I should probably translate that for any non-Brits! Chuffed means pleased. In the last week, I have had three private messages on Ravelry  from Clare at bobwilson123. The requests were to show my project photos on her pattern  pages – for my Granny Slippers, Jacob’s Ladder hat, and crocheted pumpkin. I know she’s just a regular gal like me, but I respect her for her huge success with her video tutorials (which I’m sure she never anticipated back at the beginning). When I first discovered her You Tube channel, I mentioned her on this very blog and was amazed that she had 10,000 views on one of her videos. Well, I later discovered that some of her videos are getting more like 250,000 hits!!! Whenever anyone on Ravelry is asking for help, I regularly recommend her tutorials. 

I don’t know if I’m extra fussy, or weird, or if it’s a normal thing, but if I’m watching a tutorial I can be easily distracted by the voice, accent or technique of the person involved. I know that the Moogly videos are really helpful too, but she holds her hook like a pencil (unlike me) and when I viewed her tutorial for crocodile stitch the other day I was watching her attempt two or three times to catch the yarn with her hook on almost every stitch  and my thought was that there’s a lot of wasted effort there. I, like Clare, hold my hook in my hand with the handle inside my palm, and that works for me (I know, everyone is different). 

I’m the same with podcasts. I tried getting into them years ago but just couldn’t get hooked (ha ha, pun). Too much potential for distractions from the content. 

It’s the same with blogs, I suppose – content is important, but so is presentation. I know my photos are pretty basic (I use my iPad for convenience and I’ve been meaning to make a light box for years) and I do appreciate beautiful photos on other blogs. A reasonable command of the English language is a must for me – I inherited a pedantic attitude towards good grammar and spelling from my father (my sister’s  the same, and she gets paid to edit at work). 

This is in danger of turning into an essay about the demise of the English language, so I’ll stop here and say that I did actually make progress on the hooded cowl last night and am nearly up to the casting off part for the hood. No photo tonight. It’s been a long day, and if the cut on my finger doesn’t get in the way I might actually knit a few stitches before bed. 

Work tomorrow – because of the way the scheduling worked out, I will have worked four days out of the last six – but next week I’m only slated to work one day, and then I will be taking two weeks off to recuperate from my ear surgery. I’m ready with a new file to fill with paperwork and a new notebook to fill with recipes, and yarn on the way and……. let’s just say I won’t be bored. 

UPDATE! I opened up my iPad this morning to find four more requests to feature my project photos on Clare’s pattern pages. Obviously I have crocheted up a LOT of her designs!