So how was last week? Do tell me what you’ve been up to!
I made some progress on my ruminations and made a few changes. There’s too much to say and also not a whole bunch to report.
For example, I have left Pinterest. I have several reasons for making this decision and they are all the right choices for me. You might decide otherwise, and that’s just fine. First, I wasn’t getting much out of it. I pinned things and almost never revisited my own pins. When I did look at my own boards, I didn’t find it very inspiring; it was both saddening and daunting. Second, I was pinning the artsy-craftsy stuff that I pinned to help some super talented folks get some more exposure. However, I wasn’t totally aware of how the action of pinning affected the copyrights of the photos of those I pinned without permission. Reading the terms of service in some detail made me reconsider my use of the site overall.
All in all, I find that my thinking is less segmented with one fewer site to update and keep up with. So I shall continue to streamline. I am looking to strengthen relationships, make my actions more efficient, and figure out what happens next.
Next for me here at home is some sewing. Definitely the Give a F*ck project is moving along. And I just started a new scrappy project using some Oakshott shot cotton scraps shared with me by Lynne. I love love love the colors and the feel of the fabric. Will definitely be indulging myself with more of this stuff.
Oh, and of course there’s stuff going on with yarn. And stuff.
Someday I will stop with the blankets. Maybe.
I’m proud of you – as always. I’ve found Pinterest invaluable for my meal plainning and learning to love to cook.
What have I been up to? Collecting boring points!!! :)
Keep enjoying your break – you deserve it! I closed my Pinterest site mainly because I just wasn’t using it, and also because I wasn’t aware of the copyright issues, and once I found out, I decided to take my boards down. Have to say, I was getting a lot of hits from one of my quilts that you pinned, so thank you! I’m sure I will continue to get hits as it was repinned a bit. Had a conversation with a younger work colleague, and their view about copyright was so different from mine – a bit scary, I have to say! But then, I grew up in a very different time.
I like pinterest for kid ideas but really that’s it. I find flickr much more inspiring for quilting and crafty ideas.
Good job taking care of you!
I felt the same as well…
I use my Pinterest. I only pin things I think I’ll use and I revisit mine ALL THE TIME, so it’s worth it for me. As a matter of fact, I learned how to do a side knot in my hair for my friend’s wedding on Saturday AND this week’s meal plan came entirely from Pinterest! I can totally understand and appreciate you shutting it down, though. Kudos for going cold turkey!
I have been working away at my Farmer’s Wife in Your Life project. It’s SO time consuming, but I’m really liking the outcome. Can’t wait to show everyone!!
Been lurking for a while (via Serena) but what you say about Pinterest strikes a chord. I joined and left for exactly the same reasons as you; hadn’t really thought through the copyright implications. Like you, now I find it’s just one less thing to have to make room for. And in any case I prefer flickr. Enjoy your break – coincidentally, I’m doing the same this week.
I’m beginning to wonder why I still have a Pinterest account also – after that initial burst of pinning I never use the damn thing. Plus, I also think it’s a HUGE time waster.
The articles you tweeted re: Pinterest have definitely given me a lot of thoughts on whether or not it’s a service I want to keep using. I enjoy the idea of being able to go back and look at photos that inspire me, but there has to be a better way to do that, I think.
I also remain deeply impressed by your lovely crochet blankets.
I agree on the shady ownership of the rights of material on pintrest. I ditched pintrest and started using Evernote as my digital memory for recipes.
Keep on making those blankets :)
Oh dear – I never read the terms of service closely at all – the TOS are way at odds with the way they suggest people use the site (not for self-promotion – so they suggest linking to others’ photos). Very concerned about that – I have really enjoyed the visual bookmarking (though I realize it’s not the only service out there). Will be reading the TOS at other visual bookmarking sites…wish pinterest had a way to export my links.
Crap, I love Pinterest as a reference tool linking me back to the original creator. But I do understand if some do not want their images pinned. I’m happy to comply. I guess if Pinterest were to go away I might get some stuff done.
still loving Pinterest – I go back and visit my inspirations often. I always link back to the original so I can read about it in context. I have some Oakshotts from when I visited England and yes, they are fabulous.
I’m about ready to give up my own Pinterest account as well. I’ve found some really awesome recipes and ideas on there, but quite frankly it’s not much different than just doing a Google search for whatever I’m looking for.
And looking at the amount of project ideas I have pinned (66 pins on just one board alone) is overwhelming. I know I won’t get around to everything, but looking at it makes me feel like I have a giant ‘to do’ list staring me down. Not to mention the sheer volume of time I piss away by looking at pins from others when I could be actually tackling my project list.
Oh please don’t! (the blankets I mean).
