Wow, I didn’t mean to open up such a big can of worms by discussing that message. I think I’ve received more comments on that than on any knitting or pictures of Janie Sparkles! Thank you all for seeing fit to weigh in on the state of my undress.

I want to tip my hat (or needles?) to the writer of the message for sharing her thoughts and the entirety of her message (see Chickadee in the previous posts’ comments). I was conflicted how to respond initially, so I posted that confusion here. I didn’t want to create an environment of bashing. I want to apologize to her publicly, for calling into question her values and implying that it was about Christianity with my “WWyouD?”. She is a volunteer editor at ravelry, helping to create our online community, and more importantly, she’s another knitter… and I love knitters.

Hers was a request about a photo. It’s a cheeky photo (though no bum was showing) and obviously meant to provoke—a smile or a laugh. She laughed at it, much like we all may laugh at the cover of Amy Singer’s No Sheep for You (who incidentally, correct me if I’m wrong, Amy, isn’t IN LOVE with that cover). Thank you to Claire for pointing out the similarities, although that model is better lit than I was, darn flash!

To cut to the chase, the nekkid me will stay. Jess and Casey know about it (though she hasn’t responded yet to Sunday’s email.) Back in May, in an email about my designer page, Jess joked, “ps- I am sure your parents will love that your name is attached to your patterns
but the real questions is, what will they think of your avatar? haha” My intention is playful and silly, not lewd or sexualized.

What’s been great about this whole incident is seeing how much people care. I love the passion that’s in our community and our diversity. Thanks for putting your feelings out there. It’s great to know so many of you “got my back” whether it’s clothed or not. And, thank you, Chickadee, for opening my mind a bit and focusing on the positive:

I’m really looking forward to cooler temps and loads of quality knitting time. I also hope to make many new friends here and through Ravelry.

Knit to your heart’s content!

Lest you fear I’ve gone all Kum By Yah, here’s a little Southpark (consider yourself warned!):
The lesson learned from all of this? Don’t be afraid to speak your truth, and don’t be afraid to listen. Let’s not silence or squelch any opinions.

Goodness knows what’s come out of my mouth! (but nothing as bad as this—fully-clothed, non-sexual NSFW; if only I had that grace and composure!)

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 26th, 2007 at 8:53 pm and is filed under life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.