(I always like an early Christmas present - don’t you?)

Our Dolce kitty is a tortoiseshell with a big attitude. She adventures all day long outside, climbing tree trunks and slinking through tall grass!

I’ve worked on mourning shawls for years. Each time a close friend lost a loved one (especially a partner, parent, or sibling), I would pull out the yarn and cast on. After working with other people’s patterns (and going through a particularly difficult transition in my own life), I knew it was time to create my own.

I came up with this simple poncho as a way to comfort myself during these stressful times. Beginning with a thick and snuggly cowl neck with a spiraling design and then continuing through a simple and reassuring field of stockinette, this piece comforts during knitting and then transitions into a stylish blankie you can wear!

When I sat down with the first skein of our new Sew Steamboat yarn, I knew the pattern needed to celebrate the woman who made it happen: my friend and business partner, Lynn Wunder. (Plus, who could resist that name?!)

The Victory Arch shawl is a tribute to my friends and family who have been affected by cancer. While working as hospice volunteer, I found that I needed the simple comfort of garter stitch as I sat, chatting and keeping patients and their families company. The arches in the lace at the end stand for the coming victory over cancer, hopefully in ...

“Over this past holiday season while searching for a hat to knit for all the nieces and nephews, I got inspired by a striped hat I saw. After a little re-working and spelunking around with the pattern, I began knitting these over and over. Right now, I wish I had one on my needles! The self-striping yarn creates fun changing stripes over the so...

At the beginning of February each year in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, the city holds Winter Carnival. This week long celebration of winter includes street events (like the shovel race where, on our snowladen main street, contestants attempt to sit on shovels pulled by galloping horses), a parade, fireworks and the famous Lighted Man, a fellow ...

I created these two patterns to be used in the “Learn to Knit” class I teach at my local yarn store here in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. These simple patterns are a great way to begin knitting and I encourage anyone who is teaching someone else how to knit (or anyone who just wants to learn how to knit) to download these patterns and use them.

“I remember as a “tween” getting so excited when I received my very first pair of legwarmers. I loved them and wore them so much they fell apart. And then, the era ended. Legwarmers were gone.

“When I began to dream up this pattern, I started thinking about my nephew. He has quite a mountain to climb, and his favorite part of the path right now has to be trains. He’s such a huge fan of model trains and real trains. He goes trainspotting, which is where you stand and watch the train pass while you either take photos or a video to reco...

The smell of dirt disappears in Steamboat over the winter. Our frozen fields of snow obliterate most outside scents replacing them with the bracing sweetness of cold, the occasional burst of minty pine and the warm smell of burning logs from someone’s fireplace. This hat represents that memory and hope and knowledge that we’ll smell the dirt an...

“You are my lucky star

In Steamboat Springs, Colorado, the first day of spring is usually accompanied by a big snowfall. Skiing continues until mid-April, and the snow doesn’t end until…. Well, we can get snow any day of the year. However, eventually the constant blanket of snow disappears from my yard to reveal green grass, small flowers appear and the hills change ...

In late May on the main street of my little city (Steamboat Springs, Colorado), the crabapple trees burst into bloom, declaring the arrival of warm weather. The sweet pink and white blossoms cheer us and then, when they fade, the petals fall like a spring snow, forming drifts as the local shopkeepers sweep them from the sidewalk.

From most places in my little town, you can look up and see the ski area, a majestic mountain covered with snaking white lanes of snow. In the evening, those lanes catch every tiny little bit of sparkle available and just glow.

I’ve spent hours knitting stranded color Christmas stockings, and wanted something that would come together quickly. This generous stocking, knit with bulky yarn and using duplicate stitch to create the pattern, fit the bill precisely. Picking buttons for the decorations for the tree completed an absolutely fun experience! I hope you have as mu...

I love to hike. Walking up hills and into the woods with my dogs gives me a sense of peace. Anytime I am in distress (or just stressed out), I take a hike and walk until I feel better. The beauty of the woods and fields, the majesty of the mountains and streams, the easy drift of an old jeep road; all of these work their way into my soul and re...

This sock pattern will be available on October 1, 2012.

Last fall, when the colors changed and the light turned golden, I ran into a friend of mine I hadn’t seen all summer. Her surprise? A brand new baby boy! As I cooed and petted his head and let him grab my finger, I realized that his big round head needed something special for the season. Thus, my twist on the baby pumpkin hat. Enjoy turning you...

I designed this cowl specifically to give my beginning knitting students a “Next Step.” The simple cables and lacework, along with some practice switching back and forth between knit and purl stitches, can perfectly enhance any beginner’s knitting skills.

Inspired by the dandelions that dot my lawn each summer, this expandable market bag stuffs easily into your purse and also expands to hold all your groceries or favorite crafting supplies!

Many years ago, my good friend Paula directed a student production of The Rover at the University of Denver. I was enchanted by the idea of Aphra Behn, the playwright. Reputed to be the first woman to earn a living as an author, her work was performed during the Restoration (during the reign of Charles II from 1660 to 1685). Her storied life in...

“In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan, earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone.”