What can Substack do for you?

Photo credit: Susan Q Yin, Unsplash

I get it. If you’ve come across Substack recently on your internet travels and dismissed it as something that’s not for you. I understand, I really do. Last year I was equally sceptical. In fact I rolled my eyes and declared that I had better things to do with my time and that I certainly didn’t need another internet place.

But then I was curious, I created an account to have a browse and slowly but surely I was hooked. It’s now, hands-down my favourite place to hang out on the web. It’s free of adverts, there are no promoted posts and you get to see posts from only those people that you are interested in - sounds good? Why not grab a coffee and let me try to convince you with a few basics.

Full disclosure: I enjoy Substack as both a creator and a consumer. The former takes the form of my Everyday Knitter Substack. Obviously I’d be thrilled if you took a look there and maybe even subscribed, but today I’m focusing on what Substack can do for you - the curious and creative reader

1. First of all, it’s not just a place for authors. In a brilliant analogy Sarah Raad of the Gather & Grow substack compared Substack to a library full of books and interesting things. Not everyone who uses a library is an author, or a writer. In fact most people who set foot in a library don’t want to write anything, they just want to read. They want to explore, they want to stay curious. Let’s face it, we all love a good mooch around the bookshelves. Substack is like that - a place to have a good mooch with no one bothering you.

2. Think of it less as a social media platform (it isn’t) and more of a blog aggregator. Remember the golden days of Blog Reader? When you could not only follow all your favourite blogs in one place, but you could also see via their blog roll all of the other blogs that they read. You could happily while away half an hour hopping from one blog to another. You could leave comments, have chats and make new blog friends. Substack is like that - a place to gather blogs you want to read in one place.

3. You can have real conversations, with real people - just like you. I mentioned that you can comment on blog posts, but as well as that other people can comment on your thoughts too. Real life conversations can happen, sparking connections that just don’t seem to happen anywhere else. If you’ve ever tried to carry on a conversation in the comments on an Instagram post you’ll know what I mean. Often you end up resorting to DM which is great but then no one else can join in with your juicy insights.

4. You are in control. You can have new blog posts emailed to you or you can read them on the app or website. Some people read everything in their inbox and rarely venture onto Substack. Some opt out of the emails and read everything on the app. The choice is yours to use it how you want it. Some people save them up and pop in once a week on a Sunday morning - the Substack equivalent of having a coffee in bed with the Sunday papers. Just much more enjoyable and inspirational.

5. Did I mention you can chat? As well as conversations that happen on blog posts there’s also a section called Notes. People can post anything here - snippets of their day, a view of their workspace, a favourite recipe or a book they’ve just finished. It’s a bit like the best bits of Twitter - with nicer photos and more words.

And best of all, it’s entirely free to use with no adverts or pop’s up. It’s a clean, simple interface that lets the words and images do the talking. Speaking if which, I’m going to stop waxing lyrical now and let the words (links) do the talking.

Why not pop across to Substack and have a little look around - just tap on the link below to explore. You’ll be taken to my Substack page. The first tab towards the bottom of the page will show you my recent posts or check out the third tab where you can see other blogs that I read and recommend.

You have nothing to lose and you might just see something that catches your eye.

Thoughts on Threads

I know it’s not the most startlingly original title but after 2 nights of poor sleep on the sofa (husband has Covid and I’m trying, desperately not to catch it) it’s the best I’m going to get.

So, it’s been a week since Threads, the new social media platform from Meta, hit our devices and I thought I would just do a little summary of what it is and how it’s working for me at the minute.

This is written with the huge disclaimer that, as ever, your mileage may vary. Not everyone wants to sign up to a new Zuckerberg-led thing and nor should they. We are all adults here, so do your own research first and if you do want to join or to find out more then please grab a seat and a coffee and let’s chat Threads.

Speaking of coffee…

If Instagram is your picture-perfect, glossy shop window think of Threads as your coffee break. Picture yourself leaning up against the counter, coffee mug in hand chatting to your customers or to your co-workers. If water coolers still exist (do they?) this is very much in the spirit of a water cooler moment.

