Tin

Exactly 10 years ago at almost this time of day, I sat down at my computer to write the very first entry on this blog.  I had no idea what I was doing, it took about five hours, and I called Ken about nine times to ask him how to do things.  He’d given me the blog as a gift, a way to talk to other knitters, and to be part of the growing knitblogger community – but he was pretty honest that it was also a bit of self defense.  A way of getting me to talk to other people about knitting and maybe lighten up on the topic with him a little.  Free up some of his spare time.  Joe had given me a laminated sheet with some basic HTML on it, but it wasn’t really helping.  I somehow finished that first post, and I sat there, and I pushed the button that said "publish" and then I waited.  I don’t even know what I was waiting for.  Whatever was going to show up, I guess. I hoped something did.

Ten years ago, I was a mum (mostly) at home with my kids. I was working as a birth doula, a childbirth educator and a lactation consultant and writing on the side to help make ends meet, and I had a book deal for At Knit’s End. I was about to become a writer, but I wasn’t one yet. The book deal came before my blog, not because of it. Knitlit, the first time my writing was ever in a book, would come  out in February of 2004, but the day I posted the first entry to this blog, I’d never been part of a book.  Joe had won a Juno, and thing were looking up for him – he’d decided to build his first studio.  The girls were 14, 12 and 9,  we were sitting on the edge of the most amazing ten years of parenting – watching girls become women. We had no idea what we were doing. I’d never been on a plane by myself. I’d actually barely been on a plane.
Hank was three, almost four.

Ten years ago there was no Twitter, no Instagram – heck,  this blog started before there was a Facebook, or texting, or smart phones.  Ravelry wasn’t even a twinkle in Jess and Casey’s eyes yet. Short of meeting them on the Knit List (remember LISTSERV? Oh, how I struggled with those commands) the only way to hang out online with other knitters was a wide and vibrant blog community. Amazing days for knitblogs. Amazing days. 

Here I am, ten years later, and so much has changed.  Joe owns a proper studio, one where I didn’t install the insulation on a Sunday afternoon. Our daughters are all old enough to vote, and our nest is emptying.  There’s a chance the laundry will come within my control in the next few years. I’m decidedly a writer, I think, and maybe it’s fitting that this 10th Anniversary post comes to you from an airport in Vancouver as I travel to Seattle to sign galleys and talk with booksellers about my eighth book. (I can’t believe that’s even possible. Any minute now it’s going to turn out I hallucinated at least three of them and you’re all being kind not to say anything.) Over the years  Ravelry and Facebook have taken the place of many blogs, feeding  knitter’s need for connection without a needing a blog, and many bloggers have taken their daily updates and thoughts to those platforms.  There’s knitters on Ravelry who don’t read any blogs at all, and so many of us have moved, changed or stopped. Not all of us, for sure, but the herd of us has shuffled off – dispersed, but not diminished. 

I haven’t, There’s a lot of perks to writing a blog – especially the way I have. For ten years, I’ve written this blog without a single sponsor or advertisement.  I’m proud of that on some level, not because I think it’s crappy to monetize a blog, I think there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it, and I bow my head respectfully in the direction of my peers who’ve found that blogging lets them earn a living and care for their families, but when I look at the body of work I’ve assembled here (almost 2000 entries) I can look at it and know something.  Every word was uninfluenced.  If I didn’t say something I was thinking, it’s because I thought it unkind, unfair or stupid, not because it didn’t fit with the values or business plan of someone I was working with. If I said I liked a product, it’s because I did.   It gives me pride, not because that’s a noble thing to do, wool knows that advertising and sponsorship are a totally valid way for modern writers to make all this work pay off, but because has meant that for ten years,  what you have found here is just me.  All the opinions and ideas and mistakes… for better or for worse they were all mine, and what I thought was a smashing idea at the time, and I regret (almost) nothing. 

I’ve given a lot to the blog over the years.  The time, the money, the energy, and I can tell you that there have been a few painful consequences of maintaining it.  (Buy me a beer someday. We can talk about the dark side) but there’s something I can tell you about the choice to wake up almost every day for ten years and give this blog another hour of my life. 

It has been, over and over and over again, one of the best decisions I have ever made.  This blog has strengthened my marriage, helped me maintain relationships within my family, made me some of the best friends I have ever had, and made me a better mother. It’s been a tremendous help to my career, opened my mind to so many ideas, reassured me every day about the decency and intelligence of the world around me, and it’s even gotten me some really great yarn.  It has given me far, far more than has ever been asked of me, and I am a lucky and grateful woman who can’t believe her good fortune.  

I was on the phone with a friend yesterday, and we were talking about new mums, and what they need, and then we started talking about old mums and what they need, and then we realized that it really didn’t matter who we were talking about, or even what they were doing.  There’s one thing that changes everything, one magic thing that you can have in your life that greases every wheel, eases every transition, supports you though every crisis, and reinforces your success and confidence.  One thing that every person on earth does better with in every area of their life… and it’s a community, and some people find it a church, and some people find it in club, and however bizarre or unlikely or improbable, I have found it here, in a knitting blog that talks too much about other stuff to totally qualify,  and I want you to know that I will never, ever be able to properly or wholly express my gratitude for that gift. My life has been changed by a knitting blog, and you can tell anyone you want that I said it.

It’s been an amazing ten years, and as you read this, we’re preparing to reboot the blog to a new platform to solve most of our problems.  Comments are back up, but you’ll probably notice some glitchiness, and that’s what it’s going to take to keep the blog going for another ten years.  (What anniversary is that? Hopefully something better than tin.)

Thank you for all you’ve given me and my family.  To butcher a Robert Frost quote: We’ve taken the road less travelled by, and it has made all the difference.

I love you all.

Steph

506 thoughts on “Tin

  1. Where’s my love(1) button when I really need it?
    Thank you, Steph, for giving so much of yourself to the community – so much so that a random person many km away feels ok using your first name.
    Here’s to the next ten years!

  2. We love you too! Thanks for bringing this community together, and bringing some sunshine into our days. Hugs from the interwebz! :o)

  3. Thank you so much for your blog, Stephanie! I’ve never commented here before, but I’ve been reading your blog for years, ever since I found a copy of Knitting Rules! in my local bookstore, several years after I learned how to knit. Your blogging has had a big impact on me and my own knitting as I’ve gone from high school to college to grad school, and I just want you to know how much I appreciate it. 🙂 Cheers and happy anniversary!

  4. Congratulations on reaching this milestone! Thank you for sharing so much of yourself, and especially for your humour. Always a great read!

  5. Happy to see you’re happy with your ten years. I’ve enjoyed reading.
    Heads-up though, typo in the title. It reads “Tin” currently

  6. Happiest of Happy Blogiversaries to you! Thank you so much for letting us all into your life and knitting for ten years. (Has it really been ten years??!?)

  7. and I love you….I love that you make me laugh and cry. I love that you reach into my knitterly head and take out my thoughts and put them out there in the world. So often I identify with things you say, things you do and things you say you do!
    Thank you, the last 10 years have been amazing and although we have never met I feel connected!
    Nicole Jamison
    45 year old Mom of two little girls in Vermont

  8. Congratulations on 10 years of fantastic blogging, Steph! I have been reading your stories since the old Knit List (Listserve) days and most probably have some old print outs somewhere in a box – stories that were just so good that I had to keep them. Where are they now – in the house somewhere! Looking forward to many more years of your fabulous stories of life and knitting and assorted things. Take care.

  9. Happy Anniversary, and love you too!! Thanks to your blog I have been reading for the past year, I am now a raging wine/coffee drinking sockoholic and desperately trying to become the out of control stasher you described in Knitting Rules. Yep, I’ve picked my poison and its sock yarn. I don’t even workout anymore like I used to. I was almost afraid to stop reading your post because it almost sounded like goodbye…But now that your nest is emptying…Can you make your way further south like say California?? Please?

  10. Wow, congrats on a decade! I started reading in late 2004 or early 2005, I think, when I had just started a boring office job. I had so much extra time that I went back and read all the entries from the beginning to catch up. I liked the blog so much that I would come back from my lunch break and open the blog and click refresh every ten minutes or so waiting for the next entry. And now I am a stay at home mom, a better knitter and this blog is the only one I still wait (im)patiently for the next entry to appear.

  11. Happy Anniversary! We love you too—-you have given us all so much interesting, funny, helpful and enjoyable reading—-we raise our glasses and toast to your next 10!

  12. Thank you, thank you, thank you for every word you write, for every picture of every knitted everything… For bike rallies, and flight nightmares, and family pictures, and ice lanterns…
    For your blog and your books and your “friendship” (though you don’t know me, we have only met in one class, and I still feel a little funny when I refer to you by anything less than your full name)…
    You validate my crazy, you give me permission to really LOVE knitting, and I cannot wait for the new book to arrive (have already ordered it!).
    Happy Anniversary!

  13. I must have started reading just after you started writing- you made so many bad days better, just by your decency, and of course your humor. Days when laughing was just the thing I needed most. I know you will get many posts like this one, and you deserve them all. You are right, it’s not just knitting, it’s community, and you made a good one better.
    Thought of the day from VT; never mix wool and velcro, no matter how cold you are. You may literally never escape the consequences 🙂

  14. Thanks for the anniversary message.
    I am so glad the Blog has been good for you and yours.
    I am glad you updated us on your lovely family. ( though I have gone back to try to figure where everyone fits chronologically.)
    Enjoy Seattle. I am thinking the weather will be better than what you have had in Toronto.
    Please keep up the designing and writing.

  15. Happy Blogiversary, Steph! I always look forward to reading your posts. Your words resonate with me and validate my knitting life. Thank you for sharing your life with us.

  16. We love you! Your writing about knitting, family, life, love, loss, etc. is so poetic and touches the heart…we readers are the lucky ones. Happy 10th and here’s to many more!

  17. We love you too!!! As a public transit knitter who gets sideways looks and almost no comments, you make me feel like part of a HUGE community and that’s wondeful. I’m getting ready to move from San Francisco to Salt Lake City in August and you will make me feel loved and “normal” there too 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing so much of yourself and your family. You are an amazing (and hilarious) writer and inspire me (and I’m sure others too) to greater and greater heights of knitting feats. Knitting Rocks!

  18. I’ve been reading since the beginning and I’m looking forward to the next ten years. Life wouldn’t be the same without a daily dose of your decency, wisdom and humor. Thank you.

  19. I first read your blog posts about 9 years ago. I got into knitting then got out of it, and am now in again. So where did I go when I got back into it, to your blog. Thanks for keeping it up – hey if you’re traveling south come to Laramie, Wyoming. The local yarn shop is Cowgirl Yarn it’s where people who need a fiber boost go and it’s right across the street from the Buckhorn Bar.

  20. Happy Blogiversary! (For a second there I was really afraid you were setting us up for good-bye–phew–so glad that’s not the case.)

  21. Thanks ever so for all the giggles and tears and inspiration I’ve received over the years. Looking forward to the new book and I hope you will know how grateful we are for your being in our lives via your writing.

  22. I’ve been a long time reader – thank you for sharing your knitting and yourself on your blog for so long. It’s been a pleasure and an encouragement!

  23. Thank Ken for me, will you, for giving you this blog as a gift. I come here daily for inspiration and laughs, and sometimes for tears. I’m the mother of three, and mine are even younger than yours were when you started this blog, so I am tearing my hair out a lot (or my kids do it for me). You inspire me to be in love with my own blog and just jump in and do it, write what’s on my mind and in my heart, without censoring.
    I also found your books through your blog, so I guess the blog has really paid off for you in that way! Yippie!!!

  24. We were informally introduced when I picked up At Knits End in a bookstore and I laughed so much I cried. I read it to my knitting friends (they smiled indulgently), to my husband (he nodded and didn’t understand), to my cat (she purred), to my stash (it smiled knowingly), and to myself, over and over again. Thank you for 10 years of sharing your life as a knitter.

  25. Love you too Steph. Reading your blog is an important and uplifting part of my day, everyday. I am always touched by your genuine writings and look forward to many more beautiful entries.

  26. Happy tenth anniversary!
    Hard to believe I’ve been reading your blog as long as I have been. I love your books (I have about half of them).
    Thank you for sharing your life on this blog. You prove that we’re not (completely) crazy for how much we love knitting and that it’s possible to live your life doing exactly what you want to do (even if you didn’t plan it that way).
    Your blog is an inspiration, really, and happy anniversary, again, may there be many more.
    -Jessica

  27. I love your blog 🙂 I’ve read it aloud to DH, he has given your books to me as gifts – the ones I didn’t already have.
    I’m a relatively new knitter, though have discovered that new knitter concerns and long-time knitter concerns are not all that different. Thank you for that!

  28. Happy 10th Anniversary!Your words and fabulous attitude made me a Knitter and by extension, my sister’s who I taught to knit. You’re an inspiration and would buy you a beer without hesitation. Cheers!

  29. All that love, right back at you.
    Thank you for sharing, for all the lessons learned, for making me think, for making me literally laugh out loud.
    Congratulations, and here’s to all the amazing things to come during the next decade.

  30. Happy, Happy 10th Anniversary!! Thanks for the time, the knitting, the humor, the intellect, and the love! I’ve enjoyed every moment spent here in this space with you!

  31. Stephanie, you are so loved by so many. Happy anniversary! So happy for you that you’ve adjusted (it seems?) to your new glasses or contacts.Loved the zuzu petals piece-hope you make another for yourself-you’ve certainly earned it!
    It’s my hope and prayer that you will continue to write wherever and whatever moves you, to continue creating beautiful fiber art,and to live the awesome life you’ve built. Yepper, you’re one wonderfully special lady!

  32. I first discovered your blog when I was a lonely teenage exchange student in Brazil. I felt very, very, very, very homesick and lonely, and my host mother asked me if i would like to knit with her. I learned to connect with my host family in Brazil because of knitting. At the same time, I took to the internet, and through discovering the world of knitters and their blogs I felt like I wasn’t alone at all anymore! I read all of the archives in 2005, and everybody I have met since then hears at one point about Stephanie Pearl-McPhee: The Famous Canadian Knitter. A wonderful ten years to you!

