Blogiversary

It was a year ago today, eight days after first picking up the needles, that I started Knitting Confidential as an outlet for my excitement as a new knitter. Just like I couldn't anticipate how much knitting would come to be a part of my everyday life, little did I know how important this blog would become to me. I have no doubt that I am a changed person because of both.

Writing serves a dual purpose. It's a way to communicate and share with others. Many times I've voiced my surprise that what I'm writing is of interest to anyone else, but I suppose I shouldn't be. Whether it's films, novels, songs, or blogs, I like art based in personal expression. (No wonder I'm sympathetic to auteur theory.) So do many others, I'm sure. I'm not so bold to call what I'm doing here "art", but I get why readers come back. Despite the pseudo-anonymity of my writing, I've tried to be open and let you know who I am. I appreciate blogs where the writers grant the privilege of peeks into their lives. I'm guessing that is an attraction along with the knitting content.

While I love my faithful readers and the interaction that has grown in the writer-reader relationship, I'm writing for myself too. This has been a self-discovery process, due in no small part to the sheer magnitude of my posting. One year of blogging has yielded 343 posts. Most of those skipped days came before I set out to blog practically every day in 2007. (The last day I missed posting here may have been in March.) I've learned a lot about myself and been given confidence by many of you from the simple act of banging out words on a regular basis.

Honestly, sometimes I'm embarrassed after the fact by stuff I've written. It has more to do with what I've chosen to write about than how I've written about it. I think there are times I come off as cranky and whiny, which is only natural over the course of a year, but I still feel guilty about it. Yeah, I'm working on it.

Whether this is your first time reading this blog or you've been here from the start, thanks for visiting. (And, of course, thanks as well to those of you who fall between those poles.) I feel fortunate to have gained the friendship and advice you've offered to me for no reason more than you read whatever I have to say. I expect I'm getting the better end of that deal. I'll keep pushing myself to give you a reason to come back day in and day out.