Saturday, December 27, 2008

New Additions 12/7-12/27

Welcome to the Ring!! We are now up to 195 active members!

More RingSurf Woes

Apparently my attempts to delete the RingSurf ring have yet again been thwarted.  I had manually deleted all the blogs several weeks ago and discovered recently that they had all been restored to the ring.  So I did it again with the same result (deleted blogs were restored overnight).  My requests for assistance to the support e-mail address went unanswered.  So I simply deleted the entire ring, thinking that would delete everybody yet again, but all at once, rather than individually deleting several hundred blogs. 

Well, it appears that deleting the ring is not actually deleting the ring in RingSurf's world.  It is instead abandoning the ring and leaving it open for someone else to adopt.  I immediately signed up to adopt the ring back so that I could at least keep other people from mis-using the contact information.  Apparently I was not fast enough and the ring has now been adopted by someone else.  If you still have an account with RingSurf, I would advise you to consider deleting it or otherwise monitoring it.  I have no idea who now has control of that information (and, yes, the ring adopter does now have access to your RingSurf password).

Had I known that deleting the ring was not actually deleting the ring, I wouldn't have done it.  I apologize for any problems this may cause.  I am also hoping we don't end up with dueling Fiber Arts Bloggers blogrings.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Periodic Re-posting of blogring rules


This is a periodic re-posting of the blog ring rules. It is not directed at anybody in particular.
  1. You must have a blog about your textile projects, ideas, and adventures. Things like spinning, weaving, knitting, crochet, lace-making, braiding and kumihimo, etc. It doesn't have to be *only* about fiber things, but should include fiber stuff at least once per month.

  2. The blog needs to be regularly updated. Any blogs not updated at least once a month will be moved to the queue. If you have not updated in over three months your site will be removed from the ring. You are welcome to re-join the ring if /when you start posting again.

  3. You need to include the ring code on the blog page, so that visitors can surf to other bloggers' sites more easily. (Isn't that the point?!) At a minimum, the ring code must include a link to the ring's home and the Next and Previous links. Anyone who has not added the code to their site within two weeks of application will be removed from the ring. If you don't have the current ring code, send e-mail to msmorenna (at) gmail (dot) com and I will help you get the ring code.

  4. This is NOT a commercial site. If your blog is merely a listing of items for sale, this blog ring is not for you.

New Additions 11/16-12/6

Welcome to our newest members!

Traveling Spinner
Jeanne Williamson
Bijtje Bezig
Wilde Thyme Knits
Passion to Create
A Sheep's Yarn
Knitarooooo
Knitting Frenzy

We're now up to 192 active members!!

Saturday, November 15, 2008

New Additions 10/19-11/15

Welcome to our newest members!

Marzipanknits
Pokety Patch
Cheery Tomato Productions
Baby Toes
RoddyKnit


As a reminder: don't forget that you need to copy and paste the alt-webring ring code into your blog before you will be activated. There are about a dozen blogs which are inactive right now because they're only showing the old RingSurf code. If you aren't sure how to find the new ring code or how to add it to your site, just send an e-mail to msmorenna (at) gmail (dot) com or leave a comment here.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

RingSurf Progress and Name Change

I finally have control of the RingSurf ring again, so I can delete it yet again.  I never did get a reply from their support people but it appears that there was a server problem and they restored the data from an old copy.  I am once again deleting blogs and will then delete the ring itself.

As always, feel free to let your fiber friends know they are welcome to join the ring at alt-webring.com.

Name Change
You may have noticed that the name listed under "About Me" has changed.  Morenna is actually the name of my primary online gaming character. Much as I would like to claim it as my own invention, I cannot. I actually saw it at a fiber festival many years ago and borrowed it to name my game char. It has since become something of an online alter-ego for me. Over time, I came to the conclusion that it's a bit unfair to Robin Edmundson for me to continue to use the name she came up with for her company, regardless of how beautiful that name is. (By the way, Robin dyes gorgeous rovings and yarns. You really should go check it out. I'm particularly fond of the Hummingbird colorway.) So I have changed the name associated with my blogs. Yes, it's confusing and I'm sure it'll aggravate some of you, but it's the right thing to do, so I'm doing it. My apologies to Robin.

The new name is Ruby Louise, which is a combination of my grandmothers' names. I find this particularly appropriate since both of my grandmothers knit, crocheted, and/or quilted. I actually have my paternal grandmother's knitting and crochet tools, including one sweater in progress.

Anyway, I wanted to let you know in case you were confused by seeing Ruby Louise instead of Morenna.  It's still me.  You can still send e-mail to me at msmorenna (at) gmail (dot) com.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

New Additions 10/12-10/18

Welcome to the members who were activated in the last week! There are now 181 active blogs in the ring.


