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Whatever Happened To The Knitting Blog Class Of 2005?

bravo-knitting-blog-class-2005In April 2005, Confusability ran queries on Bloglines subscribers searching for what they liked to read. Among the usual tech oriented sites was a surprise.

Lots of people were reading knitting blogs – 1714 different feeds in all.

For me, blogging has been fun, challenging, and at times very lonely when no one wants to visit.

In the past two and a half years I’ve stopped twice. Once out of frustration, the other time to regroup. Knowing what it takes to keep a site going, I have the utmost respect for anyone persevering and building an audience over 4 years.

So I was dying to know, who is still knit blogging from the class of 2005 and how much have they grown?

To Start

Confusability may have found 1700+ feeds, but close to 200 were either duplicates or no where near knitting related. Think not-safe-for-work viewing. Who knew knitting was so diverse back then.

1,502 blogs made the initial screen.

Who Stays And Who Goes

In going through the list, I deleted sites for the following reasons.

  • Blog dead
  • Blog exists but not updated since Spring 2008
  • Blog exists but not about knitting
  • Domain taken over by a non knitting site when original blog abandoned
  • Blared music at me when I loaded the page or entrapped me when I tried to leave – only one or two fell into this category.
  • No clue what site is about because requires login
  • Blog moved and left no forwarding address. Sometimes I recognized the site and was able to find its new home via Google. Most of the time is was a dead end

I made every effort to give a site the benefit of the doubt. If its content was even remotely knitting related and there was a post dated at least June 08, I kept it as an active knitting blog. The insurance, not-safe-for-work, and domain parking sites were booted.

In all, 526 sites made the final cut, one third of the original list.

How The “Now” Numbers Were Counted

Once the list was purged, I went through the Bloglines subscribe process for each site. I added up the readers from every available feed except those strictly for comments. Some blogs had one, others had several.

Back then, the duplicate feeds were usually limited to one or two subscribers. Today, large sites can have hundreds of active readers spread out over numerous feeds. That was meaningful. Many of these blogs have grown spectacularly. I wanted their growth portrayed as accurately as possible.

How To Analyze The Results

In 2005, Bloglines ruled the roost. It easily had over 50% market share of all RSS feed readers. Today, it’s closer to 10%.

When reviewing the class below, keep in mind that you must mentally multiple today’s Blogline numbers by a factor of 2 to 10 to approximate each blog’s total RSS readers.

For example, my site averages 100 to 130 RSS readers. Only 13 use Bloglines. Now Norma Knits currently has 953 Blogline subscribers, but over 1800 total RSS readers tracked by Feedburner.

In 2005 WendyKnits was on top with 70 Bloglines subscribers. Today she has over 8200. Based on the lowest average multiplier, her current RSS subscriber total probably tops 16,000.

The list is organized based on total Bloglines subscribers in 2005 in descending alphabetical order. Check out Grumperina near the bottom. She had 2 subscribers back then. Now she has a few more.

For those interested, I’ve loaded two smaller sizes of my Bravo! Knitting Blog Class 2005 graphic at the bottom of this post to celebrate your achievement. Feel free to drag them to your desktop, including the large pic at the top, and upload to your blog’s sidebar. Just please don’t hotlink.

Observations and a Question

My biggest challenge was following a blog’s history as it changed names and moved from Blogger to Typepad, then from WordPress to a self hosted situation. If you want to keep your current readers, give them an easily seen link to your new home. The longer the link stays up, the more will find you. I came looking four years later.

My question for those on the list is how has the past four years of blogging treated you?

  • Would you keep your same hosting site?
  • Would you post more or less often?
  • What has been your biggest reward?
  • How about your biggest frustration?
  • If you were starting a blog today, what would you do differently?

New knitting blogs pop up every day. It would be very helpful for these folks to read your insights, either on your site or in the comments below. Trackbacks are always welcome.

Though I’ve only been blogging since September 2006, I would recommend either self-hosted WordPress or a free site at WordPress.com. After struggling with iWeb for over a year, it was such a relief to move to a very Google friendly and fun to use platform.

Without further ado…

Congratulations Knitting Blog Class of 2005!

