about

After learning to knit from her grandmother at age 10, author and hand knitting pattern designer Chrissy Gardiner dabbled in the fiber arts (including knitting, crocheting, cross-stitch and needlepoint) for years before discovering her local yarn shop and the lovely luxury yarns therein. It was here she first laid hands on merino and learned that not all wool is unbearably scratchy.

Knitting became a renewed obsession for Chrissy after her children were born and she was left wondering what happened to her creativity. She left the corporate world and her former life as a software architect behind for good and decided to start a small knitting pattern publishing company called Gardiner Yarn Works. Soon after, the lure of writing her own book became too strong to resist and Sydwillow Press was born.

In addition to her Gardiner Yarn Works and Sydwillow Press designs, Chrissy's work can be found in many past issues of Interweave Knits as well as various pattern compilation books, knitting pattern websites, sock clubs and yarn company pattern lines. She is a member of The National Needlearts Association and The Association of Knitwear Designers.

She keeps her skills sharp and gets feedback from all sorts of knitters while teaching at yarn shops, knitting guild meetings and knitting conventions. When she's not teaching, designing or dealing with the myriad tasks of running a small business, she's shuttling her kids to soccer practice, piano lessons and various other kid activities.

All of the patterns included in Toe-Up! have been tested by multiple knitters and professionally tech edited. If you ever find an error in one of the patterns, please let us know. Errata will be posted to this website as needed.

contact chrissy

Please feel free to contact us with questions, comments or concerns about Toe-Up!, or to place a wholesale book order for your shop.

Mail: PO Box 13607, Portland OR 97213
Phone: (503) 688-0549
Fax: (206) 350-6520
Email: info@sydwillowpress.com

Publisher of Independent
Knitting and Fiber Craft Books
Since 2009.

A division of
Gardiner Yarn Works.

Copyright © 2009 Sydwillow Press. All rights reserved.