Meet the Maker: GGMADEIT

Meet Gaye Glasspie AKA GGMADEIT AKA GG – a knitter with heart and soul who you’ll love to get to know.

Ever since we first found GGMADEIT on the interwebs we’ve been infatuated with her positive attitude and love for knitting, crochet, local yarn stores + of course her designs. GG runs her own Etsy store, blogs (here) regularly and can be found all over the social channels too. She loves her chunky knits (who doesn’t!) and we simply love GG. OK enough girl crushing.. Let’s get to know GG a bit more and make sure to follow GG on instagram.

Tell us a little about yourself…
Ahhhh I am a soon to be 50 year old, lover of all things orange, natural hair wearing, single mom from Jersey, who loves to knit. Yup that is GG in a one long run on sentence! hahaha :)

You’ve got such a great bubbly personality! We love it, and your readers do too! How and where do you interact with your readers / followers?
You know above I mentioned that 50 year thing and I believe that has a great deal to do with my bubbly persona. You see I am a cancer survivor.  I lost both my parents AND my 24 year job in 2012 and I am still here! What is there to NOT be bubbly about? I interact with my fiber friends on my Facebook fan page and Instagram. I just hit 3000 on FB which is huge to little ole me and I asked all my fiber friends to tell me why they follow and stay. Most of them said the same thing, which was my positive outlook no matter what life has to offer. I know it’s a thing to say “knitting is therapy” but for me knitting saved my life. I couldn’t sleep, I knit. I was sad, I knit. I wanted to cry, I cried and I knit. I have truly knit my way through some of the most difficult times of my life. I mean it when I say “I wrapped/wrap my tattered heart in yarn and knit my way through each day” 

What or who got you into knitting? 
Ok this one is funny. I was a call center manager and we were cleaning out the sales closet. One of the agents found a gift that was a cup with yarn, needles and a pattern. I knew how to crochet but was afraid to knit, it looked like it had to be difficult right? So I went on YouTube and taught myself, made my scarf, holes and all and then…I was over it! Fast forward about a year later, a co-worker was making a hat while on a conference call, I was super excited and I wanted her to make me one. She wrote a list of the required materials and sent me to Michaels on my lunch break. I drove as fast as I could..I was geeked you hear me! I came back and handed her the bag full of everything she requested. She looked up at me and said “that’s for you” and I said, horrified “I can’t make a hat!!” and she said “you can and you will!”. Needless to say she showed me how to do 1×1 ribbing, told me to keep doing that for like 2 or 3 inches. Please know I got NO work done that day. I finished and ran to her desk…she then showed me how to do the seed stitch (did I mention this was all in the round?) and told me to keep doing that until I got to 9 inches. Listen, no dinner was cooked, honey was ignored, dishes left in the sink…I was on a mission. Then I discovered she didn’t teach me how to bind off (at that point I didn’t know that is what I needed to do) so I pulled the needles out and cried. Hahahahahaha I had a big ole mess, BUT I ripped it out and got it back to 9 inches and was sitting at her desk when she arrived. So it’s her fault….Jasmine is her name.

 

What inspires you?
The short answer is Shelbey, my daughter. My goal is to be someone my daughter is proud of! When I drag her to knitting events like Rhinebeck or Vogue Knitting and someone says is that GGmadeit? The pride that beams from her smile, makes my day.  When someone recognizes her and says “you’re Ms Gaye’s daughter right? she was my favorite manager! Tell her so-n-so says Hi!” I love hearing her say, they all love my mommy. 

How did you take the step from making, to coming up with your own designs?
I can’t really claim my own designs, well let me stop..I am so hard on myself. I think I stumbled over it by mistake. I either didn’t understand the pattern and wound up with something totally different or I would just start knitting  and like the end result. The issue is remembering to write down what I do, so for that reason, I don’t consider my self a designer…I am a mess is what I am! LOL! 

