>Dear Jeri, et al, >In answer to your question, no it doesn't matter to me that while the >contributors are few, the readers are many. I am one of the bigmouths. >Always have been, that's me. So I speak when I think it is appropriate. I'm >sure the rest of us do, too. It has to do with who we are. For me, this is >easy. For others, I imagine not so. I think there are many lurkers out there >who have something valuable to add to the discussion who do not, but hopefully >that will change, as I, for one, enjoy hearing from those who speak seldom. >But it is up to them. We are who we are, sometimes that can be worked on, and >sometimes not. > >Lurkers contribute to the art in other ways. They help swell the classes of >teachers, the seats at conventions, the revenues of the book sellers and >suppliers, so they have enough income to continue the endeavor. Sometimes >Arachne is the only thing that connects us to lace because life can interfere >with lacemaking. I made my first lace in 1979 or 80, after seeing a >demonstration in Noonan Georgia. But life, simultaneous babies and law >school, with 10 hours of commuting a week, got in the way of doing much lace, >if any. For years I just learned all over again because I had been away from >my pillow for 2 years. And there was no Arachne back then. So I read or just >looked at the pictures of my tiny lace library. At one point increasing >fatigue and then acute chronic fatigue made lacemaking impossible. Gradually >that changed. Arachne was part of the bridge to daily lacemaking of an altar >cloth that I project will not be finished for another year. So I hope that my >co! ntributions to Arachne help those who do not contribute here to contribute elsewhere, or to continue the holding pattern until times are better for making lace. > >And contributing to Arachne is not the only way to contribute to the art of >lacemaking. It is very clear that some of those I would consider the big >hitters in lacemaking seldom if ever contribute here, but do so elsewhere, >either on or off the www. We need all kinds, those who are very active in >person in their area, some who create, some who teach us the history, or other >information related to lacemaking, some who use different forums. Some who >teach, some who write, some who take pictures and post them, some who make the >internet accessible to us, some who 'just' make lace of whatever kind, >regularly or occasionally. And some who post on Arachne. > >Lyn in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA, where I wish it would be warm enough to >make lace on the deck with a pot of tea. 45F 6.5C at 1:30 p.m. with 16 mph >winds > >Jeri Ames wrote: >> >>When there are probably less than 50 regular contributors to Arachne, and >>we know that there are another 1,000 or so who are lurking, does that >>matter to you? >> >>Do we have a lot of knowledgeable people out there who are takers, instead >>of sharers? And do they even care to realize how frustrating that is for >>some of us to contemplate? >>
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