Spinning and knitting … didn’t come from grandma, any of them… Although they were crocheters, and really good ones too! They would put a crochet hook in my hand with some yarn any time they could. By time I was ten I think I made one toilet paper cover - in yellow. Progress. After that I was done, my fiber “art” time was put away and never seen again, until motherhood hit… Not sure if the “nesting” thing hit hard but when I was pregnant I HAD TO get some yarn and start knitting! (maybe grandmas were telling me something from the heavens?!) I had NO idea what I was doing, but I watched, read, and repeated - and I got it. I kept going and didn’t stop and soon had a baby blanket big enough to cover the state of New York , but damn , I knit the heck out of that thing! Over the years, of course, I honed in on some “fine tuning” of my knitting skills. Got MUCH better at baby blankets too. My spinning skills also needed some refining, but I noticed that my work was a little different - I didn’t like pattern. Not knitting patterns - although I’m awful with those too - but just pattern in general. I liked bits and pieces that were different, uneven, oddly shaped -so I left them. For a few years, I feared showing my work - it just wasn’t like what I was seeing online or at some shops I visited. But when I wore my pieces in public, I received compliments - so, I finally got myself signed up for a few fiber shows and events, built my website and haven’t turned back since. Different is my niche. My yarns are different , my knits are too and I really like them. I don’t do well with fine and lightweight yarns either, I only do art yarns and the chunky stuff. I was never really sure if it was “ok” - then I realized, “oh well! I’m loving them and so are other people!” The idea of making everyone happy, nope, not happening. The idea of being different and embracing different, yes, happening. The little bits and pieces of fiber in my yarns, the little bumps and wire-like fibers that stand up in my knits , love them. All of them. They’re different, they’re unique and they usually look pretty amazing too! I’m looking forward to finally teaching my method, my “different” and so far, finding quite a few others who are sharing and enjoying it too! :)