What are you working on right now?
I am working on one of your latest designs the Pop Life Cardigan with the fabulous Billie Jean Yarn. Can I say that I love the construction of your patterns. You make it easy for someone like me, because if you let me tell it I can’t make sweaters or cardigans.  No judging, I am a 50 year old work in progress

Proudest knit moment?
My Vivienne Cardigan. I can’t tell you how proud I was/am to answer the question “where did you get that?” by saying “I made it!!” Woot Woot! 

You’re a big fan of Local Yarn Stores, where do you like to shop?
Well yes I am!  Let’s go back to when I first learned how to knit, if you said yarn store, I thought of AC Moore or Micheal’s. I had NO idea that heaven existed on earth. One of my dearest friends Teresa, took me to my first ACTUAL yarn store Knitknack (which is out of business now and not because I bought ALL the yarn) and the YarnHo was born. OMGAWD who was suppose to tell me about all the fibers and colors and weights and yes gimme it all in orange please and thanks! LOL! Wait that wasn’t an answer to your question was it? Sorry you asked about shopping for yarn and I think I had an outer body experience. I am blessed to have approximately 14 LYS within 1 hour’s drive in either direction and let’s not talk about NYC, so yes blessed. My favorites that I go to most often have to be Do Ewe Knit?  and Knit-a-Bit.  I travel for work so I am always visiting new yarn stores and my new favorite is in Florida called Four Purls. I truly love a good local yarn store.

Tell us a secret :)
Ok only if you print it in invisible ink. Hahahahahahaa you ready? December 30, 2011 was the day I experienced my first local yarn shop and…and..the yarn I purchased…I still have it! hahahahahahahahaa I have NO idea why, but I do. I have never said that outloud, so shhhhh invisible ink ok? 

125 Comments

  1. Hello Gaye.

    I work at Wool and the Gang so I wanted to be 100% transparent. But, I just wanted to tell you personally that ever since I first discovered you on YouTube back in August 2013 (your unboxing), I have been such a fan. I LOVED your enthusiasm immediately and I had to follow you. Since then I follow your knitting and life online. I remember when you made that Vivienne Cardigan, I sent it around the office because I loved it on you and your accompanying smile. I remember when we did our first periscope last summer when we were all braiding wool on the roof and you were there. I really felt I knew you…

    Reading your story has made your love for knitting and making even more inspiring. Your daughter must be so proud. Thanks for sharing your story #makeyourselfhappy
    Lisa

    • Lisa, forgive any typos that show up in this post, because crying and typing is not a good match! Thank you just doesn’t seem to fit, it’s not powerful enough to describe my gratitude! So know that I am kissing the screen and hugging my MacBook and that is for you!

  2. I’m sitting here crying & I know the story.. I’m so proud of you GG! You have a heart of gold and you are one of the most patients people of know. Thanks Wool and the Gang for doing this article on my dear friend… She really don’t give herself enough credit!

    PS. Love the Orange ink

  3. GG! This was such a great interview! I only met you once years ago, but I will always remember your wonderfully infectious personality. I loved getting to know more about you and your craft! I wish you much continued success in the future! ❤️

    • Danni I don’t know if you know that or not, but your brand is what inspired me to step up my game! Thanks so much for being a leader!

    • Awesome interview GG…had no idea we shared a commonality….”Cancer Survivors”….we are Blessed by the Best!

      Saundra Harvey

  4. I am SUCH a fan of GG, and have had the pleasure of meeting her at Vogue Knitting Live in NYC, and hanging with her at a class at our beloved Do Ewe Knit in Westfield, NJ. Let me tell you, her enthusiasm and sparkle is as contagious in person as it is on the interwebs! Kudos, WATG, on this lovely feature..we love GG! :)

    • You know we are fiber BFFs! I am so happy we met and stay connected! *smooches*

  5. GG is one of my favorite knitters to follow on Facebook! The community she has created and energy she shares is something I look forward to on a daily basis! Thank you so much for featuring one of my favorite knitters on the blog!

  6. I just want to thank you guys at Wool & The Gang for featuring my friend GG! I first met her/came to know about GG through Facebook and was simply blown away by her knitting style and her love for knitting with oversized yarns! She has inspired me so much as a fellow knitter as I always look forward to what she knits up next!

  7. I love GG !!! Thanks for featuring her, she’s always so bubbly and so much fun to follow

  8. I’m sitting here crying too! I am soooo proud of you! I remember the day I told you, you can do it! And look at you today! Keep going and know that you have a gift (and it wasn’t by accident)! Xoxo!

    • THANK YOU JAS!! you got me on my way and told me I could do it! Love you mean it!

  9. Yay! Ggmadeit! Thanks guys for featuring her. She’s one of a kind and a lovely woman. She shows videos of herself working on your patterns and always has such kinds things to say about you. Glad to see you MADE IT!

  10. Hi GG
    Way to go and share your positivity!
    Love reading your posts! Keep it up!
    Xo Stacie NJ

  11. Thanks for featuring GG. She’s such an imspiration. Whenever I read her blog post on Facebook or Instagram it leaves me with a smile and such a positive attitude. I love her story and all the joy she spreads with her knit ideas. All the best GG. Keep on going.

  12. Thanks for featuring GG Made It! She always makes me smile. Love her life and knitting wisdom!!!

    • Wisdom, listen I learn something new everyday! Thanks for the kind words!

  13. Thank you for featuring Ggmadeit! I learned a lot about this woman who I’ve been “following.”

  14. My gratitude is sliding down my face in the form of tears! Thank you all so much for thinking someone would care enough to meet me!

  15. Wool and The Gang,
    This was a great interview of a great person. Knowing Gaye for years and to discover something new was refreshing. #awesome
    Knit Away, Gaye. Knit away.

    • Ms Willi! You know you own a piece of my heart! Have been with me since the beginning. Thank you!

  16. Thank you for featuring GG! I love this woman!! I found her by accident and now know my life was incomplete. 😁 She makes me laugh, cry and just be plain human.
    Thanks again!

  17. I’m always so happy to see GG’s comments on Facebook. I read every post and really like the patterns that she showcases! She’s our lady of knitting from the House of Orange!

    • Ha and I will take that name! “lady of knitting from the House of Orange!” Love it!

    • hahahahahahahahaha I love my new name!! Thank you so much! I crown thee “First hand of the Lady of knitting” hahahahahahahahaaa

  18. Thank you for featuring GG. She is so amazing and inspiring and I love following her.

  19. Great interview GG woot woot, I feel the same way you do about our craft and would pass out if I did not use self control with this fragile body of mine…but I truly live fiberly vicariously through our interactions on Tech Tuesdays, throwback Thursdays and tada WIP WEDNESDAY…might I suggest perhaps once a month a FO Friday? for the FB followers? We be rocking those hooks and needles don’t we GG?

  20. That’s my best friend! go best Friend!! So proud of her.. I’m always teary eyes seeing how well you are doing & always bragging off your work & the Best BFF anyone would want! I agree with Teresa you never give yourself enough credit!1 Truly incredible woman!! oh yeah.. almost 50… lol

    Keep your head always because you always make it through no matter what!! CONGRATS!!
    Love you!!!

    • Thank you for being my BFF and always supporting me! Love you mean it! Yup I’m crying!

  21. Thanks so much for featuring GGMadeit. She is an inspiration to a lot of us fellow knitters. We love her and I was so fortunate to meet her recently when she came to Florida and my Fav LYS Four Purls. Because of her lovely cardigan, I am awaiting my preorder of Billie Jean!!!

    • You know I love my 4Purls family to death! So Happy I got to meet you too!

  22. So happy WATG featured GG! She is such an inspiration for me, and because of her sharing her knitting journey, I find myself brave enough to follow her footsteps into using the better, more expensive yarns and trusting my own skills to do those yarns justice! Expect me as a customer soon, WATG, and you can thank GG for it!
    WTG, GG!

    • Yes get you some fast it’s on sale right now 40% and thank you for the kind words!

  23. Thanks for featuring GG! I love her creations and enthusiasm. Reading about people who are passionate about their work inspires me to chase my dreams!

  24. Gaye is my sister (sissy) and she is so awesome in all that she does. Her heart is a pure as sunshine and whatever she puts her heart and mind to, a masterpiece of some sort is created. I just want folks to know what I’ve known for more than a few decades WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET and she one that you want in your life for a lifetime. I love you babe and keep on making folk smile and celebrate you because you are truly DESERVING of it all. I love you my sweets.

  25. Love GGmadeit. have been following her for awhile and she inspires me to knit. Love the feature on her. very good.

  26. OMG Wool and the Gang!!!
    Thank you for featuring GG so that we can share this gem with the rest of the knitting world! She is infectious!! I am a crocheter and not the best knitter but thanks to the encouragement that I received from GG, I have improved my skills. Her page is a definite “pick me up”!

    • Aww shucks now!! Lisa you are GGMADEIT family you know that!! Thanks for bing a part of the fiber love

  27. Great piece WATG! It’s always nice to read how others appreciate and admire the beautiful ones. She may be humble, but in my world shes a rock star. Way to go GG!

  28. I have always enjoyed GG. Not just her work, but her attitude and her personality and her passion for the work that she does. Not only does she share her own inspiring work, but she’s also always sharing tips for the rest of us to better our craft, asking for a glimpse into OUR lives and asking to see what it is that we’re working on, and also links to patterns for other artists, because I think she understands and appreciates the heart and the work that goes into each piece that is created. I’m pretty sure she never expected to have become as popular as she is here in the yarn community, but I do know that she 100% in every way deserves her recognition! Thank you for sharing this piece about her. She deserves all of the recognition that she can get!

    • Kathleen, thank you for such kind words. I have to get off this page I can’t stop crying. *smooches*

  29. My Gaye is so truly deserving of this feature. She is a walking testimony that God can do incredible things! I’m soooooo happy and proud of her.

    • Who knew back then when you were on the phone listening to me fall apart that I would be here now. Love you mean it! Thank you for always supporting me. You Rock!

  30. You are such an inspiration. I love your enthusiasm and how you support others.

  31. Thanks Wool & The Gang for featuring one of my favorites. Have followed GG & met her (& Shelby) on the hill at Rhinebeck last year. Her enthusiasm for knitting is infectious & I’m proudly part of the Natural Knitter brigade. Congrats GG on this special recognition & look forward to seeing you again soon in the land of yarn……. Deb

    • The hill in Rhinebeck will always be special to me! My heart was pounding when I saw you all walking towards me, I had been dying to meet you ladies! #teamnaturalknitter

  32. You go girl!!! We all love GG. I’m fairly new to knitting and caught on quickly that GG was an AMAZING knitter and person…

  33. Thanks for sharing GG with your readers. She is an awesome woman whose love of life & knitting shines through brightly. We appreciate your GG–Blessings lady!

  34. Thanks for sharing this beautiful soul’s work and passion for all things, especially the yarn! Keep on stitchin’!

  35. I’m so glad you featured GG! She’s truly deserving and one of my main inspirations! I love what she loves! Big, bold, and chunky yarns! Same with stitches – using ginormous needles! Love her style, personality, and just everything about her! She makes me smile, heck, even laugh right out loud! I love her!!!

  36. So inspiring! So glad to become a fan of your community. Here’s to Shelbey’s awesome mom.

  37. I can honestly say that Miss GG is even nicer in person. I know this because I got meet her once and photograph her in some of her beautiful knitted projects. She’s a lovely person, and I’m just honored to have had a real life connection with her. Thanks for featuring such a wonderful person WATG. I can’t think of anybody nicer. And her knits absolutely ROCK!

    • Patty you are an Amazing photographer! Thank you for making me and my work look lovely!!

  38. I have the honor and joy of calling Gaye my friend, as well as owning several of her pieces! My signature piece that she made for me was a huge chunky, black (my fav color) & grey scarf that I tell you EVERY SINGLE TIME I wear it, I get compliments on. I proudly tell everyone who compliments and asks where I got my scarf from that was handmade with love from GGMADEIT!!

