About me

I tried to write a narrative of how I got to this point, but it didn’t work. Many things and people and events contributed and they don’t make a nice neat story arc. Instead, I’ll tell you some things I’ve learned along the way.

• Live in Color

  
  

  For years, I lived in neutral colors. Almost all my clothes were black, brown, beige, or gray. That started to bug me around 2005, and I’ve started adding a lot more color to my life. It’s a work in progress.

  
  

• Try* All The Things

  
  

  I've been crafting since before I can remember. I know that I got a sewing machine for my 5th birthday, so I imagine my mom taught me to sew when I was three or four. My mother-in-law taught me to crochet in 2003, the internet taught me to spin in 2008, and my friends taught me to knit in 2010. I've also dabbled in beading, cardmaking, and other crafts over the years. I don't necessarily like doing All The Things, but I love to learn how and know that I can.

  
  

  * I am not Yoda. There is a try.

• Rarely Say Never

  
  

  I’ve learned not to say “I’ll never want to…”, at least about crafts. So far I’ve said that about dyeing fiber, buying fleece, and many other things that I now love to do. All I’m willing to commit to these days, when trying to prevent yet another craft from taking over my life, is “It’s not a priority for me right now….”

  In the photo at the top of the page, I'm wearing a sweater made from fleece (and silk) I bought, dyed, spun, and knit - skills that, 5 years before the picture was taken, I had no idea how to do and didn't know I was interested in.

  
  

• Don’t Have A Plan

  
  

  I have trouble with the interview question, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” My life – work, hobbies, etc. – can change drastically in that amount of time.

  Five years ago, I had just started my first IT job, and the only fiber craft I actively did was crocheting.

  

  Five years before that, I was unemployed, applying for jobs in all sorts of fields. Note to self: PR is not a good career for introverts.

  Five years before that, I was in the early days of my career in history museums. (That career lasted about five years.)

  Do I want to make my living with fiber? Sometimes. I love working with color. But I also love my day job as a computer software developer. Do I know what I will want to be doing in five years? Not at all.