April 23, 2007
If I Knew Then...
How is it that a blog that I thought would start with a whimper, stagger drunkenly along for some pathetic amount of time, then peter out unnoticed and be buried namelessly somewhere in Potter’s Field, is now celebrating its fourth blogiversary? Say whuh?! Sher ‘nuff. This blog started on April 21, 2003, with a lame-ass posting about a dead squirrel (what was I thinking? Way to get readers, dude.) and ended its fourth year on Friday with some lame-ass post about, well, about being a lame-ass post. I can see my topic-selection skills have improved tremendously.
But quelle journée, people, quelle journée! Since the beginning of the blog:
- We’ve started and abandoned a natural dye garden.
- We’ve gone to California for the wedding of two people we’d never met.
- We’ve learned who Joaquín Miller is.
- I’ve gone from knitting nothing but socks—and insisting militantly that I would always knit nothing but socks—to knitting scarves, hats, mittens, lace, sweaters, Fair Isle, and cables, and cutting steeks.
- We designed the Mossy Cottage Knitting and Fiber Commune on Horsesh*t Road (you had to be there).
- TMK started woodworking (I kept knitting).
- TMK started birdwatching (I kept knitting).
- TMK learned how to build a garden patio (I kept knitting).
- TMK started spinning (I kept knitting).
- TMK learned to her horror exactly how much a pound of roving is.
- I’ve been beaned in the head with a ball of yarn by the Mariner Moose.
- We’ve learned more about Canada and met more Canadians than is natural.
- We’ve learned more about Mongolia and Mongolians than is natural.
- We've learned to say "ger" instead of "yurt."
- I’ve lost one uterus and gained another.
- I (reluctantly) welcomed two sock monkeys into the family.
- We learned that, yes, you can have major life-decisions made by complete strangers, thanks to the magic of blog polls (anyone remember The Great Brie Debate?).
- We coined or adopted “mammygram,” “MongoLEEa,” “angry pie” and “NORma!”
- We learned, put enough chocolate on it and even tofu tastes good.
- We learned about goat farting.
- I learned never say “yes” to free yarn from a rug company without asking at least one or two questions.
- We started Dulaan, and learned that, when you run a knitting charity, every day is Christmas.
- And we’ve have had so much life and depth and fun and joy and badly needed validation and support added to our lives by the people we’ve met online and in the flesh. Sounds a little Pollyanna-esque I know, but it’s the truth. Ask TMK. She’ll tell you.
P.S. Since these items will probably generate a mountain of questions from new readers, ask away, ask away.
True to her springtime personality shift, TMK has gone all garden-y and woodwork-y on me and not so much fiber-y and spin-y. However, this weekend, thanks to a knit-in at Naomi’s on Saturday and the showing of the entire Dinotopia miniseries on TV on Sunday, she churned that wheel like a coked-up madwoman. Here, a tencel/merino single-ply which is the most remarkable shiny copper. Not terra cotta, not carrot, not light brown, not peach. Copper. (Some jokester at the knit-in, I don't remember who, declared that since Tencel is made from wood fiber, TMK was actually woodworking, not spinning. We bust out laughin' at that one, I tell you what!)
And here, 3-ply made from a yak/merino blend (the white) and baby alpaca (the brown). Veddy, veddy soft, this one.
Local Dulaaners, stay tuned for some news about a fun and original Dulaan event. Will elaborate on this teaser as soon as I can.
Congratulations on four years of blogging.
I wish you many more (good and entertaining) events and years of blogging!
Posted by: PICAdrienne on April 23, 2007 12:42 PMwoo hoo! I'm in Seattle now, that means I can go to Dulaan events!!
Posted by: jen on April 23, 2007 12:56 PMI'm pleased to hear that it's not just me that's put the wheel aside and headed out to the garden. I've not spun in weeks but have I dug!
Congratulations on your four years of effort.
Posted by: Caroline M on April 23, 2007 12:59 PMHAPPY BLOGIVERSARY! Four years - WOW.
