If your mum is…

This post was made by the children of the Yarn Harlot. Seeing as how this is her birthday, we think it is unfair for her to post for herself. (Actually, she has always said she doesn’t do any work on her birthday) So us, the kids, get to make the post ourselves. This post is called “If your Mum is the Yarn Harlot”. We figure we are the only ones who can write it, we just happen to be the only children of the Yarn Harlot. (We hope.)

Sam (12 years old):

Today is my Mum’s Birthday, my Mum is the Yarn Harlot. If your Mum is the Yarn Harlot, then you learn to knit before you even learn your numbers, and you learn to spin, sew and cross-stitch for your ninth birthday.

If your Mum is the Yarn Harlot, when you learn all of these things while your friends are learning to dance and do pottery, then they start to think that you are crazy, and you have to say “No, no. I am not crazy, my Mum is the Yarn Harlot.”

I don’t blame them if they think we are crazy, because this is my mum.

Crazymum614

She might be a little crazy, but we love her.

If your Mum is the Yarn Harlot, then sometimes she acts crazy and sometimes she is normal and sometimes she is both. This makes my mother what Joe says is “unpredictable and entertaining”, or sometimes he says she is a “hard ticket”.

If your mum is the Yarn Harlot, then she is 38 today, but I have only known her for 12 years. We have had some good times together, and in all of our good times, my mother always knitting. Even when we are in public, I don’t think she can control herself.

Mumeverywher

Megan (15 in 8 weeks)

If your mum is the Yarn Harlot, you get to find her books in Chapters and say to all your friends “Yeah, my mum wrote that”.

Who else gets to say that! Only us, well, except if your mum writes books also…

If your mum is the Yarn Harlot, then sometimes your room gets painted blue and has fish all over the doors. My mum paints kids rooms with “themes”. Right currently we have our room painted purple. I think she might have stopped painting them themed. I hope not.

If your mum is the Yarn Harlot, then you have your own knitting basket. It’s not exactly a small basket either. It’s pretty big and I have lots of knitting needles in there, and lots of wool in there too. I have tons of knitting things. I think she gave each of us our own knitting basket so we will stop stealing from hers. It doesn’t really work though, but mum thinks everyone will be distracted by their own wool.

Amanda (17)

If your mum is the Yarn Harlot, you always have something to do when your hands are bored. Mum thinks the answer to everything is knitting. If you can’t sleep, if you have a headache, if your boyfriend bugs you, if your feet hurt, if you’re tired, anything or everything, Mum will suggest that you knit to make it better.

If your mum is the Yarn Harlot, she knows the answer for everything. She knows all the normal mum stuff and then crazy stuff about stuff that normal mums have no idea about, like what to do with a dirty sheep or how to spin flax.

If your mum is the Yarn harlot, your feet are always warm in the winter along with your hands, head and neck.

If your mum is the Yarn Harlot then she is really good at helping with your English homework because she has written all those books.

If your mum is the Yarn harlot, at some point you are going to realize that your mum is the coolest mum in the whole wide world. (If only because of the knitting.)

Mumknitchen

Thanks mum, for being yourself, for always knowing the right answer to everything and for always being there for me. 17 years is a long time to always be there for someone. We love you, keep being the Yarn Harlot and the mum we know and love. Happy Birthday!

(Now can I have a puppy?)

627 thoughts on “If your mum is…

  1. Wow. You lot are lucky. Each and every one of you. I suspect you already know that, just thought I’d mention it. Happy Everyday to all of you, forever.

  2. Awww…that was beautiful, girls. Happy Birthday, Stephanie! We all love ya!

  3. Steph, your daughters are amazing…..lovely, loving and just as funny as you are. You’re doing a great job with them!!! Do you have any advice if I’m raising BOYS??? 3 and 13!
    Have a very, very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

  4. Happy birthday Stephanie! What a lovely post from your lovely children. And those pictures of you are fabulous.
    And think you should say yes to the puppy. 🙂 Think of all the blog fodder it would generate!

  5. What a wonderful birthday present–daughters who make all of these knitters who love your blog misty. Good work, girls. And good work Stephanie. You must be proud as punch.
    Sniff sniff.

  6. Happy Birthday!
    P.S. Do you know that in the US your birthday is a national holiday? Really! (OK, the illiterati call it “Flag Day”, but we know what June 14 is really about).
    More yarn for everyone!
    P.P.S. The hardest job in the world is to raise cool kids. Congrats to the whole family. Now how about that puppy….

  7. Happy birthday Stephanie!! See just when you thought your children weren’t appreciating you,they go and do this! Or it could just be buttering you up even more for that puppy!!!

  8. Great post kids! You are blessed to have her as a mom and she is blessed to have you. Happy Birthday Harlot!

  9. Wow, what a tribute. You should be bursting with pride and satisfaction at having raised such children. I hope my 8 year old feels that way about me someday.
    Happy Birthday from another June baby (the best month to be born in)

  10. Your wonderful children brought tears to my eyes! They are a credit to their wonderful mother, the Yarn Harlot. Happy Birthday 🙂

  11. Happy Birthday, Stephanie! May you have many more all of them wrapped in the love of your children….

  12. Have a super birthday! The best present of all must be knowing you have such raised such smart and caring daughters who love and appreciate you.

  13. What to do with a dirty sheep? Oh my….
    (I hope no one of an impressionable age just read that.)
    Happy birthday. Oddly enough, it’s my mom’s birthday today too, and my (paternal) grandma’s was yesterday.

  14. Way to make me cry!!! This is beautiful ode to an incredible woman.
    Enjoy your birthday, Stephanie. It somehow makes sense that you are a Gemini. 🙂

  15. Happy Happy Birthday YH!! My daughter is your age and she is a wonderful mum, too. You are lovely.

  16. Oh my…what wonderful children. They too have a gift for using words. Wishing the very best on your special day.
    Think long and hard about a puppy. Remember, dogs are much higher maintenance than cats. At the point where you are in your lives, a dog (puppy or not) may not be the best fit. However, if you do cave in on the canine issue, please, please consider adopting an adult dog. Puppies are cute…what baby isn’t…but they stay puppies for a very short time. They suddenly become adult dogs. They have all sorts of bad puppy habits (they are particularly interested in balls of yarn!!!), they need training and they like to poop in your house. An adult dog comes it final size, most likely have gotten over those bad puppy habits and may even come with a full understanding of the fact that only cats get to relieve themselves in house…dogs use the yard. Shelters and rescue groups have many, many wonderful adult dogs that are in need of homes. Sadly, they are often passed over for an irresistible puppy. Dogs can live for many years…please consider making the remainder of an adult dog’s life wonderful by becoming a part of your family.

  17. Lovely post, ladies. And Happy Birthday Stephanie!
    Hopefully my boss didn’t notice the giggles and tears that escaped while I was reading.

  18. Happy Birthday, dear Yarn Harlot! You make life so much fun. Girls, you did an excellent job. I love your family’s custom of celebrating special days with lists of what you appreciate about the person. It’s so heartwarming, and so much better than any Hallmark card.

  19. Dearest girls:
    You forgot to mention that your mum is a very fortunate woman, to have such beautiful, loving daughters. Your birthday post is precious.

  20. Happy Birthday, Stephanie, and many many more to come! What a lovely tribute from your daughters–you must be very proud!

  21. What a lovely tribute from your children. They are so accepting of your knitting and makes me think that there is hope for the two of mine. Very BEST OF WISHES ON YOUR OWN DAY> cecilia

  22. Great job Ladies! What a wonderful family. Happy Birthday Harlot!! You’re daughters are just as awesome as your are.

  23. Happy Birthday to you!
    Happy Birthday to you!
    Happy Birthday dear Harlot……
    Happy Birthday to you!!
    Yay!!
    Nice post girls!

  24. I just wanted to say that I hope in a few years my kids love me that much! Happy Birthday Steph, you have done well… eat lots of cake, and buy lots of yarn…

  25. oh for god’s sake, get the girl the puppy. if my seventeen year old said that about me, I’d probably buy her a CAR (not.)

  26. Happy Birthday!!! What a lovely posting girls! It is nice to have something in writing to read on those days when the laundry hamper is the topic of the day. You girls be good to your mum.

  27. I thought no post could be better than the birthday post for Joe….but this one is beautiful. What a gift! when are the girls going to get a publishing contract?

  28. Nice…I’ve got four kids, and I’d have to say that is an excellent attempt at a puppy.

  29. Happy Harlot Day! And many happy returns, indeed.
    Well done girls, now what are you making for dinner? Well, you’re home, right?
    And about that puppy: do you remember when Hank was two and a half? Remember how hard it was to keep him out of your room and your stuff? Now, in that mental image, take the diaper off him (nothing personal, Hank, you’re much bigger now, but some boys I know have worn diapers WAY past 2 1/2.) Everything he does, you get to clean up. And you need to walk him on a leash, and clean up what he does in the park and carry it home and deal with it however Mum decrees. And you have to feed him and bathe him and keep all your stuff off the floor because he chews everything.
    That last one could be the deal-breaker. I’ve seen your floor.

  30. Oh, goodness! I’ve been reading this blog for about a year, and I think this is my absolute favorite post EVER! (Sorry, Steph.) What a wonderful birthday present and a tribute to a “mum”! Great job, girls, and happy birthday, Steph!

  31. Happy Birthday, Stephanie. You are a lucky woman. Great kids and a great knitting. You can’t ask for much more. Of course, we can always ask……….LOL

  32. Happy birthday! I hope you get lots of woolen delights! You have great kids. Just keep reminding yourself of that when The Lion Sleeps Tonight is playing :oP

  33. How wonderful it is to get a peek at the lovely women you have created. Could there be a better gift? Happy Birthday!