Then Now   Site
70 8253   Wendy Knits
58 797   boogaj
53 2917   Mason-Dixon Knitting
53 1493   I’m Knitting As Fast As I Can
52 1005   Zeneedle
51 12706   Yarn Harlot
48 7070   the blue blog
46 245   Dog Steals Yarn -> Dispatches From Utopia
45 6289   The Keyboard Biologist Knits
42 787   sheep in the city
40 1321   super eggplant
40 429   Emma & Co.
39 281   Knitknacks
39 248   Close to my Heart
37 1137   fluffa
35 163   Bronx Girl Knits
35 894   And She Knits Too
33 620   Sandy’s Knitting
33 953   Now Norma Knits
32 214   lifelong knitter
31 137   the casting on couch
31 1218   Knitting Blog Chic Knits
30 40   got ewe in stitches
30 884   All Tangled Up
29 190   Wine and Needles
29 1156   six and a half stitches
29 1837   Lolly Knitting Around
29 174   Indigo Muse Knits
29 279   indigirl: a life in stitches
29 127   Deb on the Web
29 163   Concateknit
29 1045   Carrieoke’s Knitting Blog
28 21   Violet Knits
28 499   Purls Beyond Price
28 243   Life’s A Stitch
28 67   Lalala.
28 149   Knit Witch
28 283   How The West Was Spun
28 107   EyeKnit
28 155   Celia’s Knitting Adventures
27 153   Vintagefusion Knits & Crochets
27 208   small hands
27 287   Random Knits
27 103   Poetic Purl
27 173   Life in LaLaLumay Land
27 360   MonkeyKnits
26 1048   Yarn-A-Go-Go
26 95   Stacey’s Stash
26 63   Scattered Marbles
26 255   Purls Before Swine
26 57   Plath’s Adventures
26 908   mind of winter
26 146   knitting by eye
26 108   Dalai Mama
25 no feed   jeloca.com
25 436   stitchymcyarnpants.com
25 24   Stitching for Sanity
25 231   Rose By Any
25 88   Mz Mar’s Page
25 103   lorispeak
25 192   Labradorable
25 1   Knitting in the Big City
25 118   Destroy my Sweater
25 373   brainylady
24 87   wind chains
24 107   Three Olives And Some Yarn
24 31   She Who Knits = StellaLand
24 70   Purls and Lace
24 1   Knitting and Such
24 166   domestic affair: redefining domesticity
23 117   The Purly Gates
23 202   The Knitting Curmudgeon
23 17   Sara Skates
23 1686   knittyBlog
23 78   good clean fun
23 278   Gidget Casts On
23 1543   Fig and Plum
23 72   Tarty Crafty
23 132   Bloomin’ Knitiot
23 69   Beknitted – Sugar Bowl House
23 0   jenanne.com
22 76   Susan Knits
22 138   Nutmeg Knitter
22 48   Never Ending Yarn
22 65   KnitChix
22 123   Knit Once, Purl Forever
22 126   Froggie Meanie
22 112   Christina’s Attic
22 353   another knitting blog
22 64   Weebug Knits
21 84   star knits
21 76   Stacey’s Corner CafÇ -> Purling Dervish
21 131   Ewe Devil
21 68   Devine site
21 310   CurlsandPurlsNYC
21 105   Action Hero : : Knitting Weblog
20 62   Wool-N-Wheels
20 228   Poor Miss Finch
20 58   NeedleWerks
20 140   My Favorite Things…..
20 8   Knitting from Outer Space
20 24   FruityChick’s Blog
19 21   yarns and musings
19 67   Stitching Mum
19 828   Savannahchik Knits
19 11   Noreen’s Knit*che ~ YarnWright
19 988   Moth Heaven
19 173   keeping me in stitches.
19 41   Gracie Knits
18 23   skittermagoo!
18 78   Tangles
18 936   splityarn
18 233   maggistitches
18 148   Catknits
17 13   Write More -> ShanKnits
17 77   purple is a fruit
17 0   MinxKnits
17 552   Marnie, speak! Good girl.
17 111   the knitty professor
17 245   Knitty Gritty Thoughts
17 95   KnitSteph
17 55   kniftyknitter
17 62   Ghostknitter
17 45   Beaver! Craft!
17 142   Adventures in Paradise
17 78   Yarn Junkie’s Fix
16 158   Unraveling
16 481   Boogie Knits
16 4   Rainbow Chills
16 35   On My Mind -> Georgia Bean
16 6   Nake-id Knits | Knitting and cooking in the raw
16 147   Maglia!
16 45   KnittingBeader
16 85   Knitting Zeal
16 74   Karla’s Korner
16 271   I Was Knit Together In My Mother’s Womb
15 28   Yarn Utopia
15 321   Two Pointy Sticks
15 34   Threaded Thoughts
15 178   Stoneview
15 4   sauvageblue
15 337   nipperknits
15 139   Neophyte Knitter
15 62   My Amphetamines & My Purls
15 411   mamacate
15 793   Little Purl of the Orient
15 5   Knitting Solo
15 195   Knitting in the Valley
15 73   Knit Haven
15 149   kittycafe
15 91   Kimberli New York
15 127   iMagiNe cReAtiVe nAme hERe
15 124   finally waking up
14 54   The Crafty Girl is A Happy Girl
14 1333   sweetgeorgia
14 692   stitch marker
14 848   Rose-Kim Knits
14 27   Journaling Back to Joy
14 77   Make Me
14 99   Luscious Fibers, Food and Life
14 467   Sil’s Fab Knitblog
14 125   Fyberspates
14 61   Random babblings of a fiber-obsessed nutcase
14 154   etc.
14 126   Chappysmom
13 136   Yarnmaven
13 654   the girl from auntie
13 368   Knitting Wench = Not So Fancy Nancy
13 85   Knitting Psychos
13 100   HipKnits
13 87   jodi’s weblog
13 1660   Hello Yarn
13 315   Stranded on Fair Isle …
13 1412   cosmicpluto knits!
12 24   Alpaca Rose
12 573   knitorious