  33. I am a lurker and am disappointed where on days there is no entry. I enjoy reading entries that are human, well thought out and connected. You have turned me on to some neat patterns.
    Congratulations and I hop you are here in another 10 years. I am looking forward to your grandchildren.

  34. Thanks for sharing your life with us over the last 10 years. It’s been an honor to be part of your world, to share in your joys, your sorrows & your knitting shenanigans. I think I’ve been following your blog for something close to 8+ of those years. We met at your book signing in Jacksonville, FL & I felt that that I’d already known you for ages! I’m looking forward to another 10 years of reading your blog.

  35. And you’ve done an amazing amount of good with it. Much is unmeasurable…oh wait! What’s that total on Knitters Without Borders again? Who raises big time bucks biking for Friends For Life? You make us want to be better people not just better knitters.

  36. Congrats Stephanie-
    I love this place it makes me smile and in the darkness of severe disability, it makes my cousin laugh and that makes everyone around her smile.
    Please keep up the good work. Whether it’s happy or sad news to write, it’s real and totally you. You’ve made us part of your family and we care what is happening to you and yours.
    Blogs are an amazing thing. I hope to meet you some day, but until then, I’ll keep up with you here!

  37. Happy 10th Anniversary!!! So glad to be a part of things. I only found your blog this year. Your books last year. It looks like I need to find more of your books. I think I only have five.
    Love you back, of course. So privileged to be a part of this. :D:D

  38. It has been a great 10 years! Yours is the first blog I ever read, and it continues to be the only knitting -related one that I read faithfully. I have all of your books, 2 of which are signed, and I have had the good fortune to meet you, with a photo to prove it! You have enriched my knitting life more than I can say, and I look forward to many more years of the Yarn Harlot.

  39. Wow ten years of blogging. Way to go! You have given us all so much especially the confidence to laugh at our knitting mistakes while honoring our fine accomplishments. There is something wonderful about sharing my lunch with you.

  40. Thank you, thank you for your blog! It’s the second blog I ever read (after Judy Laquidara’s Patchworktimes), and I still get excited when I see you’ve posted a new entry. You’ve made me proud(er) to be Canadian, and shown me ways to be a more experimental knitter. I own 3 of your books (so those definitely aren’t the 3 you’re hallucinating).
    Thank you Stephanie.

  41. Happy 10 Years! When I discovered At Knits End those many years ago, I laughed, and cried and thought, “wow she’s writing about me”; I’m not alone, there are other’s just like me out there knitting”. Everything you write about resonates so deeply with me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing your life with us. Congratulations on 10 years and I look forward to the next 10 years!

  42. I just found your blog last month. I’ve been enjoying it enormously. I hope you keep it up for another ten years. It’s one of the best.

  43. Have we really been at this 10 years? Your blog may have been a gift to you (nailed that one Ken)… but it has been a bigger gift to all of us. Happy blogeversary Steph. Thank you for ten years of sharing yourself with us. My life has been better for it.

  44. All of your postings inspire me, some to keep on trying with my knitting, and all of them to be a better person. You are such an amazing, wonderful, delightful woman. I had the great honor to be at your presentation in Chapel Hill, NC, recently, and the honor and thrill of being in one of your classes in Raleigh. (I was the one with great hero worship in her eyes and words, not that the words were very coherent. Those attributes probably don’t distinguish me from anyone else present.) I am so glad you started, and continue, this blog, and your books; to snitch words from a song, you lift me up. Thank you.

  45. Thank you Stephanie. I first learned about you, when I bought your book “Knit’s End”, and I’ve been a fan ever since. Happy 10th Anniversary and congratulations!

  46. I am so happy you have this blog! I’m almost 24 and even though my mom taught me knitting when I was ten, I didn’t get back into it until a few years ago. I love your blog and I love the knitting corner of the internet. It inspires me and makes me want to tackle more and more projects. 😀 I hope you have many, many more years on this blog!!

  47. Happy blogiversary! I’ve enjoyed the past 10 years. It’s an impressive milestone and proves you are a knitter-woman with a lot to share. Here’s to the next 10 years! Thank you, Stephanie!
    P.S. ILY2

  48. Not sure how many years it’s been since I discovered your blog, but it has been a joyful find. You have brought me such laughter and light-heartedness thanks to your wit and way w/words. Seeing (and reading), about your knitting has been such an inspiration. (I’m still waiting to read about/see finished photos of this past Rhinebeck Sweater.) Many thanks, Stephanie, for this wonderful gift!

  49. I’ve been reading since just before Hank turned four. I got here through the spinning listserve… Go figure. Love you, Steph!

  50. Very moving. You have definitely touched me. I wouldn’t have a successful (unsponsored) blog and design business if I hadn’t been inspired by you, and all the non-knitting stuff you write about with such skill is what keeps me and all of us coming back. It’s not just about knitting; knitting is only the vehicle for talking about the things that really matter.

  51. I’m not kidding at all when I tell you that earlier today, when I clicked to your blog to see if there was a new post, I was thinking that I should send you a “thank you”. I was thinking about the many reasons I love reading your blog and thinking, just as you mention here, how many blogs have shifted to Ravelry or Facebook. So I truly do want to thank you so much for continuing to visit this wonderful space and share so many amazing things with us. I feel I have come to know your family a bit, and I think they are awesome. Your thoughts and words inspire me to be a better mom and a better knitter; I would go so far as to say that there are days when I am not being my best self and I read something you wrote and realize you went out of your way to do the right thing for someone else, and thus I renew my resolve to do better. So Happy Anniversary, and many, many thanks!

  52. I was just reveling the other day at how long I’ve been a knitter (a little shy of ten years)
    And then I realized, holy moly, Steph has been blogging for TEN years.
    Reading your blog is a huge part of ‘being a knitter’ for me. I learned how to knit from Youtube and Knittinghelp. WEBS and Knitpicks are my yarnstore, so an online community is what comes natural for me. When I started, you’re the only ‘other’ knitter I knew, in a way.
    So thanks for everything 🙂 You’re awesome!

  53. Happy Anniversary! and thank you for all you have shared through the years…your expertise, your humor, your unerring moral compass, and your open and generous heart. It has been our pleasure as well.

  54. It’s a pleasure to sit down and read your blog over a cup of coffee every. single. day. Thank you for writing it, I have learned so much over the years, along with lots of chuckles and a few tears. Happy Anniversary Blog!

  55. I’ve only been blessed with knowledge of this blog for a little over a year, but I am very thankful to have found it. Thank You for sharing your thoughts with all of us for ten years!

  56. Happy Anniversary and thanks for being there. I love your blog and wouldn’t miss an entry for the world. Here’s to another 10 years.

  57. I just ordered your soon to come out book and can’t wait for the one after that. You have been the one blogger who I truly love to follow. Meeting you in person was even better and you helped me in so many ways. The class I took from you made a real difference for me to be able to design what I wanted. I also started blogging because of you and I thank you for that too.
    Happy Anniversary and sip a cold brew in celebration and I will have one too. Thank you for being there and being an inspiration to us all. Cheers!

  58. Happy 10th! Most of it has all been said already, above. I’ve been a fan since the beginning, have read every post at least once, have read every book. Your blog has become a part of my routine, my life….like, get up, get coffee read The Harlot. Thank you, thank you, thank you! YOU have done more to turn knitter’s into a community than anyone I can think of. Your impact far more than I think you realize. Tons of love and best wishes for the next 10 years!

  59. we love you back. thanks for encouraging me to remember what my grandma taught me, and for making all us knitters feel like we’re making art, not just oddities. you always brighten my day.

  60. Happy anniversary!
    I don’t know how long I have been reading your books (every one) or the blog, but I know that I won’t stop until you do. You connect me not just to the community of knitters, but to the community of my hometown and my home and native land, and your distinctly Canadian voice is so comforting to a homesick ex-pat.

  61. Sweet Mother Of God, I thought you were going to end this entry by telling us you were stopping. My heart was in my throat.
    I remember when I stumbled across your blog in 2008 – I had moved a six hundred miles from home, no friends or family, changed cultures from rural to urban (yes, there is a difference), and left aging parents behind. I was dreadfully lonely.
    I brightened up my day by reading your blog. I filled in the bloodless days y starting at the beginning of the blog and reading entries. I laughed, was thoughtful, occasionally raised an eyebrow. I fell in love with a politician-seriously, who would have thought? (the fellow, who stark naked, ran and jumped into the water along with the Newfoundland reporter who was interviewing him) (well, it’s a quiet one-sided romance, but it’s there nevertheless). I found new projects, new fiber, new yarn, and most important, a new community.
    Just this morning, I emailed a friend – another Canadian knitter, who is currently getting whacked with winter weather in Maine, and told her she just had to read yesterday’s blog from The ‘Harlot (I know, how overly familiar is that – abbreviating your given internet name).
    Ok, no “and now, folks, I’m done” ending. I can breathe now. I think I’ll got knit a little something in celebration, maybe even cast on something new. Thanks for everything and much love in return.

  62. I found your book in the library one day in… 2011 I think. I was now becoming a devoted knitter after my Ranger leader re-teaching me how to knit. It was “Free Range Knitter: the Yarn Harlot Writes Again” I had absolutely no idea what a harlot was at the time, and despite the deliberately written, “this book is about knitters” I thought it had patterns in it. Nope. It was a really funny book, and soon I went and checked out all the other books that you had written.
    I had looked up the blog, and I distinctly remember that the post at the time was about goats. I thought “weird” and didn’t look back at the blog until much later, and it was some really humorous post. From then on I read it.
    To keep writing a blog for “tin” years shows how devout you are, something which I incredibly admire about you. I’ve tried to write blogs, but I don’t have enough to say or I don’t have the focus to keep it up. So to keep it going for ten years is amazing to me.
    Happy Anniversary, and keep writing for another ten years or more 🙂

  63. Happy *Birthday* Yarn Harlot!! Thank you for sharing the past 10 yarny years with us; it’s been a pleasure and a privilege being here.

  64. I have been a reader of your blog since the beginning. Back before Rav, twitter, facebook and every other social platform even existed. You pointed me towards Knitty back in the day when they were a baby online knitting magazine. You have made me laugh deep in my belly, have inspired me to give more, and have made me proud to be a Canadian knitter day after day. Reading your blog is one of the highlights of my day, and for that I thank you. I hope I can still read this blog ten years from now.

  65. Thank you for all that you have given to those of us who follow along with you. You make me laugh, cry, smile and share your posts. I am grateful for having found you so many years ago, for your insights, your rationale thinking and your amazing outlook on life.

  66. Another 10? You’ll be platinum!
    Yours is one of the first knitting blogs I found, after I retired and got a home computer. Your humor, prose and great knitting tips enticed me to read your every word! I told my daughter about the Yarn Harlot, and she went out to find your books to gift me.
    Thank you for your steadfast dedication and honesty. Here’s to another 10!

  67. Happy anniversary and keep it coming.
    I hope you arrived in Seattle in the middle of the day, as today was absolutely delightful here in Seattle where we are spending time with grandchildren.

  68. The pleasure has been all ours. We are so lucky to have you.
    And wait — Joe won a Juno?! I had no idea. How awesome! For what work? Can you send a link? My husband is in the music industry and grew up in Canada, so you can bet I’m properly impressed.
    A very belated Congratulations! 😉

  69. Thanks, stephanie, for letting us into your life. It has been a great honor to meet your family through the blog. And I enjoy reading your words so much….thanks for sharing them.

  70. Thank you for this, the bit about community is exactly what I needed to hear today. Congratulations on such a wonderful anniversary!

  71. Happy Anniversary. Thank you for your wonderful, educational, funny, sometimes thought provoking, mostly knitterly and always interesting blog. Here’s to 10 more terrific years.

  72. Congratulations on 10 years of blogging! And thank you- I started knitting in 2002 or 2003 and eventually found your blog. I’ve enjoyed reading it and being part of the community. Cheers….

  73. thanks for so much fun, so many insights, great ideas, personal triumphs, and such a great learning experience. reading this blog has made my day so often, sometimes picked me up when I was feeling down, helped me decide to try a more challenging pattern, and given us all a better outlook in general.

  74. I am in tears, but happy tears. I am so happy for you and can’t believe so much time has gone by. I don’t know that I have missed many of your posts over the past ten years so you have enriched my life, as well as my daughters, more then I could say. I remember reading them parts over the years about what your daughters were going through by having a fiber Mom. They were comforted to know there may be other kids on the planet who were asked to model a garment for photos when they really didn’t want to. Sometimes you said so perfectly what motherhood is and entails that I would just have them read the whole thing because that is exactly what I would say if I had the gift for expressing my feelings in words. Congratulations on 10 years of laughter, tears and sharing good times and bad with us. Keep up the good work and a very heartfelt thank you. (:

  75. I got goosebumps reading your post Steph – I’m a knitter from New Zealand who delights in your words – blog and books.
    Thank you very much. Here’s to another 10 years!

  76. I got goosebumps reading your post Steph – I’m a knitter from New Zealand who delights in your words – blog and books.
    Thank you very much. Here’s to another 10 years!

  77. Congratulations on 10 wonderful years! I can’t even tell you how many years I’ve been reading your blog now, but I do know that I look forward to every single entry. I’ve learned so much from you and not just about knitting. Thank you so much for sharing all that you do!

  78. Congratulations! You have been blogging for about 2 months longer than I have been knitting, and I was fortunate to discover your blog and others right as I was learning. So for me, knitting and the internet will always be a team. Thank you for continuing to write. I love Ravelry, but you’re still at the top of my reading list!

  79. congratulations. this is so cool. i remember finding your blog, and some others later on and reading these things called blogs, on, er, dial-up? powermac? so, you inspired me, and along with others in the cyber-fiberworld like jude hill and india flint. i struggled into a blog, and because of that i’m headed to australia for the second time to teach. life is crazy cool, and technology can be, too. but there once was a yarn harlot who inspired and made me laugh and cry and rant a bit, too. thank you!

  80. What a magical world this is, that knitting can give us such joy and that we can all connect like this from our own homes. I love you too! I’ve been right here those 10 years, reading along and going to the Seattle book tour talks, which were always great fun and many laughs. Thank you Stephanie and Happy Anniversary!

