Our Maker Life - Our Maker Life: Knit and Crochet Patterns, Inspiration, and Tales from the Creative Community

W e live in a world that is constantly changing. Constantly moving. Constantly evolving. And constantly growing. We aim to stop and make in a world that requires us to simultaneously keep moving while learning to slow down. At times, the world forces us to release the control of that flow and become a bit more still, a bit quieter, a bit more focused on turning the page to what truly matters. We have always been focused on this beautiful combination of growth, slow living, and surrendering to the flow. We realize how inherent it is for our team, our makers, our creative industry, and ultimately for the advancement and evolvement of our worlda world that in so many ways is this beautiful melodic symphony, and we are the composers.

As our world moves and shifts, ebbs and flows, we strive to remain concrete: Our Maker Life (OML) is a movement for makers by makers, and was launched in May 2016. The OML community consists of knitters, crocheters, yarn dyers, business owners, pattern designers, bloggers, social media influencers, and other fiber artists who are passionate about contributing creatively and collectively to the handmade. What began as an idea by five makers to hop offline and meet up in person has grown into a community of more than 115,000 fellow makers passionate about the fiber arts. Our vision and mission? To come and join together for networking, connection, inspiration, and making. The OML dream team loves the maker life andas knitters, crocheters, and yarn dyers ourselvesworks hard to connect creatives and industry professionals, to feature the best in handmade, and to organize annual international maker meetup events.

Our philosophy has remained concrete as well: Hold tight to passion, always create with integrity, make with diversity in mind, and never stop accomplishingthis is the core of our maker movement. OML is continuously moving forward, innovating, and improving. Before, during, and after we work with our yarn, goodness is always near: We aim to always be honest, transparent, and fair. Our community trusts us and knows they can take us at our word, and that we support, collaborate, and stand for those who make with an equally honest and ethically valuable contribution. Our team has and will always remain diverse: We know that our community is composed of people with different ideas, strengths, interests, dreams, and cultural backgrounds, and that those attributes are what make the OML family profoundly great. We strive to work our hardest and are determined to amplify both the majority and minority voice. We aim to be leaders in creating a safe space, encouraging healthy debate and differences of opinion both on our online platforms and at our offline events.

And finally, we are always working. Creativity and fiber art are the foundation of what we do, showcasing and highlighting knit and crochet excellence as a core value. We focus on fun and celebration through modern style and technology. We move with courage, boldness, and care for others. We are open to change, growth, and at times being uncomfortablebecause we know that we stand to lose so much without it. We build social value with the maker in mind and hold no place for those who seek to gain with selfish motives, or in ways that make others feel unsupported and undervalued. We hold zero tolerance for not crediting creative work as original art, as the use of dynamic fiber, pattern, and design drives our organization. These values outline and are an underlying note to our core philosophies.

Jewell, OML founder, currently serves on the OML leadership team for event organization, marketing, editorial publication, and business development. She hosts the OML podcasts, loves to blog, and is the owner of Northknits Handmade Knitwear. She also has an extensive chunky yarn stash that she is quite proud of.

Nathan, OML co-founder, currently serves on the OML leadership team for event organization, merchandise sales, graphics, and technical advancement. He loves knitting, pattern designing, and photography on an expert level, and is the owner of Loopn Threads. He also has a heart for cabling cowls and all things chocolate.

Jake currently serves on the OML leadership team for event organization, brand correspondence, marketing, and social media. He loves to keep a clean inbox, dye yarn, knit, and crochet, and is the owner of Kenyarn Hand Dyed Yarn. He also has the team beat on daily steps and exercise miles run.

Christie currently serves on the OML leadership team for event organization, brand correspondence, social media, and content development. She loves dry humor, knitting sweaters, and pattern designing, and is the owner of Christie Bodden Designs. She also works at Beehive Wool Shop, a rad and historic knitting store in Victoria, BC.

Alison, Kelly, and Kathleen, retired OML founders, are three integral and irreplaceable makers who supported and encouraged OMLs jump start and subsequent growth from day one to year three.

At our core, we are a team of creative and diverse individuals who desire to reach an entire global community, woven and connected by a deep love for yarn. We make, we laugh, we showcase, and we danceto the best literal and philosophical good tunes. Ludwig van Beethoven once said that it seemed unthinkable to leave the world before he had produced all that he felt called upon to produce. We like to think Beethoven was onto something, as our organization holds a similar sentiment. We desire to spend our time producing within our calling, and we know that we have discovered a unique, beautiful melody that helps our world, community, and each one of us as creatives sing through yarn. Beethoven made melodies, and they were among the worlds most beautiful ones. This book is an ambitious, passionate, and printed effort to do just that: make the best yarnish melodies.

We hope that in our ever-changing world, you get a sense of who we are, and that through your own change, movement, evolvement, and growth, we inspire you to make.

xx, OML

B ooks have been a part of our daily lives since ancient times. They have been used for telling stories, archiving history, and sharing information about our world. And it has always felt natural to our team to share OML in book form. So, what is this book all about and what will you find in these pages? Two things: maker stories and patterns. Weve collected knit and crochet patterns, maker highlights, and inspiring tales to share with you, and were incredibly humbled and proud to be able to do so.

First up is . This book includes great stories centered around knit, crochet, weaving, and yarn dyeing. The written word is a powerful storytelling tool, and the aim of this section is to authentically share the creative maker journey. These stories are voiced with humor, heartfulness, and candidness. They give insight to both past and present memories. These stories push beyond the typical blog post or shop bio and instead offer the opportunity to delve a little deeper and get to know a maker in a way that feels like meeting up at a coffee shop to chat.

Every maker has a storydreams, goals, and triumphsand our aim is to uplift and highlight the very essence of each. Stories like that of Kristine Rodriguez, who tells of her path not yet seen. She is the knitter and founder of Declarative, a sustainable knitwear brand designed to serve women throughout all seasons of the year. Using spools of yarn and her hand-powered knitting machine, Kristine handcrafts each garment out of her Seattle, Washington, studio.