I am passionate about creating and knitting beautiful things. Knitting is art, and I’m proud to continue a tradition that goes back hundreds of years in time. The world needs more quality, and a lot less quantity.

Everything I make and sell is 100% handmade. Two hands, two sticks, and string. No machines and nothing mass produced.

I knit with natural fibers, which means using only the softest, finest materials, such as alpaca, cashmere, merino, silk blends, and bamboo.

I create my own patterns and, with the exception of the every popular skinny scarves,  no two pieces are ever the same. Each piece is carefully designed based on the type of fiber I choose to work with. The work comes alive based on several factors: the way the yarn drapes as it hangs, its colors, its thickness, the patterns I envision, and the way it feels against your skin. It’s a time-consuming process, and some larger pieces may take three weeks or longer to complete.

We are a small, family-operated business. I design and knit everything I sell, my husband does all the photography and tech support, and my daughter and daughter-in-law model the products. Sometimes we’re able to talk my son and son-in-law into modeling as well. We photograph everything in the living room of our quaint, 1920’s-built brick house in East Dallas.

I learned to knit when I was nineteen years old and living in Switzerland. Having grown up in Texas, I didn’t know anyone who knew how to knit. In Switzerland, women were knitting everywhere I went: talkative young girls standing in the aisles of crowded buses on their way to school, smartly dressed women taking the train into the city on their way to work, mothers sitting on park benches while their children played, and grandmothers knitting at home for soon to be born grandchildren. Knitting was functional, yet it was obvious each woman took great pride in their craft.

I had to learn. I asked a very patient Swiss friend to show me how, and I spent the next seven years knitting for my family and bugging my favorite sister-in-law (well, pretty much everyone around me) when I made mistakes. Many years of sweaters, scarves, caps, and blankets later, I continue to knit.

Even though knitting began as a way to keep my children warm and my hands busy, I was always aware that what I was doing was making art. There is something very powerful about perpetuating an activity that has been passed down from person to person through the years–especially the act of creating and crafting something by hand–and knowing that you are part of a living tradition that will continue for as long as humans walk the earth.

Knitting, craftsmanship, and art connect us all, artist and appreciator alike.

When I’m not knitting, I like to run. I run a lot. Surviving ovarian cancer means staying fit, eating healthy, and spreading the word to other women. I love to read, I enjoy writing and long road trips out west, and there’s never enough time for camping and being outdoors. The best designs are found in nature, and I get my inspiration for many projects there. Also, there’s nothing better than gazing at a star-filled sky in the desert. It keeps me humble.

You can contact me at: angela@toastystrings.com

*** I will occasionally do custom knits upon request. If you see something in the Sold section that you like, I may be willing to knit something similar. I do try to make each piece I sell unique and one of a kind, but email me if you have something specific in mind.