  81. Thank you for a wonderful blog.
    I know you are a far more experienced knitting then I am and your knitting stories remind me I am not alone in knitting frustrations. After all most of the time I take sticks and string and make something wonderful. Some times I just make a mess.

  82. And we love you Steph! I’ve not been around for the entire 10 years,but for most of them, and strangely ,I admit ,I go each day to look and see if you have “sent me a a note “. Some days I return a few times to see, because they bring such pleasure to my daily life . Thank you for that!
    HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!!
    Jude

  83. It’s amazing that you feel you have gotten so much from the blog (and the Blog), when we all feel that you have given us so much.
    Thank you – looking forward to many more years of this special community.

  84. I’ve been reading your blog for about 9 years or so. I’ve enjoyed every word and picture. At the time I was a rather timid knitter, nervous about doing other items other than scarves. You inspired me to branch out. Your expertise and the mistakes you’ve made…and how to correct them, made me want to move on with my knitting. I thank you for that. You taught me that knitting was to be loved and enjoyed as a process and as a finished item. Thank you too, for being real and down to earth. Happy Anniversary! I know I’m not alone when I say I love you too!

  85. Have been reading your blog regularly for several years & feel like you’re one of my close friends, although we’ve never met (yet!) because you’ve shared so much of your life with me, the way friends do. I’ve laughed and cried with you, I’ve read all your books, and own most of them. The words ‘Thank You’ don’t seem enough, somehow, but thank you, for everything.

  86. thank you.
    For your openness, for your honesty, for letting us into the messy parts as well as the easy beautiful parts of your yarn and your life.

  87. Thank you, Steph, for sharing your life with us. You are the one who has created this beautiful community. Thank you for sharing your ups and downs with us.

  88. Thank you so much for 10 year (10 years!) of the blog! I have read various entries to my husband, who doesn’t know how to knit and doesn’t want to know how to knit, and he loves the blog, too. He says you are a wonderfully humane writer. I remember the first one I read to him was your entry about searching for clothes to wear to the airport and ended with “go lie in traffic”. I laughed out loud at that, while completely sympathizing with you, too.
    Thank you and Happy Anniversary!

  89. Thanks Stephanie. You inspire me with every post. I write my own blog because of the joy reading yours has brought me. And my blog has made all the difference for my ability to spend my days with yarn and tapestry. Thank you so much. And keep writing! I read all of it.

  90. what an amazing and inspiring story! i’m so glad you decided to share it all with the world. thanks and here’s to another wonderful 10 years!

  91. I look forward to reading your blogs at the end of a long day to give me joy and hope in the next. Thank you for keeping it candid and full and always to a point worth pondering. Thank you for you and your books and inspiration!

  92. Happy anniversary Stephie. Your blog has given me many laughs over the years. A few tears as well. Thank you. You’re the best.

  93. Happy [blog]versary. I have enjoyed reading your well thought out words for almost 10 years, and look forward to reading for the next 10 and on.

  94. Thank you for the time, money, and tears that have been put into this blog. Know that it brings smiles to the faces of so many. Blogs like yours make me feel as though I have a knitting group to gain tips, tricks, reviews, and information from and I thank you do much for this!

  95. I wish you had a like button. I’m not much of a commenter (maybe 6 times total) but I have been reading your blog for about 9 1/2 years and during that time you have become a part of my life also. I feel like you’re my friend. I quote you enough that my family thinks you’re my friend. I have discovered yarn and patterns and designers that I never would have in my little town. I am knitter and your blog has played a part in that. Thank you.

  96. Happy Anniversary! Thank you for making us a part of your life. Your blog is part of my daily “I need to feel better about life” routine. You have enriched us all.

  97. I’ve been reading your blog for almost the entire ten years, and just want to say, thank-you. You’ve made me laugh, think, cry, and remember the things I’m grateful for. I hope you keep on blogging for a good long while!!

  98. Thanks for 10 fabulous years. We all love you for helping to create this wonderful community of knitters. Let’s keep doing this.

  99. And we love you too Steph. I still get the giggles when I think about you rubbing your sock on my first sock at the talk you gave in Fairhope, AL. I got a piece of your knitting mojo, and how cool is that?

  100. Thank you for your blog! You always make me laugh and I love reading it to my husband who thinks I nuts sitting here giggling! I enjoyed meeting you in Fort Wayne and look forward to the next 10 years!
    All the best

  101. Love your blog, your insights, the inspiration to knit. Love your patterns (is my cloisonee the one you saw and mentioned on twitter?), the laughs, the serious moments, the occasional tear. I’m proud to be a fellow knitter and canuck and I’m happy to celebrate your tin(th) anniversary with a ‘tinned’ alcoholic beverage. Cheers!

  102. You were the first blog I ever read! Many blogs have changed or drifted away but here you are, still at the beginning of my favorites list. Is the knitting a part of your life or is life a part of your knitting? I love that you cover both so well. Thanks Stephanie!

  103. no, thank you! i’m a little embarrassed to say that to my non knitting family and friends i refer to you as ‘my friend stephanie, who writes a knitting blog’…. even though i’ve been in close proximity only twice and only for a few minutes…( my knitting friends know who you are and would call me on it!) thank you for being there when i needed a pick me up, for providing me with a way to help people i will never meet with the small amount of money i have to share…. and for the giggles… and thank you to your family for sharing you with us!

  104. And we all love you too. I have often said that you and I are twins who were separated at birth (and by probably 15 years but I don’t know how to account for that)! Thank you for your love and truth and for being here for us. Happy Anniversary with much love.

  105. Thank you. Reading your blog has made me laugh and made me cry, and has always made me feel more connected to the wide world of knitters. What you do is meaningful and greatly appreciated.

  106. Thank you for putting yourself out there. I am grateful that you were so brave ten years ago. I do have community here, around my home, in physical space. But, as a working mother, it is limited to a few close families. Blogs like yours help me feel connected to a larger group of people, even if I don’t often comment or participate in the conversation. Reading this makes me want to recognize and send appreciation for the generosity with which you’ve shared your writing so freely with us.

  107. I have been with you right from the start when I found your blog while I sat in front of the computer with a brand new baby on my lap, late at night when she wouldn’t sleep. I didn’t know that other people knitted like loons or talked obsessively about their jumpers and you opened my eyes. Your blog saw me through post-natal depression (twice) and emigration to the other side of the world. Life has changed and for large chunks of it while my now husband (we’re also godless heathens who lived in sin with our babies until we got around to the nuptials) and I set up a business I was alone but The Blog kept me company. Eventually I travelled to Rhinebeck and met you and all the CPaAG guys from Ravelry. For the last decade I’ve never been lonely thanks to our community of Ravelry, the Blog, you and Joe and the girls and, of course, thanks to Ken. You changed my life too in so many ways for the better. Happy birthday, Blog. I love you.

  108. Totally amazing how much the world has changed in the last 10 years. Thank you for keeping this little bit of consistency. I’m looking forward to reading at least 10 more years of blog posts!

  109. Stephanie, you didn’t mention that you and the blog are responsible for raising over a million dollars for Doctors Without Borders. That is the most amazing feat, I think it deserves mention today. On another note, my optical technician husband wonders if the person who wrote or transmitted your prescription transcribed it incorrectly. We don’t think it’s you.
    Happy Annivrsary!

  110. Happy Anniversary, and best wishes for many, many more to come! (Joe, I hope you took your wife out to dinner, or will be doing so, to help celebrate this milestone. Her favorite modestly-priced place probably will do, as long as she doesn’t have to cook and you’re as romantic as all get-out.)
    And thanks for giving this long-time beginner knitter who knows just enough to be dangerous hope I might someday complete my first sock. Maybe when there’s a breed of feathered pig called “Pegasus”. Until then, there’s lots of big square or rectangular things to knit. . .!

  111. Happy blog-iversary! I can remember reading back entries here when I first discovered this blog about 9 years ago. Wow! Just realizing I’ve been reading along since almost the very beginning! Thanks for giving us this amazing community 🙂

  112. Happy 10th!
    You are my go-to site every morning. I’m always interested in what you have to say, even when I’m not interested 😉
    Your knitting is inspiring, you are clever and witty and honest and generous.
    Thank you Harlot! Love and peace to you.

  113. I am so happy that you haven’t regretted sharing your life with us. Even if we sort of stalk you at knitting festivals (although I still maintain that you were stalking US at Rhinebeck…).
    Your honesty and courage and humour and simple grace have been inspiring and I’m so glad we’ve all been privileged to share in them. Thank you for continuing to do this for so long.

  114. You’re so very awesome, Steph! I totally remember the day about 8 years ago that I stumbled across your blog and it just opened up a new world to me. Feeling like the lone knitter under 35 on the Canadian prairies, I had no idea that there were others like me and your blog has lead me to so many cool knitterly things. thank you for all that you do — you do it so well!

  115. I’m so happy you’re still blogging! Thank you for taking the time to write – and so thoughtfully. You put so much love and joy into the world. Your blog is one of my very favorites (and I’m not really a knitter). Happy 10th blogging anniversary! 🙂

  116. Hi Steph,
    I don’t think I’ve ever commented before but want to congratulate you on your anniversary and thank you for sticking with the blog – finding a new entry from you in my blog feed is like getting a letter in the mail from an old friend. I first found your blog a year or so ago and your book Knitting Rules at the library about the same time, loved it and looked for it in stores for a while, and then went online and found and ordered it. I’ve already wish listed and am eagerly waiting for the next one that’s about to be released. I particularly like how much you share about yourself and your family and you have just the right amount of self-deprecating humour to keep the “knitting goddess” human. Please keep writing.

  117. I could write a really lengthy comment about how your blog and knitting have changed my life, and my sister’s as well. It’s just too long a story, especially on your anniversary post. But I will say thank you from my heart for your writing. You are an inspiring and unique person.

  118. I add my thank you for continuing to write your blog through all your life happenings. I also wish to thank your family for letting you include their experiences in your blog. I intend to continue readindg as long as you continue writing. May we grow old together.

  119. Happy Anniversary! Your blog has made me laugh and cry, it has taught me a thing or two about knitting and life. I have enjoyed your books as well as meeting you at various fiber festivals. Thanks for writing this blog, I look forward to each entry!

  120. Hurray!
    I too love this blog, this two thousand ways street of knitting knowledge that goes on here!
    Happy 10th and many more!
    I have challenged myself from here and succeeded!
    Thanks!

  121. Congratulations! Yours is the blog I check first every day, hoping a new post will appear, with pictures of something you’re making. I quote you often at home from your posts and books. If my husband wonders what on earth I’m doing with that pile of yarn that I’ve yanked off of the needles three times, I tell him “It’s okay. The Yarn Harlot says this happens to her too. It’s called frogging.” Thank you for showing me that my knitting life could be better, that I could be adventuresome and not be afraid to try new things. I still haven’t steeked anything, though.
    Best wishes for the next ten years of blogging. I can’t wait to read it!

  122. Isn’t it amazing, what all can happen in just 10 years? Thanks for bringing us on this journey with you. And your advice here years ago to never say anything in the blogosphere that you wouldn’t say to someone in your own living room has stood me in very good stead.
    Here’s to another 10! But only if you feel like it…

  123. Two years ago I rediscovered spinning after a hiatus of many years, because of you. I learned to take chances with my knitting and not be a fraidy-cat, because of you. I have learned to try new patterns and new techniques, because of you. You inspire me, you make me laugh, sometimes you make me cry. Every single entry is a worthwhile read, and because of you, I’m thinking of travelling more. Congratulations on 10 years of a GREAT blog; and for continuing to inspire all of us, many thanks.

  124. Thank YOU Steph for bringing all of your readers together and helping to form this wonderful knitting community. Congratulations on 10 years of the blog and here’s to the next 10 (and more)!

  125. Happy anniversary–I can’t believe it’s been 10 years! I think I’ve been here since close to the beginning. I hope you’re here for another 10 years, and many more to come.
    Thank you for sharing your life with us!

  126. I want to thank you for all the things you’ve given me through this blog: your time, mostly, and your experience, advice, many laughs, many tears, lots of ideas and inspiration, and the camaraderie and friendship of a fellow knitter. You are awesome!

  127. Thank you Steph for all the pleasure you have afforded me over the years. With both my daughters having flown the nest your blog has been the one that has helped fill the gap. As a dedicated knitter I have been inspired by many of your posts and have your books to keep me company when the I’net connection fails. Bless you my Canadian friend and keep on blogging.

  128. Thank you so much for sharing your time, love, friendship, wit and life experiences with all of us. I know to you, we are mostly a faceless blob, but to us, you are our friend Steph. We’ve watched you grow and change over the years. Laughed and cried with you. In short, we’ve taken you into our hearts. It is a gift and it is so appreciated.

  129. I found your blog about six years ago through your first book that I purchased at a used book store in Chicago. Although I have only commented once before in all that time, I have enjoyed your writing and the privilege of being included in your daily life. I love that you still make knitting mistakes and share them with all of us. Just that fact alone makes me a better person and a better knitter. Thank you!

  130. Happy anniversary! Thank you for your blog. Everything the above commenters said! I hope to continue being inspired by you, in so many ways, for a long long time! You are awesome.

  131. I actually found your blog because I googled knitting doula. I was a doula at the time as well!
    Thank you so much for starting your blog. For writing your books. For continuing to write your blog. For sharing a bit of you and your family with a slew of internet strangers. And for being so kind to the hoards of people that show up to your readings.
    I’m glad you’re here.

  132. Thank you. Thank you for sharing your knitting, and your life with us for the last ten years. You have truly given us a great, great gift. You’ve been with me as I’ve learned to knit, through happy times and not so great times…through all of this your blog has been a bright spot for me. I’ve learned so much from you and I thank you for giving us the blog.

  133. OMG! I started to cry because I thought you were saying goodbye. Then I kept crying out of sheer relief. What would my day be without a daily dose of The Yarn Harlot? I check your blog first thing every morning; at lunchtime; and again at night. If there isn’t a new blog, then there are the comments from the The Blog Community.
    Stephanie, you have inspired me and reassured me; made me laugh and made me cry; and made me want to be a better, more adventurous knitter.
    Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the past 10 years. Here’s hoping there are many more.
    Many virtual hugs from Calgary.