  34. OMGOSH ~ that is the sweetest thing I have heard, read, saw in a long time. You are all the sweetest things ever!!!!
    And yes you can have a puppy!!!!!!!!!!
    Happy Birthday Stephanie!

  35. Excellent job, ladies.
    And, if I may say, if your friend is the Yarn Harlot, you will never want for laughs or lessons or love.
    Happy Birthday, Stephanie.

  36. Sam, Megan and Amanda (the Yarn Harlot-ettes!) are AWESOME! You are quite lucky, Steph, to be raising such wonderful young women. Ladies, I guarantee you will grow up to be wonderful women, and hard as it is to believe now, you will have your Mum, and Grandmum, Bonnie to thank for it.
    One thing…..Can you guys come to my house for my birthday? I can offer Megan and Amanda teenaged boys to meet (and I raised them to respect women Steph, I SWEAR). Sam, well, unless you like younger men, you’re out of luck, my youngest is nine. But I think Mom would think that’s OK.

  37. Happy Birthday. Your kids are obviously incredible and have inherited your way with words (and your sense of humor too!)
    Thanks.

  38. Best post ever- yeah, I usually love your posts, but this one has incredible talent behind it. Happy Birthday Yarn Harlot! And a sincere well done to the Mom who’s raising these fabuous kids.

  39. aww, you girls made me all teary! You do have a great Mum, and I’m so glad that you realize it and that you tell her so…she’s putting a lot of good into the world, and not just with her knitting.
    JoAnne (who shares a birthday with Joe and has a daughter who shares a birthday with – is it Sam? Did you just turn 12, Sam? – Tori just turned 13.)

  40. The very happiest of birth-days (weeks, months and years) to you, Stephanie. I wish I had children who could write similar posts (or any posts) but it was not to be. The chaos will be remembered fondly, or forgotten! Keep up those themed rooms — and how about a room themed in knitting (besides having yarn and UFO’s scattered around?)

  41. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! i love the part about how they will never have cold feet, hands, necks, or heads in the winter 🙂

  42. I can only hope that my children will be as great as the three of you are.
    What a fabulous way to tell your Mum you love her!

  43. Well done ladies. I hope you have themed rooms right up until you produce your own kids, then they get them.
    If your Mum is the Yarn Harlot, she is a pretty proud mum today.

  44. Happy Birthday, Yarn Harlot! In addition to being a great knitter and writer, you apparently are also a terrific mom. What gifts!

  45. Happy Birthday! Mine is Monday and my best friend is taking me shopping at (guess where?) a yarn shop! Hope you have a nice party tonight.
    What wonderful daughters and fabulous pictures in the post this morning:)

  46. Ok, what i meant to say was, you are incredibly talented, and so are your girls, but that came out poorly….
    and on one more note- I think that girl deserves a puppy too- but the breed that knows and protects wool rather than chewing on it..
    Does that breed exist?

  47. That was a gift in itself. You are richly blessed. What a tribute. Happy Birthday and many more. Thanks for making our lives better too!

  48. Oh my goodness, the tears in my eyes. Those girls of yours are quite a gift. Happy Birthday, Stephanie.
    Although that last line made me laugh so loud the neighbors heard, I think the girls (while gifted with writing) are confused about the puppy. Perhaps they really want an angora rabbit? Cute, cuddly, fun, useful (free fiber!!), and they’d still need to keep stuff up off the floor. Just a thought…

  49. Awwwww…how sweet! Happy birthday! While I’m celebrating my anniversary tonight (at dinner….)I’ll be sure and chug one back for your birthday too.

  50. awww – now I’m tearing up at the office! Well done with those girls, Mum Yarn Harlot – they’re keepers. Good thing b/c I believe the trade in period expired some time ago ha.

  51. Way to go girls, great post and nice try for a puppy, (I’m not sure it’ll work though!)
    Happy Birthday Stephanie, Have a great day and a fun time at your party tonight.

  52. Lang zal ze leven
    lang zal ze leven, lang zal ze leven in de gloria
    in de gloria, in de gloria
    Hieperderpiep hoera
    Hieperderpiep hoera
    Hieperderpiep hoera
    since I can’t sing it to you in person!

  53. Awww…Stephanie, happy birthday! If only my kids say those sweet things about me when they are older I will feel like the luckiest mum alive. My eyes are all watery and man, you have made a difference in your knitting “folks” lives and obviously the biggest and best in your children’s lives. Cheers! Enjoy your very special day!

  54. Well – it seems that talent runs freely in this family.. Love shows through those simple words and Stephanie be happy – between the good and the bad days – these kids have been given a good set of strong values !!!

  55. Happy birthday Steph!! Your kids are very lucky to have such a great mom (and it sounds like you lucked out with them as well). Hope you have a great day!

  56. Happy birthday! That was beautiful and touching, you have raised some great girls there.

  57. ===Happy Birthday=== – enjoy a wonderful day… the post from the kids was amazing – loved it!!!
    ================================================

  58. Geez, I wish the Yarn Harlot was my mum. (As we are the same age, this would be difficult.) Happy birthday, Stephanie! You’ve clearly raised some cool kids.

  59. How friggin sweet! When I get to the point where I have kids, hopefully mine are as lovely individuals as yours are. Happy birthday dear Harlot!
    Amy

  60. Fabulous job girls! I hope my daughter will be as loving as you when she gets to your ages! (she’s currently only 2 months so she shows her love in smiles and spit up.)
    Happy Birthday Stephanie! From a fellow June 14 birthday. Hope it’s full of love, smiles, laughs, and, of course, yarn!

  61. Awww, what a wonderful mum you’ve got, and what equally wonderful daughters you are!
    Happy Birthday, Stephanie!!!! Enjoy your special day!

  62. Wow – that was beautiful, girls. It might even get you a puppy!!!
    Happy Birthday Stephanie. Your girls are treasures.

  63. Happy, wooly, Birthday!
    Great Job Girls! It’s lovely to see how cognizant you are of the special Mum you have. Remember that love and appreciation the next time she has to say “no” to you. . . . (whispering)we only say “no” because we love our children SO very much.

  64. Happy Birthday Stephanie! I can only hope that my three kids grow up half as well as your three are. They are a treasure. I hope you print this out and remind them how lucky they are to have you when you say NO they can’t have a puppy!

  65. Dear daughters of the Yarn Harlot, your mum is a lucky woman to have such a trio.
    And trust me, the puppy? Not so much. Always with the chewing and the pooing and the tail-chasing. I personally think you might as well agitate for another sister.
    WOULDN’T THAT BE GREAT?
    Happy birthday, Steph!

  66. Wow. I hope that I do as good a job raising my daughter so she winds up as wonderful as you kids. You guys did a great job.

  67. awwww, that made me tear up. I hope my kids are that sweet to me when they get to be teenagers.
    Happy Birthday!

  68. awwwww – that was so sweet girls.
    Although, knowing what a crazy knitter your mom is she might just knit you a dog. I would be cool though – not having to walk or feed it. Although playing catch would be a bit of a bore.

  69. Apparently if your mum is the Yarn Harlot you also have a wonderful way with words and wit, cheekiness and charm.
    Happy birthday Steph!

  70. How sweet! I have to say, my mom thinks the answer to everything is exercise. Tired? Sick? Depressed? Stressed? Exercise is the answer. Kind of annoying. I think knitting is a much better cure-all. And puppies. 🙂

  71. Instead of a dog, how about a sheep? Mmmmmmmm-hmmm. Or two? Three? One for each of you? You could call them Worsted, D.K. and Laceweight. Or something.
    I loved reading this. The Yarn Harlot is as lucky to have you three for daughters as you are lucky to have her for a mum. Have a wonderful birthday day.

  72. Well said girls! Happy Birthday Stephanie, you are truly blessed with all that love. Maybe you could Knit them a puppy-you would probably be happier in the long-run with that. Just knit the non-pooping variety.
    Lots of love!

  73. Happy Birthday! Your daughters’ blog entry was so touching I actualy got a bit veclemt (sp?). Teary-eyed you know.

  74. The family that knits together, stays together…..and you all sound like you got a great thing going. My own mom died a few years before I learned to knit, and I often think of her and how much she’d enjoy seeing me knit lace and such. She always had the greatest appreciation for hand crafted items. I got all choked up reading this entry, but it felt real good, too. Happy Birthday, Stephanie, and thanks for all you do for the knitting community!

  75. sniff…you have the coolest children. have a wonderful, fiber filled birthday, full of surprises as every turn.

  76. Happy,Happy,Birthday from one Gemini to another (mine is tomorrow). Enjoy every moment, you are entitled. Your children are lovely to salute you so. You inspire me to keep knitting and from the comments made by others you are a source of inspiration for many. Keep up the good work and enjoy your day!!!

  77. Happy Birthday Stephanie!
    A beautiful post, girls! You are a very lucky bunch, and thanks for sharing your mother with all of us, as she runs around the countryside promoting her books and buying yarn.
    But if you were my kids, you still wouldn’t get a puppy! But then, I bought my 12 year old a turtle just yesterday, so what do I know?

  78. Happy Birthday, Yarn Harlot! And, many more. Your children are great and loved reading what they said about you and their life with you. Much happiness to all.

  79. Happy Birthday! I am “hooked” (yes I crochet and really can’t knit…gasp…did I just say that out loud?) on reading your blog!

  80. Umm…I think they have to get that puppy now! 🙂
    What a great tribute! You’ve got great kids, a reflection of the way you raised them….wish my daughter knit!
    Happy Birthday Stephanie – may all your dreams come true – even the non-knitting ones…and thank you, you’re just the best!
    (((hugs)))

  81. I don’t think I have ever read something this touching. Happy birthday and congratulations on raising such wonderful, beautiful daughters.

