It Bears Repeating

Between knitting my own scarves, trying to make a living, trying to raise a granddog Yorkie into the wonderdog I know he can become, monitoring the Red Scarf Fund donations and prizes, monitoring and cheerleading in the many blog spaces and Ravelry spaces with regard to the Red Scarves, answering the many questions that all those things generate, trying to hang onto my good health, and getting ready to take the LSAT (just for the hell of it) on Saturday, I will admit to this: I'm feeling just a bit overwhelmed. I feel like I must sound like a broken record, droning on and on about it all, and because I've written so much about this project over the years, I feel like there can't be yet one more thing I have not said or one more lingering question.

I realize that's because I'm hideously self-centered and I figure that each and every one of you has read, digested, memorized and clung to every word I've ever written in my blog for six years. 

I am reminded daily (hourly!) that to many folks this is an entirely new project, and I am a blogger that they've never heard of as well. Gone are the halcyon days when there were, oh, maybe 100 bloggers, and *I* was one of the newbies, and everyone knew everyone. Now there are 200 million bloggers and 65 and a half trillion people on Ravelry, many of whom have never even heard of a blog, or if they have heard of them, they have negative-2-on-a-scale-of-1-to-10 interest in them. In other words, WE'RE DINOSAURS. I'm reminded of a memory that is a source of repeated belly laughs for me and my friend Leigh, with whom I have attended every New York Sheep & Wool (and a couple of Marylands) for the past six years. 

Two years ago, when Ravelry was in its relative infancy, but it had grown exponentially over the year previous, Sandy, Leigh and I were walking the grounds of Rhinebeck wearing our Ravelry ID badges. People would see the Ravelry buttons and rush up to other people to read their names, "Who are you? Who are you?" "Norma."  "Hm," one person said, looking me in the eye, squinting a bit. "Never heard of you." My friends and I laughed and really rather loved it, because this was an almost 180-degree turnaround to what might have happened to us just the year before. Then it would be, "Oh, Norma! Leigh! Sandy!" 

We had our moment in the sun, and it was eclipsed. We had become passé in just a year or two. It was kind of nice, actually. Much more relaxing a way to spend one's festival. 

But worse (or better?) than the "I've never heard of you" comment was the one that was addressed to Leigh, a little bit later that same day: "Are you someone important?" asked the questioner who had rushed over not to really see Leigh, but to see her nametag and find out if, yes indeed, she was someone IMPORTANT. 

Hello?  

Anyhoo. We can't stop laughing. Let me just share with you: Leigh has a design or two on Knitty. She has a blog that's been around longer than my blog, and has a much bigger subscriber list than mine. The thing is, her life's gotten so busy that she's not updating her blog much anymore. She's moved on. Me, I'm still clinging to it. But yes, indeed, she is important. 

And so are these folks:

 Photo used with permission of Gale Zucker -- Well, at least the first time I used it in a blog post she gave me her permission. I'm quite sure she will this time, too.

If you are new to my blog or new to this project, you might want to read this post. Or if you have been around all along and have digested, memorized and clung to my every word, you might just want to read it again.

And if you have questions about the guidelines, and why there are guidelines or whatnot that are not answered on the Orphan Foundation website, please peruse my Red Scarf blog or my Red Scarf Project category for reams and reams of clear and concise explanations. And the occasional rant. 

That's Gale and me in New Hampshire, on the day we first met, in January of 2007. It was the coldest day of the year (I swear!) and we met two delightful OFA students at one of their colleges, heard their stories, and photographed red scarves. 

 

In internet time, that is approximately 149 years ago. But Gale and I are both still here, plugging the Red Scarf goodness.

Comments

[Lisa]

you are the cutest thing ever! Love those pics!

[Sarah]

Is there anything I can do to help you with your overwhelmed-ness?

[Kathy Anderson]

Not a dinosaur! You are a very cool woman with passion and style. I love reading your blog and always enjoy the well chosen pictures. Sorry you're feeling overwhelmed. Between the season and your many activities it's bound to happen. Hope it passes soon.

[Patty]

It never gets old Norma, never.

[sandy]

You know ( I know this is not the message you were looking for but..) your hair looks MUCH better a bit darker. Youthful and wonderful.
:)
LXLX love ya, from dino to another!

[elizabeth a airhart]

i love you just the way you are

you are not out of step with the times

i like good writeing and haveing fun

this has been a hard year overwhelming

at times i think we are all tired

i use the arts journal web site
full of news and some first rate
bloggers all is not lost

put some big towels in the dryer
get them warm wrap around your neck
you will feel better betcha

[DebbieB]

I'm very glad that no matter how or why the world moves on, I can still have my daily dose of Norma.