Karen's Feltworks

Woodhaven Studio



Saturday, October 11, 2008

New Additions 10/5 to 10/11

Welcome to the members who were activated in the last week!

follow the star studio blog

Angelarae Knits

Winona Queen

String Notes

Fabulous Threads


If you have recently joined the ring, but haven't yet appeared in the welcome list, check to make sure you have pasted the alt-webring ring code into your blog. There are about 15 blogs which have registered but cannot be activated because of missing ring code or because they still have the old ringsurf code. If you have any questions, send me an e-mail and I'll try to help. msmorenna (at) gmail (dot) com.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

New Additions for Two Weeks Ending 9/22

Welcome to our new members!

Half Baked
Ces créations + ou - utiles...
Karen Squared
QuiltRobin - My Creative Journey
HomeWork
Take Joy!
Deceptively Packaged
susan in stitches
Spinneret
Amber Joy Knits

We are now up to 175 active blogs in the ring!

Spoofed

My e-mail account was spoofed today. It also appears that my "frequent contacts" list from gmail was used to send spam advertising electronics equipment. I have changed my account password as a matter of course, just in case the account was compromised. My apologies. If it's any consolation, I even spammed myself. Twice.

It also appears as though the RingSurf ring is no longer under my control and has been regenerated.  I have sent e-mail to their admins. We'll see what happens.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

The Ring Surf Ring is No More!

I have finished e-mailing all the members of the old ring and deleting all the blogs from Ring Surf. In a week or two I will delete the old ring from Ring Surf as well.

With any luck more former ring members will continue to join up at alt-webring. Feel free to spread the word about our ring to your fiber friends. The more members the merrier, right? :-)

Friday, September 12, 2008

New Additions Week Ending 9/12/2008

Welcome everyone!

Talullah's World
The Fabric of Her Reality
Lilibeth's Garden
Fun With Fiber
Pat's Knitting and Quilting
A House on the Hill
Gunnel's blog
Art in Stitches
art + craft
Spincerely Yours
Unraveled
Handwoven by Kristin Kelley


Remember, registering your blog is just half the process to join the ring. The other half is putting the ring code on your blog. The alt-webring ring code *must* be present before your blog will be activated. At a minimum, I ask that a link to this blog as well as the "next" and "previous" links be included. You may, of course, also just paste the entire unedited block of code into your blog.

If you're having trouble with the ring code, send an e-mail to msmorenna (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll do what I can to help straighten things out.

For those of you affected by Hurricane Ike, we'll be thinking of you....

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Final Stages of Moving the Blog Ring

First, I hope you all are having a manageable back-to-school season. Remember, in a couple of weeks the routine will return and, with any luck, the your fiber fun time will return!!

Second, there are no new blogs to announce this week. Feel free to share the info about the blog ring with your fiber friends. Right now we have 141 active sites. I'd love to see that get to 300.

Final Moving Really Underway
I have started to delete sites from RingSurf. I'm sending a final moving information mail to all the members, then deleting their listings after the messages are sent. This process is greatly simplified by cutting and pasting e-mail addresses and using a message template, but it still takes some time. I've been delaying the actual deleting, to give people more time to move to alt-webring.com, but it's been several months and e-mails now.

Just a reminder:
If you change your blog template or move your blog and wish to remain a part of the blog ring, you will need to paste your ring code into your new blog. Otherwise, your blog gets flagged as "broken" when I check the ring.

If you didn't save a copy of the ring code, you can get another copy by logging into alt-webring.com and clicking the "get code" button. Then paste that blog of HTML wherever you'd like it in your blog. If you have questions, feel free to shoot me an e-mail at msmorenna (at) gmail (dot) com and I'll help as best I can.

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Saturday, August 9, 2008

New Additions Week ending 8/9/2008

We're up to 138 active members of the ring. This week Dog Face Girls joined the ring. (I've decided to start listing the joining blogs from this point forward.)

I'm still sending out e-mail to the ring-surf members encouraging them to switch over. Once I get all the e-mails sent, I'll wait three weeks then kill the old ring. Theoretically everybody has received at least two e-mails by now when I sent bulk mail, but I wanted to give it one more try with an individual message. I would rather not cut off people who still want to be part of the ring.

Best of luck with all your fibery activities!

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Moving Progress

We're still moving from Ring Surf to alt-webrings.com. The process slowed down a bunch when life got busy and I'm still sending out e-mail to Ring Surf members. The Ring Surf ring is still running. It may be the end of July before things get taken down there. Apparently many ring members did not get the e-mail about moving to alt-webrings, but did get the e-mail about changing things at Ring Surf. I apologize in advance for the confusion of switching things twice.