  82. That’s got to be one of the best presents ever. Happy Birthday, Yarn Harlot! Right now, if I’m too tired to knit at night before going to sleep, I read “Knitting Rules.” It, like you, rocks hard.

  83. Have a great day! What really nice children. They must take after you! Lovely they are so proud of you.

  84. Happy Birthday to the one and only Harlot and the inspiration for my stash. I hope my Billy appreciates his knitting mom as much as your girls do, Steph. I sure do try to expose it to him enough.

  85. Happy Birthday! Before you know what hits you, it will be your GRANDCHILDREN writing stuff like this about you. It’s all downhill from here, kiddo. Enjoy.

  86. That was the coolest sweetest thing ever. I have a 20 month old, and I can only hope that she’ll think the same things about me when she’s older. The best kinds of mums are mums that have a healthy bit of crazy in them! Well, let’s hope, since I certainly do!
    And I love that it the Megan noted that she’ll be 15 in two months. The countdown begins I guess, huh?!? Too cute!
    Happy birthday Stephanie! May your day and this year be filled with happiness and love (and, of course, all sorts of yarn-y goodness)!

  87. If your mum is the Yarn Harlot then you are truly blessed.
    Many happy wishes on your B-day, Stephanie! I think it’s the greatest of compliments to be called “unpredictable and entertaining”.
    XOXO
    Toni Van B

  88. Happy Birthday, Stephanie! If you are a daughter of the Yarn Harlot, then you are beautiful girls whose love for their mum is quite evident. Congratulations, Stephanie on your accomplishment, especial on raise three wonderful daughters. PS, puppies (especially yellow labs) are wonderful.

  89. I an crying. This is so sweet! Like real tears crying. Snotty nose crying. You are a great Mom! Happy Birthday!

  90. After reading that, I’d be hard put not to give her a puppy. (Of course, since nothing was mentioned about a live puppy, you can always make it a toy puppy. A knit puppy!)
    Happy Birthday!

  91. Stephanie – Happy Birthday from one Birthday Gal to another! Kids do give us the best gifts don’t they!
    Celebrate and Enjoy!

  92. You have beautiful and articulate children, and it sounds like they have the full measure of you. (That “hard ticket” bit made me laugh right out loud. Also “No, I am not crazy, my mum is the Yarn Harlot.”)
    My favorite bit of Meg’s was everyone being distracted by their own wool.
    And Amanda, the puppy thing at the end was classic.
    Happy birthday Steph – with daughters like that it can’t help but be happy, though, can it?

  93. Aww that’s so sweet – you’ve got great kids even if they can’t find the laundry basket! Happy Birthday Stephanie!! Hope it’s a wonderful one!

  94. All the best, Stephanie, and many happy returns of the day. You have three awesome daughters!

  95. Looks like you’ve passed along the writing talent along with the knitting talent, Stephanie. What amazing daughters you have!
    HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! Go buy some yarn!

  96. oh my, it’s “lump in the throat” time.. what great kids.
    Happy Birthday Stephanie.
    A lovely tribute to a fabulous woman. May you continue to laugh and knit your way thru the next 38 years with joy.

  97. Happy Birthday. I think the kids of the yarn harlot are just as cool as the mum. Hope you get the puppy. Any puppy or do you want a certain breed?

  98. Oh, Girls! This is the stuff that surely makes a mum glad for the whole journey.
    Stephanie, it looks like you already got the best present of all. Words like this last a long time in the heart.

  99. Happy birthday! I think you all deserve a puppy… just think of the things you can knit for him!

  100. What a great post! Your girls seemed to have inherited your love of the needles and the word. Great job girls and Happy Birthday Harlot!

  101. Happy, Happy Birthday, Yarn Harlot!
    This wonderful post makes hairties, sparkly lotion, clothes in the hallway fade away to oblivion. I hope you girls bake a cake! (Or brownies. Start with brownies. Mmmmmm….)
    I’ve always said I would only get a breed of dog small enough to get its exercise running up and down the hallway. BUT the hallway would have to be clean, girls! :o) Yeah, I can’t have a puppy either.

  102. The apples don’t fall far from the tree…
    Happy Birthday to the one and only Yarn Harlot!
    Great post, ladies. You do your mum proud.

  103. Apparently if your Mum is the Yarn Harlot you also inherit her talent with words, especially her ability to negotiate that fine line between laughter and tears that keeps all the readers coming back.
    Happy Birthday, Stephanie! You’ve done a great job with those girls.

  104. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE ONE AND ONLY YARNHARLOT!! May you have many more.
    Congratulations on raising three such lovely and loving children. I have tears in my eyes from both laughing and crying while reading their tribute. You and your family are truly blessed.
    Buy the kid a puppy, already.
    many birthday hugs

  105. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE ONE AND ONLY YARNHARLOT!! May you have many more.
    Congratulations on raising three such lovely and loving children. I have tears in my eyes from both laughing and crying while reading their tribute. You and your family are truly blessed.
    Buy the kid a puppy, already.
    many birthday hugs

  106. It’s my mum’s birthday, too – Happy Birthday! (And I hope you get that puppy, as long as it’s not a Fiber-Eating Puppy.)

  107. The Yarn Harlot and her offspring… making knitters cry around the world! A wonderful posting.
    Happy Birthday Yarn Harlot!

  108. Happy Birthday and thanks for the cry 🙂 Our daughters have a way of doing that to us, don’t they?

  109. Wow. You are clearly an even more amazing mom than I am, and your kids are almost as amazing as mine. Happy Birthday.

  110. Happy Birthday to the woman whose blog is a dose of laughter that makes the other stuff in life easier to take. Knit on girl!!!

  111. Happy birthday, Stephanie.
    Lovely post, Harlettes.
    From another mom who turned her daughter into a fibre freak.

  112. Happy Birthday to my very favorite Canadian ever!!!
    You’ve got great kids and I hope they spoil you rotten today.

  113. What a terrifc post – I think the girls should get their own blogs!
    p.s. Happy birthday, Stephanie. Hurra, hurra, hurra!

  114. Happy birthday! (So young, to have accomplished so much, including the raising of such thoughtful and eloquent daughters!)

  115. Great job, girls! I think the Harlot’s as lucky to have you as daughters as you are to have her as Mum. Tell her Happy Birthday, and also tell her what a good job she’s done raising you three!

  116. Happy Birthday Steph! I didn’t realize we are the same age! My kids are a lot younger though. I hope they like me nearly as much and can write as well when they are teens!

  117. happy birthday to you, Stephanie!
    And what a sweet post for the kids to do. You’re as fortunate a mother as they are children.

  118. Ladies, that was wonderful. Well done indeed. And thank you for allowing your Mum to share your lives and stories with us through the blog, and for sharing her time to go on book tours etc. We do know she couldn’t do all of this without your love and support.
    Happy Birthday Steph!

  119. Beautiful post ladies! Happy Birthday Stephanie! May your day be filled with quiet and peaceful knitting puncuated with periods of laughter, joy and hearty beer drinking!

  120. Great post, kids!
    Deb in Nova Scotia, whose 3 year old yesterday implored me, “Mommy put away knitting!”

  121. Lovely job, ladies!
    Asking your mum on her birthday for a puppy might not be the best of tactical moves…good luck, though.

  122. Oh, and Amanda? If you were mine, this would SO get you a puppy.
    (sorry Steph, did the speed at which I switched sides give you whiplash there?)

  123. Happy Birthday Harlot!!! You are trully blessed with your wonderful daughters. I say yes to the puppy Amanda, but make sure it has long hair that can be SPUN!!!

  124. Happy birthday and congrats on raising some fine kids who love and appreciate your uniqueness. 🙂

  125. Get the puppy…think of all the puppy accessories the family can knit! Careful when teaching the puppy to knit…this takes much patience and puppies have a short attention span.

  126. Happy Birthday!!!! Hugs, fiber and all the best things for you!
    All the coolest people were born today. My DH’s birthday is today too.

  127. Happy Birthday, Stephanie!! You have lovely young ladies for daughters, obviously, with their Mom’s sense of humor! Have a happy and healthy year ahead! Best wishes, Corinne

  128. Wonderful job girls! Stephanie — Happy Birthday, and just think — you’re not only the Yarn Harlot, you’re also obviously a fantastic mom!
    And why do I now think that someday, our knitting descendants will be reading the blogs of three Yarn Harlot-ettes!?

  129. Happy birthday, Steph!
    And girls, you know there’s no way you’re getting a puppy, right? Unless of course you just happen to find a “stray puppy” next time she’s on tour….start working on Joe now….

  130. My favorite post so far. Good job girls-I wish my mum was a Yarn Harlot too (but don’t tell MY mom I said that)! 😉
    Happy Birthday Stef-you are one lucky woman.

  131. Happy Birthday Yarn Harlot! See, I told you they would appreciate you. And they even did it BEFORE their 20’s. Way to go girls!

  132. Wow — I found myself wondering if you got to read the post before the girls put it up for the whole world to see…now you know you can trust them with anything! (Don’t read anything into this, girls. I’m staying out of the Great Puppy Debate.)
    Enjoy your day!

  133. Happy Birthday! What a beautiful tribute from your daughters…they totally made me cry here at my desk at work! I’ll be having that pint in celebration of you and our shared birthday tonight! Cheers!

  134. Happy birthday! You win the prize for sweetest children ever. (Puppies may be less likely to attack WIPs, but more likely to get at the finished projects.)

