Saturday Spotlight|Introducing Tracey Maniluwhua Rivers

Hello my fiber friends :p

It’s Saturday so it’s time to shine the light on another talented fiber lover. I know I have said in the past that I have the best fiber friends EVER! I am forever finding inspiration in this cyber world. Insert Tracey Maniluwhua Rivers, the talent behind  Tranquil Rivers Designs where her tagline reads: Custom Made Hand Knitwear and Crochet designs.  She found me because we have folks in common. What is it, six degrees of separation, yea that. I am so very happy she found me. This woman is SUPER talented and I had the pleasure of getting to know her just a little bit. I wanted you all to get to know her too….oh and isn’t she beautiful?

image

So I asked if I could shine my light on her and she said yes! Woot Woot! Here we go:

So superstar tell me, how long have you been knitting and who taught you?

I’ve been Knitting and Crocheting for 40 years. My Mom taught me when I was 6 years old.

Wow, that must of been cool! You answered the next question, which is do you crochet as well, but your tagline on your page Tranquil Rivers designs answered that one; you crochet too. Just super talented you guys!!

Do you have a favorite yarn? What about needles, do you have a “thisisallIknitwith” set of needles?

I love Malabrigo, Madelinetosh and Expression Fiber Arts just to name a few. I’m a tiny Needles and Hooks, Thin Yarn Lover so, I prefer Lace Weight, Fingering and DK Weight Yarns. I love Addi Turbo Needles and Addi Hooks. I also love Chia Goo and Signature Needles

Oh Signature needles, I so have a needle crush on those sexy things. I have been meaning to get my hands on some Expression Fiber Arts yarn. I am just the opposite, when it comes to yarn weight. I love chunky/bulky yarn like it is the man of my dreams. LOL! Ok so I just found your store on Ravelry, great stuff! How long before you started designing patterns?

Thank you. I’ve been Designing for about 20 years, but I’ve become really serious about writing meticulous patterns within the last 7 years. Besides being a Gemologist, my Mom was a Knitter and Crocheter for Fashion Houses in her spare time. She helped me to really fine tune my skills. Shirley Paden, World renowned Hand Knitwear and Crochet Designer and Author of the Best Selling Book-Knitwear Design Workshop is my Friend and Mentor. She’s also been very instrumental in guidance and knowledge.

Screen Shot 2014-11-29 at 12.10.38 AM

Wow!! so you have some wonderful mentors/trainers in your life. I was so impressed when I found your pattern page. You are amazing!  I dream of designing one day. Thanks for inspiring me and for introducing me to Shirley Paden, just Wow!! You get to call her a mentor and friend? What a blessing.

Tell the readers your news, what exciting thing has just happened?

I decided to put a couple of Patterns for sale on Ravelry and I sealed the deal with 2 Boutiques to carry my designs.

A Boutique?? Wait 2 Boutiques… WOW! Congrats!!  You are quite successful, do you do it all yourself?

Thank you! Yes, I Knit the Prototype and our oldest Daughter Amber and my Cousin Deidra Test Knit and Crochet for me as well as a young lady from the Knatural Purls Group named Tamara Espinal. After the testing is done, I make 1 more of each item, unless it’s a custom Knit or Crochet garment, which is truly Custom made for each individual using meticulously exact measurements.

Isn’t she fabulous guys? Let me stop talking and show you some of her work. I can NOT knit, I have so much to learn after looking at her work…so inspiring.

image image image image IMG_1903Knit on my fiber friends….knit on

 

5 thoughts on “Saturday Spotlight|Introducing Tracey Maniluwhua Rivers”

  1. What Tracy didn’t tell you is how inspiring she is to the knitter/designers on Ravelry. She is so generous with her support of new designers and always encouraging – that is internal beauty!

    Thanks for the lovely piece on her! Happy Knitting!

  2. Pingback: A taste of Malabrigo | The Confessions of a Yarnho

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.