I learned to crochet at my Nonna’s knee when I was 7 years old.

I was HOOKED from the start and never put the yarn and hooks down for very long since then. If I’m not crocheting, I am reading, cooking, or gardening. I can never just sit and do nothing.

Karen Whooley Designs started way back when as a nod to my Nonna. I started with home décor patterns. Now Karen Whooley Designs has grown into a space that supports crocheters through well-written patterns, books, and education.

A Little More About Me:

  • I am a magisterium-following Catholic. I love the Lord and I am not afraid to share what I believe. I am glad to pray for you and your intentions!
  • I also love to work with any yarn with silk and/or alpaca, lace-weight yarn.
  • I love cooking Italian food just like my Nonna and mother taught me.
  • My favorite season is winter.
  • I am a voracious reader – I read more than 120 books a year on my iPad or in print. I don’t like audiobooks.
  • Give me a hot mug of coffee and a roaring fire along with my hook and yarn and I am good for the day.

Patterns & Books

You will find a wide range of high-quality crochet patterns here at Karen Whooley Designs – shawls, garments, accessories, and more. I focus on lighter-weight yarns (Lace-DK, but my sweet spot is Fingering) and classic styles that you will love to make – and wear.

Along with independently published patterns, I am the author of 23 books/booklets, 6 of which are self-published. You can buy the books here on my website and wherever else books are sold.

Community & Education

When I learned to crochet, my Nonna told me that “she had taught me a skill, and she expected me to do something with that skill.” My mother always tells me that Nonna meant doing things like baby items for family or charity work. But I took it a bit farther.

My mission is to share my love of crochet with the world.

For me, that means serving all of you FIRST! I want to encourage and inspire you. I want to help you strengthen your crochet skills so that you can grow and be confident in your own making progress. And I love having a network of like-minded crocheters who can cheer you on too!

Need education? Check out my calendar to see where I will be LIVE or VIRTUAL!

If you can’t make an event, be sure to subscribe to my newsletter and my YouTube Channel. Every month I send an educational newsletter plus I’m adding videos too.

Supporting Indie Businesses

I am a big believer in supporting local and small independent businesses. I shop locally as much as possible for my family, for gifts, food, and just about anything else. That spills out into my business as well. My goal is to support small businesses and indie dyers with my patterns. In doing this, I support my local yarn shops, local yarn companies, and indie dyers worldwide.

If you are an indie business that would like to work on a collaboration – contact me!

Giving Back

A portion of all my sales is given to a variety of charities that are near and dear to my heart. Here are just a few:

  • PREPARES – a nurturing response of the Catholic community, open to all, to provide meaningful, local, and sustainable support to vulnerable Washington mothers, fathers, and families as they nurture their children through pregnancy and early childhood.
  • Grace Kitchen – Grace Kitchen exists to meet the needs of the most marginalized women in our city.
  • Dynamic Catholic – Meeting people where they are and leading them where they need to be.