I was born, raised and educated in Middlesbrough, England. After finishing school, I attended Middlesbrough College of Art and completed a 4 year full time course in Dress Design, Dressmaking, Tailoring, Embroidery, Millinery, History of Costume, Fashion Drawing, Lettering and much more. This foundation, coupled with an inborn passion for drawing, painting, sewing and knitting set the path and pace for all endeavors, past and present. I passionately believe in the progression of the creative spirit, and it is not a well trodden path! It is unpredictable and full of hidden surprises and adventures. It is a fulfilling, rewarding journey and is the very essence of an interesting and exciting life. One instinctively knows that there's always something new to try and it is just around the corner, one simply has to have faith in the adventure!

Ever since I was old enough to hold a pencil, I've loved to draw! I would draw whatever and whenever I could. Later on, I found an enjoyable niche doing pen and ink drawings of local heritage buildings, mountain scenes and even wild animals (inspiration came easily to me with living in the mountains), so an artistic career was born. I did the art 'thing' for several years and loved every minute of it,(I really did) but it was soon time to explore again.....

For Christmas of 1982, my dear Fred bought me a knitting machine and Ribber. It was the beginning of a very exciting period in my life. Our four sons were aged one to eleven. As soon as they went to bed at eight o'clock, I practiced and played with my wonderful knitting machine. In no time at I was addicted and totally obsessed!

It was impossible to buy knitting machine patterns where I lived, so I decided to write my own. Soon I had amassed quite a collection of patterns and thought it would be a good idea to write a book, which I did. The rest is history!

Over the past 16 years, I've written more than eighty patterns and books for knitting machines. During this time I also wrote for The Carriage Trade, Machine Knitter's Source, Machine Knit America and Alles News and Views. My main focus right from the beginning, was to write patterns that were understandable for all levels of expertise, but especially for beginners. My hidden agenda when writing patterns was to subliminally teach machine knitting techniques whilst producing beautiful stylish garments (and other items) at the same time.

In this quest to 'spread the machine knitting word' I have taught numerous workshops and demonstrated at many seminars in Canada and USA.I love being with people who share the same passion.

Over ten years ago, I started a Pattern Club, where patterns were sent out every 3 months. It was called, Sandy's Pattern Pantry. In the beginning 2 patterns (one Bulky one Standard) were mailed out along with a newsletter. In response to suggestions from SPP members, several changes were implemented to encompass the spirit of the members' desires and aspirations.

Life threw me a 'curve ball' in April 1999 when I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Ovarian Cancer, I'm happy to report that on October 20th, I was pronounced 'disease free', but this big scare forced me into a re-evaluation of my life and its' priorities. Following diagnosis, my first response was to give up writing and designing, but I quickly realized that I didn't want to do that.

Making Dolls has become a part of the 'creative collage'. For the last 5 years I've been creating porcelain dolls, staring with the original sculpt of the head, arms and legs, then making the mold, pouring, firing and painting the doll parts and then putting all the pieces together. Doll making is evolving into yet another personal journey, another passion. I love designing the clothes then sewing and knitting them for each doll. I love making the leather shoes and making each pair unique. Creating dolls from start to finish in this way, is indeed a labor of love as it combines all of my artistic facets into one lovely package.

It's an exciting journey and I don't know how long it will last... I hope and pray that I will enjoy its benefits for many years to come. It is an enlightening and fulfilling journey, so hop on board and enjoy the view!

Love, Sandy Lightfoot.