12 91   gibknits
12 72   Diamonds & Purls
12 172   alisonknits
12 70   Adventures in Asia = After Asia…
11 419   Mossy Cottage Knits
11 484   Knitting in Color
11 317   In The Pink
11 152   I HIDE YARN
11 148   handknitter…a blog
11 90   I hate waiting
10 754   Too Much Wool
10 452   Rabbitch
9 410   The Knitting Doctor
9 101   Tangled Up in Yarn
9 194   Adventures in Sock Knitting
9 129   sequinK
9 221   QueerJoe’s Knitting Blog
9 147   Purlwise
9 439   my life in stitches
9 330   Knitting the Blues
9 150   Purl Diva
8 217   what a stitch = whimsy
8 155   Unfurnished Brooklyn
8 438   The Woolen Rabbit
8 179   Knitting and Other Stuff
8 102   knit-o-rama = drew-o-rama
8 537   dropped stitches = s i x o n e s e v e n
7 180   vibeknits
7 237   Vera’s Crafty Blog
7 1382   Needles on Fire
7 74   Knot Again
7 301   Feral Knitter
7 74   Chery Knits
7 194   Bron’s Blog II
7 101   Always Casting On…
6 273   Yummy Yarn
6 123   yarn girl = with a hook
6 51   Uncle Leona’s Day Camp
6 251   The Scottish Lamb
6 379   The Bookish Girl
6 595   s t r i k k e r
6 230   pinku
6 214   knitlet = All This By Hand
6 1931   january one
6 65   FiberTribe
5 15   That Girl Crochet
5 137   Stuck on Socks
5 62   spaazlicious = Lanas de LibÇlula
5 1   Scarf Style/Wrap Style Knit-Along
5 99   robknits
5 32   Restless Knitter
5 195   Quiddity
5 130   one stitch short
5 121   Kris Crafts!
5 157   Knotology – Ivete’s knitting
5 14   KnittinK
5 97   Knitting Blogs
5 96   Knitterpated
5 0   Knit! = Purls and Pugs
5 205   Knit Flix
5 168   J Strizzy
5 54   Busy Needles
5 184   bag ‘n’ trash — home of monster yarn
4 278   Zarzuela Knits and Crochets
4 3   Yarn Junkie = crafty amber
4 832   Wovenflame
4 8   When Knitting Was a Manly Art
4 23   Tiff Crochets
4 62   The Knitting Knotebook
4 170   The Champagne Bohemian
4 123   Supergirl’s Blog
4 41   Suan Knits (And Quilts, Too!)
4 228   Step Into My Thimble
4 98   Space Craft
4 50   Sharp Pointy Sticks
4 241   Pixiestikz
4 72   Knitting Virgin
4 26   Knitting in Massachusetts
4 79   Knitting History = Historic Fibers
4 265   Knitting Fool = Fiber Fool
4 92   Knittin’ Mama
4 75   knitmeister
4 183   knitizen = strangelittlemama
4 213   knit this = Girl on the Rocks
4 137   Knit One, Purl Too: A Knitlog
4 53   KnitNut Natters
4 34   Kimberly’s Korner
4 17   GeoKnitTeach
4 236   Fidget
4 16   Christina’s Knitting
4 19   Bevin & Brian’s Totally Knitting Universe
3 83   YarnEnvy
3 10   Yarnageddon
3 253   Woven Thoughts
3 82   Witty knitter
3 618   Subway Knitter
3 195   Stitches of Violet
3 42   spinningwheel.net
3 42   Show Me Your Knits
3 59   Sheep Shots
3 103   purlingswine
3 11   My Knittin World
3 87   Mrs. Pilkington Knits
3 192   Major Knitter
3 93   librarygrrrl.net
3 89   La Tricoteuse Bretonne
3 106   Knitting, with Dogs
3 41   KnitterGail
3 32   fireworks -> knit two purl two
3 47   it’s a knit thing
3 158   gringa.org
3 67   Girl Is Crafty
3 209   Fuzzy Noodle Knits
3 168   Fruitcake Knits
3 362   Etherknitter
3 724   Enchanting Juno
3 20   Dreams of Nyssa
3 28   Curious George Knits
3 4   Crowing Ram
3 3   Crafty Snargle
3 57   Crafty Brainwave
3 30   Donna Knits and Spins
3 71   chrisknits.blog-city.com
3 82   Chie Crochets (& Knits too!)
3 44   Knitty, Vintage and Rosy
3 18   Beware of the Bunny = Psychobunny
2 9   yarnorexic = hapagirl
2 300   Yarn Miracle
2 45   y(e)arn
2 358   Xtreme-Knitting Blog!
2 35   WittyKnits
2 51   Wild Yarn
2 21   Warm Fuzzy Knits
2 34   Uli’s Creative Corner
2 5   Two Needles and a Black Sheep
2 130   TrickyTricot
2 53   Too Many Scarves
2 168   The Yarnpath
2 10   The Fiber Fairy
2 19   The Dilettante Debutante
2 36   The Crafty Cat
2 132   Sweater Project
2 108   Superstarra-ville
2 29   Soapbox
2 66   So much fiber, so little time
2 65   Skein Street
2 90   schmeebot
2 6   Sahara Knits
2 94   ring around the rosies
2 99   Ravings from a Danish City at Night
2 8   rasco a go-go
2 30   Random Meanderings at Middle Age
2 134   rainy day goods – create perform design explore
2 69   Purlewe
2 0   Pknitty
2 24   One Crazy Fiber Lady
2 34   not your ordinary
2 129   Nik’s Knits
2 674   Mim’s Knitting Frenzy = Mim’s Blog
2 22   marmalade.ca
2 216   marirob
2 20   Lucky Wings
2 470   ljc fyi
2 26   little miss messy hair
2 4   Little Grey Speck
2 65   Life in the Pink
2 20   KU Crafter
2 67   Knit-Whit
2 9   knittybird
2 83   Knitting Musings
2 1258   Knitters Anonymous
2 26   Knittens
2 0   knithead
2 33   Knit Revolution = The Knitting Revolutionary
2 29   Knit Picky
2 68   Knit One, Purr Too
2 3   Knit Happens
2 18   Knee Deep In Fibers
2 13   Jewel’s Purls
2 1   Jejune.net
2 8   howe2knit = Steel City Knitter
2 57   Heal My Life
2 19   habsgirl
2 3105   Grumperina
2 48   freddyknits
2 43   Finding Her = Craftiness
2 23   FidgetyBudgie
2 8   Fiber Fanatic!
2 4   Fear and Loathing in Boulder Creek/Los Angeles
2 14   elvisknits
2 46   Elabeth Knits
2 50   Dyed in the Wool
2 13   CrumpArt
2 15   craftmuffin
2 134   craftlog
2 86   Colorjoy!
2 19   Cheap Knitter
2 267   biggeek
2 43   BE INSPIRED
2 33   Batty for Yarn
2 121   Autumn’s Sway = Nicole’s Needlework
2 19   Approaching Glory
2 24   aliassak
2 83   A View from Sierra County
2 0   A Stitch in Time
2 65   A Little Bit Of Happy
1 24   ZIPPIKNITS ..
1 24   Zing’s Things
1 8   Year of the Afghan = Straddling the Century Line
1 83   Yarnivorous
1 262   Wry Punster
1 83   Woolybuns
1 38   Wool & Words
1 37   women want me, fish fear me
1 21   WIP Insanity
1 1   Wildly Crafty
1 616   whispering pine
1 172   What’s THAT Gonna Be?
1 9   Weasley Sweaters
1 19   We know that stockinette curls
1 33   visit.freecia.com
1 17   UrbanGypZ-Stitchin’ Bitch
1 17   Latest Updates To Knitting-and.com
1 6   Tiny owl knits
1 9   Through the Back Loop
1 1   Thread, Bare
1 16   Thermalgal’s Temperate Mumblings
1 75   the knitsmithy
1 43   the knitrider… erika’s colorado springs knitting blog!
1 16   The Innocent Abroad
1 19   The Farmette Report
1 16   the crafty conservative
1 23   The Amazing Adventures of Tom and Bel
1 30   Tangled Up In Yarn = Weebleknits
1 39   Tangled Threads and Seaweed
1 34   Tangled and Warped
1 5   superneedle’s knitting adventures
1 15   Stasia’s Place of Grace = Yarn And A Barn
1 60   spinnity knits
1 23   Someone Keeps Moving My Chair
1 16   Some Call Them Sticks and Strings = A Mile in My Shoes
1 37   Snail Spirals
1 296   smatterings
1 135   skein
1 48   Sisterknitter = PurlyQueen
1 13   Simple Elegance
1 1   Silver Tuesday Knits
1 22   Short and Sweet Like Me
1 28   Sheila Loves to Knit
1 7   She’s Always Knitting = Rachel’s Ramblings
1 27   Sarah’s Homestead Blog
1 103   Sable Stasher
1 13   Roses and tea1962
1 37   Random Fiber Ramblings
1 18   Rambling Warps
1 4   Quantum Tea
1 12   Purl, Interrupted
1 156   PumpkinKnits
1 17   pretty kitty knitty city
1 282   Pixie Purls
1 126   Pink Monkey Knits
1 11   Pamela’s House of Blues
1 5   one skein to rule them all…
1 47   One By One
1 13   Off jumps jack
1 28   nothing but knit
1 8   No Idle Hands
1 73   nepenthe’s misadventures
1 25   needlefingers
1 20   My SoCalled Blog
1 14   My Knitting Passion
1 5   Multitasking = kniTV
1 13   Multi-Crafter
1 66   Missouri Star
1 3   Miss Erikas Yarns
1 106   MAYARN
1 24   martaschmarta
1 6   life of a fiber and dairy goat junkie
1 0   Laurabelle’s Blog
1 2   Lanam Facio
1 143   Kuky Knitting Life = Kuky Ideas
1 4   Koolsheep’s knit blog
1 98   knitty! knitty! bang! bang!
1 17   Knittish
1 2   knittingwoman’s Journal
1 42   KnittingNatty
1 22   knittingirl
1 6   knitting pretty (crochet too!)’s Journal
1 27   Knitting Angel
1 74   Knitting Aloud
1 5   knitting & other distractions
1 78   knits by toveb
1 3   Knitpickity
1 2   Knitnick’s Studio
1 54   Knit & Play with Fire
1 314   knitgrrl
1 60   knitbrarian
1 16   knitandnatter
1 122   Knit stricken!
1 35   Knit and the City
1 30   Kim Knits (and sometimes not)
1 31   Kat’s Creative Corner = Kattwings Knits
1 64   Katrina = Knitting with Katarina
1 5   Karen’s Place: My Adventures with Yarn
1 27   k8knits
1 28   Just.Sew.Crafty = little bit of crazy leaking out
1 49   Juli’s Jots
1 396   ilBloggo = iHanna’s Creative Space
1 37   Harry Potter Knitting
1 26   Hook = A Tale of Two Lauras
1 47   HK Knitter
1 11   Her Blog: The Track Knitting Diva
1 71   Half Baked
1 14   grumpygirl
1 131   Gromit Knits!
1 24   Gotta Make
1 173   goodkarmago
1 47   Goldfinches and Fiber
1 20   Frog It!
1 14   Floats Knits & Purls & A Whole Lot More
1 120   Fickleknitter
1 96   FiberFish
1 11   Fiber Musings
1 16   Faery Tales
1 7   Fabulous Feather
1 58   every-single-day
1 34   Domestically Challenged
1 84   dolly dimple knits
1 14   definitely deb – jingle all the way!
1 20   Darkside of Knitting
1 10   CroKni’s Blog – AKA Jackie’s Knitting and Crochet Blog
1 21   Chez Chelle
1 116   Charleen’s Fiberblog
1 5   Caution Blind Driver
1 14   Buster and Me = Knitting with Monkey
1 6   Bonnie’s Passion for Knitting
1 46   Blue Rose Knits
1 38   Blog de la Resistance = ThreadingWater
1 12   Blatherskite
1 545   Be*mused
1 21   BareHare
1 9   b’s buzz
1 22   ARTwin knits
1 23   Angela Knits = Purrrl-plexed
1 140   and knitting
1 2   Adventures of a Busy Mama
1 65   acechick
1 40   A mingling of threads
1 183   A Good Yarn
1 65   A Fistful of Stitches
1 12   /(p[eu]rls of wisdom)?/

Update
I’ve had several comments saying “I was blogging in early 2005 but don’t see myself on the list.”

First, check the original 2005 list to find your blog. Then, send me a note or leave a comment with what your site name was back then, what your site name is now, and your Bloglines ranking number from the 2005 list. I will be happy to update.

Please keep in mind that the purpose of this post was a comparison of Bloglines subscription growth, not a list of every knit blogger from 2005. To make it to this list, you had to be on the previous list.

I do make mistakes. Cara pointed out that I missed purlingswine, a number 3 rank on the 2005 list. When I went back to click the old link, it took me to a 2004 post. Not being familiar with the blog, I assumed it had faded away. I’ve corrected the error and added her above.

I want to recognize everyone still knit blogging from the Confusablity post. I’m always open to corrections.

bravo-knitting-blog-class-2005-width-180 bravo-knitting-blog-class-2005-width-150Drag and drop to your desktop for uploading.

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January 27, 2009

49 comments

1 Christy { 01.28.09 at 5:24 am }

Wow! How long did it take you to compile this list? I blog at the crafty conservative (down towards the bottom with 2 subscribers back in 2005). I’ve loved every minute of blogging. My blog has kind of morphed into a free for all and the crafty conservative is more of my “life” blog and I started http://christynelson.net to document all of my crafty endeavors.

Great fun! Thanks for posting this. It reminded me of some of the old knitting blogs I used to read.

2 Kathryn { 01.28.09 at 8:24 am }

It took about 20 hours to get everything done.

Most of my time was spent culling the list from the original 1714 to the final 526. It was interesting to see how many changed blogging platforms and evolved content wise as the years went by.

I’m glad you enjoyed the trip down memory lane. I gambled my time figuring there were others that liked digging into stats and knitting blog history.

3 lisa { 01.28.09 at 11:13 am }

Wow what an awesome compilation!

4 threadingwater { 01.28.09 at 3:50 pm }

This is pretty interesting data. It sort of proves that blogging is not for the faint-hearted. My blog has always had more political content and less of knitting, but the inherent tension I set up for myself with my tag line, “knitting and politics, together at last,” does keep me going. I guess I’m always looking for the perfect, illuminating point that will mesh both topics together.

One other thing, because you brought it up . . . I dropped Blogger years ago for WordPress. Not one regret. Ever. WordPress is just prettier. As a knitter, as an artist, the overall attractiveness of WordPress matters to me.

5 keeping me in stitches… » Fascinating! { 01.29.09 at 5:46 pm }

[…] Check this out: Knitting Blog Class of 2005 […]

6 Li_B { 01.31.09 at 8:14 am }

Thank you – this is the information that I’ve always wanted to know. I’m still enjoying blogging (as a small timer) going on five years. Posting twice per week works for me. My frustration? I know with hundreds of knitting blogs out there, it’s difficult to be original, but I get frustrated when people adopt existing blog names as their own, under a different hosting site.

Thanks again, I’ll be back.

7 JessaLu { 02.01.09 at 10:55 pm }

Wow. The amount of research you do amazes me – where do you find the time?

I am a member of the ‘Class of 2005’ (February 18 to be exact) and I haven’t taken any breaks longer than three weeks in that time period. In fact, just thinking about that makes me a little bit tired…

…anyway, I think I’ve gotten a bit more serious and a bit less verbose than I used to be. ;o)

8 Kathryn { 02.01.09 at 11:11 pm }

I’ll be returning to more sane knitting posts soon.

The stats series has been swirling in my head for awhile and I was finally able to do them together to be time efficient. The updates will be much easier now that I don’t have to search blogger sidebars for links to new sites.

Going forward, anyone who would like to join the Top Knitting Blog lists will need to contact me. There is no way I would go through this exercise twice.

9 Risa { 02.02.09 at 9:01 am }

That is an amazing amount of statistical analysis. I’m happy to be in that class as well! I started blogging in the Fall of 2004 but have moved platforms twice now: Blogger –> Typepad –> Self hosted WordPress. I haven’t taken any substantial breaks either. It has been an amazing experience.

10 Charissa (Steel City Knitter) { 02.03.09 at 3:25 pm }

WOW! What a fabulous list!!!

11 susan { 02.08.09 at 8:09 pm }

Fascinating!

12 Stacey { 02.09.09 at 5:50 am }

Thanks for doing this! I ran into some old blogs I haven’t checked out in a while. I’m answering your questions on my blog this morning.

After I get more go-go juice in me.

Happy Monday!

13 Laurie { 02.11.09 at 2:59 am }

Our knitblog world needed an historian! Thank you. I started in January 2005, and have never regretted a minute. The blog has added color and wonder and joy and other knitters to my life. I met people I cherish, done things that made my heart sing, advanced in my knitting in ways I otherwise would not have done, and was sucked into the spinning vortex through blogging. It got me thru a foot surgery, thru a major injury to my husband. I’ve not taken a break, and I haven’t changed platforms (too daunting for this minimal technophile).

14 Norma { 02.11.09 at 7:18 am }

What an amazing piece of work, and I’m proud to be a member of the class. I must admit, when I started reading, my heart sank a bit, thinking you might have put me in the class of “not safe for work.” Heh.

My blogiversary comes up March 6th (I think), and your post will be a wonderful part of it. Thank you! I love the graphic!!!!

The only thing I can’t see here is the date you wrote this.

