Ten years ago today, on a cold Saturday morning, I sat down at our PC and wrote my first blog post on Carole Knits.
To say that starting this blog changed my life would be an understatement.
Over the course of these ten years you all have watched Hannah grow from a child of 12 to a young woman of 22. You were there for her high school graduation and it’s looking like you will be celebrating her college graduation with me in just a few short months. You have seen Patrick turn from a little boy of 6 into a fine young man of 16. You were there for the birth of Ambrynn and you shared in the sadness we felt when she and her parents moved to Florida. You have supported me as I started my photography business, changed my lifestyle to include exercise, coped with job loss and struggled through the death of two parents.
A lot has changed in 10 years (there was no Ravelry back then! and I didn’t have a laptop!) but not the faithfulness and support of you, my readers. You have responded to blog posts with nearly 61,000 comments – all of which I have personally answered. You have donated to my causes and entered my contests and participated in memes and Ten on Tuesday posts and more. You have become my friends and for that I am so grateful. Because of the friendships I have made through this blog I have traveled across the country and hosted some of you in my home, I have met you at fiber festivals and historic places and been a guest in your homes. I have been incredibly blessed to have this forum for putting my thoughts out into the world.
Through the ups and downs, the sicknesses and the sadness, the challenges, the reenacting, the vacations and parties, birthdays and anniversaries and celebrations, the photography and the shopping and all of the posts about food, the writing and the humor and all that damn knitting, I have blogged. And you have read.
I have blogged faithfully and diligently, 5 days a week, 12 months a year for 10 years. And you have read those posts and commented. Faithfully and diligently.
This, dear readers, is a milestone and I couldn’t have done any of it without you.
Congratulations! And thank you. Your blog was one of the first I read. You have shared your knitting with me, recipes, successes and challenges. I feel like I hear from a friend, five days a week.
Here’s to the next 10 years!
Yay!!!! Here’s to ten more years and pie!!
Dear Carole- Thank you for bringing us into your world. Your blog has meant a lot to me – your energy, your love for color, your eye for beauty in daily life. It’s wonderful. Thank you. And congratulations!!
Carole, your blog is my favorite and though I’m not commenting as much lately it is what I read along with my morning coffee. Thank you for sharing your life and knitting!
Geri
Congratulations! I don’t comment often, but I read every morning as I have my first cup of coffee. I thank you for sharing your beautiful world. It is wonderful to hear from a “friend” every day.
Congratulations on your tenth blogging anniversary! Thank you for inspiring to try new things in knitting. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and life with all of us !
Congratulations! This is a huge milestone.
Thank you for taking us all along on the ride.
Congratulations Carole! I love reading your blog.
Congratulations! I haven’t been with you the whole ten years, but I’ve enjoyed the amount of time since I’ve discovered your blog.
Congratulations! You have created a wonderful community and I’ve so enjoyed getting to “know” you!
Congratulations! I can’t think of a better way to start my day, each and every Monday through Friday. Here’s to you my friend!
Yay!! Wishing you another great 10 years!!!!
I’d say, “Job well done!”, but I’m hoping you aren’t done blogging for a long time. I am sure it takes up more time and space in your life than you might have expected when you began. So let me thank you for all the great books, ideas and beautiful photography you’ve brought into my life.
I remember when you started blogging and being with you on your journey through the last 10 years. Thank you for sharing who you are with us. We are ever the richer for knowing you. xox
Congrats, Carole. Aside from all the fine points mentioned above, I admire your dependability. Who else but you and the Yarn Harlot blog just about every weekday? (P.S. Is that Rockport in in the background?)
My first thought was, “This is incredible!” (which it is), but the really incredible part is that you put so much of yourself into your blog, writing daily and responding to comments. We, your readers, truly appreciate it. Congratulations and thank you for everything you’ve brought to my life with your blog!
Congratulations! I enjoy reading your blog because it inspires me to live my life in more creative & positive ways. Thank you!
Happy Blogiversary, Carole!! It’s definitely been a life-changing and enriching experience. Here’s to many more!!
I start all my weekday mornings with you! And some weekends too. I hope you realize how much you have changed others’ lives! I feel like you are a friend and I hope someday to be in the same place at the same time so that we can meet in person. It seems like we have so much in common. Thank you for letting me into you life in this way.
Well, how about that! It always makes my day when there is a word from you. Thank you for being so faithful!
Congratulations on your dedication! Happy Anniversary.
Carole, congratulations on your blogiversary! Thanks for sticking with it and for the personal touch of answering every comment, something so few bloggers do!
Amazing dedication is all I can say. While I love the thought of daily journaling, I have never pulled it off. On the other hand, I so appreciate your dedication, and really, my day is not complete without my daily journey through blog land with my “friends.” Because that is how I feel, and some day, some how, I want to do a “blog tour” and meet all my virtual friends in person. Of course, I have learned they do care if I write back or not, and they don’t know they are my friends….unless I tell them. So, I am trying, sometimes, to let my blog friends know how much they mean to me. Thank you.
Happy blogiversary!
