Curiouser and Curiouser

The Mystery Stole 3 KAL continues to roll along with the 6,000 plus members. Hard to tell just how many are actually knitting and how many are planning for a future knit. I have to say that the ones who are actively knitting are really, really, really committed. Not only do they produce a ton of posts, they have also come up with some pretty serious ways to try to get more information regarding future clues from Melanie. She just will not crack. She treats every question with respect and then goes on to tell them that she just cannot help them. I have this vision in my head of some of those questioners responding with the phrase "curses, foiled again". Their creativity and tenacity are admirable, but Melanie is a stone wall. I know I can't be the only one who is tickled by some of the questions, but I'm the only one who dared to comment. Stony silence is the only notice my post has attracted so far, which is probably a good thing. I, personally cannot imagine being so fundamentally opposed to using a life line, that I would have to be informed exactly why I was being instructed to use one, or I could not continue. These are some serious knitters in that group. There are also those that have a teeny tiny nagging doubt about the theme, who consistently point out that Melanie's other patterns are all lovely and tasteful, so they aren't worried one little bit. yeah right
I think the members that I admire the most are not only new lace knitters, but brand new knitters, period. I can't even imagine tackling something like this as a new knitter. But I suppose no new knitter ever had more generous help than these members. There are some extremely kind and supportive members who never tire of answering questions and cheering on those who have become discouraged.
All in all this is one of the most interesting group venture in which I've participated. Although, one could hardly call my membership as participation, considering my three measly posts out of over 10,000 since the second week of June. Another fascinating thing about the group is that it speaks over a dozen languages and has a group of volunteer translators. A little borg-like, if I really think about it. Resistance is futile! But then I never tried to resist.