  135. Happy Birthday, Stephanie, and you should be ashamed of yourself. Obviously girls who would say such lovely things about their mother would never spend the morning fighting over sparkling body lotion. 🙂

  136. Awesome! Happy birthday, Stephanie, and beautiful, girls! I see you’ve got your mom’s talent for that wonderful guffaw at the end–I can’t wait to read *your* books, too, each of you!

  137. Awww… that may be the best post ever (sorry, Steph). I hope my children feel that way about my “uniquities” when they are that age. Happy Birthday!!

  138. I left my Happy Birthday well wishes on yesterday’s post, but I do have to say that you have some pretty cool kids!

  139. Bravo, ladies! I think it’s great that you appreciate your mum so much. She is a very special lady, and we’re all so fortunate to be able to share just a little bit of her with you.
    As for the puppy, well, be careful what you wish for. They’re a LOT of work, and trust me, the nuiance wears off when the puppy chews up your prom dress or your favorite shoes. Trust me on this. Puppies are cute for a short time, but they’re an AWFUL lot of work, and when you all go back to school in the fall, it’s your mum who’s going to end up taking him out all the time!
    (Happy Birthday, Steph!)

  140. If your teenagers can say all those nice things about you (even if they do want something), you must be doing something right.
    Hope you have a fiber-filled, laugh-filled, love-filled day!

  141. Sam, Megan, and Amanda –
    I read your mom’s blog every day. Well, every day that she posts. And I read her books. And I love it all.
    However.
    I do believe that the entry you wrote today is my favorite one ever. Sorry, Stephanie, I know you put a lot into it and all; maybe you don’t want to get shown up by your three girls. But look! First Sam is funny, then Megan is funny, and finally Amanda is all touching and stuff.
    Thanks.

  142. Reading this I have decided to knit more (maybe by doing less laundry and cleaning). It seems to be very good for children to have a knitting Mum! Congratulations and Happy Birthday!!!!

  143. Look! The girls found something to do! And they did it very well. Remember dog sweaters knit up even faster than baby sweaters (and no plackets!). Happy Birthday, Steph, and many more.

  144. Girls, let me tell you something. I relentlessly begged for a puppy for years, and it finally paid off with a trip to a Schnauzer breeder. So don’t give up! Sorry Stephanie, but it’s true. But Happy birthday to you! Your readers love you too.

  145. It must be very cool indeed to have a Yarn Harlot for a mum. I wish you the happiest of birthdays & hope you lift a finger for nothing but yarn & wine today.

  146. Happy Birthday! Don’t fall for the puppy – you know who will pick up after it.

  147. What an amazing tribute by the girls. You must be so proud of them today. (Personally, I think you are extremely brave to let them have a go at the blog – I would have been a wee bit concerned about anything they might have said.)

  148. Bravo, Stephanie, on your birthday, and for having raised such great girls. See, even though they make you crazy the other 364 days of the year, some of your parenting has sunk into their heads. And look what great writers they all are!
    [Girls, great job on the birthday tribute, and thanks for the smiles]

  149. Have a great day, Stephanie.
    What a wonderful tribute to your mum, girls.
    You have beautiful and talented daughters. vj

  150. Great post, gals! Words for your mom to treasure. And, it was great to see so many photos of her at once (esp. that first one.)
    Stephanie, congratulations on the great job you’ve obviously done raising your girls. Have a wonderful birthday…hope you’re going to succumb to the wool fumes tonight. You deserve it! (Besides, you can always say the cake and the beer and the general festivities caused you to lose all concept of “yarn budget” and anyhow, it’s your birthday!)
    Happy, happy day to you!

  151. What wonderful daughter! They clearly love you very much. And I think you may have some future book-writers before too long. (But maybe that comes just from not feeding them twinkies….)
    Happy Birthday!

  152. Nice post Sam, Megan and Amanda, you sound like great young women.
    Happy birthday Yarn Harlot, from The Stitch Bitch (as my kids, affectionately (I hope!) call me)

  153. Sweetest thing I’ve read in ages. I only hope my future children love my insanity as much as yours do Steph. (They get their narrative writing style from you!)

  154. Happy Birthday, Stephanie! I think the best gift you could possibly ask for is to have not one, not two, but *three* daughters who realize that they’ve got one of the coolest moms on the planet, and aren’t afraid to tell the world. I hope when I’m all grown up and have kids, they’re as awesome as your girls… provided I’m as awesome as you, of course. 😉

  155. What good, good children you are! And how lovely was that post (and right funny, too – which I’m sure your mum appreciated [ha! “hard ticket”] to no end) for her birthday?
    Good show, bambinas!

  156. What a great birthday gift!! My birthday is tomorrow, Gemini’s rule!
    Happy Birthday Stephanie!!

  157. Happy Birthday Stephanie! Best wishes for a lovely year ahead. Your daugthers are wonderful as well they should be with a Mum like you. Beware the puppy foil, it will be with you long after they are grown and gone.

  158. Happy Birthday Stephanie.
    Girls, you didn’t negotiate who would be taking care of the puppy.

  159. Happy Birthday Stephanie!
    ~from another June 14th birthday girl
    PS In the US we get our own holiday, albeit a very small one.

  160. Happy Birthday!!!! and way to go having such awesome, cool kids. What a gift huh. Way to go girls..what a post!

  161. Can’t see well enough through the tears to type… Happy Happy Birthday! (beautiful, beautiful post girls- I bet your Mum is still sniffling)

  162. If these were my daughters, I’d be snuffling a bit. Congratulations, Stephanie. Both for your birthday and for being their mum!

  163. Happpy Birthday Yarn Harlot! Lovely post from your girls…and at the end I was saying get those girls that puppy….which proves that they are reaaaaaal good at that sweet stuff. They had me for a minute…but you will be walking that dog the second its raining or it gets cold and don’t forget its back to “potty training” except with puppies you do it at 2:00 and 5:00 in the morning! Be strong! and Happy Happy Birthday!

  164. Have a joyous birthday Stephanie! And hold strong on the puppy front . . . 🙂

  165. Happy Birthday dear Stephanie!! And wishing you many, many more! (Great post girls.)

  166. Happy birthday, Stephanie! May you have many more joyous years of knitting, love, and laughter.

  167. Happy Birthday!
    Of course, if you get the puppy, you’ll have to learn how to make yarn from all the fur it will shed.

  168. Ladies, what an excellent post. Your mum is lucky to have all of you. Good timing on asking for a puppy, too! Good luck with that!

  169. Happy Birthday! Wishing you a warm and wooly year and all the best for you and yours! (Oh, and cats are WAY cooler than dogs, especially well-behaved ones that don’t mess with your yarn!)

  170. HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEPHANIE…DOGS MAKE WONDERFUL BIRTHDAY PRESENTS…I DON’T CARE WHAT ANYONE ELSE SAYS…and yes I know I was shouting it from the rooftops…How about a Border Collie or Aussie Shepard to herd those lovely girls of yours? They are pretty territorial and will keep all kinds of predators away from them too.
    Sharon

  171. If your mum is the Yarn Harlot, you’re a lucky girl. But then so is she — and only 38. Happy day, Harlot ma’am.

  172. What a wonderful post! Perhaps you all, Yarn Harlot kids, should write the next book!
    Happy Happy Birthday Stephanie – and thank you for all the laughter and humanity you bring to me and so many others. And especially for encouraging my knitting habit! Have a joyous day!

  173. Happy Birthday! Way to go girls, for the excellent post and wonderful tribute to your super-cool, super-crazy, super-harlot mum. Now go get that puppy. Just make sure it doesn’t chew wool. That would be very, very bad. Happy Birthday Stephanie! We’re the same age! how fun is that?

  174. A Very Happy Birthday to You with many returns of the day!
    Your girls are wonderful, please let them get a puppy. 🙂

  175. Happy Birthday!
    (I can just see the harlot clan crowded around puppies waving woolies and needles, trying to find the puppy that doesn’t think they’re chew toys)

  176. To Sam, Megan, and Amanda: Thanks so much for sharing. I enjoyed reading your post and your heartfelt sentiments (or did they just seem that way because of the puppy motivation?!).
    To Stephanie: Have a wonderfully glorious birthday!

  177. That was absolutely amazing. Thank you Sam, Megan, and Amanda! You have lured me out of my lurking with your brilliant honoring of your mother!

  178. how sweet is that?
    (i only cried for a second. really, it just teared up then i blinked it away)
    my son is 17 and that really is a long time to always be there for someone. he appreciates it too, but hasn’t written it down or said it out loud.
    you should def. get the girls a puppy. then you should knit it a sweater.

  179. What a lovely tribute from your daughters!! Happy, happy birthday to the Yarn Harlot!

  180. What a lovely tribute from your daughters!! Happy, happy birthday to the Yarn Harlot!

  181. Happy Birthday, you are indeed a blessed Harlot, and listen up, young Harlots, a beautiful post, made your mum proud, but really, go do some volunteer work at your local shelter, then rethink a bit on this puppy thing you have, look at it from all aspects and good luck. xoxoxox to all.

  182. Happy birthday Stephanie! (Doesn’t life just get better and better?)I shall knit a sock and drink a margarita in your honor.
    May you feel blessed and happy, today and always!

  183. Happy Birthd..could someone please pass the kleenex…ay Stephanie and what…I really am weeping here…wonderful daughters you..KLEENEX PLEASE…have created, you must be…FINE I’ll get it myself…so proud. Have a Great Day
    diana

  184. Happy Birthd..could someone please pass the kleenex…ay Stephanie and what…I really am weeping here…wonderful daughters you..KLEENEX PLEASE…have created, you must be…FINE I’ll get it myself…so proud. Have a Great Day
    diana

  185. sniff, that was sniff, lovely. I hope you realize how lucky you are to have such lovely, sniff, girls to write such fun things about you. Want another girl, I am in need of a knitting mummy. Too bad we’re the same age. Hope you have the Happiest of Birthdays. I so love/adore your blog.

