Six Years, and Counting

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by Hannah (BitterSweet)

Happy Birthday, BitterSweet! You are officially six years old today.

It was a mundane decision to start a blog, another tiny voice in the sea of millions, that even I had no expectations for. Initially, I didn’t tell friends or family; I didn’t have any online acquaintances; It was just a public journal, filled with craft junk and crappy snapshots.

Nearly 1,000 posts later, it’s hard to put to words the indelible impact it’s made on my life. I don’t even want to imagine what would have become of me if I hadn’t typed out that first meek post and hit “publish!”  With every new comment that comes in, I’m grateful that someone, anyone, took the time to read my lackluster early entries, and stick around for the ride. You guys gave me the courage to keep going, to keep creating, and now I’d never dream of turning back.

So this is all to say….

THANK YOU for reading, lurking, commenting, questioning, and otherwise being there, no matter what stage of the journey you joined in!

I mean it, and I truly do wish I could give out gifts to everyone, but considering shipping costs and logistics, that sort of extravaganza will have to wait until I have the same notoriety as Oprah. Considering how far this blog as come, it could just happen! For now though, I’d like to giveaway another set of my favorite crocheted pot holders to one lucky person.

I’ve made this pattern so many times now, I can almost whip through a set without looking at the color chart. Crafted in a springy combination of blue ombre and light yellow, this particular pair are a cheerful but subtly subversive addition to any kitchen. Made of cotton yarn, they’re functional, durable, and best of all, machine washable.

The winner will be chosen at random, so it doesn’t matter if you remember the awkward beginnings or just clicked over today- Everyone’s eligible! To enter, leave a comment with your name and email in the appropriate slots, and tell me about an awesome blog that’s new to you. It doesn’t have to be newly created, but something that’s recently caught your eye and you can’t get enough of. In honor of the birthday, this giveaway is open only today, so make sure you chime in before midnight, EST.

Spread the blog love; leave a comment today!

UPDATE: Ultimately, I couldn’t possibly turn anyone away, so I allowed a “grace” period of an extra day or two to enter. I owe you one, after all! And so, as chosen by everyone’s favorite random number generator, the winner is…

Commenter #44, Maureen! Congrats!

In case this wasn’t your lucky day, never fear- There will be many more giveaways, and even more pot holders to share in the years to come.

90 thoughts on “Six Years, and Counting”

  2. Congratulations & bon bloganniversaire alors !
    As for the website/blog that caught my attention, I would say Culinographie (which is a porte manteau word combining the French words Culinaire (culinary) and Photographie (photography) )
    I have not had enough time to check it out as I would like to, but there are really nice ideas on there, and eve if you do no speak French, it can be inspiring for food photography. If you do speak French, you will find a lot of advice there.
    http://www.culinographie.com/

  3. Happy birthday, Bittersweet! You certainly have come a long way in those six years. I become an even bigger fan with every post you publish. Keep up the fantastic work!

  4. congratulations! you are an incredible inspiration, both as a vegan cook/baker and also as a blogger. i look forward to continuing as a loyal reader <3

  7. Happy birthday, Bittersweet!! I’ve been lurking for years. :) The potholders are adorable, by the way!

  10. Hannah … well deserved congratulations to you!! Your efforts and skill have turned this blog (as well as all your other projects!) into the fine, professional on-line presence that it is!

  11. It’s definitely not a new blog, but I’ve just gotten hooked to What the Hell Does a Vegan Eat Anyway. The photography is beautiful, and since I think my own palate seems pretty similar to the food talked about in the blog, I get a lot of inspiration from it.

  12. Congrats and you are truly an inspiration.As for ur thoughts of lackluster ,I don’t think so,yours is one of the most innovative blogs I have read and will continue to..
    One of the awesome blogs I have been visiting is Golubka..beautiful pics and very creative.

  13. happy birthday! I just discovered terry hope romero’s blog vegan latina yesterday. can’t believe I neve r thought to look for it before!

  16. Congratulations on six years! You put so much work and love into your blog, and it always shows. Here’s to Oprah-level successes to come!

  17. Congratulations on six years. Hope you keep it up for many more.
    Recently I have been enjoying kblog.lunchboxbunch.com for it’s many yummy recipes.

  18. I’ve just discovered Vegan Stoner – genius! Happy Birthday to your blog! I’ve been reading for at least 4 years….time goes so quickly!

