Art has always been a part of my life. My father comes from a family of builders. My mother is a maker of many crafts and a loving caretaker. From a very young age, I was exposed to people building and making things with their hands. My mom often tells a story that as a young child, she would sit me on her lap while she painted or sculpted, and I would just sit there watching her. No grabbing of the brushes or the clay, I just sat there and observed her work. Growing up, instead of enrolling their children in sports, my parents signed me and my siblings up for drawing classes which we attended every week. Throughout school, I chose to enroll in just about every art class I could- drafting, shop, ceramics, art, art history, drawing, and painting.

As a petite child, I always had a tough time finding clothes that fit me. As a teen, I didn’t want to have to purchase clothes in the children’s department. I dabbled with making some of my own clothes in an effort to create what didn’t exist. I remember going to the craft store to purchase yarn and knitting needles knowing nothing more than the fact I needed the two of them in order to knit. I taught myself how to knit from one of my mother’s books, Reader’s Digest, “Complete Guide to Needlework”. I remember sitting there on the floor with the book open, matching my hands to the pictures on the pages. I was preparing for the downtime and recovery that I knew I was going to have with an impending oral surgery- wisdom teeth removal. The first project I ever made was a bright orange, fuzzy scarf that my younger sister still has to this day. Needless to say she probably doesn’t wear it, but at this point, it has become somewhat of a relic to my knitting journey, and I don’t think she’ll get rid of it now that she knows it was my first ever knitted object.

The idea of fashion design intrigued me as a young adult looking to the future. My college years were packed full of every drawing class my school offered. My evenings consisted of more life drawing classes- studies of the proportions and beauty of the human body. After college, a study abroad took me to Florence, Italy where I was absorbed with the commitment and specialty that each family has to their art-form. Knowing that Italy is famous for textiles and fiber, one of the souvenirs I brought back with me was more orange yarn, but this time it wasn’t quite as bright. My roommate in Italy took a jewelry class that piqued my interest in jewelry and metal arts. Upon arrival back to the states, I enrolled in Flathead Valley Community Collage’s jewelry making course. An application to a local, fine jewelry store landed me a full time job with benefits. This allowed me a more normal daytime schedule, a break from the late nights of bar tending and waiting tables in fine dining. My manager at the jewelry store came into work one January showing me a birthday gift she had received from her dear friend. It was a gorgeous, fair isle, basket weave, felted tote in grey and white. That was a spark that reignited a fire within me for knitting that has been with me ever since. It inspired me to pick up the knitting needles again after what had been a long absence. Living in Montana, there are lots of opportunities for hats, gloves, scarves, warm socks, sweaters, and anything knitted for that matter. Temperatures in the winter can plummet below 0°and extra, warm, layers are a necessity at that point. The desire to create what doesn’t exist still resonates with me. To me, knitting is the perfect collaboration of art, drawing, color, beauty, fashion, form and function. I love the fact that it doesn’t require electricity, can be brought along and be done anytime and anywhere.

When I’m not knitting, I can be found spending time working at the jewelry store, with my partner, or hanging out with my three dogs.