Tag Archives: thanks

6 years (and counting!)

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Can you believe it? (I can’t!)  On the Needles has been chugging along for 6 years!IMG_1286It’s been a long time since my first “Hello World”, my life has changed significantly, and I’ve learned so much, both about knitting and writing (and writing about knitting).  I’ve written dozens of patterns and grown in my confidence as a designer.  I’ve made a whole stack of sweaters (my entire family is very warm these days).

I just wanted to say thank you to all my readers (and knitters), if it weren’t for you, I would probably be doing something very different with my life.  I’d still be knitting, sure, but it certainly wouldn’t be my “day job” (something that I never would have anticipated before starting this blog).

So, thank you!  And thank you for putting up with the slower post schedule- that 3-day-a-week schedule was fine when I was just me, but some weeks it’s hard to get out a single post, now that I have a kid (that for some reason wants my attention!).  And, get ready- because I’ve got a bunch of patterns in the pipeline that will be coming out over the next few months.  I’m really proud of them, and I think you’ll like them, too!

Here’s to another year!

Happy (Early) Thanksgiving

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Tomorrow, families across the country will gather around their dinner tables, hold hands, and go through the slightly (very) awkward tradition of saying what they’re thankful for.

I say, why wait!

Here’s (some of) what I’m thankful for in a series of pictures from this year.

First, I’m thankful for my husband.  He’s the nicest guy I’ve ever known, and he can always make me laugh.  He puts up with all the Law and Order marathons and my near-constant panic about my most recent knitting project that is never going to get finished.  (Don’t worry about the dog- he’s having fun.  This is how he plays fetch- he never ever wants to give up the ball.)img_0469And that brings me to the second thing I’m thankful for, my pup Ollie.  He’s too stinking adorable for words, and is a total cuddle monster.  He’s so silly and sweet, and I’m incredibly glad he is part of our family.img_3610I’m thankful for Seattle-  I mean, a beautiful city, full of delicious food and all sorts of things to do, minutes from the beach and less than an hour from two mountain ranges?  Could you ask for a better place to live?img_0593I’m thankful for all our friends, both here in Seattle and spread across the country.  I’m so happy that we’ve managed to stay in touch over the years and across three time zones.  And, I’m still so happy we made it all the way to Yellowstone this summer- best vacation ever!beaver-ponds-hike-36And, I’m thankful for getting to knit and design patterns for a living.  When I was a kid, filling out those “What I Want To Be When I grow Up” quizzes, I never thought “Professional Knitter” would be an option.  So, you can imagine how surprised (and pleased) I am to find myself here.carkeek-park-pulloverOf course, I’m thankful for much more, but those are just the things I have pictures of.  I’m thankful for big things, of course: my family, the opportunity to work with amazing kids every day, and the home my husband and I share.  And I’m thankful for silly little things: that it’s (finally) grapefruit season again, coffee, and trips to the dog park.  And, of course I’m thankful for you guys!  I wouldn’t be writing (as much, anyway) if I didn’t have you amazing readers.

So, happy Thanksgiving!  Have a fantastic day tomorrow, eat too much and enjoy yourself!

Thank You!

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Hi everybody, I thought I’d take a moment to do the cheesy-yet-well-intentioned Thanksgiving tradition.  You know,  the one where we all go around the dinner table (or in this case, the knitting website) and tell everyone what we’re thankful for.

CornucopiaThanksgiving[1]I know it’s dorky, but I’m in a thankful mood (but maybe that’s just my endorphins building up in preparation for tomorrow’s feast), so let’s do this thing.

I am thankful for knitting!  It’s both therapy and entertainment.  It keeps me busy and keeps me warm.  There’s something almost alchemical about turning yarn into something as complex as a lace shawl or as practical as a thick wool socks.  It warms my heart (and feet), and challenges my brain, and I love it.

I am thankful for my husband (obviously).  He puts up with having an entire room dedicated to knitting and doesn’t mind when he finds project bags scattered across the house.  He ‘s been insanely supportive with my blog and pattern design work, as well as regular awesome husband-ness.

I am thankful for my pup.  Ollie’s been an amazing addition to our lives over the past half-year, and he makes me laugh every day.  I couldn’t be happier having him in my life (even if he has chewed up a knitting needle or two… *grumble, grumble*)

I am thankful for this blog- and it’s readers!  It’s been a really fun (sometimes difficult) and interesting exercise to write something (hopefully) interesting and (sometimes) funny every other day for almost three years, and I’m looking forward to keeping it going.  Being able to share my passion with all of you lovely people is fantastic!  You’re the best! (And, there’s so many of you!)

Happy Thanksgiving!  What are you thankful for?

300!

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300[1]Do you guys remember this movie?  300?  It’s about a bunch of Spartans back in ye-olde-times, running around in way too little armor and being bad-ass fighters?  I really liked it when it first came out back in college.  I just saw it again, and, sad to say, it doesn’t hold up.  Like, at all.  Oh well.  (Also, it is sadly lacking in the knitting department.)

Anyway, this is all a round-about way of saying that this is my 300th post!  Awesome, right?  To be honest, I never expected to get to this point.  But that’s pretty great.

Since starting this blog, I’ve learned a lot about writing, knitting, and the fact that I watch way too much TV.  I learned how to tweet (follow me @on_the_needles), or at least I’m learning how.  Sometimes writing to a deadline is a little stressful (even a self-imposed one), but I like having a structure that I need to follow.  It keeps my mind busy while I wallow through acres of stockinette.   And, it just tickles me pink that I get to talk about my favorite subject to hundreds of like-minded people.  I couldn’t be happier!

Thanks again for following me, and reading my yarn-induced ramblings!

Hello, Everyone!

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Holy moly, you guys!  When I started this blog (almost) two years ago, I never really thought it would take off.  I might get a couple readers, but mostly I thought I’d be just yelling out into the void of the internet.  But, now I just saw that I got my 150th follower!

150[1]I don’t even think I know 150 people in real life!  (OK, maybe I do, but they certainly don’t all want to hear me yammer on about yarn and my weird TV shows.)

I just wanted to say “Thank you” to all of you for reading my ramblings, even when they veer into the incoherent.  I love reading your responses to my posts, and seeing your projects on Ravelry.

So, tell your friends!  They’re all invited to the knitting party.  (And if one of you wanted to make me a ‘150’ cake, I wouldn’t complain. :D)

It’s a Party!

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tumblr_n5u7t31xLD1rhtzjdo1_250[1]And I have 105 guests!

OK, actually I have 105 followers for On the Needles.  (Hi, followers!)  I somehow missed the 100th follower, which probably happened last week or so.  Whoops!

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I appreciate every one of you.  Each time I see the the little orange star pop up in the corner of my browser, I get a little squee of excitement.

Let’s keep the party going!

Giving Thanks (Better Late than Never)

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I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving weekend, I know I did.  I got to go visit my brother and parents down in San Francisco.  It’s a pretty cool town, and we got to eat a lot of really great food and walked way way way more than I usually do.HappyThanksgiving[1]

Now, because of my busy weekend, I failed to come up with a plan for today’s post.  I’ve always thought that those “What I’m Thankful For” lists that you see on Facebook are kind of dumb, and just used as filler for when you don’t know what else to do.

But I don’t have any good ideas right now, so I suppose it’s as good an idea as any.  Here’s what I’m thankful for (in no particular order):

– My awesome family (and especially my husband).  They totally enable me in whatever crazy project I decide to try.  Want to get a spinning wheel? Awesome.  Want to drop a couple hundred bucks on wool and dye, just to “try out this idea I had?” Go for it.  Want to take over the living room with dozens of yards of fabric so that I can manufacture project bags for everybody I’ve ever met?  Super.  They’re amazing.

-My day job.  I’ve always been super academically inclined and really into planning and making lists (which is why I ended up going to school until I was 25, and graduating with a Masters in Neuroscience… yeah… that happened.)  But, when I left school, I realized that science, while enjoyable, wasn’t what really made me happy.  My new job is my first real artsy-fartsy job, where I work in a ceramics studio making custom tiles.  I get to play with clay and glaze and fire stuff in the kilns.  It’s pretty much the best thing ever, and I totally lucked out in getting it.

-My night job (which sounds shadier than I meant it to), roller derby.  I spend about 20 hours a week rollerskating and doing other roller derby-related things, so I consider it a pseudo second job.  I don’t get paid (unfortunately), but I enjoy it enough to not worry about that much.  And, on top of skating being fun, all my teammates are awesome people, and a great network of friends.

-My other night job (also not shady), my blog!  I’ve been working on the blog for almost a year now, and I couldn’t be more pleased with how it’s turning out.  I get so excited when I see your comments, and looking at everyone’s finished projects posted on Ravelry makes me smile like a crazy lady.  I am constantly thankful for every comment, like, and follower.

But enough sappiness!  I’ve got some good stuff planned for December, and I can’t wait until I get it out of my head and onto my computer screen.  Happy knitting and happy (late) Thanksgiving!

100!

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Guess what?!  This is my 100th post!  How exciting!

100-fireworksWho would have guessed back in February that this little project would still be going more than 100 posts later.  And, I’ve got no plans on stopping any time soon.  I’ve got a bunch more ideas and tons of patterns in the works.  (Now, only if there were enough hours in the day to work on everything I want to work on!)

And, of course thanks to you for reading my yarn-fueled rambling.  I hope I’m at least a little entertaining, and that you get to learn something along the way.

Now, on to the next 100!