    • NAE, you know I love you as much as I love my yarn! Thanks for being my friend!

  39. Way to go Wool and the Gang for spotlighting on such a positive force in the knitting community! I love ggmadeit! I am so fortunate to have met her and value our friendship. She is the reason we will soon be carrying Wool and the Gang yarn (because if Gaye says it’s good then it’s good)!

    • Four Purls the perfect name for the perfect Yarn store! Love you lots Laura you know that!! I will see you soon!

  40. Thanks so much for featuring Gaye. Her story is amazing and her positive attitude is contagious.

  41. Thank you for featuring GG. I just recently discovered her and I am big fan (from Germany)! Just love her!

  42. Orange you glad you know GG!!!!! I know I am! GG walked into Four Purls and straight into our arms. She is a delight and an inspiration.

  43. Gaye is so amazing. I cannot knit but I have long admired her energy and tenacity in overcoming her fears and jumping right into the field! She made my most favorite cowl and I am proud to be one of her first customers. That cowl still gets admiration years later! Much deserved recognition! You go girl!!

    • Yes Lynn thanks for riding with me from day one! I appreciate you more than you know!

  44. Hi GG, there’s not much I can say that every one hasn’t said! But I think you great such an inspiration to me and everyone, you always have encouraging words for us and the most greatest pattern and new gadgets for us to try. It’s very seldom you connect with people who you’ve never meet yet you make me feel like I’ve know you all my knitting life( lol) such a warm person inside and out! Thanks for all you do and the many shades orange! 💋

  45. I have watched her from day one . I’ve ordered and her work is as amazing as she is .Thank you for shining your light on her .

    • My Dawnie!! We will forever and always have Teaneck!! Love you! AND thank you for supporting me!

  46. Hi there! I loved reading this piece. I just love you cuz you are a REAL person, just doing what we all do & cheering everyone along. I especially love your WIP Wednesdays on fb. Everyone is making something different & it’s so fun to watch the progress from week to week. Thanks for being such a positive person in a place where lots can be so depressing. You make life fun. I’m extremely delinquent on my blog but you can peek at it if you want to know more about me. I still have not used super-chunky yarn or big needles. I promise I will soon… After a few more DK blankets & Anelmaiset socks! 😊 LOVE YOU!!!

    • I will check out your blog today! Thanks for joining along on WIP wednesday..it is fun right?

  47. Love love love GG. Made my first orange knit scarf and thought of her. She’s an inspiration. She makes me smile. Love her infectious smile and personality. T

    • Aww did you show me said orange scarf? I wanna see you have to post a pic on the FB page please. Thanks for the love!

  48. Thank you for featuring GG. I enjoy learning more about her. I’m not really a YouTube watcher but now I want to check out her videos.

    • I have to do better with YouTube..thanks for viewing what is there!

  49. Doh! Got my website address wrong! Good grief!!
    Mama2russians.wordpress.com

    Special needs parenting brain…

  50. Love love love GG. Made my first orange knit scarf and thought of her. She’s an inspiration. She makes me smile. Love her infectious smile and personality. Thank you for highlighting her!

  51. GG,
    I met you first via Instagram then I actually got to meet you live in NYC Vogue Knitting Live. It was a pleasure to have met you. I am looking forward to seeing you again in NYC Vogue Knitting Live 2017.

    Knit & Crochet always,
    Josie

  52. GG rocks, thank you so much for featuring her joy about fiber and life. I’ll be back.

  53. Very nice person to work with. Still remember those lovely days,

    • Hi my Bina!! I remember you as well! I pray all is well! Thanks for reading!

  54. oh wait I just noticed that your replies are all in ORANGE!!! Nice touch

    • #teamorange all day every day! Thanks for reading and paying attention!

  55. So glad you featured GG, because she deserves it! Her fun attitude, beautiful knitting and overall love for life shines through in all of her posts on Facebook! I am so happy that I found her, and so happy you featured her so that other people get to see how great she is too.

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