A passionate knitter,  Pinchknitter (aka Sirkku) learned to knit at the age of 7.  In her native Finland she attended a boarding high school maintaining an emphasis on needle arts, including weaving, knitting and sewing. An early member of the Seattle Knitter's Guild, Sirkku has been active in the Seattle knitting community as a teacher and professional knitter.  She recently was one of the founding members of the North Sound Knitter's Guild, which is rapidly growing in membership. In 1995, Sirkku became a Craft Yarn Council of America certified knitting instructor.  In 2002, she attended a 3-day intensive basic techniques seminar on Couture Knitting with Catherine Lowe. Sirkku currently resides on Camano Island, Washington with her husband, Perk.