To get signed up at alt-webrings, you will need to fill out the join form. For the majority of people, the "Site Entry URL" is your blog URL. Create a Site ID for your site and a password. Remember this information as you will need it to edit your entry later. You will also need to enter your name and e-mail address as the webmaster and webmaster e-mail. The rest of the blanks should be self-explanatory. After filling out the form, click submit. On the next page, click the "Get Code" button on the left side. This generates your ring code. Copy that chunk of code into your site and remove the old RingSurf code. Do not forget to put the new alt-webring code on your site. Several blogs have registered at alt-webring, but still display the old RingSurf code. This means your blog will NOT show up in the blog ring and you'll be deactivated when I check the ring.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Passing the Century Mark

We now have 109 active members! Welcome to the new folks. I appreciate your decision to join the ring.

Just as a reminder, here is the periodic re-posting of the "rules":

1. You must have a blog about your textile projects, ideas, and adventures. Things like spinning, weaving, knitting, crochet, lace-making, braiding and kumihimo, etc. It doesn't have to be *only* about fiber things, but should include fiber stuff at least once per month.

2. The blog needs to be regularly updated. Any blogs not updated in over one month will be moved to the queue. If you have not updated in over three months your site will be removed from the ring. I'm happy to bend this rule if you have extenuating circumstances, such as your house was destroyed in a storm or you just had twins, so fiber blog time is limited.

3. You need to include the ring code on the blog page, so that visitors can surf to other bloggers' sites more easily. (Isn't that the point?!) At a minimum, the ring code must include a link to the ring's home and the Next and Previous links. Anyone who has not added the code to their site within two weeks of application will be removed from the ring. If you don't have the current ring code, e-mail me and I can send it to you.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Dismantling the Ring Surf Ring

I have started to delete sites from the Ring Surf blog ring. I am starting with sites which have already moved to our new home at alt-webring.com. If you already are listed at alt-webring, do *not* be alarmed when you get the delete notification from Ring Surf. In the next week, I will be sending out a second e-mail to all Ring Surf members reminding them that we've moved.

Hope you are all having a peaceful and Fibery week!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Onwards and Upwards!

We currently have 73 active members!! That's pretty good considering it's only been two days since we changed hosts.

I have finally gotten the corrected ring code sent out to those folks who had the bad code I initially had listed or who were still showing the RingSurf code. I was able to move a bunch of people to the active site list today. Thank you very much!!

The original blog ring had approximately 600 site listed in it. When I sent out e-mail to all the site owners, I got well over 100 bounced messages, so I suspect a large number of sites may have also been bad. I think we can steadily grow our little ring back into a ring of hundreds of sites. By all means let your fellow fiber addicts friends know the ring is open to new members. The more the merrier!!

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Making Progress!

All righty! We seem to be headed in the right direction. I'm going through the list and activating sites.

A few sites have signed up with alt-webrings, but have the old RingSurf code posted. I'll be sending you e-mail with the current alt-webrings code, just as soon as my e-mail account is activated again. [It would seem that gmail got a bit concerned about the 1200 messages I sent out in the past 36 hours and deactivated me as a potential spammer. Oopsies. :-) ]

The other "problem" we have is that the first dozen or so folks that I activated actually have a bad chunk of ring code. I did a bad editing job and each of those sites is currently sharing the same Site ID according to the code. I'll be sending you the corrected bit of code too. I'm just glad I noticed the problem fairly early in the game. Kudos to Dee for also noticing the goofed up surfing ability.

Thanks again for all your patience!!

Fiber Arts Bloggers is moving

Ok. Between the deluge of complaints and the frustrations I already had with trying to sort out Ring Surf, I've decided to move the ring to alt-webrings.com. If you want to sign up, go here. I'll keep the RingSurf site up until June 1st to give people plenty of time to move, should they decide to do so. After that point I will delete the RingSurf site and all blogs which have not been migrated will be removed from the ring. Hopefully this will resolve the problems/complaints folks have.

To get signed up at alt-webrings, you will need to fill out the join form. For the majority of people, the "Site Entry URL" is your blog URL. Create a Site ID for your site and a password. Remember this information as you will need it to edit your entry later. You will also need to enter your name and e-mail address. The rest of the blanks should be self-explanatory. After filling out the form, click submit. On the next page, click the "Get Code" button on the left side. This generates your ring code. Copy that chunk of code into your site and remove the old RingSurf code.

I'll send another e-mail out to all the current ring members shortly advising you directly of the change. I'm sorry for the confusion and having to change things twice. It became very apparent that nobody was happy with the new RingSurf changes and that the new format was not going to satisfy the majority of members who replied about it. I hope this will resolve most of those troubles.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Ring Check Failure List

Ring Surf has started to check all the blogs in the blogring for the proper ring code. As a result of the recent changes at RingSurf (and changes to the ring code), there are many member blogs which now have the "wrong" ring code posted. I'm attempting to e-mail all the ring members to let you know individually of these changes. In any event, I will NOT be deleting blogs from the failure list until at least Saturday May 3rd so you have time to put the new code in place. Depending upon how well/badly things go with the new, improved RingSurf, I may move the blog ring elsewhere.

