Crochet

I learned to crochet as a child, and crochet has been an important part of my life ever since. I collect vintage crochet patterns, and I also design free crochet patterns for other crafters to enjoy. I’m starting a new weekly crochet and knitting newsletter to share my patterns, and my discoveries, with other needleworkers. If this sounds interesting to you, I invite you to sign up.

Scrapbooking

I enjoy documenting my adventures using photos, journaling, and an assortment of beautiful papers and embellishments. I do bunches of hybrid and digital projects too.

Photography

I never set out to be a photographer, but it’s a skill I’ve had to acquire; without photographs, my writing, art and other work would be inaccessible to the worldwide online audience. I usually shoot with a Sony a350, and I often carry a Nikon Coolpix camera around for on-the-go shots.

Knitting

I learned to hand knit when I was in high school, and I later went on to get a degree in textile design. In design school, I studied both hand and machine knitting. After graduation, I designed circular knits professionally. My customers were mostly garment manufacturers who sold apparel to the big-box retailers.

Crafts

I’ll try anything crafty! I’ve enjoyed dabbling in all kinds of crafts, including needlework, stamping, card making, beadwork, sewing and mosaics.

Writing

I’ve been a writer since I was in junior high, when I first began journaling.

I began writing for the web in 1998, and I have writing scattered in various places around the Internet.

In 2009, I signed on as About.com’s crochet expert, a gig I worked at on a more than full-time basis until 2014. The New York Times Company owned the About.com network at the time I began writing for them. I spent 3 years under the Times umbrella learning the business of journalism and writing for the web; I wrote for the About.com network for about five years total.

Art

I was a studio art minor in college, and I’m still using and applying all the lessons I learned back then.

Travel

My husband Mike and I live aboard a sailboat. Our most impressive adventure so far: crossing the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. We’ve also traveled extensively in the USA. We spent a couple of years cruising the Channel Islands and California’s coast.

Kittens

Mike and I adopted 4 orphaned kittens when they were only a couple of weeks old. They needed constant bottle feeding and care. If we hadn’t taken them in, they would have died. We never intended to own 4 cats, but somewhere along the line we fell in love with the little cuties. They’ve enriched our lives and have kept us laughing nonstop at their funny and adorable antics.