15 Kristi { 02.11.09 at 8:17 am }

Wow, what a cool list to look at! Thanks so much for compiling it. I will probably post a link to our blog later, but thought I would answer the questions here as well …

* Would you keep your same hosting site?
We have moved, and if it would not be a major pain, we would rather be using a different hosting service at this point.

* Would you post more or less often?
More more more! I’m trying.

* What has been your biggest reward?
Meeting so many new people.

* How about your biggest frustration?
Probably the fact that there are two of us blogging and no one can tell!

* If you were starting a blog today, what would you do differently?
Hm. It’s been such a fun journey, and I think starting a blog now is tough, because there are so many out there. I guess I would learn more of the inner workings so I could be of more help. Oh, wait, I can still do that. 🙂

16 Kathryn { 02.11.09 at 8:26 am }

I didn’t realize I’d turned off the WordPress date stamp for my posts. I try to get that fixed this evening.

This post went live about two weeks ago, January 27th. I’m thrilled it has finally gained some traction. I was beginning to think I was the only one interested in heading down memory lane.

17 AmyP { 02.11.09 at 8:32 am }

That’s very impressive – thank you! And how embarrassing to find me on the list and to not realise that I’d been blogging that long!

18 Louisa { 02.11.09 at 10:17 am }

Wow! What a list! Thanks for all your had work, Kathryn. I’m not on it even though I also started blogging in May 2005, probably because I have no clue whether or not anyone ever subscribed to me! I’m also not strictly a knitting blog since my interests are quite wide-ranging. Is it ok for me to use the Class of 2005 logo on my blogiversary post anyway? Or is it strictly for Bloglines folks?

To answer some of your questions, I’m still with Blogger because I just can’t envision all the work it would take to switch platforms: the relearning and the redesigning and the mistakes. Gives me hives just thinking about it! Mostly what I have works ok for me even though I never even switched to Blogger’s new templates. (I have just enough HTML to be dangerous…er, to work the occasional tweaks that I want.) I don’t think I would change anything else such as frequency of posting. I enjoy posting for myself even if nobody else reads it – though I know I have some readers! It helps me concentrate, think things through, improve my writing skills, track my progress and inform others. I refuse to keep to a single topic so if someone doesn’t see anything of interest, they should check back. As Popeye would say, “I yam what I yam!”

19 Who knew I had staying power? « Dyed in the Wool { 02.11.09 at 11:02 am }

[…] to Margene, I have found myself amongst such luminaries as Wendyknits and Grumperina (ha, ha!)- knit bloggers who have been schleping since 2005 (you’ll probably have to do control+F and type “dyed” to find me – I’m near […]

20 jillian { 02.11.09 at 1:17 pm }

What a nifty piece of research! I, like others, have to comment that though I started blogging continuously in June 2005 I am not on the list. However, my domain at Typepad was unscrupulously taken over by some pharmaceutical ad when I switched to WordPress with the same blog name. I imagine many were weeded out that are still out there a’blogging. It’s an amazing number of people.

21 Kathryn { 02.11.09 at 1:26 pm }

jillian,

Were you on the original Blogline feed list from 2005? I went and did a search for your current blog name, sknitty, and didn’t find it on the old list. Did you call yourself something different back then?

I’m thinking of adding an update above for those I wasn’t able to follow their blogging history to find their current address. Usually when an old blog address was taken over by commercial sites, I had to drop it from the list since I reached a dead end.

22 Tonia { 02.11.09 at 4:36 pm }

Sadly I started mine in Sept. 8, 2005 as http://mrsknitter.blogspot.com aka Knits Galore then just moved over to http://knittedtoat.blogspot.com. Thanks for the list that was a lot of work and I think I have found some new blogs to read in the process. 🙂

23 Cara { 02.11.09 at 4:53 pm }

Craziness!! Who knew so much time had passed? Thank you for the list – so many blogs I hadn’t thought of in a long while.

Can I point out a blog that’s missing? My excellent friend Ann of purlingswine. She’s on the original list (in the 3s) and has been blogging continuously at the same URL as the list (http://www.purlingswine.com.) Thank you!!!

24 Jenn { 02.11.09 at 5:01 pm }

Another from the class of ’05 – though I didn’t see myself on the list. I’m surprised by how many of these folks are on my list – I guess we all started together!

25 gale (she shoots sheep shots) { 02.11.09 at 5:41 pm }

Interesting post! The knitblog world is a phenomenom that I love being part of.
You missed me: also the Knitblog class of 2005 , in fact this week is my 4th blogiversary.I’ve always been on Blogger, which is fine for the price, if you know what I mean.

26 Kathryn { 02.11.09 at 7:00 pm }

I’ve added an update to the post.

If you were one the original Confusability list of 2005 Bloglines knit bloggers, are still knit blogging, but don’t find yourself above then please send me your blog’s name on the 2005 list, it’s rank then, and your current blog name. I’ll follow the trail and get you added above.

Please keep in mind that you had to be on the original list to make it to this list. There were definitely knit bloggers back then that for whatever reason, didn’t have a Bloglines feed at the time of their study.

Hope this helps with those wondering what happened to them.

27 Louisa { 02.12.09 at 8:16 am }

OK, I’m sadly paying the price for never having anything to do with Bloglines. I’ll go sit in the corner now and pout because I can’t play with the big girls and boys. Sniff! (However I’ll still be celebrating my 4th blogiversary soon and am currently over 800 posts so I’m not feeling too sorry for myself. At least I have sticking power, if nothing else!)

28 grumperina { 02.12.09 at 1:20 pm }

This is an absolutely fascinating study! Thank you so much for this article! I feel very nostalgic, remembering 2005 and the circumstances under which I started my blog :).

