Once a month we choose one of our talented fiber fans and feature their amazing work here in the Crafter of the Month category. It gives us a chance to celebrate our customers, share our love for the fiber arts and inspire new craft projects too! Scroll down to the bottom of the page to submit a form for a chance to see your knitting, crochet, spinning or felting projects featured here.
Meet this Month’s Crafter: Aileen Wilcox
How did you get started crafting?
Art has always been a large part of my life, and my mother taught me to crochet, sew, and embroider at a young age. Growing up, they were practical skills that allowed me to mend clothing and create items for my dolls and toys. As an adult, I have often found crafting to be a creative outlet for reducing stress and slowing down in order to live in the present moment.
Crocheting a blanket or sweater takes time, and you can’t really rush the process. Trying to hurry through a pattern can sometimes mean dropping stitches or making a mistake that requires frogging an hour (or more!) of work. And learning a new skill – or stitch – takes even more time.
Fiber skills used to be passed down from generation to generation.
When my husband’s grandmother started losing her memory in 2021, I knew I needed to ask her to teach me how to knit. If you’ve done any work with yarn yourself, you know that learning hands-on with an expert can make all the difference. We live in a time where information is just a few strokes of the keyboard away, but fiber skills used to be passed down from generation to generation, and I wanted to hold onto that legacy for her. She no longer remembers that she taught me how to knit, but I cherish that time with her so much.
What inspires your creativity?
Oh, I am constantly inspired! Nature is my constant muse, and you’ll often find me creating with the greens and blues that I see so often here in the Pacific Northwest. I also love seeing other creators and artists online, and am always getting new ideas from Instagram and Ravelry.
There is community here, which I believe creativity definitely stems from.
I think a lot of the time, art feels like such a solitary process, and it is in the sense that usually the artist is creating with just their own two hands. But just along the fringes of that is the world of artists all around us – the ones whose work we aspire to, or whose ideas plant a seed for a project of our own. There is community here, which I believe creativity definitely stems from.
What types of projects do you love to create?
Crocheting and knitting are my two favorites, and I have created an assortment of blankets, hats, scarves, bags, and sweaters over the years. The truth, though, is that I simply love to create. I enjoy the creative process! So I have experience with embroidery, felting, cross-stitch, and weaving as well. I’m currently really enjoying making baby clothes and blankets for my sister who is expecting this fall.
Let’s give a big thanks to Aileen for being our Crafter of the Month! You can view our past Crafters of the Month by clicking on the button below.
Who Will Be Featured Next?
We want to hear from you! If you would like a chance to be featured as a Crafter of the Month, answer the questions below and be sure to include any pictures of projects you are proud of.