I first picked up sticks and string when I was about 6 years old, visiting my Granny, Evelyn. Using 10 1/2 needles and cotton yarn she led me (with boundless patience) though dozens of garter stitch dishclothes. From there I worked up to knitting pieces that became dresses (sort of) for Barbie. After a frenzied beginning I put away my needles until my twenties, when I discovered luxury yarns and began to explore the design process while studying ... Read Full Bio »

I first picked up sticks and string when I was about 6 years old, visiting my Granny, Evelyn. Using 10 1/2 needles and cotton yarn she led me (with boundless patience) though dozens of garter stitch dishclothes. From there I worked up to knitting pieces that became dresses (sort of) for Barbie. After a frenzied beginning I put away my needles until my twenties, when I discovered luxury yarns and began to explore the design process while studying Fashion Design. My other Granny, Lois, taught me embroidery & crochet. She'd take me to the Ibis, the local 5 and 10 shop, and we'd pick out cotton pillowcases, baby sacques (whatever the heck those were - I had 3 kids and never used one) or aprons that had embroidery patterns printed on them in blue. I loved those days. I wanted floss in every color. I couln't wait to finish whatever I was working on so I could go back and get more floss in new colors. I'd embroider the pattern and then do crochet edging in variegated thread. My mom taught me to sew. We had great excursions to the local fabric shop and spent hours pouring over the Butterick, McCall's and Simplicity and for the occasional splurge - Vogue, pattern books. It was a good thing I enjoyed the process of choosing the fabric and pattern, cutting everything our & sewing it together, because the end results were pretty dreadful. Things improved as I studied Fashion Design and began to gain some skill and knowledge. Over the years since college I've continued to knit, crochet, sew and embroider and have tried quilting, weaving, macrame, silkscreen and mixed media art. Lately I've combined many of these different crafts into freeform pieces.