The latest copy of the ring code is available here. There are two versions of the ring code. One of them is plain text and the other includes the blog button image. If you want to add the blog button manually, you can copy it from the menu to the right of this page. Please copy to your own computer/server rather than linking to the image here.

Feel free to send questions to msmorenna (at) gmail (dot) com or leave a comment.

Saturday, April 5, 2008

New RingSurf Format!

RingSurf apparently decided to change things drastically this past week. There is no longer any custom ringcode or any surfing the ring from within a blog. All links to the ring now go back to the RingSurf site and all ring surfing is done from there, which seems very awkward. I didn't have any notice that things would be changing or I'd have let you know. Be patient while we all adjust to the new system!

The new RingSurf automatically checks all member sites for the Ring Code. If you don't have the Ring Code on your site or you remove it, it appears that Ring Surf will remove your blog from the ring. I no longer have the option of sending you an e-mail or a copy of the code when your blog is flagged. When you apply to join the ring, Ring Surf checks your site to make sure the code is there and then puts your site in the queue for my approval. I check the queue on weekends, so approval isn't instant. With the new RingSurf format, the same rules still apply: your blog needs to be about fiber stuff and you need to post a minimum of once per month. As always, no purely commercial sites.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Clearing the Queue and Approving New Members

I've been going through the list of sites and checking for broken ring code and other problems. Members may have received e-mail from RingSurf telling you to go copy the current ring code from the RingSurf website. There are two reasons for this:
  1. Your site's ring code may be broken.
  2. The website/blog for Fiber Arts Bloggers moved when I took over the ring from Joni.
These are top problems I have found. Please check your blog to make sure this isn't a reason for either being put in the queue/deleted or for being sent a copy of the ring code/prevented from joining.
  1. Incorrect member IDs. Please do not copy ring code from another blog. Please copy the code directly from Ringsurf for the correct code for your blog. If you copy from someone else, the member ID in the code will be incorrect for your blog. This will cause your blog to fail the code check and will also cause the ring to surf out of order, which will keep some people's sites from ever being seen.
  2. For your blog to be approved, the ring code must be on your blog. If it's not on the blog, I will not approve you for the ring. I try to send one reminder link to the current ring code, but if a blog persists in not posting the ring code, it will be deleted.
  3. You need to post at least once a month about fiber-related things. If you don't post at least once a month about fiber stuff, you'll end up in the queue. If you go three months without a fiber-related post, your blog will be deleted.
Note: Yes, I understand things change and sometimes fiber stuff ends up on a back burner. Should things change so that fiber things are once again a common feature of your blog, please consider requesting to be added back. There are no penalties for having been removed. If your blog is removed from the blog ring, you are very welcome to re-apply. Again, there is no penalty for having been removed from the blogring. If you have questions, please feel free to e-mail me.

The Rules of the FAB Blogring

Just so we're all on the same page, here are the rules for the blog ring:

1. You must have a blog about your textile projects, ideas, and adventures. Things like spinning, weaving, knitting, crochet, lace-making, braiding and kumihimo, etc. It doesn't have to be *only* about fiber things, but should include fiber stuff at least once per month.

2. The blog needs to be regularly updated. Any blogs not updated in one month will be moved to the queue. If you have not updated in over three months your site will be removed from the ring.

3. You need to include the ring code on the blog page, so that visitors can surf to other bloggers' sites more easily. (Isn't that the point!) At a minimum, the ring code must include a link to the ring's home and the Next and Previous links. Anyone who has not added the code to their site within two weeks of application will be removed from the ring. If you don't have the current ring code, e-mail me and I can send it to you.

4. This is NOT a commercial site. If your blog is merely a listing of items for sale, this blog ring is not for you.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Fiber Arts Bloggers New Home!

Welcome! I've newly assumed the reins of the Fiber Arts Bloggers Webring. The original owner, Joni, recently had a baby and decided to pass the webring on to someone else. I'm learning the finer points of blogring ownership as I go, so please be patient. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to e-mail me at msmorenna (at) gmail (dot) com.

As for who I am, my fiber habits are primarily knitting and spinning. I do have a lovely 4-shaft floor loom, but I haven't done much weaving. My fiber "play time" is somewhat limited and it's hard to figure out where I left off with warping and threading the loom. At the moment, my knitting is mostly socks, though I'm also getting hooked on shawls and stoles. I sincerely hope to finish one sweater for myself that I have started and ripped twice now (didn't like how the fabric felt, despite making gauge the first time). Perhaps this will be the magic year that happens. My fiber blog can be found here.

Please come join the Fiber Arts Bloggers Ring!!