about polka dot robot

Vivianna "VIVS" Arroyo

can be found gallivanting about San Francisco in sparkly Toms shoes and listening to Band of Horses on her iPod. A self-proclaimed dork, she loves coffee, cute boys, and riding her bicycle around town. She is rarely seen without her Nikon D40, taking pictures of anything and everything. She also has a kitten named Maybe.

A self-taught knitter, Vivianna has been terrorizing balls of yarn since 2002, creating beautiful one-of-a-kind pieces for herself and her friends. Finally, enough of them bugged her to open a web store so she could share her knit items with everyone. In 2009, Polka Dot Robot was born!

POLKA DOT ROBOT FAVORITES: Ginger Bear Hat, Petit Déjeuner Beret, Monster Hoodies

Laurel Fiske

is a research scientist by day, monster creator by night. This modern Dr. Frankenstein thinks that turning friends into monsters, dinosaurs, and abominable snowmen is the greatest thing since chocolate was added to milk. Monster Hoodies began at San Francisco's Bay to Breakers, when she unleashed a ferocious onslaught of monsters onto an unsuspecting populous. People liked them so much that she teamed up with PDR to bring them to a wider audience!

When she's not bent over a project, Laurel can be found running after a frisbee, dancing to Michael Jackson, or hugging her friends. Laurel has a kitten named Boomer and a struggling plant named Kermit.

POLKA DOT ROBOT FAVORITES: Deer to My Heart Hat, Owl Be Back Beanie, Tree Hugger Cozy

Erin Hayes

has been knitting with fervor since 2007, the year Vivianna graciously taught her to cast on. Knitting has since become her dominant hobby, ousting several competing activities: playing violin and Javanese gamelan instruments, walking all over the city at late hours, and carefully curating her collection of dresses (ok, she still finds time for that last one).

If Erin is not at PDR headquarters, she's probably shopping for cute things online, making iTunes playlists, or lounging in her woodsy tree house bedroom.

POLKA DOT ROBOT FAVORITES: Beau Geste Mittens, Monster Hoodies, Happy Hour Bow Beret

Meg O'Connor

is a crochet junkie. On any given day, if you look in her purse, socks, or hands, you'll find yarn. This obsession began around age 8, when her mother taught her to crochet chains for the Christmas tree. She quickly moved on to bigger and better things (i.e. Barbie blankets). It wasn't until college that Meg honed her skills and discovered that other people dug her stuff. Fortunately, she met the robots...

Some interesting tid-bits about Meg: She was born in Minnesota and moved to SF at age 18. She plays the guitar poorly and the piano even worse. She is a proud pug owner. She has lived in three cities and has loved each one equally: Minneapolis for being the best place to grow up EVAR; San Francisco for its endless discoveries; