When I first started blogging I had big dreams. I was new to the world of the blog roll and had recently discovered the subculture of MommyCraftyKnittingSewing blogs. I was inspired.
I set out to be just like some of my new found blogging heroes, who were quite busy quilting and knitting and carrying babies on their hips all the while baking delicious glueten-free vegan cakes and brownies on a daily basis. I figured I was set. I had a kid of my own, and another one coming. My mother knew how to knit, I'm sure I could learn. I owned several quilts. I like cakes and brownies. I got this.
I was fresh in the world of sewing, and even dabbling in some needle felting which I now think is a little too hippy for me. I was making diapers and digging in my garden and happily blogging away, feeling confident that I would soon match my blogging heroes in numbers, banging out hoards of tutorials and how-to's, become the beacon of Crafty Mom Blogs and somehow generate enough revenue from my beautiful blog to clothe and feed my family, all the while making everything from scratch and possibly writing a book on the side. Did I mention we would also move to a farm?
My very first attempts at blogging were not even here, on Stitch Rabbit. I had another blog, one hilariously called "Blessed Nest". Hilarious because in hindsight, I do not believe blessed was an appropriate word. I should've worded it more like:
"HomeWithToddlerAndSmallInfantAndTryingToSurviveButLooksGoodOnInternet"
I think most bloggers would agree, you start off blogging on your very best behaviour. But it's only a matter of time till you really start to show your true colors. When we moved back to Vancouver and I started up Stitch Rabbit, I felt a lot more like myself:
From the Archives: "It Ain't Always Easy"
Fast-forward a few years. I've got two kids. They're clothed (occasionally) in smocks and pants that I've banged out on my sewing machine late at night. I've made quilts for each of them, and a handful of others that drape casually over the furniture in our house. I've also made mountains of pillows and bags and handy household items, gifts and dolls. You've seen a lot of them here, on my blog.
From the Archives: "Around Here - It Is Winter"
I learned how to knit. From my mom, like I thought I would. It's become a true passion, a love that I cherish deeply. Knitting gives me time to be in my head, while using my hands and sitting down all at the same time. It makes me productive even while resting and blanking out. I've even managed to start selling my knitted goods in my shop, Stitch Rabbit Handmade.
I never, ever got the whole baking thing down. I bake, and I like it. But not enough to talk about it, and certainly not enough to take pictures of my uneven cakes and uncertain brownies. I'm not a foodie. I need to get over this. I will probably never bake bread from scratch. This is a fantasy that I need to let go of.
* * *
When I first started writing this blog I think my mom read it.
Eventually, a few friends started reading. (Thank you Amy, Michelle and Myki...for still holding on strong) Then I started emailing my posts to people, shamelessly promoting myself to family members and friends who may or may not be interested in my growing belly updates or what I thrifted that day. Over time, my readership has grown. As of now I sit at about 200 unique visitors a day, give or take. That might not seem like much when you consider that some of the big name bloggers generate thousands of readers a day... but to me - some 200 people look at my blog, my photos, my words and my life every day. Some of them are my friends and family, many of them are complete strangers. Some of them are from Canada, some of them are from the United States. Some of my readers are from Japan and Germany and India and the UK. Australia and New Zealand and South Africa. Afghanistan. Saudi Arabia. How cool is that? In the span of my blogging existence, I have had people read my blog from almost every country in the entire world. That blows me away. Whether you've been here since the beginning or you occasionally peek in... I want to thank you for reading. This blog has been a vessel for me, a means to the words I can't always get out, a place where I can sort out my feelings, wonder if I sound sort half-crazy and then hit "Publish" anyways.
Officially, next month I have been blogging for three years. I'm not the "It Girl" of Mommy blogs, I don't generate any money from writing, and I'm certainly not living on a farm making everything from scratch amongst the goats and the chickens. Over the years, I've learned to just be me here... knitting and sewing and yammering on about raising small children and the perils of garden work and taking photos of everything from stacks of fabric to cups in my cupboard. I still have big dreams and a lot more to say.
Thank you for hearing me out.
xo stitch