For the time being at least it is refreshingly simple and uncluttered. Mercifully, for us Reel-avoidant types there is no audio so it’s blessedly silent. There are no hashtags so it’s visually uncluttered. And there are no adverts, promoted posts or suggested trending topics.

Now, obviously all of those things I’ve just mentioned have their place and Meta have already said that they will be adding more features shortly, but to be honest I’m finding the stripped back nature of the platform really enjoyable.

I’m finding people organically through their comments on people I follow and it’s easy to hop back over to instagram to check them out. Pro-tip if you see someone,s Instagram profile and there’s a long number in their bio, that’s their Threads joining number. You can tap that and their Threads ‘about page’ will instantly pop up (as long as you have the app installed).

In a very noisy online world, Threads offers a quieter, calmer alternative and it’s something that people seem to have really resonated with. Over 100 million users in the first week and climbing steadily. Yes it’s a bit random and a bit chaotic, but my goodness it’s refreshing. Interestingly I’ve noticed that people I’ve followed for ages on Instagram but never see (thanks algorithmn) are suddenly popping up again. It’s a bit like a high school reunion, only with people you like.

I’m finding lots of new Instagram accounts to follow and it works the other way too. I’ve definitely seen a surge in follower numbers in the past week as we all chat and check each other out.

Will it last? Who knows. Social media platforms by their very nature will change and innovate, but for now at least Threads is offering something different and fun. It won’t replace my Instagram any time soon but I’m definitely finding it to be a more positive and less toxic place than Twitter - and long may it continue.

What do you think - have you checked it out yet? Do let me know in the comments if you have, or say hi on Threads. I’ve always got a pot of coffee on the go.

Articles you might find interesting

What is Threads?

How to use Threads

Security concerns

Join me for (another) summer of books and yarn

Last summer I really enjoyed the Summer of Books and Yarn challenge that I ran - not least because it really helped to kick start my flagging reading mojo.

If you have been feeling in need of a bit of invigoration - whether in the reading or knitting department (or both) then the readalong/knitalong might be just what you are looking for.

Starting when schools break up* and running for the six weeks of the summer holidays I thought it would be fun to have a modest reading challenge.

• Six weeks

• Six books

• Six reading prompts (optional)

• A six-week long KAL for any of my patterns

Obviously I would love it if your chosen pattern for the KAL was one of mine, but of course WIPs and other projects are very welcome too.

As a little incentive though I'd like to offer an exclusive 20% discount off any of my patterns with the code SUMMER2023

*I know that school holidays are different depending on where you are in the world but for practical reasons I'm going off the English school system where I am located.

The list of book prompts and suggestions will be sent out next week but if you don't want to miss anything you can sign up for the dedicated 'Summer of Books and Yarn' email list by tapping the box below.

And if you’d like to browse patterns and use the 20% discount code you can see all of my designs on my website - or on Ravelry.

5 handy apps for knitters

As much as I love pen and paper there are times when an app (or two) on your phone can come in really handy. Phone apps can always be a little tricky, some are free or have a lite version, whilst others have a small charge. And of course some aren't available across all platforms. But I thought I would have a little run through of apps I've used previously and that you might find useful.

Knit Companion: A very popular and widely used app for storing PDFs and tracking your progress, amongst many other things.

Bee Count: This is a really cute and functional counting app (android only though) which makes counting rows/repeats really simple.

Stash2Go: If you are a Ravelry user this is invaluable as it synchs to your Rav account - enabling you to check your stash/library on the go. There is still no official ravelry app so this is a useful fill-in.

Chart Minder: If you use a lot of knitting charts or like to create your own this is a great, free resource.

Toggl: Not specifically knit related. This gives you the ability to track the time you spend on individual projects. I love it for seeing where my knitting time goes.

PIN FOR LATER

Social Media Day

Today - 30 June 2023 has been decreed as World Social Media Day and I thought it was worth a few minutes reflecting on my use of social media and how it’s changed recently.

And of course I wanted to say a big thank you for being here - on social media - as otherwise it would just be me writing to my mum, my sister and a handful of friends.

But anyway - back to Social Media with capital letters. It’s really hot news right now but I would have to say that the tone is overwhelmingly more negative than positive. Bots, algorithmns, spam and the constant pressure to stay up to date mean that for many of us, social media is increasingly seen as a chore rather than a pleasure.

We talk about social media detoxes, as though it’s something harmful to us. And don’t get me wrong, like anything in excess, social media has the capacity to cause us harm but I thought it might be helpful to think about how much good it can do too.

I had cause to reflect on this recently, sorting out Uni Accommodation and general life stuff for my eldest son. It’s all very different to when I was a student - everything was paper based (yes, I am showing my age). You filled out a UCAS form - on actual paper, made your choices. You looked at a few grainy photos in a prospectus to decide where you wanted to stay and if you were lucky you did an in-person visit.

Now every aspect of the process is online. There are walk-through videos, 360 degree tours. When deciding on accommodation you have the power of Google maps, street views, transport timetables all at the tap of a finger. It truly is amazing how far we have come and it’s undoubtedly a far cry from when my parents dropped me off at a student halls I’d never seen before with an unfeasibly large teapot (Mum had an idea that it would help me make friends) and a couple of suitcases.

Social media is something I use every day, and I wouldn’t want it any other way to be honest. Just looking around my desk, most of the items on it have been purchased from independant small businesses that I just wouldn’t have found through conventional advertising methods.

Yarn, mugs, books, tarot decks, notebooks and pens all from small indie businesses that I found through Instagram.

On a recent trip to a nearby town I sought out a farm shop and cafe that a local friend had shared photos of on Instagram - inspiring me to go and verify that yes, they did indeed stock heavrnly donuts.

All of these things make my life better in tiny but immeasurable ways. But none of them would have filtered through to my awareness were it not for the power of social media. I don’t watch ‘real’ TV or buy newspapers and I rarely travel to big cities where there are billboards and hoardings. The big companies still manage to filter through to my conciousness due to their all-pervasive market power, but the little guys wouldn’t stand a chance.

Yes, social media has its annoyances for sure, but for me the benefits vastly outweigh the downsides.

One thing I have struggled with recently is the concept of the endless scroll, and of course it’s important to remember that the various social media platforms are designed specifically to do this. To hook us in and crucially to keep us there for as long as possible until we suddenly find that half an hour has elapsed and we are onto our second video of dancing baby goats in sweaters.

When I sit down for a nice juicy scroll, coffee in hand I’ve started setting a timer for 10 minutes or so. When it goes off I ask myself how I’m feeling. Am I happy, uplifted, inspired? If so, maybe 5 more minutes of scroll and chat. If not, I know it’s time to put my phone down for a little while and do something else.

What about you? Do you have any strategies to stop the scroll or do you do regular ‘screen free time’ I’m always interested (read, nosy) to hear about other peoples browsing habits.

The FML Shawl

The Find My Light Shawl (FML)

I’ve been noodling around with this idea for a shawl for some time now. I really love super long, wrappable shawls that are more of a scarf. The ones that you can wrap twice around your neck, or even fold in half and pull a loop through as you can do with thinner chiffon scarves.

However achieving such a long shawl can be tricky when you only have one skein of sockweight yarn to play with.

So I decided to try creating a long, wedge-shaped shawl with a picot edge which is knit as you go, and I was absolutely thrilled with how it turned out. I was less than thrilled when I came to photograph it though as it’s length makes it almost impossible to capture in a single image.

And the name? If you've followed me for a while you'll know that I love a shawl with a cheeky acronym. There's the FFFS (Fuss Free Festival Shawl) and the WTF (Worth the Fuss Shawl). So it was only a matter of time before I added the FML to my library.

The Find My Light Shawl was knit during a period of real reflection and change for me. I've made no secret of the fact that the menopause transition has been difficult for me and part of that has been accepting that my body is different to how it was before. Not worse, just different. While I was knitting on this I was reflecting on the fact after a period of difficulty I feel as though I am enjoying my daily activities more and finding joy in small things again - finding my light as it were.

And so it seemed a good name for the shawl - and the slightly cheeky acronym was of course an added bonus. Although given my difficulties in photographing it, I did consider naming it the TTP (terrible to photograph).