Breathe, chica.

[Sara]

I don't think blogs are passe. I still enjoy reading them. I just "discovered" yours last week. You are a hoot, so I will keep coming back, dinosaur or no. I've made a donation to the fund and will stash dive to see if I have any nice red yarn to make a scarf.

[Carole]

Ahhh, the good ole days of blogging. I jumped on the bandwagon just before it really exploded. Still, I'm sort of in the middle. Not an early blogger like you, not a newbie blogger either. Stuck in the middle. Story of my life!

[gayle]

Come on, now, deep breath. And another.
Now stretch to the sky...

You'll knock the LSAT dead.
You've got us all madly knitting red.
We hang on every word you've said.

From one of your digester/memorizer/clingers...

[kathy]

LSAT just for fun. So funny. Sending a beautiful scarf tomorrow....ultra alpaca loveliness.

[Kym]

Thanks for all you do, Norma. You inspire. And, no matter how many new communications "tools" come our way, I can't help but think that people need options when it comes to. . . reading. Sure, "status updates" and "tweets" are the groovy things right now, but many of us crave a deeper connection (shoot, many of us still read the dinosaur-of-all-dinosaurs: the daily newspaper!). And, hey, good luck with that LSAT tomorrow! ;^)

[Mary Fran]

Well, I'm certainly not ready to give up on the blogs. It's part of my morning routine to see what wonderful pictures and posts there are each day. I know I've been reading your blog at least 4 years, maybe longer. I don't really remember when I started.

[Manise]

Great photos! Cracking up at the early parts of your post. So who are you?? Squinting my eyes to get a better look..... Hehehe.

[Manise]

I do miss those early blogging days before it all mushroomed.

[Marcia]

Good luck on the LSAT....you'll do great. You're smarter than most lawyers I know, anyway. Liked the hair shorter and blonde. Had the same two experiences, word for word, but from the same woman who came running up, put her face into my chest to read my Ravelry button, and said "Are you anyone important? Oh, no, never mind, you're nobody." And hustled off, probably looking for you!

[Becky]

You are so pretty!! I've been reading you for a long time (read years) and still look forward to my daily dose of Norma. And somehow, though you try to fool us all, I think you must be awfully sweet.

I recently got back into the country after a 2 month block of my blogs and you helped me get through jetlag with your daily posts. Thank You!!

Good Luck on your test tomorrow!! Have a great weekend!

[gale (she shoots sheep shots)]

Fabulous post. But I'm biased.
Mwah!!
Gale

ps It WAS the coldest day of the year but geez you looked cute.

[jill]

At knit night last night, my friends handed me several scarves with the promise for more next week. I'll post them next weekend. That happened because I wake up every day and read my favorite knit blogs (yours among them). Thanks for your time and humor each day!

[Luise]

A dinosaur? Never. We're not all on whatever today's cutting edge is supposed to be And now that your small furry friend has joined you, your appeal is that much greater. Good luck tomorrow!

[(blogging again) a simple yarn]

Right, so I had put my own blog away, giving it a nice 'we've come full circle' ending. Missed it. Came back. And find that in a matter of a few months (which is, as you say, 543 years in blogdom) it's a rather lack-lustre affair. Might have to pull the plug...

Re the red scarves though, your continual call for action is a good thing, even though you're overwhelmed, it's still a good thing. Because while I couldn't participate this year, it's high on my list for next year. And that's a direct connection to you and your red-scarf-drum-beating.

[Jennifer]

Good luck tomorrow. I have knit a scarf. However, I didn't read ALL the directions (very unlike me) and have knit a bulky one. Now I need to go home and measure the width in the futile hope that it is narrow enough. I fear that it isn't. I feel like rubbish (have been waiting to use that). I don't know if I can knit another one by deadline. Enough of my whining. I am so impressed by your diligence and hard work. Keep it up.

[Rhonda from Baddeck]

Good luck on the LSAT tomorrow. Then you can relax a little - the Red Scarf deadline will undoubtedly bring a flood of scarves (you know how we like to procrastinate). My two will be in the mail this weekend.

[Jean E.]

Good luck on the LSAT. Thanks for your commitment to OFA, I hope we are all able to get those scarves out again this year!

[Doris]

Good luck on the LSAT. I join you in the ranks of the dinosaur. I don't even have a blog (yet), although I did just acquire a domain name....maybe soon?

[marianne]

Ditto what Gayle, Kym,... and Sandy (;^D) wrote! and adding... I don't know how you do all you do withOUT being overwhelmed all the time. I think you're an amazing Woman.
Seriously.Looking at a nametag and asking "Are you someone important?" oh ferfucksake.
MEH to those folks.