29 --Deb { 02.12.09 at 2:37 pm }

That is an INSANE amount of work, but so great to read. Thank you for that! (And who says knit-blogging is dying off?) I’m delighted to have made the list, too…

30 pixie { 02.12.09 at 4:14 pm }

It’s funny I had 1 subscriber in 2005 haha. I started blogging in 2004.

Would you keep your same hosting site?
Not sure of the tense of these questions but I still have the same host.

Would you post more or less often?
My posting has varied, sometimes every day, sometimes weekly and on a rare occasion 2 weeks will go by.

What has been your biggest reward?
I don’t know, I just enjoy it.

How about your biggest frustration?
Updating blog software, I use and have used always moveabletype which I prefer to word press but the truth is wordpress is easier as my host does 1-click install and updates with it. I plan to switch soon. I will make sure my feed address stays the same.

If you were starting a blog today, what would you do differently?
I think it would be better and more professional now as I know what I am doing better, but there is never enough to to everything i want to.

31 melissa { 02.12.09 at 6:49 pm }

Wow. I had a blog in 2005? (I just haven’t posted in a while, I’ve moved to Twitter, mostly…). Wow. Maybe I should reactivate the blog.

Its amazing how many of this list I still read. Thanks for the update, and the anaylsis!

32 Chappysmom » Windy! { 02.12.09 at 7:40 pm }

[…] now THIS is really cool. Knittsings wrote a post about the “Knitting Class of 2005” where she went through a list of over 1500 knitting blogs that made the Bloglines list back […]

33 knitrider { 02.12.09 at 8:13 pm }

Very interesting data! Luckily I am a blogger on your list, I love blogging though sometimes I don’t get to update often enough!

Being hosted on blogger for most of those years (in fact I just moved to wordpress about a week ago, due to accidentally deleting my blog on blogger. I was able to recover my posts through google!) wasn’t really an issue, but now that I am on wordpress I realize I was missing so much control over my blog!

I would love to post more often, but as far as knitting content there is not always much to talk about. I tend to take week-long breaks, which leaves me at a lack for content sometimes. I try to fill those gaps with cooking or traveling info, things like that.

My biggest reward for blogging.. I would say that would be being able to look back on my life and see all the moments that were worth me blogging about. It is almost like reliving them!

My biggest frustration is my low readership level, but I am sure my infrequent posting has a lot to do with that.

If I were starting a blog today, I think I would not post as much irrelevant material as I did when I first started out. When I was reposting my old posts on wordpress, I was almost getting aggravated at myself! Time makes you grow in many ways.

34 Theresa (The Keyboard Biologist) { 02.12.09 at 10:34 pm }

Very interesting, cool and enlightening your analysis is — thanks for going through all that.

It’s wild to think how much time has passed since I started blogging. And funny to think that in 2005 I’d already been at it for the better part of three years.

To answer your questions:

* Would you keep your same hosting site? I run my own MovableType (MT4) blog on AddAction. I’ve had my ups and downs with them, but they’ve more or less been stable, they aren’t that expensive, and they do respond to support requests pretty quickly, so I don’t think I would change.

* Would you post more or less often? Before I had my baby, I was a daily blogger (except for weekends). I really liked being out there every day, but with the kiddo in the picture, I don’t have the same time that I used to. Right after the baby my posting was irregular at best. Now I’m back to 3 regular posts a week — and that feels right. I feel a lot less pressure for each post and I actually think that I enjoy it more now.

Thanks again for putting your list together!

* What has been your biggest reward? I’ve “met” some great people. Some I’ve also had the good fortune to meet in real life as well. I also love having an archive of all of the knitting and crafting work that I’ve really done. It’s great to be able to go back and see how my interests have changed and it’s very helpful to be able to use it as a reference for gauge, yarn types, etc.

* How about your biggest frustration? I just don’t have the time to really keep up with the knitting community and people who comment on my blog like I used to. I feel bad about that.

* If you were starting a blog today, what would you do differently? I don’t regret my daily posting schedule of earlier days, but I would probably start now with just three days a week. I might try out WordPress, just to see if it offers better blog toys. But, overall, not sure I’d change much. I think I have a good rhythm for myself and I’m pretty happy with my technology set up as well.

35 irishgirlieknits { 02.13.09 at 12:00 am }

So much hard work putting this together!! So many of these blogs were what got me started on blogging (class of 2006 here!)! The list reminds me of blogs that I’ve lost track of too.

I’ve really enjoyed your past few posts with all the knitting blogs!! Some great recommendations! Thank you!

36 Carole { 02.13.09 at 4:06 am }

I started blogging in Jan 2005 but I’m not on the original list so I didn’t make it to your list either. Lots of my friends did, though. This must have taken you ages to get through!

37 Heather { 02.13.09 at 8:13 am }

Whoa…just wanted to say thanks! I’ve been reading knitting blogs since 2005 or a little earlier and this list reminds me of bloggers whom I’d forgotten about or lost the bookmarks to etc. What a neat list!

38 Hooray for new yarn and press coverage « the knitrider... erika's colorado springs knitting blog! { 02.13.09 at 12:25 pm }

[…] knittsings.com compiled a bunch of information and I made it into the Knitting Blog Class of 2005. Woo hoo! Check out the article, it is pretty […]

39 Jan { 02.13.09 at 1:09 pm }

This is fascinating! I’m happy to still be blogging. It has enriched my life in so many ways…foremost, all of the friends I’ve made around the world.
As to your questions,
*I started with Typepad and have stayed with them. I’m a very satisfied customer.
*My postings have dropped off a bit over the last unsettled year or so (two moves) but I expect to be back in the swing of things (2-3 weekly posts) soon.
*Biggest reward? New friends and a wonderful archive of ongoing work (knitting and quilting).
No frustrations. I can’t think of what I might do differently if I was starting now, although I think it’s much harder to get an audience now…there are SO many blogs out there!

