Origins of the Obsessed Artisan

I live a 15-minute walk from Harvard Square, although unfortunately I don't live in Cambridge. I edit and proofread medical books for a living. My husband is a bioinformaticist, and we have two Havanese dogs and two domestic short-hair cats. I have a yarn stash that I wll not quantify or document because it's better not to know some things.

I come from a family of artisans, so this obsession must be genetic. In my father's family, the women did thread crochet, and I grew up doing that. One of his sisters used to knit, and I remember her saying she tried to knit socks but gave up because turning the heel was too hard.

My mom painted and did ceramics. One of the neighbors was going to teach her china painting, but she died before they could start. The china-painting neighbor is now my stepmother, so the tradition continues. My dad does stained glass and makes rugs. He made my mom a big wisteria lamp, which I inherited, and my stepmother has painted me a set of china with wisteria, so we have a theme going.

When I was in college I taught myself to knit. I knit pretty constantly now because many projects don't require a lot of attention. I knit socks on a 12" Addi circular while I walk, for example. I figure, if the women in the Shetlands could knit big fair isle sweaters on dpns while they hauled peat, I can knit a little sock on a circular needle while I stroll to the supermarket.

I've taken up jewelry making, mostly beaded jewelry, but I'm now taking a real silversmith-type class, and in 2004 I took a weaving class and bought a loom.

I love my work, but sometimes I think it's a shame I have to work for a living.

Wisteria Lamp (and one of my doilies)

Wisteria China