Katherine Kennedy has done needlework, mostly cross stitch, for as long as she can remember. But when she discovered Swedish weaving, Katherine just knew this was what she was meant to do. Her other passion is creating, so when she couldn’t find patterns for this newfound needlework, making her own designs was the natural solution. Within a short time, she was selling items at shows and in local Scandinavian shops. Katherine also started teaching, and it was her students who really encouraged her to look into publishing her design patterns. Just over a year later, her first book, Easy-Does-It Swedish Weave Towels, was published. She now has a full line of chart packs and kits that are distributed worldwide. “Many times I have had someone respond wistfully that they remember their mother or grandmother doing this type of needlework, perhaps even teaching them the basics, and they haven’t seen it for years. Just as exciting, though, is the reaction I get from those who are discovering Swedish weave for the first time,” says Katherine. She has been asked if she ever stitches just for fun, or whether it’s always for publication or sale. Katherine answers that it is always for fun, because she never tires of Swedish weaving, whether it is creating a new design, stitching one of her many designs or charting patterns. Katherine has been inspired by some of the old pattern books from the 1930s and ’40s. Most of her designs are original with a contemporary flare; even so, she also tries to maintain a more traditional look. She and her husband, Mark, live in Minnesota. They have 6 children and 3 grandchildren, whom they love spending time with.
