My Ravelry group is Elvee Designs.

I started sewing my own clothes in junior high. In my 20s, I discovered knitting and crocheting and the fun of making up things without a pattern. In my 30s, I designed sweaters for knitting magazines and yarn companies.

Now I make hats. Lots and lots of hats. I like designs that are clean and modern, and I’m crazy about color.

In 2011, I started selling crocheted hats on Etsy. At the very beginning, I mostly used Red Heart Super Saver, $1 balls of yarn from Big Lots, and yarn I unraveled from thrifted sweaters. I soon discovered Discontinued Brand Name Yarn (now closed) online and began to specialize in hats crocheted in luxury and novelty yarns. During these early years of making things to sell on Etsy, I think I got a priceless education in working with all kinds of yarn!

Now merino (especially chunky) is my BFF, but I still have a soft spot for some of the RHSS prints. So much fun to watch the patterns emerge! Lately, I’ve been impressed with the new sustainable yarns on the market, and I want to use more of them in my designs.

Most of my patterns are for crochet, but I also have a growing collection for knitters. Made in chunky yarn (quick to knit!), these designs celebrate the ease and elegance of simple knit-and-purl stitch patterns.

I love taking a skein of fabulous yarn and coming up with something to put on your head -- a hat that’s beautiful or flattering or macho or quirky or sweet, or some combination thereof.

Do you love making hats as much as I do? If your answer is yes, buy 2 or more patterns from my Ravelry store, and you will automatically get 25 percent off your entire purchase. (During the Gift-A-Long 2024 sale from Nov. 21-27, use the coupon code giftalong2024 if you are buying 1 pattern from my Gift-A-Long bundle -- see below -- for a 25 percent discount. If you are buying more than one pattern, you don’t need a code to receive 25 percent off your patterns.)