How it all began
In October 2018, I launched my first brand, Snickerdoodle Knits, as an Etsy shop selling handknit items and vending at craft fairs. From the start, I approached it as a business. I wanted it to be profitable, strategic, and sustainable. I didn't want to spend years spinning my wheels.
So I learned.
I invested in business and marketing education early. I took courses, joined programs, worked with a business coach, and paid close attention to how things functioned behind the scenes. I wasn’t just making things I loved; I was learning how businesses actually work.
The handknit side of the business did work, but it also revealed its limits. Producing physical products at speed was hard on my body. Repeating the same knits over and over again wasn’t creatively fulfilling. And long-term, it didn’t feel like a sustainable path for the kind of life and business I wanted.
I began thinking about what might come next.
In my mind there were two options to continue the brand: start dyeing yarn or start designing patterns. And neither seemed very feasible; the first because of the money, and the second because "I'm not creative enough."
Design chose me. Then I discovered a missing piece.
For a long time, I believed I wasn’t creative enough to be a designer.
Even though making had always been part of my life, I saw myself as more technical than artsy. I loved structure, systems, and problem-solving. Art was something other people were good at; not me.
But in early 2019, that story changed. Six months into running Snickerdoodle Knits, the design ideas suddenly started flowing.
Pattern design became the bridge between two parts of who I am: the creative maker and the analytical, systems-oriented thinker. That intersection — creativity supported by structure — is where I feel most at home.
And it’s also where I began to see what was missing for so many other designers.
While pattern design brought those pieces together for me, most designers weren’t being supported in this way at all — especially when it came to the strategic side of building and marketing a business.
The gap I couldn’t ignore
Business and marketing education for knit and crochet pattern designers was extremely limited.
What existed was:
- overly basic
- focused on surface-level tactics
- quietly judgmental of fellow designers
- unhelpful for designers who already had foundational knowledge
There was very little nuance. Very little room for intentional growth. Very little support for designers who wanted to build businesses that were both profitable and fulfilling.
I wasn’t interested in following someone else’s blueprint just because it worked for them. I wanted to understand my options and make decisions that aligned with what I actually wanted.
And I absolutely hated (and still do) when folks presented their strategy as the only strategy, or the strategy that I have to follow.
That’s the same perspective I continue to bring to my work as I help you.
Intentionality, at the core of everything
I care deeply about helping designers build businesses on purpose.
Not businesses built on:
- chasing trends
- copying someone else’s model
- doing what they think they “should” be doing
But businesses built on clarity:
- clarity about what you want
- clarity about what you enjoy
- clarity about how you want your work to fit into your life
I’m especially drawn to designers who want this work to be successful and passion-filled. People who want to make money, yes, but not at the expense of enjoyment, values, or sustainability.
People who want to feel good about what they’re building.
And also love the rest of their life that they've built around their business.
Why I love this work
Being a solo business owner has allowed me to bring together so many different interests: design, strategy, systems, photography, branding, messaging, structure, and creativity.
Pattern design, business, and marketing sit at a fascinating intersection of art and logic. That intersection is where I feel at home.
And while the season of life I’m in now (mama to a toddler) has changed my capacity to do all the things, my appreciation for how they fit together has only deepened.
That perspective shapes how I teach, guide, and support designers through my work.
Plus, I just genuinely love to help people. It brings me so much joy to see you succeed. To see you happy, confident, and empowered in every step of my business.
Who this space is for
The Pattern Design Circle space is for knit and crochet pattern designers who:
- want to build something intentionally
- care about long-term sustainability, not just quick growth
- want business and marketing to feel aligned, not forced
- are willing to engage thoughtfully with the process
- want to go beyond "just" beginner-level advice
If you’re looking to follow a formula or be told exactly what to do, this probably isn’t the right place.
But if you want to understand your options, make informed decisions, and build a business that actually fits you, you’re in just the right place.
Filling all the roles
I'm a mama now, and I still run Snickerdoodle Knits (and my latest brain child, The Heartful Canvas) alongside Pattern Design Circle.
So I don't currently have the capacity for personalized coaching, but I still have tons of amazing resources and programs to support you through each step of your journey.
And nothing makes me happier than to hear from you. Let me know if my work is inspiring you, and share your wins with me! For real 💛