About

A little about me:

Hi...my name is Mary Lee!  I'm the knitter and designer behind Fifty Four Ten Studio.  I have been knitting since I was about 8 years old.  My mother taught me to knit and my parents encouraged me to explore all kinds of arts and crafts activities by providing me with the materials that I needed to create.  

As a girl, I loved to sew (I spent hours using my mother’s sewing machine making clothes for my dolls), knit, draw and paint.  In high school, I spent all my extra time at school hanging out in the art room.  In college, I worked at a cute little yarn store and I still have some yarn in my stash that I bought at that store…way too many years ago!

I love giving hand knit gifts to my friends and family.  In these days of mass produced gifts (that often require a plug-in cord or battery) it is nice to give something that is truly one-of-a-kind.  I love to see the smile on their faces when they open a gift I made for them.   

I live in a suburb of Kansas City with my husband and two teenage children. I enjoy knitting (of course!), baking, making jam in the summer, making homemade gingerbread houses in December, taking photos and going to the beach (not in Kansas!).  

Some of my patterns are named for places here in my hometown...Kansas City.

About my knitting patterns:

I designed and published my first knitting pattern in November 2013.  As of 2023, I have published over 60 knitting patterns! The constant through all of my patterns is a desire to write clear directions so you will be successful.  

I use row by row knitting directions in standard US terms.  All abbreviations are explained in the pattern.  (However, I try not to overuse abbreviations.)  I make every effort to lists the skills needed for each pattern in my pattern listings so you will know what to expect.  If there are steps in the pattern which go beyond the required skills and might be new to you, I include lots of photos with step-by-step instructions to guide you through every step of the process.  

By the time I finish writing a knitting pattern, I have made the item and I have spent many hours writing the pattern, taking photos, and carefully scrutinizing every detail of the knitted item and the final document.  My hope is that these efforts will make it easy for you to knit the item, help you learn new skills and result in you being proud of your finished project.  

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About the name...Fifty Four Ten Studio:

Fifty Four Ten Studio is named for the house number of the home my grandparents purchased when my mother was a young girl.  They had lived in a one bedroom apartment hotel for many years and this was the first home they owned.  Still today, many years after the home was sold, my family refers fondly to the family home by the house number…5410.  

This is an old photo of their house....

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