Christened “Yarn Faerie” by her Grandma, she was instructed to choose her favorite color for her first project. “I took a long time, alternating the piles and putting colors together until finally I chose a bright sunny yellow.” Grandma Grace patiently showed Kristine how to make a slipknot with a crochet hook and she tenaciously kept at it until her young, chubby fingers could maneuver the yarn and hook without trouble. And then, in true childhood wonder, she created a sunshine chain the length of her Grandmother’s house!

The craft of crochet kept Kristine busy through the years: she used her skill to relax and to make baby blankets to warm the new arrivals in her family and friends’ families. But at the age of 30, her interest in fiber art caught fire when she discovered spinning at the Renaissance Pleasure Faire in southern California. A long-dormant interest -the creation of yarn- was unveiled before her eyes. While family members worked a booth featuring hand-sculpted dolls, Kristine could be found mesmerized by the spinners three booths away, transforming roving into yarn. She left the Faire that day with multi-colored Merino roving and a double-whorl drop spindle fashioned from padauk and walnut woods. The feelings of delight and remembrance of the yarn closet flooded her heart and she knew that spinning would always be a part of her authentic self.

Kristine’s new love inspired her to purchase an Ashford Castle wheel and with the help of her mother she discovered a spinning and weaving community to help her nurture her craft. The San Diego Creative Weavers’ Guild www.sdcwg.org has fostered the creativity of many craftspeople in San Diego County and Kristine has been a very active participant in this group. During her tenure as Program Chairperson, she met Priscilla Lowry, a silk historian, medievalist, lecturer, designer and artist in silk. Priscilla has been helpful in inspiring Kristine to take her love to a higher level – to marry her craft and her livelihood.

Grandma Grace’s yarn closet came full circle for Kristine when she inherited all the colored yarns of her memories. Packaged in a steamer trunk were the contents of the much-loved yarn closet of her childhood, as well as a gift of inspiration. Kristine learned upon opening the trunk that her Grandmother had a passion for knitting. The trunk’s contents included an abundance of knitting paraphernalia and many unfinished projects: a blue wool cabled afghan, a red bikini, a green pair of men’s socks, and a variegated infant jacket. Those items, gifts in their various stages of completion, inspired Kristine to learn to knit in order to finish the garments, remain close to her Grandmother, and understand the craft her Grandma so obviously loved. It also gave Kristine a clearer view on her Grandmother’s skills and interests as a needle worker: she had been an avid knitter until arthritis caused her to shift her technique to crochet. Her love of fiber arts motivated her to persist in learning how to hold a crochet hook in her severely crippled hands so that she could pursue her craft. This allowed her to continue creating beautiful, artistic pieces; “each member of our family was gifted an exceptionally handsome afghan”. The trunk contained many knitting needles and 30 years of patterns – all now treasures with a history. They are Kristine’s living memory of her Grandma Grace, a thread that connects them both through memories and feelings shared so many years ago.