When I was growing up, I was interested in pretty much everything. Maybe that's because I was a Air Force brat, and moved about every 2 years, on average. I got used to doing and seeing new things all the time. Someone told me I should just pick one thing and concentrate on that, so I could excel and be the best at that one thing. If I tried to do everything, I'd end up being mediocre at everything. But I never liked that advice, and I couldn't pick just one thing. So I kept doing whatever I was interested in, and while I've switched my focus several times in life so far, I've gotten to do many fascinating things. I may not be the absolute best in the world at any one thing, but I've never been bored!

I did all sorts of crafts as a child, taught by my mother and grandmother, and even grandfather, but as I entered college, I began to do fewer crafts. I kept up the cross-stitching, as I love all the colors and the detail and precision of the craft, but my crocheting and macrame and latch hook fell by the wayside. I chose to study physics and music in college (see - I narrowed it down to 2 subjects, but couldn't pick just one!), and graduated in 5 years with a BA in music (piano) and a BS in physics and astronomy (double major) from the University of Washington. The music was my love, and the physics was to be my way to make a living.

I then began graduate work in astronomy in Hawaii, but after a semester, decided the very theoretical subject just wasn't for me. I went back home to regroup, and tried my hand at being a novelist (my other great love, but as yet, unrealized), and made a bit of money playing the piano (for the Seattle Girls' Choir). I then entered grad school again to get a degree in Library & Information Science. I do love books, you see, and working in a library seemed like a great job. I did get my MLS degree, but halfway through the program, I learned about space robotics, and decided to go back to my scientific roots and pursue that. So immediately after library school, I continued in graduate work and ended up getting an MS and a PhD in robotics from Carnegie Mellon University. I got to do all sorts of cool things as a grad student, like visiting both the Canadian Arctic and Antarctica, doing robotics research. Then I got a job at NASA Johnson Space Center, and spent about 7 years doing space robotics research, developing robotic software and testing it in various remote locations.

Then I got married, and had 3 kids.

As a stay-at-home mom to 3 kids age 4 and under, my life has changed quite a bit. Slower, in some regards, but busier in many others. Now that the oldest is 4, and the youngest is sleeping well through the night, I decided to take the time to build up this website. You'll see pictures of the kids here modeling some of my designs. The oldest girl is creative and loves to pretend to be a princess, the middle girl has a beautiful constant smile and is very loving and caring, and the youngest boy has an adorable grin! Of course, I am a bit biased.

When I was around 14, my dream for my life was to play the piano, write books, and do crafts on the side. My life has taken many turns since then, but now I am back to the original dream. I play the piano at church (have been, pretty much non-stop since high school), try to write when I can (see this page for my hopefully growing list of publications), and do lots of crafts. In this website, I'll try to keep you up-to-date on my latest projects and crafting thoughts, share some of my patterns, and give you some of the tips I've gathered over the years. As a left-hander, I've noticed that some changes need to be made at times to right-handed patterns, so I'll give you a few tips for that too, if you're left handed. And if I decide to pursue some new career in life, you'll be among the first to know!

Kimberly Shillcutt Tyree, KST Designs