I'd like to thank the Academy ...

Melanie of Tea Reads has nominated The Ravell'd Sleave for a Thinking Bloggers Award - how cool is that!? I will admit that I started this blog to make it easier to participate in swaps, and then found that in spite of my personal reservations, it was fun to have someplace to write about my knitting, my reading, and whatever I wanted. And it was nice to realize that some people read my blatherings, even regularly! So to have another person include me in a list of "thinking" anythings, is truly unexpected and most appreciated. (Thanks Melanie!)

Now I get to nominate five blogs that make me think. I can tell you that my nominations are all knitting-related blogs, as not only am I new to blogging, but to reading blogs, so my circle is rather small. Yes, I started reading them because they were about knitting. But to be honest, I don't keep reading blogs that bore me, and don't make me think about anything else at all - which made it hard to choose just five. The blogs listed in my sidebar are my absolute regulars, but there are others that I check on a regular basis, and they are some of the ones that I decided to include here. That in no way reflects the quality of anyone that I am - or am not - including, because though I came to them originally because of knitting, I keep reading them because they are so much more.

1. Go Knit in Your Hat - I will admit that I am a friend of Carol's, but to be honest, even if I had never met her, I would keep reading her blog. She writes expertly about knitting, copyright, books, life in general, and is fun in the process. Without meaning to get all mushy, if she was not younger than I am, I would really like to be her when I grow up!

2. Queer Joe's Knitting Blog - I came across this blog via Carol's list on her sidebar. I don't know Joe personally, but reading his blog is always interesting, and often very illuminating. He writes about his knitting, and about knitting in general. But he is also willing to share his beliefs and opinions, clearly articulating why he believes what he believes (which is never easy, as far as I'm concerned), as well as taking into account in a thoughtful manner, the opinions of those who may disagree with him.

3. The Panopticon - Another blog I found through Carol. I find Franklin's writing and humor to be challenging, funny, and sometimes surprising (as in, "Oh wow I never thought about ___ that way"). He writes about his conversion to Buddhism, in a manner that is informative, engaging, and not at all in-your-face. And his "assistant" Dolores, is not like anyone else - trust me! It also doesn't hurt that he is in Chicago, and since I used to live there, I can appreciate a lot of the local references ...

4. Femminista Della Casa - I found this one myself (I'm sure you're thinking, well it's about time!). The Femminista keeps you thinking, because she writes about knitting, feminism, the environment, sustainability, social justice, and other things that are worth reading and thinking about. The posts are never preachy, which is a large part of the appeal. You read and think to yourself that you could certainly try that. One thing she does that I have started to try and do is a "Seven Things Saturday," where she tries every week to get rid of seven things that she does not use, that don't fit anymore, etc., by dropping them off with Goodwill, the Salvation Army, or other organizations that can make them available to others who can use them. I will admit that I don't always manage to find seven things, but I am becoming more thoughtful about what I have, use, and don't use.

5. Crazy Aunt Purl - Laurie's blog is nearly always very funny - I mean, what can you expect with a tag line like, "Because nothing is sexier than a divorced woman with four cats"? But it's worth a look because she writes about her own personal growth as a person who has gone through what sounds like a painful divorce, and is finally starting to come into her own in the way she wants to. She lives in southern California, and it's always reassuring to read her blog and realize that there are plenty of people there who are not the stereotypical ones we read/hear/see on TV or in the movies. The best part about her from what I read, seems to be her willingness to laugh at her mistakes, her loyalty to her friends and family, and her determination to become the person she wants to be, no matter how hard it may be at times.

Now each of the nominees gets to nominate, if they are so inclined. Here are the rules:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,

2. Link to the thinking blogger post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,

3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote.