Liebster Blog Award

Well, that's a lovely surprise compliment – a nomination for the Liebster Blog Award and I am delighted to accept!


Thank you to Anne and Michelle of Crochet Between Two Worlds who have kindly included Lupey Loops in their list of blogs that they feel are deserving of the Liebster Blog Award.

'Liebster' means 'dearest' or 'favourite' in German, and since Anne and Michelle have a German connection and I studied German to matriculation level, I feel that a 'Liebster' is especially appropriate as a first award for my blogging efforts. The Liebster Award is a great way to find new blogs and meet fellow bloggers from all over the world. 

This award has been connecting bloggers for years; the aim is to support smaller blogs and new bloggers.  It's works like a chain letter. Award nominees, who accept the challenge to answer a list of set questions, get to nominate their favourite blogs and share the blogging love!  The Liebster is one way towards fulfilment of one of Lupey Loops' original aims.

The Official Liebster Award rules are hard to find. Like chain letters that used to get photocopied hundreds of times over and like the game "Chinese Whispers", the original message can deteriorate and change in translation over time.

Sopphey Vance of  Sopphey Says went on a quest to discover the original rules and shares her findings here: http://sopphey.onimpression.com/2012/05/liebster-blog-award-origins.html.

One of the earliest posts that she found describing the rules was from Jasmin of Bird of Paradise. They are in German but they do resemble the rules that I remember when I first read of the Liebster years ago: http://birdy-of-paradise.blogspot.com.au/2010/12/liebster-blog-award.html.

As an award winner you must:

1. Acknowledge and accept the Liebster Award by leaving a comment on the blog where you were nominated.
2. Copy and paste the Liebster Award medal (logo) onto your own blog.
3. There used to be a rule to copy and paste the rules of the Liebster Award next to the logo but that seems to have fallen into obscurity!
4. Link back to the blogger who awarded you and give thanks.
5. Answer the questions put to you by the person who nominated you. This is a great way to get to know the people behind the blogs. The number of questions have varied from 5 to 11 depending on who is asking. Perhaps we are becoming more curious (dare I say, in fun, nosy?) as time goes on because the question list seems to be getting longer! hehehe
6. On your blog nominate and link to your 5 favourite blogs (or more) that you enjoy but have a small readership (the rules have varied from less than 200 to less than 3000 readers). It could be that they have only been blogging for a short time or have a niche interest but are worthy of gaining more attention in the wider blogging world.  That means the blogs of large, commercial enterprises are not eligible for nomination; nor are blogs that are well publicised in a variety of media and established with tens of thousands of followers.
7. List your questions for your Liebster Award nominees on your blog.
8. Inform your nominees by leaving a comment on their blogs.

So I had better get on with it. Anne and Michelle have asked the same 11 questions that they were asked by Géraldine of Wool and Cats: http://woolandcats.blogspot.de/

1. What is the name of your blog and what does the name mean?

Now that is a double-barrelled question – two questions in one – so that makes 12 questions!  Sneaky!  So we are getting nosier! (joking) Hehehehe.
Lupey Loops: lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au
Lupey describes the influence of lupus in my life and Loops are the basis for everything crocheted! My lupus and my crochet have a symbiotic influence on each other and my life.

2. How many blogs do you follow?

While there are about 70 blogs listed in my Blogger feed, I have at least 100 more blogs in my web browsers' Favourites lists that I peruse as well.

3. Do you have a creative soul?

I think so. With crochet I am full of design ideas but need to find time and energy to follow them up.  I like learning new things and have enjoyed playing music and drawing and, believe it or not, knitting too!

4. At what age did you learn to crochet or knit?

I learned basic knitting between the ages of 10 and 12 but as soon as teenagerdom arrived, I was lured away by more interesting (at that time) pursuits!  I learned to crochet once I became very ill about 9 years ago.

5. What are your future projects?

I have ideas for my own pattern book one day but that is still in the very early concept stage. My queue of things to make is endless.  Crochet is a guarantee against boredom!

6. Why do you blog?

Cusiosity (again) and convenience!

The whole internet concept fascinates me, and I was curious to see how far a message can travel through blogging. I think the current record for Lupey Loops is visitors from 77 countries.
The blogosphere is a convenient place to collate my crochet thoughts, and can be accessed wherever there is an internet connection, with the bonus of connecting with other like-minded crochet enthusiasts; a great way to meet others and exchange ideas and share our learning with each other.

My health challenges and crochet are inextricably linked. By sharing my experiences and subsequent knowledge, I hope to help others have an easier journey on their path to better health and quality of life; and to give friends and family some insights into the challenges of living with a chronic condition.  My very first blog post explains the purpose of Lupey Loops: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/introduction-welcome.html

7. What will your Christmas look like this year?

Lots of family; lots of love.

