Y’all. It’s been a year. Actually, it’s been 8 years. Which… I can hardly wrap my head around.

Last year, I was shocked to have made it 7 years, and surprised I’d kept up the blog and pattern writing with a kid in tow.

Well… HA! Now I’ve got two kids and have managed to keep everything going during a pandemic. Which is, frankly, deeply shocking.

(Apologies for the terrible photoshop… I usually make myself a “birthday candle” for anniversary posts, but I’m in the process of moving all my stuff to the basement (the baby has taken over my office), and I have no idea where the supplies for this are. Let’s just say, my papercraft skills are far superior to my digital art skills.)

Anyway,

Pros of being a knitter during a year(s) long pandemic:

1. Easy to keep busy.
2. You can’t have an existential crisis and learn German Short Rows at the same time.
3. A great excuse to use up your stash.
4. Plenty of time to burn through your audiobook/Netflix cues.
5. Knitting really lends itself to the whole “Preparing for the end of the world” vibe. (Might I add, I also took up vegetable gardening and making my own jam this year.)

Cons of being a knitter during a pandemic:

1. Knitting seems like the only way to keep busy.
2. It’s freaking hard to stay creative while also trying not to let the dread creep in.
3. I’ve managed to use up almost all the “good” yarn in my stash, and I haven’t been in a real LYS since March.
4. I’m basically through all the shows and books I wanted to read (Seriously… any recommendations?)
5. You know… just being in a pandemic isn’t great.

Anyway. It’s been a hell of a year. I’m glad I’m still knitting. I’m glad I’m still blogging. And, I’m glad I’m still writing patterns (albeit less frequently). It’s nice having at least one small thing that’s been “normal” this year.

Keep on knitting on.