  186. Happy Birthday Stephanie! What a lovely job the girls did. How proud you must be. Go ahead, let ’em have a puppy. You don’t keep yarn on the floor do you?

  187. A Very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Stephanie :)! Your children are wonderful, just like you. I thank the moon and the stars, your mum and God that you were born! God bless all of you.

  188. Happy birthday, Stephanie!
    Here’s wishing you lotsa llamas and maybe some ducks for the next year…
    Oh, and while I’m wishing – that and a copy of each of your books in the hands of every knitter in the English-speaking world. For very loose definitions of the woord “knitter”.

  189. Happy birthday and congratulations on raising such great daughters.
    About the puppy, Cathy had a point about adopting a grown dog although there are also good arguements for getting a puppy. But if you decide to get a dog (grown or a puppy) remember to take it to a class and obedience train it. Good, well behaved dogs don’t just happen but they do train much easier than children. And remember that even though your kids are in their teens, that doesn’t mean that they will stay interested in and be responsible for the dog for long. They’ll be leaving home in a few years too and you’ll be left with the dog. So make sure YOU want it. We’ve always had dogs (o.k., I’ve had dogs) but my daughter got one after she married. You guessed it, they divorced, she and the dog moved home. Six years later she moved out and remarried, and I have the dog. Of course, I love him dearly and she’d have to fight me for him now.

  190. Girls, you have out done yourselves. You’ve put down some lovely things about your mum. BTW, the Yarn Harlot is right, no matter what is bothering you or hurting (except perhaps your fingers), kniting will make you feel better.
    Steph, happy birthday! You children are the best presents you have received.

  191. I couldn’t read through all of the comments because I already have tears running down my cheeks. Your children are so sweet, they obviously love you a lot. Happy, happy birthday!

  192. What a wonderful tribute to the Yarn Harlot! It was so touching it brought tears to my eyes.
    Happy Birthday Stephanie!!!

  193. Sorry to post again so soon and preach some more but I just read someone post recomending a border collie or aussie. NOT necessarily a good idea! Border collies, aussies, any herding breed tend to need a LOT of companionship and a job or they can develop behavioral problems. They get bored easily and become very creative when bored. I knew a gal who had to have a ‘smart’ dog a got a border collie, against advice. She did do training but left the dog all alone every day in an apartment while she worked. Finally, in a fit of boredom, it stripped all the wallpaper off the diningroom walls! That said, for the right household, they are wonderful companions. I have had aussies and my current dog (used to be my daughter’s)is a corgie. If you decide to bring a dog into your family, research the breeds you are interested in and choose which is best for your lifestyle before you fall in love for the wrong one. Everyone, even the dog, will be happier.

  194. Oh my goodness! Does anyone have a spare tissue!? Happy, happy birthday, Stephanie. Many blessing and happy wishes!

  195. How incredibly sweet of your girls to write that about you on your birthday! They’ve learned very invaluable lessons from you. Good job, YH. 🙂
    And happy birthday!

  196. Happy Birthday!
    Lovely post by your kids.
    Don’t fall for getting a puppy. The mom always ends up taking care of the puppy more than anyone else once the newness wears off. But I have to say ours is a nice, cuddly, fairly obedient substitute child now that my kids are older. Just make sure you are in the mood for bringing up and training a puppy and have the time. They get lonely and think of terrible revenge methods!

  197. Your mum (or mom, as we say here in the south) is definitely quite cool. You are very lucky indeed to have a mum of that coolness level. And she is very lucky to have three loving daughters, even though they sometimes drive her to distraction.
    Happy Birthday, Stephanie! And a puppy would be a very good thing. Unless it wanted to chew your wool. Hmm…on second thought, maybe a puppy wouldn’t be a good thing.

  198. Oh. My. Goodness. Grins and tears, all at once. Mum — oh, sorry, I mean Harlot 🙂 , I hope you have a fantastic birthday.
    And you should make each of the girls re-read this post next time you break up the 500th fight over sparkle body lotion and/or hair ties.

  199. Happy Birthday Stephanie!
    Here’s to many more years of knitting and blogging to come! ::lifts a glass of wine::
    And keep doing whatever it is you’re doing with your children, cuz you’re obviously doing it right.
    Now, go knit something special just for you.

  200. Happy birthday! The girls did you proud, even if we all know that it was to butter you up for a puppy.
    If they insist on a puppy, get a lamb instead. Tell everyone that it’s a Bedlington terrier (Honest to wool, Bedlingtons look just like a lamb). By the time it grows up and they know it’s a sheep, they will have become attached to it and won’t care.

  201. Well if that isn’t the biggest blessing in the world. Wonderful letters from our kids for our birthdays. You are indeed a blessed woman and the world will be a better place for us all by the loving structure you are giving your kids.
    Happy Birthday!

  202. Hi Stephanie
    Just dragged myself from my sickbed (I have pneumonia) to wish you a Happy Birthday. I went shopping with my 16YO son today and convinced him that he should learn to knit. We purchased 10 balls of Orange wool (his favourite colour) for him to learn to knit. I will use some of it to make a baby blanket for a Dutch couple (EVERY Dutch child needs SOMETHING orange). Read “At Knit’s End” – it made me feel much better. I sniggered at page 86 and went home and did EXACTLY that.
    Have a great day and know that I purchased 5 pairs of circular needles and MORE yarn for a scarf just cos it was your birthday. That’s my excuse so when I go out to my knitting group tomorrow I can buy more.

  203. Had to delurk to wish you the happiest of birthdays. How could it not be? Three wonderful daughters who will refrain from all bickering today because it is their beloved mother’s birthday, and who wrote a truly touching post in your honour, a terrific hubby, and a book launch/birthday party surrounded by great friends and yarn? Have a magnificent day–you deserve it! Happy birthday, Stephanie!

  204. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Stephanie! After reading today’s post I have one question–Are you going to take back all that stuff you’ve said about your adoring daughters? Hope you’re knitting something you really love!

  205. Aww… so sweet… and you’re kids are so lucky– they can say all of that good stuff about you because you’re the yarn harlot… My kids’ Mum is just wierd…

  206. What great kids you have, such sweet post.
    Have the happiest of birthdays! don’t clean, don’t cook, buy lots of yarn!

  207. Stefanie … you have raised three eloquent young ladies … You did a great job … and I’m sure there is a pattern of a knit puppy that you could whip up for Amanda 🙂 Cleaner than the real thing and it won’t need to be walked, or grow up to eat the family supper … Happy birthday!!

  208. Delurking to add to the birthday wishes. By nature, nurture, or both, your daughters, like you, sound warm and funny. Thanks to them for the post, to you for daily laughs.

  209. Happy Birthday, Yarn Harlot!!! What a terrific family you’ve knit together!! Congratulations on that. Hmmm…I wonder if I can get my dog and cat to write my “Midnight Garden” blog entry next December the 12th!! Enjoy the day!!

  210. You could always knit them a puppy. 😉 That way they have each have their own.
    Happy Birthday!!

  211. Happy Birthday Stephanie!! I hope it’s filled with alpacas, sheepies and other wonderful and wooly things. And if Toronto doesn’t have any real ones around *grins* I hope it’s filled with their fibres in all colours of the rainbow. May this be your best birthday yet!

  212. your girls are so sweet! I think you should get them a puppy, but make sure the puppy is knitting trained!

  213. Lovely post, girls!
    Happy Birthday, Stephanie!!
    I’m inspired to be a knitting kind of mother when I have babies.
    Have a lovely day, all of you!

  214. Happy Birthday Stephanie! Very sweet entry from the girls! Hope it’s a great day for you. Much love!!

  215. Happy Birthday! Bonne Fete! Let them eat cake! Oh, wait, that only sort of applies… in any case, hope you’re having a great day. Love the guest blog entry.

  216. Today is my son’s birthday too. No wonder he came to me the other day and said “Mom, I want to knit.” He turned 3 today!
    Happy Birthday Stephanie.

  217. You have been blessed with wonderful girls! They obviously think the world of you and can tolerate all the knitting too. My three girls like to see me knit too because they know that more often than not I’m making something for them!

  218. Ok, the second to last paragraph actually made me cry. Then the last line made me crack up hysterically. I’m so glad no one is around…I get enough odd looks. I should probably note that I have 2 girls of my own. The youngest is only a month old, so I haven’t slept in at least that long, which might be causing my temporarily bipolar state. 🙂

  219. Happy birthday, Stephanie! What wonderful daughters you have — I imagine you cried when you read their post. I know I had tears in my eyes. Nice job, girls!

  220. what a bunch of sweethearts on their mum! i think they get the puppy…. and all the food (which they’ve probably already gotten to anyway)…. maybe not the co-ed camping. ;]
    happy birthday stephanie!!

  221. Happy Birthday – darn it, I’m getting all weepy! Guess that’s what I get for reading these things at work!

  222. This was just about the best thing ever. Happy Birthday Ms. Stephanie, and big thumbs up to your fabulous daughters for writing such a wonderful post!

  223. Many Happy Birthday returns- I never know why its returns- but its kind of knitterly/ row like??
    Happy Harlot B’Day!

  224. Ladies, That was a great post! You do have a great Mum. Happy Birthday Steph!! It should be a Canadian National Holiday.

  225. So I have and a great daughter and two fab stepdaughters who all say nice things about me, just like your girls, Stephanie. Aren’t girls wonderful? Have a marvelous birthday (and I still say yay for the puppy). Blessings, Julie

  226. I’m in awe that a 17 yo said, where the whole world can see it, that you know the answers to everything.
    Happy Birthday!
    (and if they can’t have a puppy, can I? Please?)

