Library Thing

I recently started cataloging all my craft related books, magazines and what not over at Library Thing (thumbnail preview in sidebar) and while time consuming and no where near done yet, boy has it made things easier for me already! A quick glance at the thumbnail images (some I had to scan in myself) I can see exactly what I have or don't have. Now when I see a book I'm interested in on eBay, Amazon, etc. instead of jumping up to go rummage through my bookcases(s) I can simply open another tab and glance through my library.

To make a long story short: The past 5 years have been difficult in that when I moved to Florida everything I had in storage to be retrieved when I found a place to live mysteriously disapeared...some showing up in used goods stores back home....gee...wonder how that happened? *sigh* Needless to say I have had to start over and often find myself scratching my head because I'm sure I have something only to find out it was something I 'used' to have. A lifetime of stashing, collecting and treasuring things that were passed down in my family, gone! Just like that. I honestly believe it would have been easier for me to deal with emotionally had it happened as a result of a fire or natural disaster. At least then most of what I had would have been covered by insurance but no, my loss was due to the selfish, greedy cruelty of others.

Needless to say, library thing has been a very handy reference for me. Once I'm done cataloging & adding my tags I'll start checking out some of the other users library's. Some users have books for trade/sale..maybe I'll be able to hunt up some of the ones I used to have? It won't be quite the same because it wouldn't be the exact book given to me by my grandmother or mother but I would treasure them just the same. :-)

Ravelry Beta

If you are a crocheter, knitter, etc. and not yet familiar with ravelry I encourage you to head on over for a Sneak Peek so you can see what it's all about. Below quote from: ravelry.com 'About Us'.

Ravelry is a place for knitters, crocheters, designers, spinners, and dyers to keep track of their yarn, tools and pattern information, and look to others for ideas and inspiration.

The content here is all user-driven; we as a community make the site what it is. The Yarn Harlot wrote recently about Representing, showing the world the power of our community, and I believe that on this site we can really show the strength of our numbers and the depth of our
creativity.

So what can you personally do on Ravelry? You can talk about your own projects, integrate that information into your personal website and contribute to someone else's project a world away.

If you are not a blogger, we give you a great way to share and show off your projects, participate in -alongs, and socialize with other crafters. If you are a blogger than Ravelry is the perfect complement to your online journal; it provides structure and organization. All of your information is easy to enter and easy to find. You will not need to update your own FO album again- it is all here on Ravelry!

The brain child of Jess & Casey, Ravelry is currently in beta stage but so phenomenal already I don't know how it can get any better! There is something there for everyone. I have been working on cataloging all of my crochet & knitting goodies...NOT a small undertaking, but it's been fun! And, I feel great about having it all organized in one place for easy printing so I can just stick it in my purse and know what I have or don't have when I'm out and about and just 'happen' to run in to Joann's, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, AC Moore's, etc. :D

There is so much I am interested in at Ravelry and I do plan to get more involved but will wait a bit so I don't 'over-indulge' and spread myself to thin. That and I need a new camera...mine has decided that the only type of pictures it will take are of solid rectangular black boxes. :(

Hope to see you around on Ravelry!