Posted by: Julie on April 23, 2007 01:09 PM"without asking one or two questions first." BWAAAAHahahahahahahahahaha!
Happy Anniversary, Ryan dear. (Oh yeah, and when that check cleared, my DH said, "Who is Ryan and why are you giving him money?" I started to explain, "Ryan is a SHE, and..." and he interrupted me with, "Yarn, right?" Heh.)
Hey Ryan, happy blogiversary!!!! Look forward to your posts every M/W/F. And don't worry -- usually the "lame" ones are the best!!
Posted by: Romy on April 23, 2007 01:44 PMYeah, I guess you might have had some of the same problems as I've had with the "but I'm a GIRL" sort of thing (According to an on-line poll, 92% of "Dales" are male; hence my hyphen...which doesn't work either). Happy Blogiversary! I've mostly just found you, am half-way through the archives...and celebrate YOU and TMK to the max! Blog On (says I, selfishly!)
Posted by: Dale-Harriet in WI on April 23, 2007 02:29 PMHappy fourth!
For nearly four years I've been clicking the little "remember info?" box in your comments and it has not once remembered me!
Jessica, if it makes you feel any better, I've been clicking the same darn box for just as long...and it hasn't worked for me either! Poop.
Posted by: Ryan on April 23, 2007 02:34 PMHappy blogiversary!
On Friday, kindly pause and picture me waving in your general direction as I race through SeaTac on my way to Bellingham for a visit with the parental units. Know any good yarn shops up that way?
Posted by: Kirsten on April 23, 2007 02:59 PMHappy Blogiversary!!!
Posted by: Kris on April 23, 2007 03:02 PMsooo just how much is one pound of roving???
And I have Dinotopia on order from Netflix (somewhere in my 400 item list LOL - it is as bad as my to do knit list it just keeps growing and growing...)
Happy Blogiversary...
Posted by: rho1640 on April 23, 2007 03:30 PMI love the list! My goodness you've done a lot since the blog first started. Stupendous! And I'm salivating at TMKs spinning. That's some amazing stuff right there. Major envy. I'm even wearing green today for the occasion.
Posted by: moiraeknittoo on April 23, 2007 03:40 PM1. Which weighs more, a pound of roving or a pound of bricks?
2. WTF does NORma mean?
3. Will you ban me from your blog for being a smartass?
4. See #3.
HAPPY BLOGIVERSARY!
Happy anniversary! Here's to many more years of happiness with TMK, knitting, and the blog!
Posted by: Janelle on April 23, 2007 04:01 PMHappy Blogiversary!
Beaned by the Mariner Moose?! Must've happened before I discovered your wonderful blog, but I'd love to hear more about that! :)
Posted by: Julie on April 23, 2007 04:16 PMOK, "I’ve been beaned in the head with a ball of yarn by the Mariner Moose" gave me my first lol of the day. But this happens every time you write, much to my consternated envy.
I would suggest, of course, that it's *perfectly* natural to know everything there is to know about MongoLEEa, and I've felt privileged to be the source.
So, Cuz, Happy...no. No, I just can't do it. That *word*! But happy mumblesomething anyway.
Posted by: Cuzzin Tom on April 23, 2007 05:24 PMCongratulations on four years of blogging. When I first discovered your blog a couple of years ago, I had to go back and read all the archives, so I could catch up. Thanks for the review. I collected 34 hats, 6 scarves and 2 pair of socks for Dulaan at the Tigard Knitting Guild last week. They have one more month to knit even more. Ann Berk was the guest speaker and she put in her $.02 about Dulaan, too. I have knit or collected over 100 items. I'm very pleased by the response.
Posted by: Patti on April 23, 2007 06:03 PMSongratulations, dear Ryan :) Yours was he first blog I read regularly and unlike some that fall on and off my list, your always stays put and shall do so as long as you continue to write :)
Thank you also for Dulaan - I sometimes feel it's the most worthwhile thing I do :)
Posted by: Robbyn on April 23, 2007 06:08 PMCongratulations on four years! (I knew reading through the archives would pay off!)