You are entertaining, smart, friendly and as you noted conscientious. I love seeing your world pretty much every weekday. Thank you for the blog and for your acknowledgement of our comments and reactions. Congratulations, and I’ll look forward to your 20 year anniversary.
Happy 10th Blogiversary! Thank you Carole for sharing yourself with all of us. For letting us get to know you and your family. And for becoming my friend. Hugs <3
Glad to have ya, grrl.
Congratulations Honey!
You know I enjoy your blog and one of the best parts of it for me has always been meeting many of the friends that you have made thru it! Some pretty wonderful folks out there that we wouldn’t know if it weren’t for “Carole Knits.” Here’s to many more posts and many more new friends!
Amazing feat! And we’re the winners.
Happy Blogiversary, Carole! I don’t know exactly how long I have been reading your blog, but I do remember Hannah was still in high school, so it has definitely been a few years. I thoroughly enjoy it for many reasons, and have made some of your friends’ blogs ones that I read as well. Thanks for sharing with us!
Thanks for all your time and efforts. We love you.
Congratulations! You have been such a joy to read each day, sharing your life with all of us. Knitters have huge families, both by blood and by blog. Thank you again for all of your words and being such an inspiration to those of us that you really don’t know. May you continue sharing your wonderful blog with us for many, many more years to come!
Wow, Carole. You are a blogging goddess. I don’t think anyone who hasn’t tried it knows how much effort a good blog demands. Congratulations, and here’s to many more happy blogging years!
Congratulations Carole!
Congratulations, Carole! You are so awesome — and I’m so glad to know you and count you as my friend! XOXOXOXOXO Hurray for blogging! (Claudia is right . . . you are a GODDESS.)
Congratulations, Carole…..I always look forward to reading your posts. I don’t have a blog, so I really admire the dedication of those of you who do have one and who post frequently. Thank you for letting us be a part of your life. You’re definitely a part of ours.
Carol, yours has been one of my favorite blogs to read every time you post… i am a knitter, which is how I found you. But I used to dabble in photography, (my college graduation present was my first SLR), although I have wandered away from it as of late… I am inspired by your life – travel, coziness of your home, your devotion to your family, your knitting projects, finding the love of your life the second time around… being ‘real’… I love your posts, your photographs, your knitting projects, following Hannah (I have a daughter the same age!)… I truly look forward to any of your new posts. Congrats on 10 years of blogging and I look forward to following you for many years to come! You ROCK. 🙂
Congratulations! I really enjoy your blog and all the beautiful pictures, although I admit the snowy ones and the beach ones are my favorite! I’m always anxious to check out the Ten on Tuesday topic…the book topics are fascinating and have caused my to-be-read list to grow exponentially. But one thing that makes me smile every time is your personal response to every comment. It makes me feel me feel appreciated. I know it must take tremendous time and effort to come up with material, but to go the extra mile to respond to every comment is by far the best! Thank you for that extra bit of caring. For as long as you have it in you to continue, I intend to be there with you! You are an inspiration…
Congratulations, Carole!! You are inspiring. I never feel like doing what needs doing, then I read your blog and am amazed at all you accomplish. It seems you become so good at all you set out to do.
Looking forward to reading for 10 more years.
Mary
Congratulations! I know just what you mean. My 10 year blogiversary is next month, and although I lack your diligence and discipline in posting , I totally share the awe of how a knitting blog has changed and enriched my life in ways I never ever ever, EVER would have imagined when I started.
Best line in this post: ..” all that damned knitting”. Love it!
Congratulations on 10 years! That is an awesome milestone.
….and we became friends, and this is the best part for me! Sparkle on for another 10 years and I will be right there with you. <3 !!
Congrats, thanks for writing and sharing.
congratulations! the comment feed on this post is further testament to the community you’ve created here. I’m happy to be a part of it all!
Congratulations on 10 years of blogging! I don’t often comment, but check in most mornings to see what you’ve been up to. I love your photography, book recommendations, knitting projects, and the stories about your family and your adventures. Thanks for making my morning cup of tea a bit more enjoyable each day. Cheers!
Oh, and GO PATS!
I found you through Norma (whose blog I miss) and have spent the last ten years enjoying every post for all the reasons stated above and more. The fact that jumps out at me, is that you have responded to each and every comment. I know most bloggers read their comments, but I do feel as if I have more of a “relationship” with the bloggers with whom I have a pseudo-conversation. Thanks for taking the time (today and every day) to make us feel part of the blog. Happy Blogiversary!
Happy 10, Carole! I think I’ve been reading for most of those 10 years. I taught myself to knit in January of 2005, and started reading knitting blogs not too long afterward. You may have been in the first group of blogs that I bookmarked to read daily. Thanks for sharing so much of your life with us!
Congrats on 10 years – I love reading your blog!! Thanks for the time and effort you put into each post…and for sharing who you are with us!
Congratulations! I came and read your blog for the knitting content starting many years ago. I’ve stayed because of your writing, your beautiful photographs, your willingness to share your life in your blog and your consistency (5 days a week!). And of course, I love getting a response from a comment. Sue
Happy Blogiversary, Carole! I’ve been reading you for 9 out of the 10 years and so happy to call you friend!