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Friday, January 11, 2013

A Knit in Memory of KnitPurlGurl

Podcaster, knitter, blogger, designer, wife and mother of two young children, Karrie Steinmetz died suddenly at the age of 38 in December, 2012. She called herself the Knit Purl Gurl.  I was her "follower" along with over 1200 others on Google.


Karrie was a talented young woman full of energy and ideas.  She was always willing to share and teach others as shown through her blog found here.  Her last post was about podcasting and giving tips to others who might be interested in creating their own podcast (Karrie's podcasts are archived here.)  And Karrie's knit pattern designs can be found here.

She was a real encourager.

Karrie started giving patterns away in what she called Random Acts of Patterns.  In October, she wrote:
I’ve declared that Tuesdays are for Random Acts of Patterns (or RAP). It’s the fibery equivalent to Random Acts of Kindness! Most of us have either randomly given or received patterns, so this is not my invention. However, I’d like to make it a movement and get more people involved! So on any random Tuesday that you feel inclined to and/or can afford to, consider randomly selecting a fellow Raveler and gifting him/her a pattern off of his/her queue. :) THEN - Come back here and tell us! I get so inspired by people who participate in RAK, or in this case, RAP, that I’d love to hear all about your generosity in this fab community! :) Of course, you don’t have to wait for a Tuesday. You can participate in a RAP at any time, but I thought Tuesdays could use a little jazzing up!  ALSO - if you’ve been the recipient of a RAP, please share too! We all need a little sunshine in our day!
One of her shawl designs was given to me in a RAP after her death.  And I sent it on to keep the RAP going.

This is "Crosswords at the Coffeeshop," a pattern she designed saying that
When I’m not knitting at the coffee shop, I’m working crossword puzzles. This is the perfect mashup of rugged and lacey. Intended to wear at the coffee shop, the shawlette is just perfect to keep the draft from the door from giving you a chill, while the shawl is a perfect wrap. It’s knit in an aran weight to provide that snuggly warmth. Inspired by crosswords, there are elements of boxes in the lace and even the short rows create squared tiers. Throw on a pair of fingerless mitts and enjoy a latte!
And for Finished Objects Friday and Fiber Arts Friday, here is my (Karrie's pattern) Crossword shawl.


Warm.  Thinking of Karrie and her family.

All pattern purchase proceeds go to her family.

18 comments:

  1. The shawl looks beautiful! You did a great job and I love the color!

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  2. I never have listened to podcasts but I should. I was gifted a pattern last week in the name of RAK and it was wonderful. I love your shawl...must add it to my favorites list to one day knit.

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  3. Oh how sweet! Love that shawl! I didn't know her but I am going to read more about this sweet spirit sharing her life with others! BIG HUGS!

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  4. This is a beautiful way to memorialize KnitPurlGirl. The shawl looks lovely.

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  5. beautiful shawl. It is wonderful that a part of her will keep giving.

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  6. Nice to celebrate her memory. The pattern is lovely!

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  7. What a great tribute, and a beautiful shawl too. Lovely.

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  8. The shawl is beautiful. I didn't know KnitPurlGirl but I think this is a wonderful way to remember her.

    Darla

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  9. You did a great job on that shawl and what a great way to honor KnitPurlGirl.

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  10. What a lovely shawl.
    So sad to read about this young mum gone too soon. My thoughts and condolences to her ohana.

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  11. The shawl is wonderful and what a great tribute to her memory

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  12. Such a lovely tribute to this talented young woman!

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  13. Thank you for sharing Nancy. I didn`t know.

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  14. Let's all remember how much joy and inspiration Karrie's life represented for so many knitters around the world.Your shawl is a great tribute! Well done.

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  15. A beautiful tribute to Karrie's life....thank you for sharing, Nancy!

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  16. What special words to honor your friend. The shawl is beautiful. It makes me yearn to learn more about knitting. I've crocheted all my life so the two needles are challenging. I can do a knit and purl but it's not as even as I want. Certainly not close to the beauty here.

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