  19. Congrats on 6 years! I am trying to remembering now for how long I have been reading this Bittersweet – it’s been a couple of years for sure, more actually, because I remember reading it back when I lived in Costa Rica (which is more than 2.5 years ago!)

    A blog I can’t get enough of: Mipa’s http://aliensdayout.com (‘A Vegan in Seoul, South Korea’) – just because I’d like to live there one day and at first thought it’d be a struggle (veganwise), but that blog has given me hope! Plus, it’s just awesome, with its yummy recipes and cute graphic design and adorable bunny pics!

    To the 6 years (and more!)!

  20. Congratulations Hannah. I know what you mean…it feels silly to start another blog when there are so many. But, I enjoy doing mine anyway. And, I’m glad you started yours! I like to read ohsheglows.com

  22. I wanted to comment before I saw the giveaway. It’s true. Just to say congrats and I really do love your blog. Your crochet patterns are amazing, but I have really come to love your recipes and photos as well. I actually recommended your vegan desserts book to my Mom awhile back. Keep up the fantastic work and thanks for what you do!

    I already have lots of potholders, so if I get chosen, please just go onto the next person as the winner.

    And just for some inspiration. I love Attic24. I think it’s attic24.typepad.com. She has some super sweet crochet tutorials and a beautiful ripple pattern (which I am working on right now)!

  24. Happy blog birthday! It’s always a joy to read your blog, try your recipes, and admire your lovely photos. :)

    My latest blog find is Astig Vegan (astigvegan.com), which has loads of veganized Filipino recipes.

  25. I love these pot holders. I can’t crochet so no hope of me making these if I don’t win. New blog I like is St. Pete Vegan Food Swap. I love the idea of a food swap and love it even more that it is all vegan. There should be one of these in every city! Thank, Hannah for starting this blog and for your books.

  27. Congratulations Hannah on your lovely blog! Your blog inspired me to buy your book and I enjoy seeing your fantastic books and reading your recipes.May this blog go on and on!

  28. Happy Birthday! My daughter-in-law would love these! I really enjoy checking out your blog and finding out what you’ve created!

  30. I’ve been meaning to make a set of those myself. Hmm, I’m getting ready to send my sister’s birthday gift and she’s really into skulls…

  31. Happy birthday, BitterSweet blog! Thank you for sharing all your musings, recipes, adorable crafts, and wisdom with us over the years, Hannah. I am SO grateful to know you and call you a friend. xoxo

  34. Happy Blogiversary!

    One of my favorite blogs is not new, but so worth adding to your RSS feed. It’s dailyotter.org Who doesn’t need a picture of an adorable otter once a day?

  35. Congratulations on your birthday! I still remember the very first Bittersweet I found, your crochet turkey pattern. I was brand new to crochet, and it was my first project aside from flat circles, squares and chains. I still have it, and it is adorable.

    The latest blog that I’ve become very enamoured with is Fork at Beans
    http://forkandbeans.wordpress.com/
    I am head over heels for Cara, and all her adorable creations, lovely pictures, sense of humour, and shining spirit. :)

  37. Those potholders are unbearably adorable!
    Thank you for being part of the community for so long–you truly are a source of inspiration.
    A blog I discovered recently? Funny you should ask this, I was just in the process of “pinning” almost every recipe from Kitchen La Boheme (http://www.kitchenlaboheme.com), which I came across a couple of days ago. Awesome stuff.

  39. Six years is AMAZING! Hannah, I’m so glad I found your blog and I’m looking forward to what the future holds — Happy Birthday, BitterSweet!

  40. What a wonderful post. Congratulations on your six years. It’s hard to imagine you ever had crappy snapshots! I can’t wait till my blog celebrates it’s sixth year.

    Happy Anniversary!

  42. bonne fete à bittersweet! can’t wait to read along for many moons to come :)
    congrats hannah & thank you for sharing your creativity with us all. xo

  43. WOW!!! 6 years! I can not believe it! I found your site… about 5 years ago! I was looking for craft patterns! And I was a vegetarian at the time! So, I fell in love with everything! I also got your first book and cooked many of the recipes!
    Your blog opened me up to the craft world and Vegan world! Currently, I’m in France not following a vegan diet because I want to try everything (no meat though). I am very happy to see your work still! :D
    As for a new blog… wow, I follow a lot. I will say another blog that changed me was http://babyparis.blog99.fc2.com/. I am in to fashion and I love the store. So I love to see what I can buy! :)
    my email is sydneysunray@yahoo.com
    Thanks for the giveaway on your blogs big day!
    <3 LOVE
    Sydney

  45. Congrats, Hannah! You are a wonderful inspiration and absolutely deserve all the good things that come your way in the world of food, photography and writing. lately I’ve been digging My New Roots and Pure 2 Raw. Not necessarily new, but very much on my radar lately. Here’s to another year of vegan deliciousness and beauty!