  227. Stephanie…I love you, I love your kids…..thank you for bringing so much joy (and inspiration) into my life….. you are doing a good job with those kids of yours!
    And by the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

  228. HB YH! Loved this post, as did all the other readers above me. I especially liked the part about you knitting in public everywhere you go.
    I’m not a knitter. I have been a quilter for 20 years. Once my son asked me if I was going to make a new friend that day because we were headed to the doctor’s office. “Why would you ask that, Josh?” I said to him. “Because you always bring quilting to do when we sit in a waiting room, and then you get to talking to someone about quilting, and all of a sudden you have a new friend.”
    This blog is like knitting or quilting in public: you have THOUSANDS of friends, and the warm feelings we send your way when we read and share your life! Thanks for sharing your great daughters’ thoughts with us today. And have fun turning 38. I did that almost 11 years ago!

  229. Well now, if I was one of those soppy people who gets misty at such obvious displays of love by sweet, sweet children, I would be bleray eyed right now. Understand that I am not say I am one of those people and you will never get me to admit that I am. It’s so lovely when our children remind us that they are a blessing; I treasure moments like these for when my daughter might be testing the notion that she is one such blessing.
    Happy Birthday!

  230. I got a little teary over that one, s! At least until I read that last line about the puppy-hilarious!
    Just find a doggie that sheds a nice spinnable undercoat in the spring. Our collie’s is lovely :~)

  231. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARLOT!!
    That said, Amanda, it MIGHT be more convincing if Sam asks for the puppy. First thing I thought of was when I was 17, and got a kitten. Within a few years, I was moved away, and my mother had a cat.

  232. What a wonderful post!
    Happy Birthday and thanks for sharing your joy of knitting (and wicked sense of humor) with us all!

  233. Happy birthday, Yarn Harlot! Your kids are very lucky to have you as a mother, and those were awesome essays by them. 🙂

  234. Hippo Birdies Ewe Ewe
    Since it’s your birthday, you can have as many ewe as you want.
    Happy Candle Blowin’!

  235. Great post girls. Steph, Happy Day! The girls did a great job with the blog. Of course, mum, you have done a great job with raising the girls

  236. Happy Birthday, Steph!! If you’re not for real dogs who eat/shed/poop/drool/scratch/etc., you can knit her one 🙂 Hope your day was wonderful…

  237. GREAT job, girls!
    Sam – you’ll be knitting long after your friends are done dancing and making pottery. And then they’ll be coming to you to teach them the sticks and string stuff. You just have a great head start.
    Megan – glad to hear you have your own knitting basket. Also glad to hear that you’re smart enough to realize it’s a ploy, and that you can still steal wool from your mum.
    Amanda – your mum is right – knitting IS the answer to all things, but puppies come in second, so keep pushing…..
    Steph – a very happy birthday to you!!

  238. Happy birthday to you! What amazing girls you have!
    Today is my firstborn’s sixth birthday and I look forward to all the years ahead with my three kids- hopefully I will someday receive the sweet present of such thoughtful words from my children.

  239. Happy Birthday Stephanie! I think you might have the coolest kids in the world, then again – they do have one of the coolest Moms. Wishing you a day full of yarn as you celebrate your special day.

  240. That’s really sweet. 🙂 The last photograph is really lovely too. Happy birthday, Steph. 🙂

  241. My God. Can we save this? It’s really precious. Try putting it in the next book. Seriously.

  242. happy birthday to everyone in the mcphee caln! and a special happy birthday to you!!!
    enjoy tonight!

  243. Happy birthday, Stephanie!!
    And don’t give in to the Puppy Pleas!! It’s a trap, I tell you! A trap!
    Just remember – sure, a puppy is cute in summer, but a dog needs to be walked every day of the year. Even the really really really really really COLD days. Several TIMES a day.
    You know who’s going to get left holding the leash, don’t you? 😉

  244. if your mum is the yarn harlot, then you’re a pretty cool kid and your mum is very lucky.
    happy birthday stephanie.

  245. Wow! If you’re the daughter of the Yarn Harlot you are a great and very special kid who should be proud of herself. x3

  246. ONLY 38?! Suddenly, at 43, I’m feeling very, um, inadequate, like I better get a move on and do something with my life. You should be proud of all you’ve accomplished at your “age” – such a youngster.

  247. Wow… sounds like a very, very happy birthday with such wonderful words written by your lovely daughters! Makes up for every minute of those “rough” days.
    Happy birthday!

  248. et bonne fête!
    how lucky you are to have a June Birthday.
    but don’t fall for the “can i have a Puppy now?” line. Even my Knitting Companion covered his eyes, and sighed “non!”

  249. OK, Sam and Megan’s entries are fab, but Amanda really got to me. Much to my own surprise,I’m sitting here crying on my keyboard. What great kids you have, even if they do drive you around the bend once in a while. Wishing you the happiest of birthdays and many happy returns.

  250. Happy Birthday to you! My knitting has become so much better since I discovered your blog because you so inspire me! Wonderful post from your daughters. I hope my girls love me and are as sweet when they are teens as much as yours love you…

  251. Happy Birthday! What a lucky Mum you are to have such special kids.
    Oh—Give them the puppy. Just make sure you get one that would look good in a cute little hand-knitted doggie sweater.

  252. Happy Birthday! This made me what to call my mom and thank her for teaching me how to knit!

  253. Is it possible to die from sweetness? o.0 Cause if I die, I’ll blame this post.
    Your kids are lovely, as are you. I hope you are having a fabulous birthday and that this year brings you even more joy than you already have. 😀
    *OtterHuggles*

  254. Happiest of Birthdays, Yarn Harlot! You bring smiles & laughter to all of us, even while we’re struggling with rapidly mutating lace knitting. And you’re obviously doing a wonderful job raising those young women. Keep up the good work (but not today. . . just kick back & relax. It’s your day.)

  255. Happy Birthday! Those words from your children are treasure. I love this post. By the way I am a crocheter :-), we too love the Yarn Harlot.

  256. Happy Birthday!
    Be very proud of the wonderful children you’ve raised. Then buy them that puppy. (See, kids? I’m on your side! If only because I’m not allowed pets in my apartment, and want to live vicariously through others. Is that so much to ask?)

  257. Great job, girls! Happy birthday, Stephanie! You’ve raised three remarkable young ladies there, in addition to all the fabulous knitting you do!
    Thank you for being you and enjoy your day!

  258. Wishing you a glorious day. Happy Birthday. Sure they need a puppy all children need a puppy. thaks for bringing all the smiles into my live.
    Joan

  259. Dear Harlot and Les Jeaunes Harlots:
    May as many blessings shine on you, Stephanie, as you have given out (that would be a lot!). You’ve raised some amazing young ladies.
    And girls, you were all wonderful in your tribute, and that last picture of your mum was gorgeous. You *do* deserve a puppy…just don’t leave your mum to clean up after it, or you will be toast.

  260. Dear Stephanie,
    Happy birthday! Your kids are awesome, I was shocked by their moving tribute to you, a long shot from the laundry-basket avoiding types you described.

  261. Happy Birthday, Stephanie. I hope the book launching is merry.
    And thank you, ladies. Those were very touching. You obviously have a wonderful home. 🙂

  262. Samantha–All Mom’s have to have a little “”crazy”” in them in order to survive and it makes your life very interesting .
    Megan- You just keep right on telling everyone that your Mom wrote the books and you are proud of her.Good for you with that basket of wool.
    Amanda–Your Mom is right you know about the knitting an it helping with problems in life. What a lovely picture you posted . Before you beg any more for a puppy–go to the vets office and get a list of expenses that said puppy would incur. Perhaps you would like to become a veterinarian after you hear th e answer to this.
    Thank all three of you for the posts and keeping us all entertained on here , you all did your Mom proud.
    Stephanie — A VERY healthy and HAPPY year ahead –may all the yarn and book angels smile on you this year. Hope you have a blast at the party . Love your blog

  263. Happy Birthday Yarn Harlot, and many more!!
    Girls, that was a beautiful and clever post. Every birthday is a gift in itself and I can’t think of a better way to wrap a bow around the day. You did your mum proud!

  264. Happy Birthday, my dear polar opposite. I hope it’s a wonderful one for you.
    Ladies, you did a wonderful job blogging for your mum’s birthday. Congratulations on having such a wonderful mum!

  265. I think you’ve got the bestest kids in the whole wide world! Happy Birthday Stephanie, what a great gift they gave you today!

  266. Come clean. You edited these, right? Nobody gets 3 out of 3. NOBODY. Not even the Yarn Harlot.
    Amanda? You’re lucky. My mom said HER mom’s answer to everything was an enema.

  267. A very happy birthday! My second son is having his 7th birhtday today too. It’s Flag Day as well! KNIT ON!!!

  268. Just a comment on the puppy, BAD IDEA!!!!!!
    It will seriously cut in to the yarn budget and that is if it stays healthy. My brother’s dog ate a peach pit last summer that got stuck in her intestine requiring a doggy upper GI series followed by surgery.
    If you must get something, get a cat, much lower maintenance over all.
    AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY, You are a very young momma of teenagers! Makes your memory sharp for all those teenagerly activities…

  269. Happy Birthday from Celtic Queen and the Celtings (hey we sound like a band!). May you receive as many balls of yarn or rovings as you get posts for this momentous occasion.
    On the puppy note, be careful our dog thinks yarn and knitting make great chew toys.

  270. Happy Birthday Harlot!!
    I can’t imagine any girls more deserving of a puppy….

  271. The very best returns of the day to you. I hope your day has been as happy as the belly laughs you have given me with your books.
    You didn’t do too bad with those young authors, either. Congratulations. Keep the faith – someday they will leave home – think of the yarn storage space then! VBG!

