Twenty-one

This entry comes to you on the auspicious occasion of my 21st Blogiversary, from the rather inauspicious location of my bed- where I’m tucked up with a wicked cold, a parting gift from Meg and her crew.

She had surgery 10 days ago and has been staying here since then – my little grandchildren all over the house, with me cooking and cleaning and doing some of the school run with Elliot. (He loves school by the way, and the only thing we don’t like about it is that it’s turned him into a walking viral vector, and I’m reasonably sure that he’s the reason I’ve been sick for months, including a nasty run with pneumonia and something terrible that derailed Christmas.)

It’s been a blast to have them here, current virus not withstanding and we do like to stick together as a family so I suppose (she says, blowing her nose again) that it is more than worth it. The whole family headed home this morning leaving me alone in the house, and I promptly retired to the bed with my knitting where I’ve slept most of the day and have no plans any loftier – but I’ve always written on my blogiversary, and I didn’t want to stop now

Over the last while, I’ve been thinking a lot about moments and the way we spend our time. I think of it a lot when I’m with little kids. That while I’m just making dinner or doing the dishes, or chatting with them as I clean, or as they’re annoying me while I try and write an email or do some work… that while all of that is Wednesday morning for me, to them it is a series of moments that are making up their childhoods, and I (like the other grownups in their lives) feel a certain responsibility to try and make things magical. I make fancy pancakes, I dance in the kitchen, I read endless stories and play in the park and anytime I feel like this is a burden or interpret it as pressure, I try and remember two things.

First, while we are responsible for making the magic in children’s lives (and the grownups we love too) children have unbelievably low standards and can show unwavering love and devotion to even the worst of adults with terrible ideas from time to time. Second, you never know what is going to be accidentally magical – when I was a little girl my Grampa (who was a wonderful person and grandparent and together with my Grammy is the model of all I do with Elliot and Abigail) worked so hard on making my childhood amazing. He took me on a plane, I got to go in a hot-tub at the Calgary Hilton. He gave me a hammer and let me smash rocks to find potash in them at the end of a driveway in Saskatoon. He worked incredibly hard and yet some of the most cherished moments of my childhood were watching him in his element when he wasn’t even trying, me sneaking down over the stairs to watch him waltz with my grandmother in the mornings, or raging at the squirrels who were eating the corn he’d planted. (Fair enough, his yield was only going to be four ears. He was all in.) One time while we were out somewhere he said he’d named a lake for me. “Lake Stephanie” he said, as we whizzed by a surely-already-named lake, him gesturing out the car window. Looking back I’m sure we were on our way to something he thought was going to be life-building magic, but it was that one line and a soft wave out a window on a twinkling winter night that did it. It was a transformative moment between us. I am older now than he was when he said that, and I remember it like it was yesterday. You never know what will do it, what the real moments are and it’s not like at the time it was so important, but I see it now.

Funny topic for a blogiversary you’re probably thinking, but hold on, here comes the tie in. This blog was that way for me. Twenty-one years ago my kids were little and I was building their childhoods and our lives and to take a break from all of that and give me a connection to anyone who cared about the things that I did, Ken gave me this blog. I sat down with my little laminated HTML sheet (if you don’t know what that is ask someone in their 50s) and I wrote. I didn’t know it then, but it was one of those moments. It was magical. I mean, it wasn’t then, that’s what I’m trying to say. Right then it was me and a computer the size of a compact car in the dining room, and it didn’t feel magical at all. It didn’t feel like anything other than trying to learn to blog.

Twenty-one years later it’s clear that that moment was a life changer. Probably even bigger than having a lake named after you. That moment created a connection with all of you, and that little stone thrown in has created ripples that are still changing my life every day. I love you all. Thank you for writing back, thank you for your comments, thank you for catching and ordinary moment, and making it magic. You changed my life.

PS: It has become tradition to kick off my fundraising for the Bike Rally every year on this date, and well, why not. To be completely honest- after last year I was a little reluctant to sign up again, and I am starting to feel a little old for it, but I in the end I did sign up, and I’m going to give it my all. Every year we weird out the people in the PWA office by donating an amount that seems random to them and has meaning to us – this year obviously, it’s $21, or a mutiple thereof, if you’re so inclined and you figure the Blog has meant that much to you. The link is here. Some people like to thank Ken today too, after all he’s the guy who set this blog up. If you like, his link is here.

