| "I am a knitter, weaver, dyer and recently I have learned to felt some of my knitted hats. I have chosen knitting for my creative expression because creating one of a kind knitwear and seeing my work worn by a person as unique as what I create thrills me. I emphasize the wearable of fiber art. For me art has to be functional, be it a piece of pottery, glass art or a painting. The majority of my work is "ONE OF A KIND" cardigans, jackets, coats and some accessories like braided headbands, hats and scarfs. I emphasize color in my garments, in addition they must be versatile and have simple shapes. Some of my yarns are hand painted and then combined with commercially produced high quality yarns.
So far I have been working with mohair and wools and combined them with silks, rayon and man made fibers for effect. In the future I am planning to use more silks, cottons and rayon. My motto is: Change is Good.
I have produced knitwear since 1988 and sold my creations in juried contemporary craft shows in New York State until moving to the Palouse in 2002. I have won Awards at the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester NY in the 1990's and have participated in their juried shows from 1990 to 2002. I am largely self-taught with a head start during my education in Germany. After moving to the US I participated in Knitting Conferences and workshops with renowned designers like Lily Chin, Sasha Kagan, Ginger Luters and others. I also participated in weekend workshops were I learned weaving, dying and felting. I have studied design and drawing at Syracuse University and SUNY Cortland. I completed a Degree in Retail Management in Germany and later an AA in Liberal Arts in Syracuse. I am currently finishing my BA in English and Creative Writing as a full time student at WSU.
I live in the country between Garfield and Palouse, where after building our dream home I am looking forward to again having a permanent and full time Fiber studio to create new pieces year after year."
-- Monika Kriebel
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