Happy blog-iversary to me! I've been keeping this little digital journal off and on for nine years as of today. I'm tempted to smarten up my template (and overall blog look) but am scared I'll lose something I really want to keep. (If it looks different now, it worked; if it doesn't, I returned it to the default and will leave it there).
Reading blogs occupies at least a little bit of my time every day. I check out the Yarn Harlot in spare moments, and I'm still following Yarnstorm (who has tried to stop blogging but found she enjoys the company too much to remain silent). About three years ago I found HMS Acasta and they're one of the first I check every morning. I also keep an eye on Grumperina, Yarn-a-go-go, and Mags over at AustenBlog. In the past year or so, I found Better Living Through Beowulf, but have only recently made it a regular stop on my internets surfing route.
According to the new statistic feature in Ravelry, I have knitted 58,296 yards of yarn into about 109 projects in the ten years I have been knitting. Nearly every one has been featured in this blog in some way, either described or photographed or both, and I recently went through my archives looking for something and relived some of those adventures. I'm still the world's slowest knitter, although my technical skill has increased quite a bit since my first attempts. Thinking about it, the only projects not in Ravelry and not in this blog are my very first ones -- a couple of those ubiquitous beginner eyelash scarfs and the Sheep Tote, a felted bag that I made to thank my friend F-- for teaching me how to knit. I gave those scarves away a long time ago, but next time I get over to 'Way Out West, I might see if F-- will let me take a picture of that bag. I know she uses it as a knitting tote because I've seen her with it.
The Sheep Tote was the first "large" project I ever attempted. It used knitting and purling, yarnovers, picking up stitches, and I-cord in its construction. While making it, I couldn't figure out how the holes for the cord handles were made, and contacted Bev Galeskas, who designed the pattern. She very graciously wrote back almost immediately with a clarification: the yarnovers made the holes. Facepalm!
F-- also introduced me to the books of Elizabeth Zimmermann, which got me over some technical humps early in the game. I've tried knitting a couple of her projects, including one pullover that the Emperor calls his "shop sweater." Another book that helped me when I was just a beginner was Deb Stoller's Stitch and Bitch, leading me to fearlessly stitch my way through The Go-Everwhere-Go-With-Everything Cardigan using the first yarn I stashed (about ten balls of navy blue superwash).
I've made some great friends along the way. I met The Amazing A-- at the local yarn shop 'Way Out West, and watched her go from everybody's favorite part-time shop help to owning her own excellent store, and she's one of my best friends. My sister and I, who have never completely agreed on anything, finally found a firm common ground in knitting. I've taught two people how to purl, which took them from working exclusively on a knitting loom to full-blown capital-K Knitter status. One of them, B--, regularly goes on knitting cruises now and belongs to half a dozen knit circles. Yarn currently ties me to some of my new friends and colleagues, and I've finally heard about a local knitting group.
Knitting has seen me through some pretty hefty sorrows and helped me celebrate some great triumphs. Yarn has been the theme-thread running through most of my life, and I'm looking forward to continuing the journey on the Fiber Road.
Happy stitching!
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