PPS: More later when I’m better, I owe you loads of posts and I have a blanket to explain. (Abigail pulled the needles out. Patrons, thank you so much for your patience while I’ve been so unwell, I’ll be back in that space very soon.)

106 thoughts on “Twenty-one

  1. Ordinary but also magical? Check.

    Regular life but also life-changing? Check.

    Knitting disaster at the end? Check.

    This is a formula that seems to work for you. It also works for me!

  2. I love your writing. I love your insights. I have learned so much from you. Thanks for still considering those of us in the US your friends. I hope you feel better soon.

  3. Happy Blogiversary & thank you so very much for sharing your life, your family, your knitting & many of your life’s ups & downs. Hope you feel better soon & I wish you & your family much joy!

  4. Ummmm, first, what divine yarn is making up those socks? I’ve been looking for that very color stripe combo for years to make a sweater. I’ll go stalk a little on Ravelry but if it’s not logged there I’ll be back.

    Happy Blogiversary! I love this post as it took me instantly back to the day when my then 3 1/2 year old niece and I were driving in my truck through dusty Oklahoma (an unfortunate location but at least a brief one) and singing You Are My Sunshine at the top of our lungs and it then hit me like a brick that oh! We’re making memories now and she’ll remember this. She’s now 46 and yes, she remembers, and it’s still “our song.” Magic, indeed. And I grew up surrounded by my grandparents and great grandparents and also treasure those little magic-making moments that are still with me today, decades after those wonderful people have passed on. Thank you, Steph, for bringing all of that back. That is the magic of what you write here. Here’s hoping you’re back in good health soon.

  5. what is that sock yarn please??
    Also, could you please check that someone up there in Canada has not left a door open? It seems your weather has escaped and it headed down our east coast………

  6. Thank you so much Steph, for all the years of blogging, and fundraising, and honesty, and sharing of knitting and family activities, and book tours, and all the things. I cannot express the value of this to me in words, other than to say it makes my heart bloom with happy.

    I’m going to gather my wits, my needles, and my pennies, and see what multiple I come up with for a donation soon. 🙂

  7. It hardly seems possible that this little blog is 21, and now we have Ravelry and Instagram and Patreon and Substack and so many other places to connect that we never could have imagined back then. My oldest turned 30 after Christmas, which made me realize I was reading your blog when my kids were young and I was a baby knitter and know we are all grown up which is weird and wonderful and I don’t even know what to make of it. Thank you for keeping me company all these years, and sharing your life and knitting with us. And big thanks to Ken for keeping it going.

  8. Congratulations on 21 years! I discovered your blog only a few years back when I was a newbie knitter recovering from a broken finger and had time to kill. If I remember correctly, you were recovering from a broken wrist then and were still knitting. Thanks for all of the sharing and the wonderful knitting inspirations. I’m currently knitting two stuffed cats at the request of two of my grand nephews. Who can resist a two year old asking “Vicki, knit me a kitty?”

  9. Congratulations on 21 years! I discovered your blog only a few years back when I was a newbie knitter recovering from a broken finger and had time to kill. If I remember correctly, you were recovering from a broken wrist then and were still knitting. Thanks for all of the sharing and the wonderful knitting inspirations. I’m currently knitting two stuffed cats at the request of two of my grand nephews. Who can resist a two year old asking “Vicki, knit me a kitty?”

  10. Thank you so much for all the years of making us part of your lives. Last year, I started rereading the blog from the beginning (I discovered it a couple of years in) and I’ve really been enjoying rediscovering so much of it. Also, I was going through old knitting magazines, and I found your essay from Interweave Knits Winter 2003 in which you introduced yourself as the Yarn Harlot, which I’m realizing must have been right before the blog started! It felt like discovering a historical document 🙂

  11. Happy 21st anniversary! I love your writing, I love your Patreon content and I love that I was fortunate enough to have taken classes with you years ago at the DFW Fiberfest! I hope you feel better soon.