40 Sarah { 02.14.09 at 10:23 pm }

I’m so glad I am part of the Class of 2005! I think it’s funny that my Bloglines subs are exactly the same – 3 and 3. I recently changed my blog software (was MT, now WP) and my RSS feed changed, too. I think most of my subscribers haven’t made the switch (I had 100+ at the old feed). Here are my answers:
Would you keep your same hosting site?
I was forced to change, as my old hosting site (since the beginning of my original blog in 2000) went out of business. I loved them, but I now have tons more space for less price, so I guess it was for the best.
Would you post more or less often?
Definitely more. The times when I had the best experience was when I was actively posting and engaged in the blogging community – I read and commented on lots of blogs and I got lots of comments in return. When you don’t post very often people start to fade away (understandably). That said, my days of posting the most were when I was in graduate school, not working 40+ hours a week and I before I had a baby. Now I’m lucky to get in more than one post a month.
What has been your biggest reward?
The people I’ve met in real life as a result of my blog. Going to meet-ups and parties, staying in hotel rooms with 14 other women that I’d only previously met virtually and having a fantastic time.
How about your biggest frustration?
Not being able to post more. Wondering why I don’t have more readers/comments. Sometimes feeling like I’m not part of the “in-crowd” of bloggers.
If you were starting a blog today, what would you do differently?
Not much!

41 Alison { 02.15.09 at 4:02 am }

My goodness, I can’t believe I made the list!!! I started blogging in October 2004, with great gusto, and have been very sporadic since then. The blogging community has become part of my life since then, and since stumbling on my first knitting blog (which I think was Wendy’s), I’ve made some wonderfully beautiful friends, here in Australia and other parts of the world. This is why I do keep my blog somewhat alive, and knitting is even back on the agenda now 🙂 Thank you so much for the list!

42 Suzie { 02.15.09 at 1:37 pm }

Thanks so much for this post! It’s really fascinating and I’m amazed I made the list! I had a rough 2008 and found myself posting less and less. I am hoping to get some of my blogging mojo back in 2009

To answer your questions:

* Would you keep your same hosting site? I’d keep it. It’s Blogger and although it’s been clunky at times, for the most part, it’s been fine.

* Would you post more or less often? I’d probably post more.

* What has been your biggest reward? The friends I made. I am always amazed by the connections we all have.

* How about your biggest frustration? Time. It takes a lot of it to maintain a blog!

* If you were starting a blog today, what would you do differently? I’d try to keep to a posting schedule!

43 Sharon { 02.15.09 at 8:32 pm }

This is so much better than my high school class! I am absolutely proud to be on the list and still blogging. I have been with Typepad since I started, and I’ve never considered switching. I posted several times a week in the beginning, but have gradually shifted to posting several times a month. I think everyone would agree that Ravelry in particular, and perhaps Facebook, along with Flickr and Twitter, has resulted in our readership spending less time reading blogs, commenting on blogs, and searching out new blogs. And yet we survive! Yay for all of us!

And yay for Kathryn. This is a fabulous post. Thanks for all this compilation work.

44 Lolly { 02.18.09 at 6:18 am }

Wow, you put so much work in to this! Thank you! What an impeccable resource. I loved looking through the list.

45 jillian { 02.19.09 at 12:36 pm }

Kathryn,

Nope, I wasn’t on that list 🙂 I have been sknitty this whole time though. Must just not have had a Bloglines feed at that time. I hadn’t been blogging long.

46 JessaLu { 02.20.09 at 9:08 pm }

@Kathryn – I’ve been thinking and I don’t know why the heck I’m not on the original bloglines list since I’ve had a feed – and a feedburner one, at that – since 2005 and my blog name has always been ‘JessaLu Knits’. Weird. Maybe it’s because I’ve always been very vocal on my feeling regarding bloglines and their supreme suckage when it comes to feed updates. ;o)

47 kristi and otis { 03.01.09 at 5:18 pm }

I was blogging December 2005 to current – I originally used blogger and then transfered over everything to wordpress – maybe thats why it didn’t make it?

48 Annie { 06.25.09 at 11:07 am }

Hi Kathryn! I was part of the class of 2005 as well, and am still blogging for going on (gasp) seven years now. In 2005 I was listed at 23 as “The COTFU Blog.” I’m still the COTFU (the first Center of the Fiber Universe), but now I live at http://www.tarboxfamily.net/annie. I got caught in the self-destruction of the Sheepthrills Mansion site and ended up moving to my own domain.

Started on Blogger, then to ???, and now using WordPress. I don’t tend to blog super-regularly, but I’ve never gone more than a few months without posting. Lately I’ve been posting fairly regularly–two to three times a week, with a chance of staying more regular.

Biggest reward is having friends now in so many different places and countries. I’ve moved a few times since I started blogging, and each time we moved to a different city I was able to find people I already “knew” because of blogs. Here in San Jose, I’ve finally met someone I’ve been e-mailing and commenting with for almost ten years. Awesome.

Biggest frustration is a.) remembering to take pictures, b.) remembering that I’ve taken pictures, c.) finding the camera, d.) finding the cable, e.) finding the time to upload and resize the images, f.) adding the code/clicks to post the pictures.

Anyway, like the man said “I’m not dead, yet!”

49 Nicolette { 02.08.12 at 6:41 am }

Wow, so many knitting blogs that I look forward to visiting and reading. Amazing list. Thank you for all your effort.

 

 

 

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