  134. I love reading your posts. I love reading all the comments from the blog community. It is a privilege to be part of it. Thanks.

  135. Happy birthday! I have been reading you for several years and this blog has come to mean so much to me. I don’t have many knitting friends and it has been so wonderful to know that there are people out there that are like me, who care about gussets and ladders and the best way to do increases for a given pattern. Thank you for blogging!

  136. Perfectly perfect blog post for a spectacular blogiversary! I haven’t been following the whole time…but I have followed loyally since discovering the Blog! Glad it’s as good for you as it is for us ? Also as a Canadian living in Australia – what I wouldn’t give for some snow days when I cannot cool down in 40+ degree heat! Our bodies are not made for it!

  137. Happy Anniversary/Birthday Steph, and thank you for your lovely posts. I agree that community is what makes it happen, and I will admit that yours is the ONLY blog I faithfully read…because I feel like I know you…because I can’t imagine that we wouldn’t be friends if we were to meet in real life, even if we disagree on some things (I like the IDEA of spinning, but in real life???? come on…) I love that you have invited me (us) into your life, and that you can tolerate us while maintaining some semblance of normality. XOXO is all I can say, and thank you.

  138. And thank you for all you’ve taught us and brought to us. I know I’m a better person for having tried to live up to your example, time and again. Happy anniversary!

  139. Wow! And, what you have given to all of us . . . nurturing, support, laughter, inspiration . . . time, energy . . . love! Back at ya’ Stephanie!

  140. Happy anniversary, Steph!!!
    I found your blog probably a year or two after you started, and it’s still my first stop on the knitting blog read. I’m glad you’ve stuck with it, ’cause you do inspire the rest of us to keep going. (And you do give us a laugh.) Here’s to many more!

  141. Congratulations on 10 (mostly) glorious years (the less than perfect parts of our lives make us appreciate the truly wonderful that much more in my not so humble opinion).
    I do hope that your vision issue has been resolved. Here in the States many eye doctors are taught to under prescribe for their patients (I think the logic is that the patient will work hard to make up the difference and organically improve their vision). Twice I have had to return contacts and glasses because I was given too weak a prescription and was getting headaches from all the squinting. This is likely what happened to you: not your fault, but the fault of the current medical training.
    I look forward to reading your next ten years of blogs (plus your newest book!).

  142. And we thank you for it. You influence so many lives of (mostly) women that you don’t even know through your writing about — stuff – your daughters, your house, your family, your travels, and the knitting of course. I look just about every day to see if there’s a new post.

  143. Ten years? Fantastic. Love your blog and love how you have continued on without commercializing it. So many blogs I used to love have just turned into advertisements. I also love that you haven’t stuck strictly to knitting, but have covered so many topics, and have really “put yourself out there”. Best of all is how you use your influence to support good causes. Congratulations on your wonderful accomplishments!

  144. Happy 10th anniversary Steph!
    Knitting was a lifesaver through my husband’s long illness and passing. A kind and funny virtual girlfriend talking about knitting and life was exactly what I needed and still need!
    Thank you!

  145. Happy Anniversary, Steph! A friend directed me to your blog about 5 years ago when I finished my first long tail cast on and tackled my first fumbling attempt at continental style knitting. Thank you for inspiring me and making me erupt in laughter so many times! After many hats, scarves, and a shawl, I think I’m finally ready to start socks! Best wishes to you, and keep on writing!

  146. Happy Blogiversary! I’ve been here since the beginning and have loved every word. I’d love to buy you a beer while you’re in Seattle! Name the time ??

  147. Wow!! Ten years what an accomplishment!!! I thoroughly enjoyed every single entry. Most times I laughed, sometimes I cried, but either way, I am consistently impressed by your kindness and simple decency as a human being. May the next ten years be as wonderfully life changing as the last ten and that you will continue to invite us along for the ride!!

  148. Stephanie,
    I stumbled onto your blog sometime in 2005. At the time I didn’t know how to knit and I had no idea that yarn was sold in places other than big box craft stores. Once I began reading, I couldn’t stop (still haven’t). All these years later, rarely does a day go by that I don’t knit, I’m getting acquainted with my first spinning wheel, and I have a stash the size of my second bedroom. I blame you for all of it. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
    Happy Anniversary.

  149. Congratulations…and Happy Blog-aversary. 🙂 My tenth was Feb. 9, 2013…and like you, I couldn’t quite believe it. Somehow, I thought you’d been a blogger a lot longer than I…I think I’ve followed you since about Day One…have every one of your books thus far (and have a calendar, somewhere)…Love your work, your gift, your unabashed Canuckianism…All the best for the rest of it: life, blogging, parenting, perhaps grand-parenting…May you be blessed!

  150. I was reading your super funny emails on the Knitlist (which still survives in spite of Ravelry) before you started your blog. When you were suddenly gone from the list emails, we found your awesome writing on the blog. Then books, talks all over the continent and then the awesome Sock Summits. We have learned and followed and will continue that because you are raw and honest. I loved reading about you and Joe raising your children, as my son was small, and I could learn from a mother of 3. Thank you and all the best for a long time to come.

  151. Glad to see the comments back up, especially after you posted about those squee-inducing baby shoes 🙂 Those socks you made are beautiful, and I have two pairs I made for a similar reason. They are all the colors of summer (sky-blue, grass-green, sun-yellow, sherbert-red and orange, cotton-candy-violet), each color-band a half-inch wide, and they make me smile every time I wear them or just see them in the drawer.

  152. STEPHIE, DARLING, WE LOVE YOU!!!!! THANK YOU !!! and NEVER stop writing!!
    You have created hundreds of addicts out here — not knitting addicts (we either were or are or would become), but those of us addicted to your blog, to you, to your writing, your updates. It’s like we need THE HARLOT FIX, and bunches of us just go all spasmy when you don’t or can’t post for 3 days or more.
    YOU ARE A DRUG.
    [hugs] and [love you] from hundreds, nay thousands, of us out here. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

  153. Congrats and thanks! We are all wool-blessed. I came to this blog after a librarian, giving a presentation in a retirement community, showed the group (including my dad) a copy of At Knits End. He thought I might like it and sent it on, and the rest is history. Next month we celebrate his 90th and I am hoping to get that second sock finished. These days knitting fine yarn is a challenge especially at night (these socks have been going for awhile). I know he’ll appreciate them although he has a little trouble expressing himself these days (he writes better than he talks, but still of few words). So this is a happy memory if him as well as that first book. And away we all goooooo . . . living life.

  154. You’re such a great writer. It’s a pleasure to read this blog, a real highlight of the day. All the best and congratulations to you. Ninaclock145

  155. Happy Anniversary and Thank You! Reading your blog is a happy point in my day. Thanks for everything you share, and the humor with which you do it.

  156. Thank you for all the wonderful posts. congratulations on 10 years of a wonderful blog.Hilarious that Greg Kinnear ‘s new tv show is on as I write this. Big hug sent to you even if your usually not a hugger but sometimes make exceptions. Wishing you all good things and thanks for sharing with us. So pleased to hear another book is coming.

  157. Happy Anniversary! I too have been reading your blog for years but rarely comment. I’m far, far from a knitting community (originally from Oregon & California and now live in Zambia) and just reading your posts make me feel part of something and less far from home. I have a community. Thank you.

  158. Congratulations!
    I look forward to your posts…you’re the best!
    I have been to hear you speak each time you have come to Pittsburgh. I even took you back to your hotel on one of your visits here!
    All the best to you!
    Judi

  159. The knitting world has certainly changed a lot in the last 10 years, thank you for the laughs the tears and the “Oh my” moments.

  160. Ditto to all of the above. Even when life seems to be getting you down, you still find time to update the blog; even if just to let us know it may be quiet for a bit.
    Stephanie, thank you for taking time to share part of your day with all of us. What a great community to be a part of.
    Cheers to 10 more great years!
    Lil

  161. I’ve been knitting for over five years now, since taking up the needles to deal with perinatal depression. I have read you ever since, hungry for knitterly knowledge and companionship, I bought a copy of ‘The Yarn Harlot’. I look for a post from you every day, and read it before anything else. You have inspired me, and helped get me through my depression. I admire and love you. Thanks for everything.

  162. I followed you from the Knitlist, too, and have been so very grateful for the many things I’ve learned from you over the years. I am a happy & capable knitter now, & have taken on many challenges that I would never have even considered. Thank you so much, Stephanie! Here’s to the next 10!

  163. A simple thank you doesn’t seem quite enough for the sheer joy and pleasure you offered to us over those 10 years. Though some difficult times in my life you have brought humour, wisdom and the reminder that I too belong to a wonderful, supportive knitting community. But all I can offer is ‘thank you so very much’.

  164. Congratulations! and best wishes for the next ten years.
    (whenever I’m able to sponsor the bike rally, I always sponsor Ken first…my way of thanking him for giving you, and us, the blog)

  165. You came to me after a drunk driver had disabled me, leaving me with degenerative spinal and joint disorders as well as Fibromyalgia. Thank goodness for Knitty Gritty and Vickie Howell! Your socks, books, then blog have TRULY helped me learn to live with the physical pain and the loss of my music and nursing careers. Now you are helping me through a newly emptied nest and being one of a very few local Knitters (I live in west Phoenix, Az.). The nearest LYS is approximately an hour away now. There is a needlepoint store that carries a small selection of yarn, and the craft stores. That’s it, really limited! I miss my LYS, you are my only knitting constant and companion. Thank you so much for helping me along my journey, and Congratulations!!!!!

  166. Congratulations on ten years of blogging Stephanie. Yours is a wonderful blog, uplifting, inspiring, reassuring, thought-provoking and funny, and I am so grateful for all of the time and effort you put into it. Here’s to the next ten!

  167. You are an amazing woman. I love reading your blog and finding out what you and your dear ones are doing. I await your projects with delight, often having parallel ones going on in my life. Because of you I was encouraged to learn to spin. I can’t say thank you in a big enough way to pay you back for the pleasure that reading your blog has brought me over the years. I hope you plan to keep on blogging for many more years to come!

  168. And THANK YOU! I absolutely love your blog, I have been telling people about it a lot lately, even though I’ve been reading for a while. And I’m so pleased you get so much from your blog, because hopefully that also means you won’t be stopping. EVER! xxx

  169. I am a quilter, not a knitter but I love your blog, The Blog and the fact that even I can be a part of this vibrant community. I love to watch for posts from Rams and Presbytera and feel like part of the affectionate teasing. You write so well I am looking forward to the next ten years. Congratulations!!!

  170. Happy Blog Day to you!
    I came to your blog around 2009, having picked up Yarn Harlot in Borders. I started reading from there but some days I’ve sat and read backwards too (watching people’s children de-age and projects shrink, a little spooky!) and it’s been a fantastic journey.
    Long live The Blog and all who sail in her!

  171. Thank you for sharing your life so eloquently! Your beautiful blot is my favorite bedtime reading. Facebook is…not. Keep on being wonderful please.

  172. I held my breath while reading this post, in dread fear of an announcement that you were moving on to a different chapter in your life. When I got to the end, my eyes teared up and my heart gave thanks. I stumbled into your blog about 6 years ago. Your standup comedy act, knitting and yarn wisdom, revelations, philosophies, and even your washing machine have become part of my daily breath of fresh air. Whatever gratitude you feel for your blog, I return it a thousand times over.

  173. When I wanted to knit lace for the first time, I found the Snowdrop Shawl pattern. (and your blog) 🙂
    When I finished the shawl, I emailed you that somewhere in The Netherlands your pattern was made, and worn with pride. And you mailed me back! I was thrilled!
    I kept reading your blog over the years, and although your life is so different from mine, I somehow feel connected. Thank you, and please keep writing.

  174. Congratulations! I adore your blog and can’t tell you how much joy, inspiration, education and laughs your blog has given me. I’ve read every post and enjoyed it all.
    I’ve always appreciated the lack of ads – nothing offensive popping up while I am trying to read – that is a rarity on the internet these days. I hope I’ve paid you back in that I do own all your books – it’s been my way to support the blog (and the books are excellent). I’ve also purchased a whole bunch of yarn and patterns that you’ve inspired me to knit (and donated to the bike trip too!)
    Checking in to your blog is a part of my day – a lovely part. Happy 10th and many more.

  175. Thank you for your time and efforts in keeping the blog going. I have so very much enjoyed reading about your knitting projects, your family life, and your thoughts on everything else… 🙂 one of my all time favorite posts, that still brings me to tears, is the one about buttonbands and teenagers. It was very sweet.
    Thank you, thank you, thank you.

  176. Happy 10th Anniversary all the way from Australia! Love your blog, check it every morning with my cup of coffee! You have encouraged me to further myself in knitting and I love hearing about all your adventures.

  177. Happy Anniversary. 10 yrs is a long time by any standard. Your humour, personal views on various topics, items of knitting and sharing your Canadian family life – they make interesting and informative reading & an education. I have learned a lot of knitting tips from your blog. Greetings from Singapore, we are 30C all year round. TY.

  178. Hi, never commented befor but I have been a constant reader for almost the full ten years you´ve been writing! I missed the first few months but since then I have read the blog and your books and enjoyed every word!!! I am so glad you have created this haven for us knitting yarn-junkies (and so is my husband…). My warmest congratulations on your anniversary all the way from Stockholm Sweden, also very cold and dark this time of the year 😉

  179. Steph, thank-you, for 10 years of your words and your heart and your encouragement. I first discovered your blog in November 2004, I was new to the world of blogs and blogging, and the ‘new’ world of knitting, having learnt to knit as a child but the needles having long lay dormant. I was a newly single parent, with 3 very young kids, in the middle of a horrible marriage break-up and court case. Your words and stories provided a welcome distraction from the realities of life, and sitting down to read your posts was like catching up with an old friend. I’ve never lost that sense of connection, which has comfort from your generous heart in how you write and encourage and inspire.
    Now, nearly 10 years later, my kids are 16, 12.5 and 11, and I’ve often recalled your tales if parenting as I ‘ve navigated my way through our own adventures! My ex-husband and I, long divorced, are rebuilding our marriage with new foundations, and your stories of life lived with another encourage me in the realities of love and marriage. And the knitting? The knitting. There hasn’t been another years-long break, and it has become my therapeutic relief for so many things in life – distraction from pain, focus when I need something tangible to follow through the grey days, and something that helps restore the rhythms of the days.
    So thank-you, Steph, for not giving up when it got hard, for speaking life real, for welcoming us to your space, and for the knitting. Always, the knitting. (And dyeing. And spinning. And everything else :-))
    I’ve sometimes thought ‘If I could only ever read one blog, what would it be?’ Without fail , the answer is always this one. Here’s to another milestone whatever that may be !

