About Knotted Tree

Thank you for visiting the Knotted Tree website! My name is Jamie Beam and I am the architect of all this designing madness. But where did it all start? I have been an avid stitcher since my 4-H days in La Grande Oregon. College slowed me down and then I found a wonderful counted thread establishment called Acorns & Threads in Portland Oregon and my passion was renewed! I fell in love with so many patterns and designers and stitched and stitched (you all know what I'm talking about!). A great banking career kept me in the money for projects and then I woke up the day after Christmas in 1999 and couldn't walk.

On January 6, 2000 I received my official diagnosis of Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis. Now all my friends had proof of my brain damage (something they'd suspected for years' HA HA!). I kept working but two years later my disease took it's toll and I had to leave my beloved coworkers and clients. Stitching was my therapy in so many ways! Unfortunately, being the type A personality I am, I couldn't just sit at home but I couldn't work for someone either.

My brilliant plan of becoming a Cross Stitch Designer was put in motion. I set to work making sketches and models. I got lots of advice from Roz Vancil at Acorns & Threads (what a blessing she is!) and made lots of phone calls to Ruth Sparrow Gendron of Twisted Threads (what an amazing lady).

I attended the Columbus Ohio INRG/TNNA NeedleArts market in June of 2004 and what an eye opener! It was my version of a Hollywood red carpet event! Meeting George Clooney or John Cusack would not be as nerve wracking or create more stomach butterflies! Meeting the folks at Bent Creek, Lizzie Kate, Shepherd's Bush, Praiseworthy Stitches, Heart in Hand, Twisted Threads and so many others was unbelievable. These people are my stitching idols and their advice and kinds words have been of an inestimable value.

With renewed vigor and inspiration I plowed forward and was blessed to be a part of the Fall Open House at Acorns & Threads in October 2004. More blessings followed including wonderful vendors like Gentle Art, Weeks Dye Works, Wichelt, Zweigart, East Side Mouldings, Hog River, JABC and R & R Reproductions to name a few. The Stotts at Norden Crafts stepped forward as a wonderful distributor and now I am rolling along. With so many gifts given I have made the choice to give back. A portion of every chart I sell goes the National Multiple Sclerosis Society

Thank you for visiting my site. I hope you enjoy stitching my designs as much as I have enjoyed creating them for you! Happy Stitching to all!

Love n' Stitches,

Jamie
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