ohana and personal life.
I'm in an uninspired place with my blog right now, too. I've always been torn with blogging ever since the beginning. Sometimes I feel if I had really put my mind to it, I might have had a more successful streamline craft blog with fancy tutorials and sponsors and that but in the end, I like having a small space to share the little joys that make up my everyday. I do hope to blog more regularly in the future again---I just like the medium. It's like keeping a journal for friends to read.
ReplyDeleteSince I don't spend so much time reading blogs anymore either (or in front of the computer in general), when I take the time to catch up, I make sure I focus on the ones with real people behind them, people I care about, people who inspire me. Your blog is one of those.
I'm sad to see you go and hope this break helps you reach a comfortable place with your blogging. Thank you so much for you generosity with the giveaway. Looks like dreamy yarn!
I love reading blogs to see the creativity in others. I love to see what people are working on and what they are thinking and doing. it's a nice "get-away".(sgagne68@comcast.net)
ReplyDeleteI love getting other people's stories and mooching off their creativity to get inspired! melissa@theallgeiers.com
ReplyDeleteI know it's past the contest deadline, and that all right with me...I've been uninspired to write/read much lately, but I'm glad I stopped by. I write my blog to make notes of what is happening in my life so I don't forget years later when children ask. I have a habit of forgetting the mundane, realizing later how much I should treasure the in and outs of life, the plateaus as well as the hills and valleys. I enjoy reading your blog because of the creativity you elicit through your projects and your story references. If one day you decide to close the blog, I hope somewhere on your list of to-do's is a handwritten note to me. Because, after all, what really makes us smile when receiving mail these days?
ReplyDeleteThose are the exact reasons I read blogs (and hate reality TV): to connect with other like-minded people, to learn new skills or share in familiar lifestyles, or to live vicariously. Your struggle on what to post has only just started whispering to me, too. My first every blog was on LiveJournal (anyone remember those days?) back in junior high school. Then I moved over to Xanga for the longest time (2002? to 2010?), blogging about whatever was going on in my life, and slowly posting content worth reading (garden notes, lists of life hacks I'd learned). I started my blog most recent blog to follow my crafting and showcase items for my Etsy shop but how can you only write about one aspect of your life when all aspects (gardening, personal philosophy, and now parent) inspire & influence you? To that thought, I would say blog about what moves you that moment -- I know I love reading anything you write and love hearing about what's going on in your life/mind, no matter what the topic is. :)
ReplyDeletePS - I obviously don't keep up as well on my blogging either, but as I've told other friends who contemplate shutting their blog down simply because they don't have the time at present: Why shut something down that is a great archive of memories & knowledge? Best to leave it in limbo because you can always come back and start blogging again when you have the time. Technology today allows your followers to find you again when you are ready to revisit this corner. :)