I still have the size 11 aluminum needles and the
1960’s era leaflet my mom gave me; I don’t think
I’ll ever be able to part with them! Knitter,
crocheter, designer, stunt knitter, jewelry maker
– meet Sarah Wilson.
Sarah is an up and coming new designer on the
stitch scene. I say stitch because she not
only knits but crochets too, along with making
her jewelry. Sarah
lived for a long time in West Palm Beach, Florida,
but she has recently relocated to Kansas City, Kansas.
Kansas City is in Wyandotte County and is the county seat. Kansas
City is also nicknamed “Heart of America”! The city
dates back to the mid 1800’s and straddles the Missouri
and Kansas border. Kansas City is known for the 1st
battlefield in the conflict over slavery and southern secession
that led to the American Civil War. Out of Kansas
City came media greats Water Cronkite and Rush Limbaugh. Kansas
City has been said to have some of the best barbeque in
the country and also known for tornados; located right in
the middle of tornado alley. Well, look out Kansas
because Sarah has landed right in your back yard and causes
quite a stir herself.
Sarah started crocheting when she was 9 years old. She
became intrigued with the idea at a basketball game, when
a lady showed her how it was done. She pestered her
Mom, who doesn’t knit or crochet, to let her learn, and
she’s been knitting and crocheting every since. Sarah
still has and uses her first pair of knitting needles.
“I get inspiration in many different ways, need being the
best way. Watching a show like Project Runway can
be inspiring, yarn itself is an inspiration to me,” says
Wilson. She admits to looking through fashion magazines
as a starting point as well. She starts with a sketch
that goes through three or four different modifications
before the final design idea is finished. Sarah keeps
an open mind, because sometimes along the way the design
changes to the point that it is completely different…..those
are usually her best and favorite designs says Wilson. Sarah
has been generous enough to share a design with all of us. I
am so excited to knit this up……I think it’s perfect for
Spring!
Sarah has had designs published with Knitty and Magknits. When
living in Florida, she did extensive work for her LYS Great
Balls of Yarn, which publishes her designs on-line for free. Sarah’s
work will also be seen in the upcoming “Sensual Evening
Knits” by Lark Publishing, and “Not for Socks” by Cherry
Tree Hill. Sarah is also a stunt knitter for Stitch
Diva Studios. What is a stunt knitter you ask? The
job entails working closely with designing greats like Jennifer
Hansen, Marnie MacLean and Wendy Bernard doing pattern testing
and sample knitting.
Sara has a blog called NotAYarnSnob that I encourage you
to visit. Wilson says, “I chose the name because I
don’t usually buy expensive fiber when I knit. When
I want something nice, I usually check eBay or the Ravelry
destash pages”. You can so check out Sarah’s jewelry
at her Etsy store.
A few parting works from Sarah…… “I miss the sunny
skies and warm, sea breezes of West Palm Beach” and “I strive
to make designs that are simple but interesting to knit
and above all, fashionable.” Sarah, thank you for
the interview and we’ll all be watching to see what’s next!
