So I can hardly believe it, but this Sunday marks one year from the day I launched a little blog called (at the time) Yarnover.me, kicking it off with a post about that crazy-wonderful image I still haven’t been able to find the source of. But “crazy-wonderful” is a pretty good adjective for everything that’s transpired in the meantime.
Somehow there were five whole readers that first day, and at this point pageviews are, well, vastly more than that and doubling from one month to the next. Which is extremely rewarding given that it’s due entirely to word of mouth. The rapid growth rate also means there are a lot of people reading today who haven’t been around very long. (Welcome!) So because of that, and because I’m a huge data nerd who thinks some of you might find it interesting, I thought I’d share a few highlights.
The most popular posts — i.e., the five that have garnered the most views:
1) Knitting in code (the Morse Code cowl pattern)
2) Holiday knitting cheat sheet: A hat for every head
3) Fast, easy and warm: Jumbo Stitch Cowls collection (more free cowl patterns)
4) Things that make me want to crochet
5) Super Simple Mitts (free mitts pattern)
Some of my favorite posts, in no particular order, for those who may have missed them:
— Q’s for Isabell Kraemer, the human sweater-knitting machine
— the whole Tootsie Toasters extravaganza
— A tie for Evan?
— The other breed of colorwork
— and my all-time favorite, Street styling Elizabeth Zimmermann
(My overall favorite thing to do is also your overall favorite thing to read: New Favorites. Plus all the runway stuff. My most enduring blog crushes are Vintage Jared Flood and Wiksten.)
The most-clicked external links (from the hundreds upon hundreds I’ve posted), all found in the wildly popular hat roundup:
1) Milanese Lace Topper free hat pattern — far and away the hottest single link of the year
2) Bayard hat pattern
3) Chunkeanie free hat pattern
4) Snöflinga hat pattern
5) Spirograph headband pattern
The top five commenters — one old friend and four news ones, thanks to the blog:
1) MJK
2) Sarah
3) Jo
4) projectstash
5) Heather
I’m singling them out (and hoping they don’t mind) because you should check out their blogs (and encourage MJK and Jo to start one) but also because, as a thank-you for all the interaction, Johanna and I are sending each of them one of our “High-Fiber” tote bags from the Fringe Supply Co. webshop, a very big milestone in the life-so-far of Fringe. So if your name is on that list, expect an email from me. Same goes to From the Purl Side, who coincidentally posted the 1000th comment yesterday.
But wait, there’s more!
A GIVEAWAY:
We’ve got one more tote earmarked for a giveaway to a new commenter. To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment below, before Midnight PST on Sunday the 9th, saying hello and telling me what your favorite post (or series of posts) has been and why. (Non-contest-related comments are also welcome!) The winner will be chosen at random and announced here early next week. International commenters welcome.
A SPECIAL OFFER:
Speaking of Fringe Supply Co., because we’ve especially loved packing up those orders that amount to a Fringe sampler platter, and in honor of the anniversary, we’ve put together a Gift Set at a special price. The set contains 1 tote bag, 1 project bag, 1 jumbo cedar sachet, 1 packet of stitch markers and 1 packet of enclosure cards, and is priced at just $52! That will be available as long as we’ve got the inventory to support it (or until we close for the holidays on the 15th, whichever comes first).
AND MY GRATITUDE:
Bottom line: From the bottom of my heart, thank you for reading. And stay tuned — there’s lots more to come!
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