Vickie Howell

A self-proclaimed "crafty gRRRL," Vickie Howell has been involved in the creative arts for as long as she can remember. Her mother taught her to knit when she was eight years old, but it wasn't until years later that she became obsessed with this branch of the fiber arts. Now she rarely puts her needles down. This busy mother of two boys has managed to find time to serve as owner, designer, webmistress and CEO of three crafts-based businesses: Mamarama, which offered cool handmade garb for hip moms and their kids; Ruby Goes Retro (RgR), a purveyor of authentic embellished and vintage-inspired clothing and accessories; and her personal website, which serves as home base for her many creative pursuits. Together with eight other crafty entrepreneurs, she is a co-founder of the Austin Craft Mafia, whose sole purpose is to promote and support independent female-run craft-based businesses. In an effort to do her part to mobilize the feminist-based knitting movement, she has founded successful chapters of the irreverent, but socially conscious knitting group, Stitch n' Bitch, in both Los Angeles and Austin. She's on a personal quest to help break the negative social stigma attached to knitting and to bring more recognition to the craft's hip, creative and edgy sides. Her designs can be found on her website, the RgR website and on Knitty.com. She has been featured in a variety of print and online sources, including the upcoming Celebrity Scarves II book, whose profits will benefit breast cancer research. Sterling Publications will publish her first book, New Knits on the Block: A Guide to Knitting What Your Kids Really Want, in the fall of 2005 and her second book, Not Another Teen Knitting Book, in 2006. Vickie is a chick with sticks, and she's not afraid to use them! If you feel like getting crafty, join Vickie on DIY Network's series Stylelicious and Knitty Gritty!