Island Knitwear

Hand-knit wool hats are my canvas.  Within this rather small footprint I find lots of room to play with color and visual texture.  The tactile nature of fiber, yarn and cloth grabs me in a way that no other craft does.  As a child my grandmothers and mom taught me to sew, tat, crochet and knit.  I’ve dabbled in quilting, weaving and many other textile related crafts over the years, and even made all my own clothes as a teen. But once I found spinning and dying, I knew I’d found my passion.

Small projects, like hats, give me the opportunity to play with color choices without making a big commitment.  My hats are all my original design, and are exclusively made from natural fibers including wool, mohair, alpaca and silk.  I source the fiber locally as much as possible and I hand-dye or spin most of my yarns.  I love mixing colors, both in the dying and carding processes, as well as while knitting.

I’ve lived on Orcas since 1977 and visited my family here prior to that.  My first craft booth was at the 1970 Library Fair.  More recently I’ve had a booth at the Orcas Island Farmers Market and various holiday events.  You can find me on Facebook @Island Knitwear, and on Instagram @island.knitwear.