  180. Your blog’s been a friend when I’ve been lonely and I’ve had to dig down deep to knit through depression.
    And heck….I can knit socks.

  181. As a child of the internet I never managed to get into blogs, only discovering them recently. Maybe influenced by having only become a crafter in the last few years. I feel like knitting, and the subsequent spin offs, sewing, beading, embroidery, have filled a need that I never knew was always there.
    Your blog is one of the first I signed up to and I’m so grateful that you are still going! In many ways I feel I missed the boat, as you say, so many bloggers have moved on to other platforms. To have someone of your experience to “listen to” is lovely and makes me happy.
    Many thanks. Truly.

  182. It’s for me always been very interesting and entertaining to read your blog. Not only about your knitting adventures, but also your way of life. As I am dutch, I like to read about your canadian/american travels.
    And I am jealous about all the wonderful yarns you can choose from. The shipping costs to Holland are phenomenal.
    So, thanks for your blogs, I love them.

  183. Many congratulations Steph! I can’t tell you how many times you’ve made me laugh out loud at your posts with your unique wit and observations! I have a special needs child and sometimes life is not easy but with people like you in my life, a smile is only a click away! Thank you again…. xxx

  184. Here’s to another 10 years. I love knitting blogs. Twitter and Facebook just aren’t the same thing. Thank you for my KWB yarn, for the wonderful snowdrop pattern, for widdle booties and for books that always make me feel better.

  185. Happy Anniversary from England.
    I found your blog after Amazon thought I might like your book based on purchases I had made. For once they were right. I have laughed and cried over the years, I looked at all your socks and wondered if I could do that – and I could. I have admired your common sense and openmindedness (apparently not a word)and your pride in being Canadian. Your recent photos have served as a warning to a daughter coming to Toronto with work that yes she does need a new coat!! Oh and over here 20 years is china. Thank you.

  186. Steph, Mazel-tov on this meaningful milestone!
    You give us all so much of yourself and help us feel connected across the world. Your blog is a daily gift to all of us!
    It was wonderful to meet you and learn from you in Indiana. Your talents are many and we are fortunate that you share them with such humor, sensitivity and caring. Many thanks for taking time from your family to enrich all of us.
    Be well…and warm!

  187. Congratulations! I just started reading your blog sometime in the past two years, and I have enjoyed every minute of it. In my hectic life as a musician and mother of a toddler, I save it up for that rare cozy morning when I have a little time to myself and I read it over a cup of cappuccino in my favorite mug. It’s one of those small pleasures which adds more than you might think to the quality of my life. Thank you!

  188. Thank you Stephanie. From a lass who was taught to knit about the same time as she could walk (or so I remember it now) and knitted like fury for the next 15 years. And then left it alone for 30 years.
    In the last 18 months I have taken up the needles again and I am loving it. And crikey, how it has changed. And how I am loving it.
    I have discovered that there are people “famous in the world of knitting”. I love it.
    Please never stop.

  189. Happy Anniversary, Yarn Harlot! It is a shame there aren’t tin needles, or yarn, or heck, even tin cans, or you would be buried in them. Your blogs generally brighten my day and, like others mentioned, as I got near the end, I was afraid you were going to announce less frequency or! Horrors ! Ceasing.
    Looking forward to another 10+ years of the knitting life with you!

  190. Congratulations on your 10 years, and thankyou. Reading your blog has so often been the highlight of my day. I don’t know you personally, or any of your other readers, but I feel like I’m part of this wonderful knitting community, and I can’t tell you how much that has helped me some days.
    I’ve now found a wonderful craft group that I go to every week, and I know I wouldn’t have had the courage to seek it out if I hadn’t been reading your blog. You also gave me the confidence to finally get a spinning wheel and give it a go. The first time I sat down to my wheel, it felt like coming home. I’m a different person, a happier person because of that – so thanks!
    Putting our craft aside (as if any of us could!) your writing has also inspired me in so many ways, particularly when it comes to parenting. I have a beautiful daughter who is very intelligent and VERY headstrong. The way you write about your girls is filled with such courage, grace and love. If I can be half the mother to my daughter that you are to yours I know that I will have done a good job raising a strong, independent, caring young woman.
    I doubt that you’ll get to read all the comments, as I’m sure there will be hundreds, but I just wanted to thank you. You have a made a significant impact in my life, and I’m grateful!
    Happy Anniversary!!!

  191. Thank YOU Stephanie for giving me the gift of knitting. Four years ago I picked up some yarn and needles at Walmart and thought I’d see if I could remember how to knit. The yarn was awful, my first attempts pathetic. But I found my LYS and got some nice yarn, beautiful wooden needles, and, along with a copy of Knitting Rules, I was set. That book changed my life!! I’ve been knitting ever since, have spent oodles of money on yarn and needles, and am SO happy I have found a wonderful hobby ! All thanks to you and your humor and wonderful attitude! Here’s to ten more years!

  192. I found your blog when you were maybe 2-3 years into it. I enjoyed it so much that when you didn’t post I backed up and read it from the beginning. It was fascinating to watch you essentially reinvent yourself especially after SARS (I be Toronto born and bred). You are bookmarked on the favourites bar on my lap top and I’ve checked out a lot of blogs and you are the one I’ve stuck with. I make a point of seeing if you posted every day. I was really pleased to find the knitting community and finding out there are a whole lot of smart, geeky women out there so I didn’t feel like such an odd ball (lets talk science fiction or marrying math theories and knitting).
    Congratulations on 10 years I’m hoping for another 10 at least

  193. A very happy tin anniversary! You say that you have gained so much from writing this blog over the last 10 years – well, honey, it doesn’t compare with how much we have all gained from your wit and wisdom and sheer good sense, and that’s why I and so many others love you and feel so privileged to be part of your life.
    Quite simply – thank you so much for the last 3,650 days of brilliant and thought provoking (when I’m not choking to death laughing at your funnies) and just downright fabulous posts. You’ve inspired so many, like me, to take up knit blogging and one day we WILL rule the world!
    Safe journey to Seattle and then home,
    Dawn in the English Lake District

  194. Thank you Stephanie! For the blog – your honesty – your whit – your realism – your insight – your humour! And thank you for NOT switching to facebook or twitter (two venues I do not visit)pr for adding sponsors (I know it can be tough but sponsored blogs take too long to load and can really mess up a computer).
    I look forward to reading you every day! Safe travels always!

  195. Thank you for the past ten years. You inspire us, entertain us, make us laugh, make us cry, and above all, let us know that the world is full of fellow knitting addicts! I’ve heard you speak in Ann Arbor and though we’ve never met personally, I feel like you are a friend. Your talents are many and appreciated. Happy anniversary and many more!

  196. I read your post with trepidation thinking that near the end you’d be informing us that you’d moved on to other thing. Thank God you didn’t. I really enjoy reading your blog every day. Thanks!

  197. Happy Blogversary! Thank you for all the inspiration that you have given me over the last ten years. I look forward to ten more years of it! Also looking forward to buying your 8th book!! They are awesome.
    P.S. Here’s to you getting lots more yarn!!

  198. Thank you so much for this blog, it has inspired me and helped me in so many ways. Me and my co-workers read you blog and laugh so the windows shatter in the office and we are so grateful for this little wonderful piece of the internet.
    Thank you and happy blog anniversary!

  199. Happy anniversary! And thank you for your blog. It’s inspiring and funny and helpful and a whole bunch of other things. So thanks. 🙂

  200. Wow! Ten years! Congrats! And thank YOU for the gift you’ve given me… for the laughs, the tears, the knitting a-ha moments, and… whales 🙂

  201. YAAAY!!! It’s been so difficult to hold our tongues while the comment section was under construction- Now woohoo for your TINth (tenth – come on people it’s funny) Anni!!!
    We love you Steph – thanks for “being there” as an outlet, a friendly ear, a sister of sorts, virtually – for all of us knitters.
    I have the photo of us holding my first sock at Rhinebeck last year as my background on my phone. I’m so proud to have met you! My husband still rolls his eyes, but I consider you a proper celebrity 😉 Thanks again for your graciousness.
    Here’s to the next 10 years!!! 😉 xoxo

  202. Congratulations! I can’t believe I’ve been reading your blog for 10 years. Thank you for all you’ve done for the knitting community. I’m a better knitter because of it. Here’s to the next ten years 🙂

  203. Happy Anniversary! The Yarn Harlot community has become a home to me, many a dark day was made better by reading this blog. Thank you for saving me.

  204. Happy Anniversary! The Yarn Harlot community has become a home to me, many a dark day was made better by reading this blog. Thank you for saving me.

  205. Thank you for ten wonderful years. I check in daily and look forward to reading your blog entries, sometimes more than once. You’ve made me laugh, cry, knit, spin and miss the Canada of my birth. We live near NYC now, and, this year, my 17 y.o. son was chosen as an Intel Science Talent Search semifinalist. The gift he receives from that competition will be donated in its entirety to Doctors without Borders. He figured the money would help more people that way. We have you to thank for introducing us to that great charity. Happy anniversary, Stephanie. Thanks again for the gift of your blog.

  206. Steph, yours is probably the longest I’ve read any single blog. Thank you!
    (My hubby jokes that the longest-running relationship he has with a female that isn’t family is with the woman who has cut his hair since we moved to Ohio.)
    Tin/ten – is there a lack of imagination in there?
    What I really want to know is how it saved your marriage. Were you otherwise driving Joe crazy?

  207. The thanks should come from us, your readers. Thank you for sharing your life, your adventures, your wool, your opinions and yourself. We have had the opportunity to glimpse at ‘amazing’. By the way, I refer to you as the ‘knitting rock star’ to my husband who is decidedly not a knitter. Thank you.

  208. Thank you for this amazing anniversary post! I had no idea that Ken was the guy who got you started and your book came before your blog writing. What a wonderful writer you’ve become, chronicling your life and thoughts, and creating a community for all of us. Thank you!

  209. Happy Blogiversary! You are not only an amazing, inspirational knitter and spinner but you put into words the lives of many of us. Life isn’t always rosy and bright. It has its pitfalls and disappointments but you seem to lighten them up for us so we can keep moving ahead. Thanks for all the years of inspiration! I look forward to many more years reading your blog and being inspired.

  210. Happy 10 th anniversary!! And you are so correct tin is not right! It should be Shetland lace weight ! So happy to have found your blog and your books and you! You make my day with every entry and when there isn’t a new entry I look through the archives! It’s a win win . Thank you again and again! Love to your family and happy knitting to you

  211. Happy Anniversary Steph! I hope you never decide to move to another platform. Your blog is like a letter from a friend. All the best!

  212. Thank you, Stephanie. Your blog was one of the first I found several years ago, and one that I heard constantly referenced. I actually read all the way through your archives until I caught up with where the present was at the time. (It was a little weird to see birthdays, holidays and milestones fly by in the archives, then get to the present and realize that children don’t usually grow in fast-forward).
    I’m a better knitter because of you–just the other day I searched the site for your tutorial on the difference between “pick up stitches” and “pick up and knit.” I’m a (very new) spinner because of you, and I hope that on the occasions that I write, I’m a better writer too.
    I love getting to see your views on Yarn and the Rest of the World, and I feel privileged to have gotten to meet your family, even if only a little. Here’s to ten more years!

  213. I love the community you have birthed here. I’ve been following the blog for years (seven years, but I went back and read the beginning) and enjoy your posts. Best wishes and good luck to you.

  214. Xxoo. We’ve never met, but in some strange way I feel like you’re part of my family. About the Cuba thing – we can disagree, right? I don’t suspect most people follow the politics over there. Big hugs and thanks for your blog. I’m just sorry I never bought a kit for the bohus sweaters from Solveig before they sold out.

  215. Thank you Stephanie. I love your blog and your opinions. It is one of the first things I check in on each day. Keep up the good work. I sincerely appreciate it.

  216. Happy Tenth Blogiversary (is that a word?)!! Your blog was one of the greatest influences to get me knitting. For 10 years, you’ve given us this wonderful gift of humor, affection, and a quirky confidence that hey, it’s just knitting — not rocket science! Thank you X 1 million. Love always (and I still want to know if Joe has a brother…).

  217. Happy 10th anniversary. I have learned so much from you and from the other readers of your blog, and not necessarily about knitting.
    I can’t wait to find out what the next 10 years will bring.

  218. Stephanie – I remember, and still have saved somewhere, some of your funny, funny posts from the KnitList, waaay back when we were young mothers of young children, knitting and finding our way. It has been a privilege to “know” you these many years, and you have enriched many lives through your blog.
    Thank you.

  219. Thank you Stephanie! I have laughed and cried so many times over the many years of reading your blog. I feel like you’re one of my friends and really wish we were! Happy Anniversary!

  220. One more thank you, from yet another who went back and read through all your posts once she had discovered your blog… and who reads it without fail, drools over your projects and yarns, and applauds your principles and views for their honesty, humour, intelligence and kindness. You always provide insight, great tips and sources, and the ability to laugh at our mistakes and our excesses (oh, the stashes that multiply alone in the dark!)
    You are inspiring and strong and we do love you dearly, and yes, it is our need for ‘community’ that you provide to so many of us and so very well. Oh, do please keep on writing, dearest Harlot, for many many years to come!

  221. Ireland calling. Congratulations on a fantastic anniversary. I’ve been reading for about 8 of your 10 years and it’s been fantastic. You are always inspirational.

