I’ve been driving up the steep Divisadero Street hill toward the San
Francisco Bay for as long as I can remember. Each time the colors and the light
inspire me -- whether it’s the foggy grays of the sky, the pastels of the
Victorian homes, or the bright blues of the sky and bay.
Searching for color has always been a kind of happy obsession and passion of mine.
But it wasn’t until I discovered knitting that I found a way to
turn that lifelong search into something beautiful and functional that could be
shared with others.
As a child I loved all the crafts that my mother and grandmother taught me—needlepoint, sewing, embroidery and knitting. I learned early in life that textures and attention to detail create the larger picture. Trips to the fabric store, picking out patterns and silks that would be whipped into exquisite gowns taught me to visualize the final product. In an old button and ribbon shop in Sausalito I was thrilled by the treasure hunt for bejeweled buttons and rows of ribbons tucked away in winding nooks and crannies.
I feel that same kind of excitement now when I enter the yarn factory in
Peru that is producing the Peruvian cotton yarn for the sweaters I design and sell. A single thread is pulled out of a huge
bin of cotton and spun into giant cones of color. Walking through the factory is like wading through a
sea of color.
For years I devoted my knitting talent to making sweaters for my many
little nieces and nephews and friends. I was satisfied and gratified that I had made something unique and special that could be handed
down to siblings and generations, and I resisted advice that I should turn my
hobby into a vocation.
But now after twelve years as a professional in the retail world of accessories and
jewelry, four years in wholesale for Swatch, and thirteen years at Fossil
accessories, I have finally decided
to wade into that glorious sea of color full-time and have launched my own
brand of infant and children’s sweaters.
