About Liz Chandler & PurlsAndPixels

Hi! I’m Liz Chandler, the creator, writer, photographer, designer, and teacher behind PurlsAndPixels.

I live in a quiet corner of rural Colorado with my son and our dogs. Our days blend knitting needles, garden soil, warm meals, mountain weather, and the kind of quiet you can only get far from town. The life I build here shapes everything I teach on this site.

PurlsAndPixels began as a beginner knitting project and grew into something bigger: a full cozy lifestyle resource built on practical skills, real-life experience, and a deep belief that handmade comfort matters.

Liz Chandler founder and creator of PurlsAndPixels and the cozy independence movement.

What PurlsAndPixels is About

At its heart, this site is built around a simple philosophy:

Make what you can.
Fix what you can.
Grow what you can.

These small, steady skills turn a house into a home and help your days feel calmer and more capable.

Here, you’ll find:

Knitting and crochet with clear, confidence-building lessons.
DIY projects that work in real homes.
Home cooking that uses real ingredients and real-life timing.
Garden and homestead guidance that grows alongside you.
Lifestyle tips that make everyday living smoother.
Cozy self-reliance essays that explore the “why” behind all of it.

This isn’t about creating a picture-perfect lifestyle. It’s about practical skills that actually help you live better.

Learn the skills you want to know to create your cozy independence. Get knitting, cooking, home, and lifestyle guides from Liz Chandler @PurlsAndPixels.

What I Teach Here

Everything I share answers one grounding question:

“How can I make everyday life a little easier and a lot cozier?”

That question guides each pillar of this site:

Knitting & Crochet
I teach from true beginner level all the way to polished, wearable projects, always with clear instructions, calm pacing, and practical tips.

DIY & Cozy Home Projects
These are realistic, achievable projects you can make without a studio, a workshop, or a renovation budget.

Home Cooking & The Ingredient Kitchen
Meals that rely on technique and ingredients instead of trends or equipment. Comforting, doable food for busy lives.

Lifestyle, Garden, & Homestead
Garden basics, caring for chickens, understanding local wildlife, organizing your home, and building habits that create steadiness.

Cozy Self-Reliance
Essays, reflections, and gentle guidance about building a life you trust — even when your world feels chaotic.

Why I Teach These Skills

Before this became my full-time work, I was an attorney. I lived in cities, wore suits, and ran on stress and adrenaline. On paper, it looked successful. In my body, it didn’t feel sustainable.

Knitting was the first thing that brought stillness back into my hands and my mind. From there, I began cooking differently, gardening more intentionally, fixing things myself, and learning the skills that eventually created a home that felt safe, grounded, and mine.

My life included single motherhood, rebuilding from scratch, navigating trauma, and learning how to stay steady when everything felt unstable. The skills I teach on this site are the same ones that helped me reclaim my life.

I don’t teach theory. I teach what I use every single day.

Liz Chandler in a warm knit hat outside with her two farm dogs. Learn cozy independence at PurlsAndPixels.

What Makes PurlsAndPixels Different

There is no shortage of lifestyle websites. What makes this one different is its foundation:

Everything is designed so a beginner can succeed.
Everything is built for real levels of energy and time.
Everything focuses on “doable,” not perfect.
Mistakes are welcome. We replant, we fix, we redo.
The goal is comfort, not performance.

If you’re tired of being told to “do more,” “optimize everything,” or chase perfection, you’re in the right place. You are allowed to move slowly here.

How to Use PurlsAndPixels

You can explore freely or start with the most helpful paths:

Brand-New Here?
➡️ Begin with the Start Here guide.

Ready to Learn a Skill from Scratch?
Try:

Have Kids or Teens Who Want to Make Something?
Visit the Kids’ Knitting Guide. (coming soon!)

Interested in Lifestyle and Homestead Skills?
Explore:

A Note from Me

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed, behind, or like everyone else got the instruction manual for “how to live,” please know you’re not alone.

PurlsAndPixels is the manual you deserved: not a rulebook, but a collection of gentle, practical steps toward a home and life that feel more like yours.

You don’t need perfection. You don’t need a full plan. You just need one small skill to start with.

I’ll walk with you from there, one cozy step at a time.