  222. I have been reading your blog for about 5 years. When I first discovered how wonderful it is I went back and started at the beginning. I am mostly a reader, rarely commenting but it has influenced my knitting and life in many positive ways. Thanks for sticking with it Steph, there are countless knitters our there who look forward to reading the blog and we would be lost without it.

  223. Thank you. Yours is the only blog I go out of my way to read. I find myself sharing your wisdom with students & friends, people who don’t knit and don’t even want to. You have a gift for pulling the goodness out of the most mundane situation and holding it up, in words and pictures, for the rest of us to share. Happy blogiversary. I can’t wait to read the next 10 years.

  224. Thank you so much. You’ve made the past ten years of my life enormously better through your blogging and your staunch, knitterly self. It has been a pleasure knowing you, and I look forward to another ten (or thirty) years.
    And I’ll definitely buy you a beer sometime.

  225. Thank you for your wit and wisdom. Your blog and your books (which I have all of them) has helped me be a better knitter and to not freak out when I make a mistake. Mistakes are a learning process and not that I am a bad knitter. I hope you have another 10 years and beyond.

  226. Your blog has meant so much to me over the years. I look forward to each and every post and many times I go back and read old posts as well. Thank you for everything you’ve given all of us. I hope you don’t quit blogging or writing for many more decades!

  227. Your blog changed my life. It was the first knitting blog I found, at a time in my life that I really needed it. I have checked it every day for the last eight years and I have bought every book! It has led me to other blogs and kept me from feeling too isolated after I retired from my job. I have been knitting since I was 5 (58 years) but I have learned more about knitting in the last eight from reading blogs and being exposed to other knitters and knitting events. I thank you for that, and for giving me a chuckle most mornings. You are the first site I check every single day! I was privileged to hear you speak in Berkeley last year about the knitters brain….a new perspective. And I thank you for showing us other bits of your life and sharing with us. Happy anniversary.

  228. I found your blog soon after becoming a mother and it showed me that I could knit (and other stuff) even with little kids. And that mothering and knitting are both worthwhile pursuits. I’m grateful for that. And here you are, holding a light at the end of the tunnel — there may be a day when the laundry is under control! 🙂

  229. Congratulations on 10 marvellous years. I read your blog every day and sometimes it’s the best part of my day. Your latest entry about winter in Canada seemed like you were reading my mind. Bring on colours! Bring on spring!

  230. Happy blog birthday! (Which happens to coincide with my actual birthday, woohoo!) For as much as you say your blog has given you, it’s given back to the knitting community 100 times over. I’m willing to bet that your blog is single-handedly responsible for turning many a lukewarm knitter into diehard ones. At least, that’s what it’s done for me. You are a sort of role model to many people and we’re all so grateful that you share your thoughts and your life with us through your words. To another 10 years!

  231. Congratulations on the milestone! I think Daffodil on the flower scale or better yet DIAMOND on the gemstone scale are much more fitting 10th anniversary symbols. Blessings

  232. Congrats, Steph! Love your blog, especially that you don’t shy away from sharing your personal standards and feelings when you feel it’s appropriate. Also love your knitting style–since I’m rather a Plain Jane and can’t see myself in some of the newer designs.

  233. Stunned that you take the time at all to let us know about your life….sometimes hectic, sometimes beautiful, but always fun. Glad I found you. You make me smile.

  234. “This blog has … made me a better mother.”
    Well, that’s true as well for this reader. Also a more fearless knitter. But I appreciate the parenting help even more. (I keep your “I always hated buttonbands” post bookmarked for days when I need a bit of perspective.)
    Happy 10th! Looking forward to another 10 … but how does china (that year’s gift) work in with knitting?

  235. Thank you Stephanie…..for being YOU! I found you shortly after joining Ravelry in 2007. Your sense of humor is outstanding.I have all your books and the new one pre-ordered. I was lucky enough to meet you in 2012 at Madtosh Crafts in Ft Worth Texas. Happy anniversary. Knit on lady , knit on…………

  236. Like life, your blog is many things to many people. Most of all, it connects us and reminds us
    that each person can make a difference, but together, we can make a really big difference. You are a true humanitarian, and even better, possess fabulous sense of humor, knowledge about your craft and the ability to stitch it all together. Many thanks for taking the time to do all that you do. Eve in Carlisle

  237. Your blog has stood the test of time because it’s clearly the real you in every entry with all your passions and foibles. Your passion for motherhood, wool, Canada, equality, beer, and poor old Mr Washie (RIP). You’ve made me laugh and made me cry and reminded me to live out my passions (most of which overlap, except that I cannot abide the taste of beer.)
    thanks for all of it.

  238. I absolutely love your blog. The writing is fun and even when there are points you take upon which I might not agree, your tone is fun and allows your readers to disagree at will, while still remaining part of the “club” : ). Another 10 years, please!! You’re a definite bright spot in my day!!

  239. We love you too. Your writing has brought me to tears, made me laugh aloud, transported me to fiber festivals, introduced me to people, yarn, projects and products that have enhanced my life. I’ve driven to a city five hours away to hear you give a talk when a new book was born and I’ve flown to Seattle to attend Knot Hysteria 2. I’ve knitted the projects you’ve knit and donated money to the causes you highlighted. In short, I’ve become a better person for having known you through your blog. Indeed, I find myself, almost daily, thinking: what would the yarn harlot do? Or, shortened up, WWSD? Thank you, thank you, thank you.

  240. I read your blog every day. Your wisdom, wit and love shine through your words. You have lifted me up, broken my heart, educated and delighted me. Please never stop.
    With sincere thanks,
    Karen

  241. Thanks for all the years, effort, time, photos, tips, and inspiration! You so often tell us where you are writing from–I date from the old LISTSERV days too. I first read blogs on the computer in my husband’s physics lab, after hours; we didn’t have a computer at home yet. Picture spooky industrial lab in high security locked building, freezing in the dark, husband puttering with the last of his experiments, I trying to remember all the menus and rejoicing in a link! Ta da! Other knitters in the world! It was so thrilling. Thanks for all the connections. I was so thrilled I didn’t notice the cold (much)…

  242. Happy 10th!
    I came late to the party (about 5 years ago?), but did go back and read every post from the start – it was well worth the time. I hope you continue with the blogging – I find Ravelry big and confusing for some reason. Your blog is like reading a letter from a friend, even though we’ve never met, and I don’t knit much.

  243. I look forward to your new posts. I appreciate that they are sometimes funny, sometimes insightful, and sometimes poignant. It’s nice to hear how you have benefited as well because all of us who read your blog certainly have. Oh, and Stephanie, Ms. Yarn-Harlot, you are not the only person to arse up an eye exam. The last time I had my eyes checked, when I got my new glasses, I couldnt see 10 feet in front of me without everything going blurry.

  244. We love you right back, Steph. Thank YOU for giving US 10 years of your life. I totally enjoy reading your blog and books and appreciate your taking time out of your day to share of yourself. Happy 10th Anniversary! Sending you a computer beer!

  245. Wow, what a ride it’s been! Love watching your family grow and change and your journey through the blogosphere. Fun, sad, silly, educational, serious, joy filled. Looking forward to many more posts in the future.
    Hugs and Happy Knitting!

  246. Congratulations, well done and thank you. This blog cheered me up at dark times. I also hold it responsible for the size of my sock yarn stash, and I have loved watching your family grow. Continue blogging – I am on ravelry but it doesn’t give the poignancy or insightfulness (or humour) this blog does.
    (btw I think you are being totally over-optimistic on the laundry thing – I have no kids and I have never got on top of it).

  247. Its a courageous thing you do — putting yourself out there almost everyday for 10 years. I admire that tremendously. The Blog loves you!

  248. Thank-you for all the inspiration, laughs and books! I look forward to the next years and am so thankful the post didn’t end with a goodbye.

  249. “The Yarn Harlot” blog has been my North Star and not just because you’re in Toronto. Thank you for your writing, here and in print. You’ve made a world of difference for me. Much love on your “Tinth” blogiversary.

  250. You’ve reopened knitting to me and given me such confidence. And it has so very much flowed over to other areas of my life. Thank you!!

  251. Thank you Stephanie.
    I remember the Knit List fondly. That must be how I started reading your blog. I’ve come and gone as a regular reader over the years. Just resubscribed this week, unaware of the 10th Anniversary but something must have drawn me back. And I’m so glad you’re still here to be brought back to!

  252. Thank you for writing, Yarn Harlot. I look forward to reading your blog every day. I have read and re-read your books, can’t wait for number 8! You are an inspiration to moms, wives, knitters, and writers everywhere! Here’s to another 10 years!

  253. Re. your remark about community: our spinners’ group met over the holidays and it was definitely a “community” of fiber-holics. Among the group were young, working moms, older retired ladies, some Amish, and two Indians. It was just a wonderful gathering of creative minds (and lots of great food). I believe your blog embodies the same thing. I thank you sincerely for your work, and for enriching all of our lives.

  254. Happy anniversary to you! I loved reading this post and I admire your honesty and hard work and all your beautiful knitting. May this be the first decade of many more to come. Cheers!

  255. A quality that I truly admire is perseverance. It’s the quality that accompanies success. In spite of the travel, family life,community involvement, writing books, knitting itself and all you do to promote it, you have faithfully kept up this blog for 10YEARS!! You are my hero and a constant source of joy to read with your wit and level-headed assessment of life, living, and KNITTING…
    GO, girl! I, for one, will follow you as far as you’ll want to go..

  256. I’ve been following your blog for quite a few years. Have smiled, laughed (and laughed), cried, been blown away by your humanity, insight, parenting, doula work, fund raising and the most spectacular lace knitting I’ve ever gotten a close up look at. ( The baby garments are so awwwww lovely). I have been introduced to wonderful knitters, patterns, books by you and you have made gift giving so easy.
    I raise my wine glass to you.
    Thanks for being here for us all. Joyous Anniversary

  257. Your blog has let knitters know that there are more of us than we knew. Have bought and enjoyed every book you’ve written(have pre-ordered the next one). I actually have 2 copies of At Knits End. The 2nd one I carry in my purse, for when humor is desperately needed. And yes, it works. Thanks for ten years of laughter.

  258. Happy Anniversary! Although I am a relative newcomer (4 yrs) to this magical world of knitting, I have enjoyed your blog so very much. I especially have appreciated that your blog has been “all you,” when it could have been a daily sales pitch. THANK YOU JUST FOR THAT and for your humor and humanity. Your friends are lucky indeed.

  259. Happy 10th! I can’t believe I’ve been visiting here for that long. Sure, there have been weeks/months where I’ve fallen off. But, every time I’ve resurfaced you’ve been here. I guess it’s mutual, you know, sometimes you miss a couple days too…but I come back;-)
    I’ve met you in person too…at SOAR…and elsewhere I think. It’d be interesting to get a tally of all you’ve met. Like a 6 degrees of separation…I’m betting you come really close to uniting all the knitters of the world.

  260. i really can’t thank YOU enough, for all you’ve given me. i found your blog around 2005-6 and your clear voice- go forth with confidence and laugh at your hubris/mistakes!- really resonated and encouraged me. i’ve tried so many techniques because you told me to just dive right in and nothing was above my head (and if it was there are loads of resources and, hey- here’s a list!). thank you for giving us a slice of your life and the lives of your family. i love you and everyone involved here more than a stranger should say (i don’t think meeting a a book signing really counts…)
    any how- take good care and i can’t wait for the next entry, as always.

  261. Happy 10th Blogiversary! Thanks for sharing so much of yourself with all of us. Thanks for inspiring me to write about my passion, as well as my life. Just thanks.

  262. Congratulations on your 10 year anniversary. I came to your blog after it had been up for a few years. I enjoyed it so much I went back and read every entry I had missed. They all have been wonderful to read and enjoy. Thank you for being there at what ever hour of the day I sat down to read you. Best wishes on the next 10 years.

  263. Congratulations, and thanks for taking the time to write. I don’t usually leave comments, but I do read all of your posts, and I enjoy them. Looking forward to another great 10 years.

  264. Happy Anniversary to you and all of us! I can’t say that I’ve read your blog from the beginning (I wasn’t quite a knitter 10 years ago), but I have read it for well over half that time. Your books and this blog got me into the community of knitting, and such a wonderful community it is. Yours is the only blog that I regularly read of any blogs, so it’s special to me. I hope for many, many more years (don’t want to put a number on it) of appreciating how you share your life with all of us. Thank you Steph!

  265. Ten years ago, I did not know you or of you. Now while we have never met, you have become an important part of my existence. Two years ago when my father died I was looking for distractions from my grief — and I found your blog. I’ve read every word, and am better off for it. Thank you Steph for expressing what it is to be a woman and knitter today. We love you

  266. Happy anniversary! What a wonderful ride – I’ve read through all your posts, catching up to current times…and still wait on the edge of my seat for the next.
    Thank you for opening up your life and heart to us. I hope we have been worthy of it. 🙂
    Katie =^..^=

  267. Hey Steph, safe travels…
    am a sock knitter but also a rug braider and hooker and have questions about bringing wool and supples over to Canada for classes I am teaching in April. Trouble finding rules on how and what I should be doing to make it right. Had trouble a couple of yrs ago brining 3 of my authorship books back into US….Help?

  268. I found your blog in 2006 and have been a faithful reader ever since. The last few months my mother became very ill and sadly, passed away Jan 1. During that time my knitting slowed down and then stopped. A couple of days ago I logged on to the blog to catch up. I can’t begin to tell you Stephanie, how much comfort I got from your blog. Its comfort and familiarity gave me a bit of sunshine during this sad time. It was like reconnecting with an old friend. All I can say is Thank you.

  269. I found your Blog about half way through and one of the first things I did was go back to the archives and read every post from day one. Love it. You have been an inspiration both for knitting and for life. It’s an odd sort of connection that we readers get, sitting here on the outer edges of your life – respecting your privacy (well – hopefully most do) and at the same time sharing your joys and sorrows, laughing with and for the new little ones that have entered into your world, mourning your losses, and praying you through “the-very-hard-year”.
    Here’s wishing you (and us) many more years of Bloggy happiness.

