Online Community Cover-Up

Not long ago, well 6 years ago, I joined an online community called Ravelry. It's a social networking site for yarnaholics of all persuasions, all over the world. About a year later, I joined a slightly smaller community within this network...the group known only as the Oddballs. That's right, they are my kind of group! 

I love online communities for many reasons. Facebook keeps me in touch with some people I know, or have known, "in real life;" Twitter and Blogger give me snippets of the real lives of people I may or may not know in real life; and Ravelry connects all of those things to fiber and to people who love fiber crafting! Of all the social networking I do, I think I like Ravelry about the best. :)

So, when one of the Oddballs fell on some hard times, there was only one thing to do. Even though she lives "Down Under," on the other side of the world, some of the North American Oddballs got together to make a yarn hug to send on a very long journey, just in time for our Northview's winter. And, since I have heard of it's safe arrival there this week, it's time for me to tell the story of our Online Community Cover-Up...

Once upon a time, there was a Yarnigan who lived in Australia. She was sad, so her friends decided to get together to make her happier. They all took out their yarns and their crochet hooks and their knitting needles, and they made squares of love to send to their yarny friend.

When the squares were all made, one of the Yarnigans (named Pretty, who lives in Ohio) collected them all, and made a note of how many there were, who sent them and where they came from. The Yarnigan's black cat took note of which packages came from homes with pets.

Black Cat tried to get White Cat involved (it was a big job), but White Cat was not very interested...

After the squares were collected and cataloged (there were 18 total), Pretty crocheted a border around each one, and laid them all out on the living room floor to see how they should be put together. All the while, that black cat kept track of her favorite square.

When the design was decided, Pretty put them all together into a lovely little cover-up, 4 squares wide, by 4 squares tall...

...with a little pocket on the back (for cozy feet!).

It was about this time that White Cat decided she'd like to get in on the fun...

...but it was time to launder the afghan, admire it one more time...

...and package it up for it's journey to the southern hemisphere!

Well, I've heard from our Northview that the afghan arrived this week (it was my Thursday when I heard, but I'm not sure if it arrived on her Wednesday or Thursday? or Friday? International time lines have always kicked my pretty butt...), so I knew it was safe to share on Saturday the saga of the Online Community Cover-Up, perpetuated by a bunch of North American Oddballs! We love you, Northview, and we hope you are happier these days! But, even if you're not quite feeling 100% yet, now we know that you have a blanket of love to hide under when you have "one of those days" (or weeks, or months...).

Look! An "action shot" of the comfortghan, in the wild,
after it's journey around the world!

What are you covering up these days? With summer here, I'm sure we are all covering up less than we did last winter! I hope that you are having fun and enjoying the sunshine!

Thanks for stopping by, and Knit in Good Health!