About – Charmingly Modern

Hi, it’s nice to meet you!

My name is Amanda, and I want to welcome you to Charmingly Modern.

Some facts you might be interested (or might not be interested) in knowing about me:

I became a mom in 2012 with the birth of our son. Every few years, another little one followed! We’re not sure if we’re “finished” yet… for now, we’re enjoying life with 3.
I’m a little bit obsessed with (in no particular order): knitting, wine, coffee, the idea of waking up early (but not actually following through), productivity tools, planners, my dog, my cats (of which there are 4!!!), small things like miniaturized versions of regular sized things, decorating, organizing, crafts and…I could go on.
I’m a creative and a bit of a free spirit with a good dose of practicality. I don’t believe in cubicles, but that doesn’t mean I don’t respect them 🙂
We’re Jewish and our faith plays a huge role in our life.

Professionally, I’m an online marketer who specializes in content marketing. You can read more about that on my business website, Create Inspire Convert.

The story behind Charmingly Modern and knitting…

Charmingly Modern was started when I was newly married in 2006 and looking for a creative outlet for my joint passions of writing and homemaking. I decided to create a blog, and called it Charmingly Modern because I couldn’t think of anything else! I had had blogs before, but never really consistently created anything for them. This was during what I’ll call a “golden age” of blogging, where people used feed readers to subscribe to blogs, and read them like magazine subscriptions. That isn’t so much the case anymore, unfortunately, which is why my interest was off and on over the years.

It’s also why, if you browse the archives of Charmingly Modern, you’ll find posts about ALL sorts of things – not all related to knitting.

Over the years, I would come and go here… trying different things. I never could let it go, because truly Charmingly Modern is my heart. It’s everything I’ve wanted to be in “real life” and online: put together, organized, fun, homey, dreamy – all that good stuff. The problem was I was never consistent with putting content out, or even committing to a topic so… not much happened here.

In 2022, I decided it was time to stop allowing my self doubt to take control and just buckle down. I have a history of chasing my passions without much follow through. I decided it was time to stop that, and to pick one thing to get good at. Proper grammar? No. Effective in motivating me? Yes.

That takes us to the version of Charmingly Modern you’re looking at now. After a lot of time spent soul searching and sifting through my passions, interests and skills… I kept coming back to one thing: knitting.

I found knitting at a time in my life where everything was changing. I was pregnant with our first. I had quit my job to stay home and thought maybe I’d dabble in freelance writing. After the birth of our son, I was pretty lost on a personal level. Who was I anymore? What was I even doing now that I had this little person with me 24/7? Every 3 years, we added another child and that sense of “What the heck am I doing with my life?” continued to loom.

But one thing was consistent: knitting. I always had a project to grab. A creation to make. A design to dream up. I picked up the needles for the first time, with no clue how to use them, in 2012 when I attended a “learn how to knit” class at my local yarn shop. The instructor showed me what I needed to know, and from that moment I was hooked (which is actually a crochet joke, lol…).

I made a lot of square pouches at first. Then I got braver and tried a hat. That hat ended up being way too large for my newborn… but I learned a lot from that project. The hat led to scarves. Then I decided to get a little braver and knit cloth diaper covers (called soakers), because we were cloth diapering at that time. I realized I greatly enjoyed “complicated” projects like that, that kept my mind active and enabled me to feel creative.

I started developing patterns for children at that point – socks, pants, jackets and fun hats. My kids were less and less interested in wearing these things, though. So I decided I wanted to make things for me. It felt a little bit indulgent at first, but there’s something about knitting yourself a scarf, sweater, or hat – and feeling so accomplished that you created a piece of clothing you now get to show off and enjoy!

Each project has been there for me at various points in my life, where I was experiencing any manner of things. Sometimes life was peaceful and quiet. Other times it was tumultuous and hard. And yet other times it was somewhere in between. But that yarn, and the needles, were always there – a comforting presence, sometimes an escape, always a satisfying experience that resulted in something beautiful, useful and practical.

If you’re reading this, you’re at least curious about knitting and what it’s like. You’ve probably seen something someone has knit in person, or a machine has made in a store, and wondered if you could make something like that, too.

Maybe more than that, though, you’re looking for a sense of calm in the storm of life. You’re feeling a little bit like you need something that’s just for you. Even if the end result is a hat for your kid.

Knitting is all that and more. It’s a place to grow. A safe haven from life. A way to create something of beauty. And a skill you’re 100% capable of mastering. I will show you how.

Ready to get started? Follow these steps:

>> Step 1: Sign up to receive the weekly Charmingly Modern Knitsletter. This is a weekly newsletter where I share useful tips, resources and musings all in the world of knitting. I also share little glimpses into my life as a mom of 3.

>> Step 2: Take the first steps toward becoming a knitter by visiting the “Get Started with Knitting” section of the blog. You’ll find tutorials, tips and useful resources to help you kick off your journey.

>> Step 3: Catch up on my personal knitting journey, because it may inspire you on yours. Be sure to comment if anything resonates, or you can send me a message on Instagram and let me know. I’d love to connect!

That’s it! You’re on your way toward becoming a knitter in no time. Before you know it, you’ll be cranking out hats, or socks, and hearing from all the people in your life how much they wish they could knit like you.

Happy knitting,
Amanda