  270. I remember the halcyon days of blogging! There were few of us and then many, many more joined the fun. Now we’re scattered across the various on-line venues and there is a riot of people to follow. Congrats! My anniversary is March 1st.

  271. Happy anniversary! And thank you for so many years of delightful reading, inspiration, laughter, tears, and web friendship (even though we’re not personally acquainted). I look forward to many more.

  272. Congratulations. It seems very fitting to me that for someone like you who takes her responsibility to community so to heart, that what you’ve given to this knitting community has come back to you so abundantly. Thanks for your humour, fair-mindedness, quirkiness, generosity, etc., etc.

  273. Yours is the only blog i read, but i look for your posts every day. Thanks so much for all you do and share with us!
    I was thrilled to meet you in Chapel Hill, NC last December ( I gave you a tape measure), though I probably came across as slightly deranged.
    Thanks for taking the intimidation out of knitting–I’ve become brave enough to knit things I never would have considered trying before.
    Happy Tenth Blogiversary, and a great big HURRAY for Ken!
    (I’m sure he had no idea what he was starting, or how many lives would be touched, when he first thought of giving you this blog ….)

  274. Congratulations! I have followed you since the beginning and it’s been a great ride. You failed to mention your support of Doctors without Borders and the Aids Ride, two things of which you should be very proud!

  275. 10 years! I started reading you towards the end of 2004. Thank you so much for everything you given to this blog in the last 10 years.

  276. Happy Anniversary….I’m a Janey (?) come lately, so 10 years is very fine for me…many happy hours of giggles and knitting lie ahead!

  277. Congratulations!!! and so many thank you’s I cannot type them all.
    This world of blogging is such a gift. I listen to so many archaeologists saying “I wonder what ordinary everyday life was like for these people” and those in the future will no longer have to guess. Just do lots of reading.
    Thank you. Here’s to the next 10!!
    Lush xox

  278. Thanks to you and Ken for these 10 years! Before that, I used to read and laugh at your posts on the Knit List and think, “She should write a book!” So glad you have written more than one. It’s a dull day at my house when there’s no new blog post. I’ve laughed and cried, met you in person at my local yarn shop, and enjoyed every minute. Thank you so much for being here!!

  279. You’ve made a huge difference in my life. It started as knitting, but it spread to other areas, as interconnectedness does.
    Happy Tin. I’m looking forward to Crystal, then China, maybe even Silver?
    But I never really followed the traditional route, you’re already Gold, as far as I’m concerned.

  280. Congratulations and Thank You! I’ve been a faithful reader since I first read At Knit’s End years ago. Not all of us want to keep up on Facebook. Keep on Blogging!

  281. Congratulations on your blog’s TENTH anniverasry, AND thank you for starting and continuing this wonderful blog!! You and your blog have truly enriched my life, my family and my friends. I constantly refer folks to your blog for its great writing, as well as for all things fiber you share, and challenge us to accomplish. Your blog has eased my electronic journey, and nothing seems impossible after reading this inspiring, humorous, and optimistic blog. Looking forward to many more years of the blog!

  282. Stephanie – you had me in tears. Happy ones. I’m a relatively newby (only about two years) to your blog – but I was in forever when I read the post about the male dip badmouthing at the airport nearby you….I loved it and I thought then – wow, she’s honest and obviously not sponsored ever – and she’s not hesitant to be herself no matter what. I should get strength from that – and so I did, still do and shall for a long time yet. That makes me very happy. I’ll be here. hank you.

  283. Congratulations on 10 years of blogging the best posts about knitting, and life. I don’t remember when I started following you, it was at the suggestion of my dentist, another wonderful knitter (in Seattle). She thought I’d enjoy it. LOL. Your blog has been part of my daily routine, checking to see if there is another entry in the fiber world.
    Thanks for the entries, the memories, and for future posts.

  284. Steph,
    I’ve been around since the early days of your blog and don’t miss one. I so appreciate your time that you share with us, especially with the blog and books. One thing though, don’t you even dare to think about quitting. I’d be leading the crowd in protest even if I had to go to Toronto in the winter 🙂
    Barb — in a very cold south Georgia
    PS – Thank you so much for your thoughts and sense of humor.

  285. You’ve been extremely generous with your content, insights and knitting guidance and instruction. Wishing you all good things. Thank you!

  286. I read your blog everyday. It is part of my morning routine. I am so glad you are not giving it up. I love your sense of humor and the ideas you have. I have seen you about 3 or 4 times in Seattle when you have been promoting your books and have loved it every time. Thank you so much for being here and for being sincere and just being you.
    Diana

  287. Your blog has enhanced my life and from the 400 odd comments above, I think I’m in good company. I love the way you write and what you choose to talk about. A couple of years ago when the Notre Dame football player Manti Teo was duped into believing he had a girlfriend who didn’t exist, I remember thinking “how can he have thought he was in a relationship with someone he’d never met?” and then I thought “maybe it’s the same as me feeling like Stephanie is my friend even though we’ve never met”. And I promise I mean that in the least creepy way possible. Congrats on your anniversary.

  288. I don’t have the words to tell you how much I look forward to and enjoy reading your blog. I have and love all your books, too. Happy 10th!

  289. Happy Blog-Birthday and thank you for the blogging!
    A couple of weeks ago I decided to go back to the beginning and read your whole blog again. It’s been fun. I’m in June 2008, just finished the posting about your 40th birthday party. Sometimes I click on one of your links to another blog or a yarn supplier and as you say, many no longer exist. I’m so glad that yours continues — it is still one of the very few (4?) blogs that I read every day!
    (One thing re-reading your blog has confirmed for me is that winter in Canada is cold! There’s a layer of ice on my windows (inside!!) today. I’m always glad to get through the January and February postings into the warmer days posting. It helps me to trust that this year again, spring will come.)

  290. Stephanie: What ever you do don’t go away. I look forward to your blog. You are right it makes us a part of a community that you helped grow to what it is today. You over looked what you started with MSF knitters. Over a million. What an achievement.

  291. Wow! Ten years! That’s amazing Steph. I discovered your blog part way through those 10, and have enjoyed them all! I’m looking forward to another 10 years of fabulous blogs, and I love that you are willing to give your opinion on controversial topics 🙂
    And by the way, the modern gift for 10 years is diamond jewelry 🙂

  292. Thanks for blogging all these years, Stephanie. Like many others, I look forward to reading your blog posts.
    As an aside, you’ve been a great reminder of what it means to be Canadian while I was living in Texas for 9 years. I’m back in the Great White North now, and I’m very happy I braved all the quizzical looks and kept knitting wool socks in 40C weather!

  293. I was checking my friend’s blog updates on ravelry today and thinking about how many fewer blog posts there are–mine included. Thanks for continuing to share your life with the blog. Happy ten years.
    I had my 14th wedding anniversary a few months ago, and we decided 14 was the ice cream anniversary. Maybe 15 will be also. I’m all for updating that anniversary list 🙂

  294. Happy anniversary!
    You don’t know me, but over the last nine years (since I found your blog when I was 23) you’ve taught me so much of what it means to be a writer, and a mother, and a force for good in the world, and (last but certainly not least) a knitter.
    Thanks for all of the laughter and provoking thoughts and Knitters Without Borders and for running the Olympics. You are a delight, I’m so glad that you and your blog are part of the world.

  295. Happy Anni Steph! Your blog has changed my life as well and I thank you for that!! Your’s was the first blog I ever read thanks to a Lion Brand email campaign for your first book. I still have that book, proudly autographed by you along with many of your other books. Sadly life got in the way and I haven’t been able to follow the book tour of late. Must correct that soon!!! But I’m still very grateful for you as you opened up the blog community to me which has influenced my life in so many ways. So again, thank you from the bottom of my heart!! xxxooo

  296. Love you too.
    I started knitting in fall of 2004, and vividly recall my delight upon encountering your blog. I’ve learned of a lot of great dyers, engaging knitters and helpful techniques (the cheat fix for cables occurs to me).
    Wishing you and those you love the BEST,
    Margie in Maryland

  297. Congratulations on your 10th anniversary!
    Your Blog has changed my life as well: I would never have thought about trying to spin or learning to weave without the pictures of your projects here on The Blog. I taught myself to knit in May 2011 and was encouraged by reading The Blog as well as your books. DH and I attended your presentation in Oakland in July 2012, I think it was, and even *he* laughed out loud (we were in the first row). I can’t bring myself to refer to such a hard-working, thoughtful person (i.e., you) as a “harlot” of any kind, so whenever DH hears me refer to “Stephanie,” he knows it’s you. When my girlfriend hears “Stephanie,” she knows it’s you.
    Thank you so very much.

  298. Aloha,
    Mahalo for being there for a newbie knitter! Hope to attend one of your classes here in the Pacific Northwest, but they fill up fast.

  299. Thank you for your many hours of blogging. It at the top of my list and the first one I hit, ( Well, after my daughter’s)
    You manage to combine so much of real life and almost always make me laugh, or cry!
    Here’s to another 10 years, should be an inreresting ride!
    LOVE!

  300. Thank YOU! Happy Anniversary! Yours was the first blog I ever read. You are the first knitter author whose books I read-all of them by now. You are the first knitter who I ever went to listen to/learn from. You are awesome and I am more grateful for your blog than I can express.

  301. I can’t believe it has been 10 years! I started reading 10 years ago when I had moved to Ithaca and made new friends through knitting. We even took a road trip to see you in a tiny bookstore in Skaneateles,NY. I am now back “home” in Rhinebeck, which has thankfully forced those Ithaca knitters to maintain our friendship. Your writing has given me humor, great travel&history info, thoughtful opinions and of course heightened my knitting addiction. And supported my opinion that knitters are great people.
    All the best Stephanie! xo

  302. I’ve been here since the beginning and thank you for sharing the journey…the good and the bad and the ugly. What a ride!!!
    (And thanks to Ken for that initial gift!)

  303. Happy blog anniversary! I can’t tell you how many times your words have brought laughter when I really needed it (and sometimes tears that, I hope, grow a little more compassion in me). Congratulations to you for persevering in this, especially as so many others have moved on. (My small blogging experience has brought me a community of kindred spirits, too.)

  304. Just wanted to say thank you, Stephanie, for a wonderful 10+ years! I’ve been here from almost the beginning and also used to post-stalk you on the KnitList. I have loved your humour and grace and thoughtful posts over the years. I love that you’ve kept the blog simple and ad-free. I love the window into another part of Canada and reminders about winter now that I live in Victoria. It’s been wonderful to meet you in person too.
    Thank you!

  305. I’m glad you’re going to keep going. I was afraid this was a farewell it’s been swell post. I look forward to your posts!

  306. Love you back, Stephanie, and many thanks for blogging as you do. It’s one of the highlights of my day when there’s a new entry here. Wishes for many more years of happy blogging!!! Big hugs from a member of The Blog.

  307. I LOVE that I have never seen a sponsored post or an ad on this blog, never heard you talk about a product that you were given or asked me to shop at your Amazon link. That is what has kept this space feeling real and authentic and worth my time, while so many others have changed beyond recognition. What’s more, you have done this for 10 years without ever talking about it or patting yourself on the back for it. Surely, you turned down innumerable offers of money and swag. You are a blogger with integrity, as well as talent, and I congratulate you on 10 great years.

  308. Stephanie,
    Two of my friends got me to reading your blog several years ago. I even went back and read all of the blogs from the very beginning. I can’t believe that it has been ten years. In those ten years you have taught me so many things, not just about knitting, but also about life. I could write a book about the things I am appreciative of about you and your blog. I met you in person at a class you gave in Indiana. I felt like a stalker, because I couldn’t believe that little ole me was meeting the great Stephanie Pearl McPhee. I even got you to hold my afghan square while I got a picture taken with you.
    You are funny, brilliant and beautiful. (Have I gone on long enough!)
    Thank you again for the blog. Prayers and good wishes to you and your family.
    A faithful reader and admirer.
    Anna Marie

  309. Congratulations on 10 years of blogging! And, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts and your life here. I appreciate the opportunity to think, to argue (sometimes!), and to laugh with you.

  310. Stephanie…I’ve been a lurker for a very long time. Your 10th Blogiversary is a great occasion to finally make a comment and say thank you for all the insight into knitting and life. With much appreciation…Sue

  311. Congrats! I love your blog and am always happy to see a new post appear. I’m glad you have got so much from it as well as giving so much to it.

  312. Stephanie, please come to Great Falls, Montana and I will give you a tour of our local breweries and buy you all the beer you want! And I don’t even drink beer. Keep up the wonderful work of encouraging us all to be better knitters and better people! Thank you.

  313. We love you, too!!! I don’t know if you’ll ever truly realize how much you bring to each of our lives, but you really do, and we love and appreciate you more than you could ever know! Happy blog birthday, and cheers to many more! ??

  314. Wow, ten years. I found this blog when I read At Knit’s End and you brought me on a journey. You introduced me to ravelry and spinning, which has introduced me to friends I wouldn’t have had. I think everything new I learned all these years started here in some way, shape or form. So, thank you! Now, how are your eyes?

  315. Congrats on your ten year anniversary !
    Thank you for 10 wonderful years of learning, laughing, crying, sharing and everything else this blog brings to me and so many others.

  316. With expection of my hubby, Our blog/knitting realtionahip has been the longest in my life. Thanks for the laughs and the tears…if I ever make it to Canada I will buy you that beer and we can talk, knitting on my sock.

  317. This blog may have given a lot back to you and yours (YAY!), but it has also given out more than you can imagine! You have an amazing way with words (we won’t even begin to start on the knitting ;)) and seem to put things into words that some of us could never manage so eloquently, or humorously! I have laughed, cried and learned along with this blog and been inspired to try new things done in different ways. My daughter and I went to see you in a tiny little yarn shop in Holden, MA many, many years ago… she was reluctant as she doesn’t knit, but we both had a GREAT time and made a wonderful memory together 🙂 So… in my long winded way, I’m trying to say THANK YOU for writing that first post and all of the wonderful books 🙂

  318. Steph – for many years (close to 10; I was an early follower) you have been the best friend that I never met. Thanks so much for all the inspiration and encouragement and knitterly entertainment. Someday I hope we really meet, if I am somewhere close to one of your talks, but until then I’ll make do with your books and blogs.