  272. Happy Birthday, Stephanie!
    Your children are sweet and a credit to you.
    Many returns of the day.

  273. What a lucky mum! What lovely girls! How much better can a birthday be?
    Have a lovely day, Stephanie!

  274. Happy Birthday Stephanie! Thank you (and your children!) for your wit and wisdom. Your blog has become a part of my daily routine and inspired me to create my own.
    I vote “yes” on the puppy…..
    😉

  275. Happy Birthday Stephanie! Great job girls! I suspect each of you could write your own books!

  276. Happy birthday!
    also, your kids are adorable. 🙂 what a nice birthday post!

  277. Okay. You don’t strictly need another post saying happy birthday. But your writing and your knitting have widened the way I see the world, so you get warm birthday wishes.
    It looks like your daughters are writers too.

  278. That’s me coming along here, sweeping up after the parade. Clever, clever girls — the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
    And yet.
    Not. Quite. Clever. Enough.
    The one oversight in your othewise flawless plan for blog adoration (check,)world domination (working on it), and THE PUPPY …
    …was having Amanda post last. The one who’s going to be gone in a year or so? No way. Clobbered by chronological order. Now, had Amanda and Meg softened her up, the old one-two punch, then Sam could have come in, trembling on the brink of having her adolesence damaged by doglesness, quivered a lower lip, and Bingo! (B-I-N-G-O, and Bingo was his earworm.)
    Still. Kids, you’re good.
    And Steph?
    Happy Birthday, lamb.

  279. Oh holy wow, I hope when my kid’s older, he reveres me like this! What a wonderful tribute–to YOU!
    Happy Birthday, but how can it NOT be happy?!?

  280. Today I learned to turn a heel and do a gusset on my first ever socks — what a way to spend your Birthday— Hope you had a fantastic day like I did.
    btw — get that child a puppy!! After that wonderful post by some super kids they deserve a puppy LOL

  281. Great job, girls! I’m very jealous that you have such a cool mother.
    Happy Birthday, Steph–mine’s tomorrow, so I’ll celebrate for both of us!!
    (PS–Puppies are gooooood . . . .)

  282. Lovely post girls… I hope my own children feel the same way about me someday (minus the book writing bit.)
    Happiest of day’s Steph.. I hope you enjoyed your day of no work.

  283. HAPPIEST OF BIRTHDAYS STEPH!! YOU BRING SO MUCH JOY AND SO MANY SMILES TO US ALL* (ASTERISK COURTESY OF CAT LAYING DOWN ON KEYBOARD!) JUST LOVE YOU, LOVE YOU, LOVE YOU AND HAVE GOTTA LOVE THOSE GIRLS OF YOURS!!

  284. Girls — You made your mama proud. And the photos are great too. How about a kitten?

  285. What a lovely tribute!
    Happy birthday, Steph.
    PS: Have you considered raising a guide dog puppy? My best friend is blind and a fabulous spinner. She’s on the board of directors of a guide dog school and could help you find one to raise. She taught me to spin. Contact me offline if you are interested.

  286. Sweet, sweet, and sweet !
    Sam, In your family’s case sweet= not boring. It was fun reading your entry!
    Megan, I bet mum would do a sheep or knitting theme. Thanks for writing you brightened my day!
    Amanda, that was a nice piece that you wrote about your mum. It brought tears to my eyes.
    Those knitted items are like hugs from mum that keep you warm when you are away from home.
    Happy Birthday Stephanie. Who can do better than the three gifts mentioned above!

  287. I know of a young deaf French Bulldog in Toronto looking for a home. His name is Zappa. http://www.frenchbulldogrescue.org/htdocs/availablezappa.html
    He’s very handsome, and he doesn’t take up much room.
    Also, as he’s black and white, he’d be a great model for a wide variety of sweaters of many different colors.
    In case you were thinking about getting a dog for those sweet girls.
    Yours,
    The Frog Princess

  288. Let me along with the rest of the universe in wishing you a Happy Birthday! Much love, health, happiness and more wool than you know what to do with, ae what I wish for you. God Bless you and your family.!

  289. What a wonderful and heartwarming post. You’re obviously doing some stuff right to have such devoted children.
    Happy Birthday and all the best in the coming year!

  290. Aw, if that doesn’t warm the cockles of your heart…your heart probably doesn’t have any cockles. Happy Birthday Harlot!

  291. Aw, what a great post from the not so wee ones. So do they get a puppy now?
    Happy Birthday! Hope you don’t wake up with a headache.

  292. Happy Birthday Stephanie!
    That was really sweet . . .I don’t think I was as capable of being sweet to my mom at 17! (or 12, or 15 . . .)

  293. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, VERY HARLOT YARNY YOU
    says one canadian to the next
    bravo, cheers, all the best

  294. Hippo, Birdie, two ewes,
    Hippo, Birdie, two ewes,
    Hippo, Birdie, two ewes, dear Yarn Harlot.
    Hippo, Birdie, two ewes.
    You’ve got a great bunch of girls there. I think you should keep them around for a while, or just until you catch them stealing from your stash again.

  295. “what to do with a dirty sheep” LOL now THAT is some serious goddess wisdom that needs to be passed down the lineage! HB from me! (um, FYI:HB=happy birthday)

  296. Steph,
    Happy Birthday! And to the Harlot daughters — great tribute! Your mom’s best present is obviously your family’s love.

  297. Y’all are awesome kids! What great things to say about your mum. She certainly seems like a great person, as well as an terrific knitter and fantastic mum!

  298. Happiest of Birthdays, Yarn Harlot! What an amazing post from your three blessings, and a gift to all of us, your blog readers.

  299. Happy Birthday fellow Gemini! Wonderful birthday present post by the young stars: the Yarn Harlettes.

  300. What a lovely tribute – what great daughters you have! Obviously, they have been raised by wonderful parents. Happy Birthday!

  301. Girls, that was lovely. And Amanda, yes, knitting IS the answer to everything.
    Have a Happy Birthday Stephanie and another wonderful year! May your yarn have no knots and your fleece have no chaff.

  302. Happy, happy, happy birthday!!! Thank you for sticking around this place and for sharing yourself and your life with us.
    And great kids ya’ got there, love the post!

  303. Hi girls: I so love what you wrote about your mom. Your mom is only six weeks older than my son. Your mom has hair just like mine. Your mom doesn’t like bras and neither do I. Your mom, having had such wonderful kids, is QUEEN HARLOT.
    Connie from Ontario – but much further south

  304. P.S. I was so overwhelmed by the girls I forgot to wish you a HAPPY BIRTHDAY. Hope you have a great one.
    Again…..Connie

  305. Awwww…Happy Birthday, Stephanie. What a wild year from this time last year to now. Thank you

  306. Pssst….if you wanna puppy, get mom some sheep. Sheep gives what mom loves–yarn. With sheep, you need a herding dog…

  307. As for the dog… an Australian Shepard ‘blows their coat’ twice a year. It’s spinnable. Shedding for a purpose, and they are really sweet. I do agility and visit nursing homes with my hairy monsters. (Good luck Amanda, I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you!)

  308. Ohh what a lovely post from your children 🙂 You owe them a puppy for being so sweet. Happy Birthday Steph. Romy from Malta

  309. What a terrific tribute to you! Happy birthday.
    I think your b-day gift from your girls (other than the sweet sentiments in the post) is that they didn’t get a puppy and tell you that THAT was YOUR birthday gift. ( a stunt I woulda pulled!)

  310. What a great birthday gift! Your daughters are so sweet, and obviously gifted writers. But of course they would be, because the Yarn Harlot is their mother! Happy birtday!

  311. Happy birthday! How very proud you must be of your girls. They did a great job expressing themselves. Hope you had a great day.

  312. Happy birthday! Thank you girls for your very sweet post. Your mum is very blessed to have the three of you as her daughters.

  313. Happy Birthday Stephanie. You have terrific kids. Not everyone can say their Mom is a Yarn Harlot. Knitting Rules!

  314. I already posted but ignored the puppy issue. I just hafta point out (since I’m a dog lover and long time owner) that pups and dogs are not JUST about pooping, money and walking. They also give undeniable love and affection without any questions asked; they greet you when you walk in the door as though you were (and you ARE to them) the most important being in the entire universe; their fur feels great when you pet them (different from yarn, but just as wonderful); and whoever said taking a walk 3-4 times a day with your dog is such a terrible thing? It only takes about 10 minutes each time. With a household of 5 viable people to do the walking, it won’t all fall on one person. I say get the puppy, and let the kids learn yet another set of responsibilities. They are already terrific and magical beings, your daughters. This will just make them more so if they have a dog to love and care for. I promise.

  315. Wow girls, it’s not everyone who can see their Mum’s good side and be willing to give her an on-line tribute. Thanks for sharing her with the rest of the knitting world.
    Happy (belated now) Birthday, Stephanie!

  316. Sam: Your Mum is supposed to be crazy (and embarrassing, especially in public), it’s written in “The Mother’s Handbook” which is presented, at the hospital, to new mothers with each child. Not born in a hospital? It comes in the mail.
    Megan: Great insight into the yarn basket! You will be raiding your Mum’s for a long time to come. How do I know? I’m 45 years old and I just scored a set of Imperial size 14 dpns from my Mum’s stash last week!
    Amanda: Keep workin’ it girl! You should be able to wrap any man alive around your little finger with material like that! As for the puppy? Nice try. These tactics are also noted in “The Mother’s Handbook” ((See above)
    Stephanie: Happy Birthday! What a great gift to have 3 such wonderful young women for daughters. (And hang tough on the puppy thing!)

  317. Happy Birthday!
    What an incredible present you’ve received from your girls! They put an amazing amount of thought into their posts (for teen’s n’ tweens). Of course, you know that this may be the only time they tell you that they like you until they’re 23! (Unless you get them that puppy!)
    Best wishes!

  318. Happy Birthday!
    What an incredible present you’ve received from your girls! They put an amazing amount of thought into their posts (for teen’s n’ tweens). Of course, you know that this may be the only time they tell you that they like you until they’re 23! (Unless you get them that puppy!)
    Best wishes!

  319. Gee, Stephanie, you’d think you’d raised three terrific, wonderful, humble, appreciative kids or something! When did THAT happen?!
    Have a simply phenomenal birthday!

  320. Ladies, this post brought tears to my eyes. My mother and I aren’t all that close, and we don’t really share anything that ‘ties us together’ the way that knitting does for your family. She and I fight as often as we laugh, and I wish that I knew how to be closer to her without being hurt.
    I know that your relationships with each other aren’t perfect all the time either, but the fact that you so obviously cherish each other when it counts is beautiful.
    *sniffles*
    Ok, now I know she’s nowhere near old enough (as my mom is 50 and I am 28), but can I share your mom? I guess in some ways we all already do. Thanks for letting her share herselves with us. 🙂

  321. the last picutre of you is beautiful! What a lucky mom you are to have kids who (though they sometimes drive you crazy) deeply care about you. I hope that when I become a mother my kids and I will be this close!

  322. What a beautiful post!! Happy Birthday Steph! (Now go get them a puppy! Think of all the dog sweaters you could knit!!)

  323. Stephanie – this is what my daughter had to say….They forgot to mention that if your mum is the yarn harlot you also have a yarn closet. Its a closet for your yarn.

  324. Stephanie that post from your kids was beautiful! It almost made me cry! 🙂 With good tears of course. Happy Birthday (one day later!)

  325. Now that was a great post. You should let the kids post more often, Stephanie.
    Happy birthday…I’m a day late, as always, but the well wishes are still there. 🙂

  326. Aw, that was lovely. Happy Birthday, Stephanie. I’m sorry I forgot to check the blog yesterday, though I actually knew it was your birthday. It’s on my calendar. Seriously! It says “Harlot’s Bday,” which would seem strange to anyone else. 🙂 Hope it was good.

  327. Happy Birthday! Those are precious girls as everyone said. The Yarn Harlot House must be full of fun and laughter and just ignore all the girl-generated dirty clothes. But let’s not mar the birthday post with that kind of talk.

  328. Happy Birthday and as a shrink, I’d say get them the puppy! Maybe you could use it’s tale and ears to help you wind up your yarn!
    Hugs from a fan,
    Karen

  329. “Mum thinks everyone will be distracted by their own wool”–one of the best descriptions ever.
    A lovely post from your kids! Happy Birthday!

  330. Even though I saw you last night at Lettuce Knit and said “happy birthday,” I just had to leave a comment. Happy birthday. Your daughters are good, by the way. What will they be naming their puppy? (tongue in cheek)

  331. YOu have wonderful children, and Happy Birthday. Oh yes, cool Mom’s always say yes to puppies 🙂

  332. I hope you had a happy birthday yesterday and I wish the girls some luck… although I do hope they relize that if they want a puppy they will have to take care of said puppy… unlike Mr. Washie the puppy will follow you around whining….

  333. Happy birthday! What nifty kids you have!
    (And..um…if, in a drunken stupor, you happen to convince your excel-genuius friend to share that guage calculator thingie sheet…no one will object. No one at all. Oh, lavender-smelling yarn, why do you mock me?)
    Many happy returns!

  334. A very Happy Birthday from the knitters at North High in Downers Grove, Illinois. Your children obsviously love you very much.

  335. How wonderful is this?
    A great posting for an obviously wonderful mum.
    Happy birthday, Stephanie!
    Greetings from Stuttgart, Germany, where everyone is crazy about soccer while I am trying to knit.
    Ulrike

  336. Happy Birthday Yarn Harlot.
    You kids are wonderful…I’m sure your mum appreciates it.

  337. Happy Birthday, Stephanie – and this was amazing – thank you, Daughters of The Yarn Harlot – You did your mother proud!!

  338. H*A*P*P*Y B*I*R*T*H*D*A*Y S*T*E*P*H*A*N*I*E!
    Enjoy the day, and I’d be getting the kids a puppy.
    😉

  339. This must be a perfect day for delurking… Happy Birthday Stephanie!
    And come on, just give them a puppy! 🙂

  340. Just picked up “Knitting Rules!” last week.
    Thank you for writting it. 🙂
    And thank you for almost sharing birthdays with me. 4 years 1 day apart. LOL!

  341. Wise mum – “Mum thinks the answer to everything is knitting.”
    Wise daughters – “at some point you are going to realize that your mum is the coolest mum in the whole wide world.”
    Happy birthday, Stephanie!

  342. Late again, as always, but Happy Birthday m’dear!!!
    And this post? Awesome. Good job, girls.
    I’ve got to tell you that not for the love of all the wool in the world would I have admitted at 17 that my Mom knew everything. Good job Steph.

  343. Isn’t it wonderful when your children can appreciate you before they grow up, move away and have children of their own?! You are doing a terrific job being Mum!
    Happy (belated) Birthday!

  344. what wonderful words… they have definitly inherited Mum’s gift of writing 🙂
    So how about that puppy – sounds to me like they deserve it 🙂

  345. I should think having 3 wonderful kids would be Happy Birthday enough … but it looks like the knitting world has sent best wishes your way also. Happy Birthday!! Baskets of best wishes …

  346. Best of all your Mum comes across as a lovely down to earth ,unpretentious ,loving ,funny …one of the nicest bloggers ever and a joy to read and to know exists .Her kids prove all these things too…..I know you are as proud as she deserves.

  347. Your children sound intelligent, sensitive and beautiful – you should be (and I’m sure are!) very proud of them, as they are of you!
    Happy Birthday!

  348. What a lovely post from your children. It brought a tear to my eye (as a mother of teenagers as well). It looks like you had a blast at the party too! Belated Happy Birthday.
    Diane
    (in Northern Calif.)

  349. I commented yesterday, about halfway through. Looking at the number of comments is astonishing and a great tribute to you, Stephanie, and your daughters. You are blessed! Julie

  350. Sorry to be late to the party! Lovely tribute girls. Not only are you lucky to be part of such a great family, you’re partly responsible for why it’s so great!
    Happy Birthday dear Stephanie. Glad you’re on our planet.

  351. I know I am a day late…however…continued Happy Birthday. Your girls are wonderful… and no matter how much you can rage at them, this will keep you going.
    P.S. I would get them the puppy. 😉

  352. Happy Birthday to the Yarn Harlot! What a great bunch of kiddos you have- kudos to them on the fantastic blog entry! Love the photos!

  353. If your Mum is the Yarn Harlot, and you are the children of the Yarn Harlot, then you are the a member of what sounds like one of the greatest families of all time. It must be the “yarn insulation” that holds all of that love, humour and respect in. You guys ROCK! Happy Birthday Steph….

  354. Fantabulous posts, ladies; lovely to read your comments! Especially when catching up after being 10 days away from the computer on a trip (great fun, but oh, I missed my Harlot fix!). You all did a great job. Happy belated birthday, Stephanie!
    And y’know, every good mum is a little crazy. Trust me on this. I just wish mine could’ve lived long enough to read your mum’s blog, ’cause she would’ve loved it…and your wonderful posts for Stephanie’s birthday. Thanks to you all for bringing back lovely memories of my own fantastic, kinda crazy mother – one of the best ever. May you cherish yours for a long, long, *long* time. ::hugs::

  355. Happy Birthday Yarn Harlot (if only a *little* bit late). The post made me all misty. Your kids seem fantastic!

  356. Happy birthday, Stephanie! I see the writing gene was passed on to your kids. Almost as good as the knitting gene!

  357. Aw, you kids are lovely. That was both hilarious and beautiful.
    I love your mom, too, and I don’t even know her, nor do I knit (just crochet). She has enhanced my life, though, just with this little blog full of her own love, and I thank her for it and sincerely wish her the best birthday ever, even if it has to be two days late ’cause I had stomach flu.
    Cheers, Stephanie. Keep up the good work, all of it. And thank you.

  358. what a beautiful post!
    i hope my children one day turn out as wonderful (and have that kind of love for me.)
    happy belated!

  359. No matter who is posting, I can always count on this blog for either a tear or a giggle. Thanks for that! Happy Birthday Stephanie!
    Congratulations, girls, for recognizing the ways in which your Mum is great! (it takes some of us a while longer to learn to appreciate what we’ve got…)

  360. wow. you have a lot of fans. apparently I’m no.618 to wish you a happy birthday (on this blog that is) Happy belated Birthday! Thanks for being such a fun part of knitterspace.

  361. I don’t want the puppy I want yarn harlot as my mom ok my other mom…I would own every book you have written if I just had that nasty green stuff….but with 3 kids of my own and 3.5 grandkids I just have to be happy with yarnharlot are you my mommy?

  362. Gee… Go on knitting. With and for all of them. I wish my kids would write something near this when they get that old…! Gratulerer med dagen 😉

  363. I can’t stop crying…what a beautiful post from your young ones. Happy Belated Bday! Hope it was wonderful. May your children continue to bring your all the joys that a mother could hope for.

  364. Aieee! What a great post – and I didn’t realize that your birthday was the day before mine! Happy belated – hope it was wonderful!

  365. I teared up reading this entry! I only have boys, but I hope that someday they will be able to say such nice,fun, and loving things about me! Happy B-Day!

Comments are closed.