Life

Knitting and Crocheting

Paradise Apples shawl

Link to Ravelry Project

Combining lace, beadwork, and a complicated construction, this project inspired me to challenge myself.

It is made of reclaimed yarn purchased from a vendor on Etsy.

Laika blanket

Link to Ravelry Project

Inspired by a poem by Eric Fisher Stone, to make this blanket I found an image from an old Soviet matchbook on Pinterest. I used Microsoft Excel to create a color chart, and used a combination of intarsia and fair aisle colorwork techniques to knit the blanket.

This blanket was displayed at the Iowa State Fair in 2023.

Lace shawl 3

Link to Ravelry Project

Inspired by the improvisational quilts of Rosie Lee Tompkins, I wanted to practice designing. I used the lace chart from a shawl pattern and the center-out square technique described in Vogue Knitting to create this shawl.

Bicycling

Dogs

Sasha was a black labrador mix that I adopted from the Second Chance Center for Animals in Flagstaff, AZ. She was a "tripod;" her front left leg was amputated in 2015 to remove a mast cell tumor. She enjoyed naps, tug-of-war, and stealing food. In 2023 I said goodbye to Sasha with gratitude for 11 years of loyal companionship.

Tucker is a beagle mix I found in Tucson, AZ. He enjoys exploring, predating chipmunks, and jumping on people.

Baking

Sourdough bread

Buttermilk biscuits

Croissants

Pretzels

Volunteering

Organizing Committee Member, 18th Annual TSLL and 22nd MWaLT conference, 2021

Treasurer, Jack Friend campaign for Iowa District 48 State House of Representatives, 2020

Chair, February 2020 Democratic Caucus, Boone County Rural Precinct 1

Associate Editor for Outreach, Journal of Critical Thought and Praxis, 2018 - 2019

Peer Advising Resource Team (PART), 2016 - 2019

Tucson Wildlife Center, 2015

Read Between the Bars, 2015

NACOG Area Agency on Aging Legal Advocacy, 2008 - 2010

St. Paul Lutheran Church, ELCA, 2002 - 2003