My sixth blog-iversary

Once again, the anniversary of my very first blog post slipped by me (it was November 6th, for those of you who like exact dates). It is absolutely shocking that I have been blogging about knitting, and various other topics that pique my interest. for six whole years. It still amazes me that there are loyal readers out there who've stuck with me all that time. I love getting comments from readers, and it still cracks me up that I occasionally get hate mail (including hate mail about people other than me -- what's with that?) and that every once in a great while, someone flounces from reading my blog -- but not without sending an email just. to. let. me. know.

It's been a very busy fall for me and I have been struggling, at times, to keep posting, even on a semi-regular basis. Although time constraints have definitely been part of it, I've noticed I also have become more reluctant to blog about my personal life. It's very easy for me to sit down and post about something concrete -- a new design, a fiber show I've attended, a book review -- but I've found it harder and harder to post about me.

My kids are getting older, so to some extent, I am trying to preserve their privacy a little more. I'd also be lying if I didn't admit that the slightly higher profile I've achieved through my writing and designing has something to do with it. There's more scrutiny placed on my blog and I'm painfully aware of how easy it is to offend someone, even unintentionally, through a casual joke or badly-phrased comment. I also have found that more people in my non-knitting life read the blog -- family members, neighbors, and others whose feelings are important to me. I hope there is still enough of value to keep people coming back, even if my snarky edge has softened somewhat over the years, and even if my daughter no longer pees on the bathroom floor out of spite.

Thanks to all of you out there for reading. That you are willing to regularly spend a few minutes of your day reading what I have to say is appreciated more than you can know. And that so many of you have become friends, whether virtual or in real life, is the icing on the cake.