  319. Happy blogoversary! I started blogging back in 2004 as well, and somewhere along the line stopped for many of the reasons you mentioned. I’m glad you didn’t, though…I still check in every day to see what you’re up to and to be inspired by your knits. 🙂

  320. Actually, the thanks should go to you, for sharing your life, your family, and oh, yes, your knitting. I may be a better knitter because I’ve read your blog (and met you in person), but I’m also a better person for it as well…

  321. Happy Anniversary everyone! I’ve only been around here a year or two, but I’ve come to understand other commenters, know who’s going to be a fun batch of trouble with a comment (you enablers and teasers you), and marvel at how giving and generous a group of people can be – like the bike rally, like helping each other with patterns and yarn, and all sorts of things.
    It is a marvelous thing to be a part of, this group, and we owe it all to Stephanie bringing us together like this.
    Stephanie, I hope someday that I will get to buy you that beer, but I’d rather talk about yarn, knitting, and happier things than the dark side of blogging maintenance.
    Thank you for being such a gracious host here for us, and sharing your life (and the lives of those in your life) with us.

  322. What they all said…..
    I too worried that you were about to announce that you would phase out blogging and I am ever so grateful that you will continue and that you find it satisfying. You have developed a community among us that is unique. Ravelry – I love it, I check in several times a day – is not the same as blogging. Yes, there are discussions and sometimes copious notes on projects. But it’s the reflectiveness on life, knitting, and community that makes your blog so very special.
    I lift my needles with knitting and a glass of wine to you and wish you many more fine posts (and books). Good thing I have two hands for all that lifting….
    And yes, as many have said above, thank you and you are the best blogger!

  323. I’ve been reading this blog for 6 of those 10 years and I have to say that my life would not be the same without you in it. Thank you, Stephanie. Happy 10th! (Man, where does the time go?)

  324. Your blog has changed my life, indeed. I learned to knit socks, I learned to spin, I learned to teach others to knit and crochet. I took a job in a yarn shop. And when I moved to another state, you moved with me in my computer and gave me a safe haven while I made new friends, started buying in a new lys, and started seeking out new fiber festivals to attend. All the day to day stuff that happens, no matter where I have been, pauses a wee bit while I read your blog. This place you have created acts somewhat like an anchor. It is a positive, funny, lovely and loving place. Thank you so much for continuing. We all, and I especially, love you back.

  325. All I can say is: your blog is first listed on my favorites. You have been a wonderful inspiration to me and I thank you for everything you’ve done a million times over.

  326. I’ve been reading along for a good 9.5 of those years, dearest Harlot (I remember the Eeyore sweater!).
    Thank you so much for opening your heart and home (virtually), and for broadening my mind, my knitting, and my knowledge.
    Someday, I hope to pose with a travelling sock again. <3

  327. Blessings on your 10th anniversary! Boquete Knitters, the charity knitting group I founded five years ago, shares your anniversary. We celebrated today (our regular meeting day) and invited the community at large to come by and see what we do. The people who visited came away impressed, I think, with our efforts to keep the tiny Ngabe-Bugle indigenous babies wrapped in softness, warmth and beauty.
    Your words: funny, instructive, positive and heart-warming, are knitted together with my overall knitting life. Thank you for adding color, texture, and joy to my life.

  328. You’ve been a part of my life for probably nine of those ten years. I’ve appreciated your insights into life, as well as knitting. Thank you for sharing yourself. Enjoy the Anniversary and Best Wishes for the future!

  329. Right this very moment, I am wearing hand-knit socks that I made myself. I picked out the yarn, wrestled the needles, and made them. BECAUSE OF YOU. And every day that I wear hand-knit socks, part of my life is magical. Thank you so much for all of your work through the years. I haven’t been along for the entire ride, but you’ve changed my life in the time I’ve been here with you.

  330. Thanks for doing this blog! Even if I’m not in knitting mode I always have to see what you are are up too. You are a treasure!

  331. Steph, Happy 10th Blogiversary. I discovered you many years ago through my daughter and it started up my knitting mojo again. But I stay for your humor and insight into life in general as well as the knitting. I have had the immense pleasure of meeting you in person, and look forward to your blogs daily. I, too, wish you all the best and thank you for opening your life, your family and your heart to all of us in the Blogishere. We ‘the blog’ love you and look forward to whatever comes next. You are truly an inspiration to us all, in so many ways

  332. Many, many thanks for being you and spending time on us. Yours was the first blog I ever read and continues to be the only one I really look forward to and regularly read. I hate blogs with advertising and rarely go back for a second look.
    I truly hope you have enjoyed it because it has enriched my life in so many ways. Thank you.

  333. Thank you, Stephanie. Your blog and books have made me laugh and made me cry. Best of all, you have inspired me as a knitter. Congratulations and cheers to another 10 wonderful years!

  334. Knitting has brought so much joy and pleasure to my life over the last ten years when I took it up again. And so have you! Thank you!

  335. Congratulations from me, too. Fabulous writing, humour and, of course, knitting. You are an inspiration to us all, in this fine community.

  336. You’ve become a valued part of my life, too, Steph. and you keep me connected to T.O. and Canada that I still miss sorely after 20 years gone. O HARLOT! O CANADA!

  337. Love the blog, love the books! Go girl! Here’s to another 10 and counting. Thanks for sharing your life and daughters and family.

  338. In one sentence you’ve dismissed hundreds of bloggers many of whom have supported you through buying your books, writing about your books and encouraging others to read your books. It’s a real bummer since I was a big fan.

  339. Stephanie, you and your blog have made such a difference in my life.
    You’ve made me a better knitter by being so honest and open with your own yarn struggles and triumphs.
    You’ve made me a better person by sharing your struggles and insights into your own life, which has often guided me through the tangled parts of mine.
    I know the struggles you describe as this month marks the 15th year I’ve run a message board and I can SOOO relate to both the good and bad parts of managing a community.
    You’re a rock star in my book and the internet and the world are just that much better because you are in it and share so much with us. Thank you!

  340. First, hope you have the eyeglasses thing sorted. Allergic to eyedrops possibl?? Had a similar experience so just wondering.
    …………………………………….
    Secondly, and much more importantly, thank you so much for how you have enriched my life. I dabble here at the fringes, not always commenting, but love your writing and your pictures (even the blurry ones). I’ve enjoyed watching your family grow and go through its phases both sad and happy. I’ve loved your rants and your questions, your concerns and your advice. You have made me laugh out loud, ponder long and hard, and shed some tears both for sorrow and for beauty.
    It has been a great ride. Sign me up for the next ten years.

  341. 10 years! I’ve been reading the blog for 7-8 of those years & have enjoyed every word of every post. Big congratulations on 1) beginning, 2) sticking with it, 3) going forward for many more years. You have made a huge difference in the knitting world, brought so many together that would not have known about this vast reach knitting has across this globe.
    Looking forward to whatever you choose to write about next.

  342. I’m pretty new to your blog and I do so enjoy it. Thank you so much for all your information and funny stuff that just falls out of your keyboard (mind). Happy Anniversary and many many more.

  343. *sniff*
    Thank you for the best blog ever! Yours was the first blog I ever read. And is the first blog I save on my favorites list when I get a new device/blog reader. When I talk to people about something on your blog, I refer to you as my friend. I hope you don’t mind.

  344. I don’t know why it is that just being yourself takes so much courage, but it does, and you really should feel very, very proud.
    Thank you for everything you’ve done and continue to do for those of us who no longer feel like there must be something wrong with us because we are so obsessed with knitting. You have made us feel (mostly) normal.
    And you have entertained the heck out of us in the process!
    Here’s to the next ten years … and beyond!

  345. Congratulations on your 10th anniversary! I am so glad that you’re here providing a window to your knitting world and encouraging those of us who are crazy for fiber. I look forward to reading your work for many years to come.

  346. Your blog is sometimes the only thing that got me through my day. Thank you for sharing yourself with us. Here’s to another 10!

  347. I read this entire post with my heart in my throat, thinking you were getting ready to drop a bomb and say you’re quitting the blog! Thank goodness that’s not the case. Thanks for sharing the last ten years with us…..hope there are ten more to come!

  348. You have been a wonderful part of my life. One of the best part of my day is finding a new listing from you.
    The picture on my gmail account is the one you took of me holding my knee socks. Everyone says I need a new picture since I have lost a lot of weight but I can’t get rid of it.
    Knit On!

  349. Thank YOU for all you do and have done to further our knitting and spinning communities. Thank you for being you. For speaking your mind and heart. For your humor and honesty and hubris.
    I lift my glass and wish you ten more.
    Namaste.

  350. I have seen you speak once a number of years ago, I’ve read all of your books, and (most importantly in my life) your blog was one of the very first places that I read loving and generous support of LGBTQ rights. You have touched my heart, you have made me laugh, and you have helped me to find new safe havens and communities. Thanks for all that you do!

  351. I discovered your blog in high school – it came as recommended reading from one of my best friends and a fellow knitter. I’ve been an enthusiastic reader ever since (that’s going on seven years now), and I must say that reading through the archives has given me some laughs and little escape during some very stressful times.

    I started reading your blog just as I was discovering what a wide world the internet was, and what I mind-bogglingly huge crafting community it contained. Knitting, writing, and reading are really the only hobbies that have stuck with me over the years, and you have been an inspiration in all three pursuits (love your books – Knitting Rules! took me through my first pair of socks).

    Thanks so much for sharing your knitting and your life on here. The Blog loves you back!

  352. Happy 10th Anniversary! My daughters and I have loved reading your blog! We have had many laugh at the humorous posts and waited with baited breath for the end of the missing passport post. (So glad you got it back!) We are looking forward to reading it for many years to come!

  353. I’m rarely so far behind in reading the blog….work has been in the way of life, darn it! (Sadly, my work isn’tas much fun as yours is, either….) But I wanted to tell you that you’ve given me a wonderful gift also…your wit, your wisdom, your knitting inspiration. I can’t count the number of times, when having a bad day, it’s occurred to me to check for a new blog post…rarely fails to lift my spirits, sometimes with something to think about, often threatening to send me to the floor for laughing so hard! So, Stephanie, congratulations and – thanks!

  354. I’m sorry to say that I’m one of the ones who just toddled out of the blogging world. I loved my blog, loved every minute of it but my skin wasn’t thick enough for the few hateful trolls out there and so I shut it down. I still miss it. I’d have hit tin in September and I’d have had you to thank for it. So, I’ll still thank you for it as blogging really got me through the first few years of motherhood, when I needed a community most and yours was always my first stop. Best wishes for many more.

  355. I’m a bit late with my congratulations, as I’m still in January 2014, working my way through the archives from the beginning. I hope to arrive in real time by next week! What a difference you have made to my life over the last months.

    I grew up knitting, and of course, it was my mother who bought my yarn, and who quite rightly insisted that I finished one project before she bought the yarn for the next. I knitted my way through university, taking commissions from friends and relatives to eke out my grant. I knitted for my boyfriend, who became my husband, and for my children….always one item at a time. In the early 80s, I started knitting a nasty acrylic jersey for my son who couldn’t tolerate wool. I wasn’t enjoying knitting it, he declared he wouldn’t wear it (he was nine, with strong ideas on what was cool), and it went to the bottom of my sewing box, where it remains unfinished to this day…still on its needles, and probably welded to them by now! I couldn’t, of course, start anything else until I finished the nasty jersey, so I drifted away from knitting, and remained away for over 30 years.

    An imminent grandchild got me started again last year, and looking up patterns on line, I stumbled upon your blog. You have encouraged me in so many ways. I have realised, far too belatedly, that at the age of 65 I do not have to follow my mother’s rules, and I have several items on the go now, so I never get bored. I have learned that it is not necessary to choose the pattern, then find the yarn, but that it is perfectly possible to buy lovely yarn and decide later what to do with it. I have a healthy stash, and have no hesitation about casting on yet another project if I feel like it. I have learned that it is no great failure to have to re-knit something, and that I can change a feeling of disappointment into one of satisfaction that I had the skill to solve the problem.

    So, thank you Stephanie, and please keep writing! I hope you are still there when I finally catch up!

  356. You might not see this, but I wanted to write it anyway. I was away from knitting for about 2 years, mourning a little as kids moved out (as they should, but it’s still hard), and having back problems, too much work. It’s so good to be back, and to know that you’re still doing what you do. You’re writing adds so much enjoyment to my knitting. –Terry de Roulet, California.

    • I’m late to this post (and blog, for that matter) too, and I love that we all still contribute to this community!! 🙂 I’ve had leaves-of-absence from knitting over the years, and the blog has helped bring back some inspiration to me, too!

  357. I’ve been knitting for….gulp….20 years now (really, I don’t feel old enough), and I’ve fallen in and out of love with knitting multiple times over the years. Times when I have “knitting bag” with my wallet tossed in as a make-shift purse. I’ve had times when I’ve obsessively knit scarves, or lately it’s been felted slippers (they’re a lifetime commitment if you ever make someone a pair because once you knit them a pair, they are devastated when they eventually wear out and the begging for a new pair gets a bit ugly). I’ve taken knitting projects on camping trips, off-road wheeling trips, and I think I’ve had a project shoved into my camelback while mountain biking…. Other times I’ve gone for long stretches when I can’t even look at yarn. Usually when I’m feeling out of creative juices, I can’t bare to make another decision or another pair of socks. I’ve taught knitting classes and friends to knit. People have looked to me for inspiration. But when I’m out of juices, it’s hard to find the inspiration myself. I have never really been successful at finding community or connection in the web-o-sphere. I’ve only very recently found this blog (through a fellow knitter who insists I taught her to knit 15 years ago, but that’s not how I remember it). So, if there’s any chance you’d be reading this comment, on a post you created a year ago, thank you for the inspiration and connection you’ve brought to me, even in the very short time I’ve been following it. It’s actually pretty great.

    • I had been out of knitting juices lately, so my friend Paula sent me your way a few months ago. It has helped reignite my obsession! For better or worse… 😉

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