Our Designer

Hi all this is April!   I am excited about this new project thought maybe you would like to get to know me better.  So, who am I?  I’m a mom, a knitter, a crocheter, a pattern designer, a dog lover, a part-time professional organizer, and a long-time executive admin.

I come from a super crafty family.  My grandma was an amazing seamstress and tailor.  My Mom, the most amazing super crafter I’ve ever known, quilts, sews, tole paints, knits, crochets, beads, is currently obsessed with silk ribbon embroidery, and can pretty much do anything she puts her mind to!  My Dad is constantly in motion, he loves woodworking and gardening, and of course his first-born daughter (wink, wink). 

I started knitting when I was 27.  At the time, my daughter, who’s now 23, loved all things crafty from the time she could hold a crayon.  We spent many hours painting sun catchers, coloring, and learning cross stitch when she was younger.  When she was 8, my mom took her to the local yarn store to learn to knit.  She took to it like a duck in water.  The only problem was she would ask me for help, and I had no idea what she was doing!  What were these magical sticks and string that she was waving around to make scarves and hats??

Inspired by her tenacity and persistence, I took knitting lessons… and so it began.  The spiral into the world of yarn, knitting, crochet, and of course this amazing community.

The first scarf I made was a worsted weight held double with a fun fur – I still have it and wear it every winter.  I moved onto hats, blankets… you know, the usual stuff.  After a few years, I decided I should try something more difficult.  I chose the by Ysolda Teague.  Why, might you ask??  Because I didn’t know enough to be scared.  This gorgeous sweater is worked bottom up, in one piece, and it’s completely cabled.  This sweater taught me patience, how to gauge, how to drop stitches down and rework with a crochet hook (cables, by the way – I’d crossed them incorrectly and figured I’d have to rip it back anyway, so why not try the hook first), how to steek (the sleeves were too long, so it was either rip out the entire yoke and saddles and both sleeves., or steek them), and the frustration of kitchener stitch.  But when it was finally finished, it was amazing.  And I truly believe that the most important lesson it taught me was not to be afraid – that I could do anything I set out to do – at least with sticks and string.

My first designs were baby hats.  One was reverse engineered from a hand-knit hat that was on my grandma’s baby doll from the 1920s.  I went on to design for Knit Picks, Cascade, as well as several self-published designs available in Ravelry.

I would consider myself a combination of process & product knitter, instead of just one or the other.  What’s the difference?

A process knitter enjoys the actual process of making the piece, they aren’t bothered by ripping back multiple times, it’s just an opportunity to knit more.  They are intrigued by new techniques and love the adventure of using new and different yarns.

A product knitter is interested in the result – the completed project.  They see something they must have and start it immediately.  Once they get into the groove, watch out!

While I love learning new techniques, new patterns, and new yarns – I get bored easily once the “newness” wears off, then it’s all about finishing.  For example, I wanted to learn how to crochet cables.  I picked a gorgeous baby blanket, by Josi Euchner.  The only issue, crochet cables are relatively simple. After 3”, I’d learned the technique, but still had another 33” to go!