Arlene Tam is a stranded tam, worked in the round in the Fair Isle style employing only two colors per round, with many yarn color changes and repeating motifs. Arlene Tam explores setting lighter and brighter colors as background, with the more saturated colors being used for the motif. Arlene further employs centering a motif element around the crown decrease lines to create a “snowflake” centerpiece.

My late maternal grandmother, Arlene, was gentle, kind, and humble. She loved going to Mass, singing in the choir, working on the family farm, and huge family gatherings. She liked black and white cows, popcorn, strawberry shortcake ice cream, and way-too-ripe bananas. Grandma taught me how to pray a Rosary, milk a cow, pick beans and strawberries, and hoe a field. With eight children, twenty-four grandchildren, and one great-grandchild, Grandma was the quiet centerpiece loved by all.