  47. You are hardly a tiny voice in the sea of millions, now Hannah. You have made a difference in so many peoples lives! Continue the dialog and amazing yummy food ideas!!! Congrats on 6 years!! xoxo

  50. Happy Birthday! 6 is such a rad age because you can play with your food, get dirty in the yard, and obsess about dinosaurs and robots! I mean, you can do those things when you’re 31 too. People just look at you a little funny.

    Also, thanks for the putting up the potholder pattern. That way if I’m a loser I can just make them myself. You’re the best!

  53. Amazing, Hannah! Huge congratulations to you. You’ve inspired so many to start blogging (me), and to hit the kitchen baking. Thanks for six great years–and here’s to many more! :)

  56. Woohoo! MAJOR congrats love! It is no easy feat making it year six!

    A blog that’s new to me…hmmm…I’ve been loving the blog Roost!

  60. I love your blog. Congratulations for beginning the blog and sticking with it for six years. Here is a crochet blog that I recently saw recommended on a different blog. The blog that I’m recommmending is called Attic 24. Here is the link:
    http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/
    Blessings!

  61. Happy Anniversary Hannah! Thanks for inspiring me with all of your posts.

    Another blog I love is Peas and Thank You…Sarah’s stories about like with her family are hilarious and her recipes are oh so yum!

  62. Happy birthday, Bittersweet! Congratulations, dear Hannah, on all of your successes and the successes and joy to come! It is all well deserved. Thank you for taking us along with you on this sweet, decadent, challenging, and fun journey of yours. We are all the better for it. :) Much love, and here’s to another six wonderful years, and beyond!

  64. Happy happy birthday you wonderful lady! I’m so glad you started blogging too, because the world always needs more Hannahs in the public eye ;) Here’s to six-squillion more years!

    P.S. Too tired to figure out the time difference right now, but just in case, I love my friend’s blog Bacon Clafoutis. She makes all the kinds of jokes I wish I could but can’t because me grandma reads my blog :P

  66. Hi. Love your blog, and have your books. Thank you for the sweetness you’ve added to my life. Another blog I read is new dress a day. You are so creative, it is inspiring

  67. Happy Blogbirthday Hannah! I’m not commenting to enter myself in the giveaway, just to congratulate you on your successes and wishing you many more years of blogging, and also books and photography ahead! (p.s. I think we started blogging around the same time, how coincidental) You are a STAR!!!

  68. Congrats, you’ve created such an inspirational place for me to visit! I’m in the early phase of blogging – I still haven’t really invited many people to read. . . It’s nice to know you shared a similar blog beginning and you’ve come so far! Cheers!

  69. Happy Blogoversary! heres wishing you lots more years of blogging!
    i have too many blogs to choose from! but the ones i do end up at are Cara’s fork and beans and Heather’s Sundaymorningbananapancakes!

  71. Congratulations on your staying power! I can only aspire to your heights. I am currently at the first meek & modest steps into the online world & it feels like stepping naked into a supermarket….without a list….or a wallet….in a foreign country. But exciting all the same! Love your inmagination & originality & nature.
    Keep going!

  73. Congrats on 6 years!!! I love my potholders that I won from you already!! So if for some reason my number does come up… pick another person so you can spread the love even more! They are so fun and a great conversation piece in the kitchen :) Thanks for all your beautiful photos, fun crafts, and delicious recipes!!

  79. Congrats! I love your blog – it’s one of my favorites and was an inspiration for me starting my own. I have a long way to go but someday I hope it’s half as beautiful as yours!

  82. I just started blogging last year & even though I’m quite a beginner I sometimes feel like “man this is too much work … there are hundreds of better blogs & bloggers out there, mine doesn’t even matter…”
    It’s so easy to give up, but need so much more patience to carry on! So, 6 years, wow!

  84. My darling new potholders arrived in the mail today, and I used them just now to remove my vegan polenta in tomato sauce from the oven! My hands did not get burned, meaning they work fabulously, and they are SO cute.

    Thanks!

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