  12. Happy Blogiversary! It has been a sincere pleasure to be in you virtual living room all this time. It is a magic place indeed.

  13. Happy blogiversary! Thank you a hundred times over for sharing your writing, your photos, and your stories with us all: it has been an unequivocal delight.

  14. I wasn’t reading from the beginning, but I discovered you pretty soon after and went back to the beginning, so please accept a hearty thank you for many years of enjoyment. And thank you also for taking this anniversary as an opportunity to remind us how easy it is to bring magic to the lives of our little ones. I have no doubt that, decades from now, your grandkids are going to be telling stories about the amazing things their grandmother did for them when they were little.

  15. Thank you so much for this wonderful reminder for life’s experiences and for the 21 years of blogging. Not a reader from the beginning but I have read all of the entries.
    As I was reading this entry I was afraid that it was leading to the announcement of the end of the blog and was so relieved that was not the case.
    Looking forward to every entry to come.

  16. Happy Blogiversary Stephanie.
    I’ve been following you for all of those 21 years. Even attended a few talks. You are a big part of my knitting life.
    I miss your posts but I also know life gets in the way.
    Wishing you and yours all the best in this new year.

  17. Thanks for all the good counsel over the years. I go back periodically and read old posts, mostly to see life unspool, all the joys and sorrows mixed in with the everyday, and be reassured that that somehow, you — and we–do go on.

    Thanks, Stephanie.

  18. When I first started knitting in 2008, I’d been crocheting for years already but hadn’t ever made any kind of community around it. I don’t remember how I found your blog but it was shortly after I started and it was the first time I fully realized, there are other people who are into this, who like to talk about it and share ideas and projects.

    Your writing also made me braver in my own knitting. You’ve always seemed kind of fearless when it comes to knitting and I think some of that rubbed off on me through the ether.

    Happy 21

  19. Your writing is so beautiful. You bring me to tears and make me smile, every single post. Happy 21st anniversary and thank you, thank you, thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.

  20. Happy blogiversary – will raise an adult glass to celebration of 21 (legal age here in PA) to you and to Ken from afar. Sending healing thoughts and wishes to you, and to Meg; one joy/gift of littles of a certain age is their ability to bring every sniffle and cough home to those they love.
    Your words touched my heart (as always); wish I’d had this wisdom many years ago as a young Mom of 18 – but the thoughts instantly brought back every moment with my Scottish Grandmom who gave me the gift of knitting and so very much more; it’s been 55 years and nothing has changed. I truly understand life and priorities but know that you are missed and deeply appreciated. Take good care.
    Bonnie aka Knitsiam

  21. Congratulations on this milestone! I have been a fan for all those years, yours was my first exposure to blogs. I have been lucky to see you in person a few times- book readings, lectures, classes. Thank you for sharing the ups and downs of life, and much inspiration. And Canadian !

  22. Congratulations on 21 years! Thank you for everything.
    Hope you feel better very soon.
    Best wishes for lunar new year of the snake.
    I often feel I can use an extra restart, and extra good luck.
    Off to make a donation to the bike rally!

  23. Thank you for being such an amazing person! You do inspire and I’m grateful that you share your awesome with the world.

  24. Happy blogiversary! Lovely reminder that even the smallest things can be huge in other’s memories. Please realize that you have also done that for us, as well. I remember the first knitting olympics, and being amazed that you finished a Norwegian sweater (including re-doing a sleeve because you forgot to change needles). I also remember the “lesson” about ripping back only a portion in the middle of your knitting to correct a mistake (it might have been about cables, and included that sometimes it’s just easier to duplicate stitch to “fix” it) and gasping out loud when you posted about a reader who had ripped back in the middle of her *lace* and kept her strands separated with pins so she could use the correct piece to reconstruct each row. We’ve also had some fun times reading about your family adventures (Joe in the truck with the – was it a utility pole?) – anyway, just a reminder that you’ve made some magical moments for us, as well. Thanks for 21 years (and thanks, Ken).

