Kristen in Stitches

12/12/2024

Happy holidays from our family to yours.

I can hardly believe it, we actually had family photos done! First time since Olive was a baby… so, like 10 years ago?

These ones were done by who is not only an amazing photographer but also a parent at our kiddos school, so local peeps book with her if you can. She does amazing work!

Having this moment in time captured reminded me of why doing this periodically is so important. These kids are growing up so fast. I need to make this a regular thing.

And also, time needs to slow down! I can’t take it!

In this world that is crazy and full of unknowns, lots of frustration, gross inequities, and senseless violence, when I come home at the end of the day, I am reminded why I need to keep doing my best with these kids to help them grow up into good, kind, conscious humans who take care of their community and themselves. It’s what keeps me grounded in all of the bu****it and nonsense.

It’s been a challenging few years for our family, and what these pictures don’t show are all that we’ve had to overcome. So these pictures feel particularly poignant to me as a bright spot of sunshine after a storm.

I know that the holidays are hard for a lot of people for a lot of reasons. I hope you are doing what you need to protect your peace this holiday season, and remember what truly matters.

Also, you’ve got this.

Wishing you all the very best.

08/06/2024

Sharing this video from Midsummer Knits because she covers some amazing Taylor Swift inspired designs. I may need to go stash diving to make some of these. See anything you like?

hi! today’s video is one that i’m super excited for — i’m sharing a list of knit patterns that i found based on things that i’ve seen taylor swift wear befor...

01/03/2024

Hi new friends!

There are a lot of new followers here so I thought I should take a minute to introduce myself! 👋

My name is Kristen! I’m a wife, mama, and Swiftie! I got my start designing and writing knitting patterns back in 2009 when I began working for a large online retailer. I just realized that was 15 years ago. Sheesh! That’s a long time!

From there, I created and led HUGE Mystery Knit Alongs inspired by shows like Downton Abbey and Game of Thrones. We would have thousands of participants and it was incredible and really fun. The last MKAL I led was in 2020, right before the pandemic started.

Needless to say, these last few years have been a bit of a blur. During that time I’ve started (and closed) a hand-dyed yarn biz, released 30 hat patterns inspired by US national parks, and then took a one year break to focus on my family for a minute. Whew!

So let’s talk about MKAL’s because that’s likely why you are here. A Mystery Knit Along (or MKAL) is basically a knit along with a group of people around a theme. There is one pattern that everyone knits together. But a MYSTERY KAL means that what you are knitting is a mystery. You don’t know exactly what it’s going to look like, and you get new “clues” sent out to you over a period of time. You might know what it is, but not what it will look like. They are so much fun, mostly because of the community you gain from participating.

Most of our new followers are here because of the Taylor Swift Knit the Eras MKAL that I’m kicking off this month. If that’s how you found me, yay! Welcome fellow Swiftie Knitter! I’m so thrilled to meet you! I am so I am excited to get this Eras party started!

I decided to do this MKAL because I hadn’t seen any other fellow Swifties in this knitting world doing anything like this. And if we all know one thing about Taylor, she really knows how to bring people together. So it just made sense.

If you want to learn more about the MKAL, head over to my bio and click the link there. You’ll find all the links you need, and be sure to join my mailing list to be kept in the loop about the MKAL and other pattern releases. Thanks for being here! ❤️

12/14/2023

I’ve been getting some questions about the MKAL so I thought I would take a moment to answer the big ones here.

Swipe —> all the way through to get your biggest Eras MKAL Q’s answered!

If you have any others not addressed here, please ask them below so I can answer them publicly for other curious minds to see! 👇 Of course DM me if you want to ask in private.

This MKAL is going to be awesome! In addition to the 11 patterns included, you will get access to our special Spotify playlist, monthly zoom meet-ups with both Jay and I, and first access to some other special Eras-themed goodies we are cooking up!

I hope you will join in the year-long fun!

Links to order the pattern and yarn subscriptions are in my bio both on IG and Facebook. Let me know if you can’t find them and I can message you!



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