8. What are your plans for 2015?

Help my children achieve success and happiness in their endeavours and stay out of hospital while doing it! Continue the quest to improve myself and my circumstances.

9. If you could travel anywhere, which 3 places would you visit and why?

I keep thinking of places that start with B: Bendigo, Broken Hill, Bangkok, Berlin, Brussels … too many to narrow down to three! 

Bendigo (Victoria) because of its interesting history and regular arts exhibitions and activities such as the annual sheep and wool festival and to visit friends who live there;
Broken Hill (New South Wales) because it is a train ride on the Indian Pacific and there are lots of galleries and it is a unique arid landscape (and it is a friend's hometown);
Bangkok because it is such a different culture (and it is my turn to visit one of my dearest friends who lives there after she has visited me twice) and to enhance my Thai cooking;
Berlin, while it is an up-and-coming trendy place to be, to see everything I learned about at school first hand while brushing up my German, and
Brussels because both of these places are in countries next to the Netherlands which is where my family come from; so then I would hop across the border which makes it 6 places to visit!
So I botched that question, heh?  If it was an exam, I would probably lose marks for not answering the question correctly!

10.What made you smile today?

In the supermarket a tall woman was pushing a very full but tiny child's shopping trolley (the kind designed to keep four-year-olds occupied by 'helping') and following close behind was a school-aged boy half the woman's size pushing a large adult-sized trolley that was almost taller than him! It made for a funny juxtaposition and we laughed together as I thanked them for giving me a smile.  I love finding the gentle humour in everyday life and meeting people.

11. What do you do on a rainy Sunday?

It is a rainy Thursday as I write this and I have enjoyed watching the garden in the overcast light: there seems to be a wider variety of green shades which are intensifying as the plants respond to a good soaking; many snails are emerging in the front garden to take advantage of the moist conditions after a hot and dry spell. I am hoping the local ducks will visit and make a meal of them.  I open the doors and enjoy the cool air, the sound of the rain and the smell of the damp earth.


With the power invested in me, as a Liebster Award Winner, my nominations are …

… very difficult to choose!  A lot of my favourite blogs are very well known, or have already been nominated for Liebster Awards.  I would like to congratulate:

Anne & Michelle of Crochet Between Worlds (Australia/Germany)

Helen (Sweet Seahorse) of 26 Minutes Past (Australia)
Magda of Pigtails (world traveller!)

Tracey of Yarn and Pencil (UK)

Ingrid K. of Funkycrochet (Belgium)

Darrah of The Button Buffalo (Canada)

I found it very hard to choose, so I will try to continue the around-the-world theme, hoping that these blogs meet the Liebster criteria. My official nominations are (in no particular order):

Christelle (Stel) at Haak en Stekie (South Africa)

Frigga at One Badass Mother (Netherlands)

Amber at Woolbunnies (Netherlands)

Kaz at The Original Dragon Mother (Australia)

Daniel at Pixel Collective (Canada)

Soyun at Atelier de Soyun (South Korea)

Marisa at Mon Petit Four (France)

Amy at Love Made My Home (UK)

Sarah at Sheep to Frog (Canada)

Mary-Anne at Breathing Life (Canada)

and new this year

Miss at My wool valley (Canada)

There are a number of blogs that I like very much and would love to share with you but they did not make my list this time because they have taken a break or are inactive at the moment.  I can share those with you at some other time.

I hope you discover something new and enjoy the blogs in my list which I kept to 11 blogs since Michelle and Anne asked for 11 blogs and 11 questions.

My 11 questions for my Liebster nominees are:

1. Why do you keep a blog?

2. How did you decide upon your blog name?

3. What is/are your favourite creative pursuit(s)* or hobbies?

4. How has technology affected your creative pursuit(s) and hobbies?

5. What has been your favourite creative project so far?

6. What are your favourite colours?

7. What are your favourite clothes?

8. What's your preference: indoor or outdoor?

9. What are your current reads?

10. If you could meet anyone in the world, who would it be?

11. What are your plans for 2015?

*Creative pursuits: substitute whatever activities you blog about; e.g. cooking, photography, sewing, crochet, knitting, scrapbooking, hobbies etc

I don't expect others to do anything I wouldn't do myself so

here are my answers to my own questions. 

Questions 1, 2 and 11 are already answered in Michelle and Anne's questions to me.
3. crochet
4. too much time looking at crochet and not enough time making it!
5. Rhythm Sculpture yarn bomb
6. calming greens, blues, aqua and purple
7. simple, comfortable, practical clothes: jeans + boots in winter, long loose, flowing skirts in summer
8. I love nature and the outdoors but lupus restricts me so more time is indoors nowadays
9. Jane Austen's "Emma" with my girls, and crochet books from the library. Will share soon.
10.  All the online friends I have made but haven't met in person yet!

You are more than welcome to drop a line either in the comment box below or by email to jodiebodiecrochets@gmail.com

Have fun and happy blogging!