  25. Happy 21! Your blog is now — as my kids would say, “Legal everywhere”! Ah…mine will be 22 next month…I’ve not thought much about that until you brought up the subject. And my eldest (a daughter) turned 44 a week-and-a-half ago. And my son will be 40 in June. Yes…I’m just *that much* older than you are.

    I’ve no grandchildren to give me the Cursed Pre-school/Kindergarten/Elementary School plague, but I do empathize. You know you’re unwell when you take your knitting to bed and then just….sleep.

    All that said, I am overjoyed that you were able to post this post so that those of us who *aren’t* on Instagram are now reassured that you are still on the planet, still knitting, still writing delightful stuff and sharing your life with us. Again, Happy Blog-aversary and many more. I remain a devoted fan — Instagram or not. Keep calm and knit on! Hugs from Alberta…

  26. Happy Blogiversary! I think I discovered you shortly after Knitting Rules was published and heard you speak a couple of times. I was so honored when you put a photo of my daughter on your blog and now she’s all grown up! I have rejoiced and grieved with you over the years and look forward to many more years of knitting with you.

  27. Oh Stephanie, I’m so happy to read your latest entry. I am an old knitter (age 75), and I discovered you about 20 years ago. You have contributed to my knitting happiness all this time, and every once in a while I go back to your books and re-read them with pleasure.

    I hope your cold is of short duration and that the rest of the winter is filled with quiet joys.

    Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

    Rita

  28. I finished re-reading Casts Off last evening. Thank you for all the fun your slow magic with sticks and string brings into this world. ❤️

  29. Congratulations! It really doesn’t seem like it’s been 21 years…until I remember that it once was The Ladies who kept bringing all sorts of cruddy colds home from school.

  30. Happy 21st!
    I’m raising my cup of tea (and sock knitting) in thanks for all of those years on the blog and with the hope that 2025 brings you and your family good health and happiness. Whoohoo!

  31. I’m so glad you’re still posting a bit after all these years. I started following The Blog early in its infancy & I still look forward to your posts.

    Here’s to another 21 & more!

  32. I absolutely love the way you put your thoughts into words. No matter the topic, your writing is sweet and touching and meaningful and thought-provoking. I think I’ve been here since the beginning and I’m grateful for every word.

  33. Happy 21st❣️I appreciate all of the time and work it takes to share with us. You are a bright spot that enriches us all. Thank you.

  34. So glad i happened by here today. Late, as usual, but I am still captivated by your writing. I am further down the road, too. I so appreciate your willingness to share what goes on in your life. I am grateful you share “real life” and that your family allows you to share their lives too.

    Love these pearls. Thank you!

  35. Happy 21st, Stephanie (and Ken). I’ve been following along for years and always enjoy reading what you’ve written. It’s been in equal parts entertaining and touching and inspiring – and not just the knitting, but also life. Thanks for all of it.

    PS: Someone above mentioned that a new book would be nice. No pressure, but yup! If you have the time…

  36. Thanks for all the chuckles and all the things that made us think. Thanks for all the insights and all the fund-raising. Thanks for sharing your knitting and spinning and all those moments of joy … and of pain. You feel like a friend, though we have never met and never shall.

    Take care of yourself, get better soon. And good luck with the training (try not to damage yourself!).

  37. Happy Blogversary! I have never written before, but I want to say I have, and cried with your writing since I first discovered your first book. I got to your blog a little later. Rest up! You’re one of the best Grannies! I sense lake Magnolia is about to be discovered.

  38. Belated congrats on your 21st Blogiversary, dear Stephanie. I wish you many more and thank you for keeping on keeping on.

    I’ll never forget that post oh so many years ago about laddering down to fix something in lace. It gave me the courage to do so successfully and also to learn how to read my lace. An absolute game-changer!

  39. Thank you for bring here. Everyone else has said so eloquently what I would like to say, so ditto! Long time follower, reader of every word. You have made such a difference in my life.

  40. Best wishes to Meg on her recovery and you in yours.

    Your blog is a treasure. I am a better person for having read it all these years, aspiring to respond with grace and kindness the way you have to those people and situations who’ve seemed lacking in either. Thank you so much.

