Hello! I’m Natalie also known as Knitty Natty. I’m the knit and crochet designer behind Love in Stitches. I currently reside in Texas with my husband Kent and our cute little dog, Toaster {y’all remember the Brave Little Toaster?}. I’ve been knitting for longer than I’ve been driving, and I learned to crochet a couple years after that. I am in my seventh year at a charter school where I teach reading intervention to primary-age students. If you have any questions, you can email me at knittynatty@gmail.com. Enjoy!
My Fiber Story
Kristy Glass asks each interviewee to tell his/her “fiber story,” and I love that jargon. My story starts when I was 13-years-old at the Houston Ballet Summer Intensive. {Dance is a key part of my fiber story because as dance flowed out of my life, knitting rushed in.} I saw a girl my age knitting in the hallway between classes. Little did I know the height of her skill- she was knitting a colorwork sleeve with double points- wow! Something about the way she was so casually knitting really peaked my interest.
I went home and asked my grandmother to teach me to knit, and she did. She taught me knit and purl- no one needs to learn how to cast on or bind off (yeah, right)- and soon I was off making garter stitch blanket squares with Lion Brand Homespun. Fast forward a few years while I keep dancing and suffering through endless rows of Homespun without growing my technique, and I get injured. Not a big injury, but enough to put my foot in a boot and make me question my love of ballet.
My mom had started to pick up on my interest in knitting and found a local yarn shop- Bliss Yarns. My mom dropped my friend and me off for their knit night (we were 16 at the time). Well, you know the kind of talk that happens at knit night- we were entranced. What a cool mix of ladies, talking about a wide range of topics, and just like that I was hooked.
With my foot in a boot, I had a lot of time to knit, and I started hanging out at Bliss Yarns often during that summer. So often, in fact, that the store owner thought of me when she needed an after-school employee. That’s when my yarn world exploded. I worked at Bliss from the time I was 16 through my senior year of college. If you ever need to expand your knitting skills, hang out in a yarn shop and help your friends with their “knitting attacks” {jargon credit: The Knitmore Girls}. I learned more in those years than I ever would have isolated in my home, crafting by the television.
That’s what’s so special about the fiber world- it brings together people of all ages and interests. I grew up at Bliss Yarns {I still have lots of growing to do!} and I visit as often as possible to see the friends I made more than 10 years ago.
Now, I have a new knitting group and new friends here in Texas {we’re going five (!?) years strong}. This past year, I started designing knit and crochet patterns, recording a YouTube podcast, and making video tutorials. I’m having a blast! I have an incredible husband who not only shows interest in what I’m making, but initiates trips to local yarn stores when we travel. I started a knitting and crochet club at my school that brings me so much joy. I feel very blessed to have so much space in my life to do what I love. Does every stitch feel like a stolen moment to you?