Heh. I deleted my Pinterest account because of the daunting thing—my problem (in craft and in life) is that I already get too enthusiastic about too many project ideas, so I need tools to restrict my view and rein myself in, not tools to inspire more new projects. Then I read a bunch of deeply obnoxious articles about the site, the main point of which was that it couldn’t be a useful social networking tool because ladies use it for their lady projects like wedding planning and home decor, and the site design is all pastel anyway so clearly it is some useless girl shit, and I got weirdly defensive about its potential usefulness and considered going back, haha. But no.
I had a week of leaping between knitting projects, which culminated in starting a bright orange cardigan.
No! Never stop with the blankets! I decided last week after reading the copyright info that Pinterest wasn’t for me. I love the idea, and if they weren’t asking for permission to SELL people’s photographs, I’d be all over it.
Worked all day yesterday on my green Bob quilt! Have to sew the sections together and buy batting and backing and it’ll be done! Thanks for a great pattern!
I never joined pinterest. It just seemed like something I’d enjoy too much. I deleted my reader and am adding slowly back to it, but am trying to keep in mind that I want to cultivate real relationships–not be barraged with inspiration I don’t need.
Working on my bee blocks! I haven’t fully decided if I love or hate the color scheme I chose for my month. That’s the trouble with my late night sewing.
I applaud your decision about pinterest. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with all of the options on the internet for connecting to people and things. In an attempt to simplify my life I’ve tried not to get started on the latest greatest new thing out there. I joined pinterest (not at all sure why) and then never went back to look at it again.
Have a good week C :D
I’ve pruned my reader quite a bit since my “too much inspiration” post and have reached a pleasant pace again. It’s always so refreshing to adjust.
I seem to have a different view on Pinterest from everyone else… I use it to pin tutorials and inspiration, but I don’t pin any artwork (as it’s not my thing). I can’t see the harm in pinning a picture of someone’s pouch or stuffy for example?
Never enough wool blankets…
A lot of Etsy sellers are mad at Pinterest because people post pics of their items under “DIY.” The sellers feel – rightly or wrongly – that this translates to, “Here, everybody – don’t buy this from this Etsy seller, just make it yourself.”
I made a similar decision to delete my pinterest account, and for very similar reasons. I was using it occasionally, but it felt like one more thing I had to keep up with. After the blog posts started about their terms of service, it just seemed like one more con. So, I quit. I feel good about that.
Don’t stop blanketing! I love what you’re doing with the Oakshots, too!
I recently joined pinterest but I haven’t used it much. Too busy doing other things.
Have I told you how much I love coming to your blog?! Reading what you have to say always makes me think about things in a different way. I am so bad about leaving comments on the blogs I read, but I am trying to be better. I can’t wait to see how the F project is coming.
I’m a little shamefaced to say that I never read the terms of service for Pinterest, maybe I better do that. That being said, I mostly pin pictures that link back to tutorials or very gorgeous quilts that I just enjoy looking at. This is the only way I’ll ever be able to keep track of the tutorials that I want to do. I use it as a virtual bulletin board, for projects, for lovely pictures, for inspiring items. I don’t pin a lot of junk & always leave the original link intact. I don’t follow a lot of people & don’t particularly want a lot of people following me. This is my bulletin board, for my use & benefit, but I will check it out more closely. Thanks for the heads up. I’ve been curious about the Oakshot cottons, I know Kaffe does some & they are lovely. I’ll be watching to see what you come up with.
i am proud of you for deleting! i think that any way we can simplify our lives it is the way to go. i use it mostly for recipes and pretty quilts… i can’t break from it yet… i have on the other hand trimmed down my google reader. it was a weight off my shoulders, silly i know.
Winnowing down is a good thing. I went great guns on Pinterest for a while, but it’s starting to feel like just another damn thing I need to do and who needs that? Same with Facebook. Less but better–that’s my mantra.
Hmm…those quilt blocks remind me of the quilt pattern I have ready to begin, if I ever retire! :)
But your fabrics are nicer than my scraps!
I finally gave in and tried Pinterest, but I don’t seem to get it. I can’t say I really use it all that much and I have wondered how long it will last. It just seems to be full of pretty pictures and I don’t really have that much interest in looking at it for long.
I have found Pinterest to be very useful for me as I branch out past quilting and knitting to other crafts- like crochet and sewing things other than quilts. There have been many wonderful tutorials and free stitch patterns that have helped me out. (Did the edging on my first crochet afghan from a tutorial I pinned…) I’ve been very careful to pin back to the original source, not just random google images, etc. But I know that I am in the minority. I plan to stay, but I do see why others are leaving.
I’m a little behind the times…Jacey and I were talking about issues regarding copyright on Pinterest just today. I’ve looked at some of the articles and will likely end up deleting my account in the near future. I have found it to be very useful (although I don’t use it like most folks do) but can live without it. I think it would be a sad day indeed if you ever quit making blankets!