    And I sit here remembering your booksigning in–I want to say Petaluma? North of San Francisco. An old friend whose health was such that she rarely drove far decided unbeknownst to me that that was something she could not miss. Before you spoke, you saw my stunned face, my rising from my seat gasping, Look who’s HERE! and rushing over and the two of us throwing our arms around each other tightly. I saw in your face that our joy was your joy as fully as it was our own and you knew it had happened because you had come. Thank you thank you thank you.

    That was the last time I ever got to see her. I’m so grateful I did. You’re empathetic, you’re so very funny, and you bring people together in more ways than you will ever know. Thank you, Stephanie. Much love to you and all your family.

  41. Happy Blogiversary! You continue to inspire me in ways you will never know. I have knit so many of the projects you have knit. Pushing myself to learn new techniques along with you. This past year I did what the me that started following you close to 20 years ago would never have dreamed was possible. Following your lead I designed and knit an heirloom baby blanket for my first grandchild. I used so many of the lessons I have learned from you here, on Instagram, and now on Patreon. Thank you for all the many gifts you have given me over the years, the laughter, the tips, and the confidence to try the unthinkable.

  42. Stephanie, you are as wise and witty in this post as you have been all these years. I too have raised my kids while reading this blog, and upped my knitting game too, all with your help. Thank you for posting and congrats to the blog on reaching the age of majority!

  43. Dear Steph, I love you and your blog and the many lessons, laughs and special moments you share. Please rest assured that I support your PWA bike ride and if or when you switch from a Rider to a Ride Support role, I will still fully support and sponsor you and your team. It’s OK to pass on the torch. Good health wishes and much love to you and your family.

  44. Happy Anniversary, You’ve made me laugh and cry, and become a knitter. I knit in public because of you! I make big mistakes in my knitting, but I carry on, because of you! I was raising my own kids 21 years ago, and am now a “nana” -grandmother, and love every (most) minutes of it. Love making the special little and big memories too. Thank you for 21 years of memories with you also.

  45. I’ve decided to go back and read the blog from the beginning. I only started reading in the mid-2010s, but let’s be honest even when I get to that it’s too long ago for me to remember specifics. I’m about a month in, there’s a whole clog subplot going on.

    Steph, I just want to say what a gift you’ve given to all of us with this blog. Anyone who’s feeling disheartened by the world and needs some escape, anyone who misses more regular harlot in their life, just go back for a reread. It’s great.

  46. Happy Blogiversary!! I have slowly abandoned other social media over the past year or so, so it is always exciting when I type in your URL and find a new post Best of luck getting the needles back in!

  47. happy anniversary. it’s good to see a new post here as i quit other social platforms. i’m horrified what is happening right now and wish i knew a way to support the canadian knitting community. any ideas out there?

  48. Happy Blogversary! I don’t know how long I’ve been following your blog, but your nephew was young. I have also laughed and cried with your posts and so appreciate you sharing more than your knitting with us. I hope that you are well soon.

  49. I am reading this late – eye surgery. And also my government is spinning out of control and we are being coup’d by two complete nut jobs. And I am so sad, and still plugging away and listening and then calling my reps and speaking with their terrible interns that verbally smirk at me when I say words like ‘constitution’. And it is hard to find any comfort anywhere. So I came here and there it is – your beautiful grandchildren and the magic for small people and bike rallies to care for sick people and it’s a good reminder that those things can still happen even in these dark dark days. Thank you and get well soon.

  50. Happy Blogiversary! I love you so much. This blog has changed my life, and it is magical, and I thank you and Ken so much for it. Mwah! See you at November Strungalong!

  51. Your words and your knitting have been part of my life since almost the beginning of your blog. You inspired me to learn to knit 19 years ago and it has become a huge part of my life. Your daughters are the same ages as my three daughters, so it felt like they were growing up together in a way. Thank you for making me laugh, cry and rage with you so many times. I wish you well through all the health challenges!

  52. Happy 21st Blogiversary! Even though I’m sick in bed, I wanted to write. Thinking about how small moments matter, especially to kids, reminded me that starting this blog was one of those magical, life-changing moments for me. Thanks to all of you for the support and connection over the years. Also kicking off my Bike Rally fundraising!

