Hello, Nice to Meet You…
Welcome to Make Lemonade Fiber Co.
(TLDR: I'm Kira of Make Lemonade Fiber Co, nice to meet you! I write knitting patterns, create helpful knitting and design resources, and teach workshops designed to help you feel like the boss of your own knitting.)
Meet Kira
Hey there! I’m Kira Fee (she/her), the human behind Make Lemonade Fiber Co. I live in Redmond, Oregon with my partner of 20+ years, our two teenagers, a couple of boston terrier doggos, and two very opinionated black cats. My main work gig has been in education as a special education teacher and administrator for 18 years. Schools are AMAZING but complex places to work, and so educators need a relief valve! Since the moment my hands picked up needles, mine has been knitting. I’ve been a lifelong crafter—seriously, as a child I spent every bit of birthday money wandering the aisles of Michael’s looking for my next artsy rabbit hole. But knitting? That came a little later. When I was pregnant with my first kiddo 15 years ago, I decided to teach myself to knit ‘longies’ (super adorable cloth diaper covers), and, well, I just never stopped.
Now, I knit, spin, crochet, and generally try to find any excuse to play with fiber. Beyond teaching knitting and designing patterns, I also help other designers with pattern development and technical editing.
Something else to know about me: I am unapologetic in my commitment to equity and human rights, and actively seek opportunities to uplift marginalized voices and challenge injustice. My mission is to create a more inclusive, kind, and safe world by not hiding in complicit silence. I invite you to join me. I also invite you to challenge me or ask questions when you see me slip.
Why Make Lemonade?
Make Lemonade Fiber Co. started back in 2009 when I was trading knitting services for yarn because pennies were in short supply. The name comes from the idea that life—just like knitting—is full of tangles and knots. Those moments aren’t disasters; they’re just part of the adventure. We don't stop. We can't. We have to forge a path forward, and sometimes we get to be creative while doing it. That's my approach to life, and that's my approach to knitting.
So What’s This All About?
Life is stressful, hard, and full of rules. Our hobbies shouldn't be. I created Make Lemonade Fiber Co. for knitters who love to learn new things, follow their curiosity, and ignore the so-called ‘rules’ of knitting. And, to be honest, it’s a bit selfish too. I LOVE to talk about knitting and I can’t keep it all bottled up in my head any longer. And I’m kind of frustrated by some of the pearl clutching and rigidity I’ve encountered in knitting conversations lately. Sometimes it’s not even asked for (RUDE). So thanks for letting me get this out.
DON'T SHOULD ON YOUR KNITTING. DSOYK. No shoulds. Only choices.
What is SHOULD, anyway?
should /SHood/ verb
Used to indicate obligation, duty, or correctness, typically when criticizing someone’s actions.
Ummmm, what?! Most of us knit as a hobby—it’s supposed to make us feel good! What feels good about obligation, correctness, or criticism? Absolutely nothing.
So what do I mean? DSOYK is about ditching the ‘rules’ and the pressure to do things the ‘right’ way. It's shaking off the perfectionism attached to our knitting.
And I'm talking about TWO things here:
Judgment of the actual project we are working on. The lump of fabric in our lap, which we are lovingly shaping into a finished item, one stitch at a time. Does EVERY stitch have to be perfect? I think not. What does perfect even mean anyways?
And also the physical act of knitting. The VERB. The doing. How you hold your yarn, move your fingers, insert, wrap, pull, slide... everyone does it differently, and that's where the magic is. It’s a bummer to have our enthusiasm balloon popped but someone else shoulding and correcting our knitting. Instead…. could it be opportunity? To see something different or unfamiliar to us, to ask a question, to learn from one another?
We don't want people shoulding on us, so we won't be shoulding on others either. We do want open discussion, sharing ideas, building on each other’s knowledge.
I don't mind my own (knitting) business very well. I'm NOSY. I LOVE to be all up in other people's projects. It's the BEST place to find inspiration, new tricks, and best of all, COMMUNITY. So instead of creeping on people’s knitting in secret from the shadows, I'm making it a whole thing. And now you know why we're both here! I am so excited to be standing by with help when you need it. My goal is simple: I want you to feel confident in your knitting, whether that means tackling a new technique, tweaking a pattern to fit your needs, or just trusting your own creative instincts.
What You’ll Find Here
Freebies: Who doesn’t love free stuff? Grab the Overtime Beanie for free and start stitching right away!
Knitting Patterns: I love texture, technique, and a little bit of rebellion. Check out the Morel Hat and Swanky Slouch!
Learning & Resources: Whether you're looking for tutorials, deep dives into techniques, or honest reviews of tools and yarn, I’ve got you covered. My goal is to help you feel confident in your knitting choices—without any bossy knitting police telling you how it should be done.
Printable Resources: Prefer jotting notes by hand? Same. That’s why I made notebook pages to help you keep track of your ideas and project notes without the chaos of a million post-it notes. I wish I were kidding, but my post-it note situation is OUT OF CONTROL. These help.
Classes & Workshops: Want to stop just following patterns and start understanding your knitting? I teach workshops on confident decision-making (yarn, patterns, sizes, etc), technique flexibility, and developing your own knitting intuition.
Whether this is your first day knitting, or you learned to knit before you learned to walk, I'm pretty sure we can learn from each other. I think you’re exactly where you need to be.
Don’t Should on Your Knitting
👉 Check out patterns, books, and printables at www.makelemonadefiberco.com
📩 Got questions? Want to chat knitting? Email me at support@makelemonadefiberco.com
Happy knitting!