Knitting Plus

[sam]

I was very interested in reading the comments in  this thread about the experiences of others in particpation of knitting flora.

It is my experience that knitting flora can be every bit as bitchy and unpleasant as any other walk of virtual life.

Of the many flora I subscribe to including:

1. HowGreenIsMyValley.com - self help for fungal infections

2. BikeWatcher.Com - for middle-aged men who have masochistic tendencies

4. ITCant.Com - for IT sysadmins with small genitalia and sadistic tendencies

I also subscribe to www.knittingplus.co.uk/florum although am less active than once I was.

Originally this was a vibrant and varied place, predominantly a knitters site for discussing knitting related issues as opposed to purely a knitting site.

Through the flora owners magazine 'Knitting Plus', a constant stream of newcomers were welcomed and encouraged to ask questions the like of had never been heard less than 2 days before.

For advanced knitters, there was another section where 'knotty' issues could be addressed by one of the many resident experts such as Petula Biggs.

There were even specialised sections that catered for deviants: cross-stitch, crochet and needle-point for example.

For the light-of-heart, there was a area called "Tea Leaf" where convivial chat could flourish and a colourful yarn could be shared. Often, earthy types would post lewd jokes picked up from the counter girls at the Co-op.

However, there was a dark side to Knitting Plus and slowly, an undercurrent of unpleasantness started to pervade. This culture proved fertile ground for those who prefer the lure of mechanised knitting machines to the simple pleasures of the humble needle. Notably, these types took up residence with the express purpose of causing trouble.

Worse still, bona-fide knitters turned on each other amid undignified bouts of name-calling and allegations of being too close-knit.

All sense of moderation broke down. Any feeling of camaraderie unravelled at the rate of knots and a massive rip formed in the very fabric of the forum itself.

For some, this was the end of the row and they cast off to pastures new.

For others, it was more a battle of survival and a last stand so that those who wished the forum ill may not prevail. For a few, there was nowhere else to go.

But how cruel is fate?

Just when it seemed that all was returning to a state of equilibrium, the very owners of the forum decided on a very strange and disturbing course of action.

Doors were slammed, accounts locked, servers downed. Cryptic messages, whispered texts and historical references to village halls seeped out from the all powerful Futile Publishing via it's agents of intrigue.

To top it all, (and when it seemed things could get no worse) there was the outrageous banning of WI bastion, Simone Elletree and staunch pattern adviser, Lavina Jerams. The outrage felt by all was indeed heartfelt but found no mark with those who wield power in the world of wool.

Almost inevitably,  the intake of new members meant that in a few months, this was all but a series of deleted threads and a fading memory of what once was.

Think on dear friends.

Lest this should happen in the world of cycling.


H

I'm being nice. This is a collector's item