[Robby]

I came to your blog kind of late in the game, but must tell you how you've pretty well infected me with a desire to see these kids get a few breaks in life. I am not a 'kid person', but these are really just awesome people without a lot of time on the planet yet. I'm thinking if SIL gets a scarf for her January bday instead of Xmas, I can knit a second scarf. Thanks for championing these kids. Best wishes on the LSAT.

[S.Kate]

I've been reading you since your pink Sophie bags and have progressed from visiting via bookmark to checking for updates via Ravelry's friend's blogs tab. (RSS feed - what's that?)

Take a deep breath, lady, and keep on keeping on! Your energy level is inspiring and because of you I've planted baby lettuce in a barrel and intend to whip up my own yogurt. Please, dinosaur on!

[Carrie]

I like old people.

/runs

[Knitnana]

I'm so glad you're still here...and I love those pics, too!
Good luck on Saturday!
(((hugs)))

[Joannah]

Good, good, good luck tomorrow!

I so appreciate what you've done to raise awareness of the Red Scarf project. I'm a prof-wannabe and am very glad to be able to do something to cheer on students who don't have family support behind them. Now, back to our regularly scheduled knitting program.

[Alison]

Are you someone important? Hell, ya!

Congrats on this impressive Red Scarf Project success - I loved that older post - and good luck on the LSATs.

[Gerri]

Reading a name tag without meeting the person is just a waste of time. I suppose one is only allowed to rant if they have taken the trouble to set up their own blog, so I'll keep it short: a downside of the internet is it's capacity to explode the focus on "it" things, events, people and stuff. Ok, done now.

The reason anything good happens in this old world is that at least one person DOES NOT GIVE UP. Those young people in Gale's pic are going places and thanks to you, they will go there lookin' good and feeling warm. March on!

Good luck on that LSAT and have some fun with it.

[Kirsten]

Please don't ever stop blogging! What would we (okay, I) do without the recipes, the gardening tips, Mr. Jeffries...

And oh yeah, that knitting thing.

(By the way, I think you are INSANE to take the LSAT for fun. You might as well go have a volunatry root canal.)

[Ruth]

thank goodness you are still posting. Love the blog.

[Shannon]

Great post, I love seeing you with the students wearing the scarves. Your blog has definitely inspired me to participate. My 2 scarves will be in the mail soon along w/one from a friend in my knitting group. Good luck on the LSAT!

[Renee]

As always ~ JOB WELL DONE, NORMA!! :)

[Seanna Lea]

Well, I appreciate you answering my inane questions when I am too tired or cannot be bothered to look something up (which is a pet peeve of mine).

I'm starting scarf 3 tonight as soon as I did the appropriate sized needles out.

And typepad eats my comments. I think there is a ninja reason why, but I haven't figured it out yet.

[Connie G.]

Ok, Norma. You hooked me and I've just cast on this afternoon. I had never heard (or should I say really read about) the Red Scarf Project until about a week ago and I applaud your efforts and devotion to this cause. Have to quit writing now and get busy knitting. Wish me luck!

[Carol]

Just keep having fun, right? Right. TGIF.

[Cookie]

Were those pics taken the day you wore my scarf? :D

& Those folks who asked if you were someone important? Bless their little hearts. They are clueless souls who don't know who matters and who does not. They are the ones who read the people we ignore. They are the ones who look for knitting drama, are desperate to seem trendy/cool, and FEAR learning new things. They are (in large part) the ones who make us look bad in front of non-knitters with their name calling and attention whoring and they do not deserve to know you are or how truly amazing you are.

Not that I have an opinion or anything.

xo

[Vicki]

I lost track of all the numbers in this post. For an old dinosaur (in an old photo), though, you look pretty good.

Good pluggin'.

[--Deb]

I kind of regret the trend away from blogs lately--wonderful though Ravelry is, it's not the same. I love blogs (like yours) because I get to not only see what you're up to with pictures (which Ravelry can do, also), but hear your descriptions as well. The message boards and such scattered around the internet just don't compare to a site with one, clear, strong voice.

If that makes us dinosaurs, so be it.... Just so long as the sky doesn't fall!

[Holly]

I declare that anyone who has not heard of Norma is OFFICIALLY not cool. So there!

[Mary R]

Good Luck tomorrow!
On another note, I mailed off my red scarf yesterday!!! Happy to be done in plenty of time. I'd like to do another, but the next week or so is crazy busy so I think I'd just stress myself out trying to finish.
I'm glad I finished one, at least.

[Lucia]

Well, yes, as a matter of fact I do hang on your every word. Not for quite six years, but it's been a good while.

(I missed the Jar of Hope, though. I might have to get some of that stuff.)