Artist Statement

I began knitting in 1971, when I was 11 years old, spending the first six years of my knitting experience casting on, knitting, purling, binding off , “un-knitting” a lot, and not really producing much of anything in particular, except skills. Then, when I was 17, I knit my first Aran sweater.

            I started handspinning and dyeing in 1984, and in 1992, I opened Cozycat Knits. Over the next seven years, I taught handspinning, dyeing, felting, and card weaving. Cozycat closed in 2002. I haven’t spun or taught much lately, but continue to be an avid knitter and from 2006-2008 produced at least seven of the major pieces shown here as well as numerous pairs of socks and mittens, hats, scarves and some knitted felt bags.

            Some of these pieces use my handspun, hand dyed yarns, but the bulk are constructed from commercially spun and dyed yarns. Some are original designs and some come from published patterns--including one of my own. Each piece is labeled with the fiber type(s) and dyestuffs used in its construction. In this body of work, I have representations of many types of knitting: 

                        Aran: with its bobbles and cables,
                        Multi-Color Stranded: mostly in Scandinavian styles,
                        Intarsia: a kind of complicated mosaic,
                        Felted knits: first knitted and then felted, and
                        Lace: the epitome of knitting at its most beautiful and intricate.
           
            I hope you enjoy viewing my show. It represents such a large part of who I am. I would like to thank my family, who have been the recipients of many of my projects. I would also like to thank all the local folks who have bought or commissioned pieces from me over the years. Many people’s lives have touched mine, through their interest in my classes. You have all been a source of inspiration and support for me and for the fiber arts. Thank you. And most of all, my thanks and love to Ann Rausch, who, for the last thirty-eight years, has been my friend and worn my gifts with such elegance and beauty as to make them art.