Also, I've been clicking the remember info button, and it has indeed remembered! . . . except, it doesn't remember that I want it to remember me, so every time I comment, I have to check it again. What's up with that?
Posted by: Emma on April 23, 2007 08:10 PMApparently I've been lurking and occasionally commenting here for quite awhile as I recognized (and fondly remembered) all the bullet points. Thank you for being here for us!
Posted by: Kristen on April 23, 2007 08:47 PMJust put the finishing touches on the first of a pair of little socks for Dulaan. I can only partially blame Norma, as it was my demo of the Sherman short row technique for Knit Camp. It was started in Vermont, though, so maybe it's something viral about the place.
Posted by: Mel on April 23, 2007 10:25 PMHappy Blogiversary!
Posted by: Barb on April 23, 2007 11:02 PMFour More Years!!
Four More Years ...!!
Congratulations and thank you! Especially thank you.
Posted by: marylee on April 24, 2007 04:13 AMCongratulations on four wonderful years, and best wishes to forty more! And many heartfelt thank you's for all you do for Dulaan--you rock! Hugs to you, TMK and Frankie!
I drop by every now and then, but I enjoyed your bulletpointed year so much I vow to check in more often. Congratulations on four years!
Posted by: Katherine on April 24, 2007 10:45 AMOkay, you made me go look him up--it's about time. NOW I know who Joaquin Miller is! I know his name as the name of the road that was the dividing line between where the huge Oakland Hills fire destroyed thousands of homes and where that fire stopped advancing when the wind turned (we were not far away, listening to the radio reports.) Meantime, congratulations on the four years!
Posted by: AlisonH on April 24, 2007 10:46 AMCongratulations, Ryan! Hey, at least you update, even if it is to talk about dead things and bodily functions of various and sundry animal life. And TMK's spinning totally rocks. Beeeyooootiful.
I'm glad you're both here!
Posted by: Lee Ann on April 24, 2007 01:15 PMCongratulations and thank you from a faithful reader and occasional commenter.
Posted by: Joan in Reno on April 24, 2007 01:34 PMHappy Blogiversary! Not only do you update regularly, your posts are WAY more entertaining than you give yourself credit for. :)
Posted by: Denise in Kent, WA on April 24, 2007 03:24 PMHappy, happy Blogiversary. This weird place wouldn't be perfect without ya.
MWAH!
Dang, I missed Dinotopia on tv again?? argh.
Yours was the very fist blog I ever visited Ms Ryan! Congrats on your fourth bloggiversary!!
Posted by: Lisa in Oregon on April 25, 2007 09:51 AMHappy 4th Blogiversary!! Happy everything! Love that "Who is Ryan and why are you giving him money?" Why ask a knitter a silly question like that? heh
Posted by: Laura on April 25, 2007 10:57 AMHappy blogiversary Ryan!
And gosh, TMK, the spinning is divine!
Posted by: Sara on April 25, 2007 11:36 AMGiven your proximity to the Canadian border, what is a natural number of Canadians to meet?
It was nice to meet you at Madrona. Happy Blogiversary!
Posted by: Catherine on April 25, 2007 01:13 PMThat four years just flew by, didn't it? Four more, please. And then another four. And so on.
You know, when you look back on your life when you and TMK are in The Home, it might just be that you will say, The best thing I ever did in my life? The Dulaan Project.
That's my prediction. Happy 4!
Posted by: kmkat on April 25, 2007 04:59 PMTMK's handspun is gorgeous. After watching her, and others, spin at Janine's St. Patty's day Dulaan knit-in, I've been on the prowl for a wheel. Definitely sold on the Schacht. So another hobby is on the horizon. After all, isn't that why I cut back to part-time at work; more time for my hobbies? ;-)
Oh, yes, and congrats on the blogiversary.
Faithful reader (and mostly lurker),
~Marian