My friends call me Katie K. (psst! This is where you say “hi Katie!” to the screen) I’m a FTWM (that’s “full time working mom” for those born before the year 2000), a commercial interior designer, style lover & a serial crafter. My mom taught me how to knit & crochet when I was a kid & although I can’t knit or purl a single stitch now, crochet has always been the one craft I came back to, again & again.

Throughout life & my career, I developed a passion for sustainability in my personal life & an increasing awareness of my (& my family’s) impact on this beautiful planet on which we are lucky to live. So many things we consume as a society have been created simply for convenience, have limited uses & end up languishing in a landfill for who knows how many years, out of sight & out of mind.

Several years ago as I was scrolling ‘the Gram’ I came across a graphic designer named Anna Leyzina (@theknottyboss) who designs the most perfect tags, labels & inserts used by crafters everywhere. The clean & classic aesthetic of her graphics give a polished & professional look to handmade goods. She is also a crafter & had posted a crochet cup sleeve she had made…an endlessly reusable item. I thought “WOW! What a genius idea! I could make that!” It may seem like such a little thing but I’m a big believer in “small changes = big impact”. Through Anna, I discovered a whole world of crochet pattern designers. Some offer their patterns for free, others through paid purchases: reusable sweeper covers, dish scrubbies, face rounds, produce bags…all items that are a more sustainable alternative / replacement to a convenient, single-use item. Thus, Krafted with Kare by Katie K. was born!

In my mission to be sustainable with my craft, I use every bit of yarn I possibly can (#savetheplanet). When I’m trying out a new-to-me pattern, I may only make one item at first. This can lead to unique color combos & special little oddballs I affectionately call “Remnants & Randos”…they even have their own section on the site. This makes my creations truly one-of-a-kind. I hope you’ll love them as much as I do.

So thanks for being here & checking things out. I hope you’ll join me in taking small action by choosing a reusable item that added up, just might make a big impact.

*photo by @theknottyboss