  53. Your blog has provided comfort when times get tough. Laughter when I am sad and entertainment when I need it. Happy Blogiversary!

  54. Belated Blogiversary wishes!
    Thanks for bringing us along on your journey all these years! Lots of love to you and your family.
    Hopefully as Elliott gets farther along in school, you all will develop immunity to the more frequent bugs. I remember those days when my own kids were small and I do not miss the germs one bit.
    Whether you ride or not, we can all still support the Bike Rally! Thanks for sharing the things you love.

  55. Aw, this is so sweet! Happy Blogiversary! I love how you captured the magic in everyday moments, especially with the grandkids. Twenty-one years is amazing, congrats! And get well soon!

  56. Okay. I’m a bit over a quarter of a year late in saying “Happy Blogiversary!!!”. Life is changing for me in ways I expected and didn’t the last time we were together. I’m getting closer to a move to Washington state. Knitting had come back into my life just a little bit as my granddaughter has a friend that wanted to learn how to knit and she (the grand) gave me the job. So out came some of the mountains of yarn and a sock I’ve had on the needles for years and I made sure I still knew how to knit. (I did and just finished the first sock I’ve knit in a very long time. Pulled out some straight needles and gave a knitting lesson. Basically I sat on a couch and helped her figure out what worked for her to get stitches to stay on the needle and get the next row going. She got about 5 rows done before she was off to the next thing. It’s summer now and she says she’ll get back to it when it gets cold again. (To me it’s still cold here. I’m used to Iowa when you start to feel warm enough to not wear a sweater in March and pick out which t-shirt to wear today in May. There hasn’t been a t-shirt day here for my yet.) More in my response to your next post.

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  58. Happy 21st Blogiversary! What a contrast to celebrate from bed with a wicked cold, though. It sounds like you’ve been a super grandma, even if Elliot’s school is turning him into a ‘walking viral vector’ and causing all those months of sickness! Hope you feel better soon after all that family care.

  59. Happy 21st Blogiversary, even if you’re celebrating from bed! It’s so relatable how grandchildren can be both a joy and a source of every germ imaginable. Hope you recover quickly after all that caregiving for Meg and wrangling a ‘walking viral vector’ Elliot!

  60. Happy 21st Blogiversary, Yarn Harlot! What a milestone, even if you’re celebrating from bed. Your candid description of being a ‘walking viral vector’ surrounded by grandchildren is so relatable and perfectly captures the reality of family life. Hope you get well soon after all that dedicated caregiving!

  61. Happy 21st Blogiversary, Yarn Harlot! So sorry you’re celebrating from your sickbed, but what a relatable tale of grandkids bringing home all the germs. Calling Elliot a ‘walking viral vector’ made me chuckle, even though it sounds like you’ve had a really rough time. Hope you feel better soon!

  62. Happy 21st Blogiversary, Yarn Harlot! Oh no, what an inauspicious way to celebrate, stuck in bed with a cold. It sounds like you’ve been incredibly busy with Meg’s crew, and poor Elliot, turning into a “walking viral vector” is so relatable with little ones. Hope you feel better soon!

  63. Congratulations on your impressive 21st anniversary blog! We hope you recover from your illness soon. While you’re resting and recuperating, stopping by Unblocked Games for some light entertainment will help the time pass more quickly and enjoyably.

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  65. It’s fascinating how the most profound moments often arise from the seemingly mundane, much like a whispered lake name or the quiet act of starting a blog. Your reflections beautifully capture that sentiment, and your dedication to creating magic for your grandchildren is truly inspiring.

  66. It’s wonderful how the seemingly small, ordinary moments, like a casual mention of a lake, can hold profound meaning. Your reflection on how your blog itself became one of those unexpectedly magical, life-altering moments is truly touching.

  67. There’s something beautifully honest about this—how life doesn’t pause for milestones, it just wraps them in tissues, tea, and a bit of quiet reflection. Twenty-one years of showing up, even from bed with a cold, says more about your commitment than any grand celebration could.

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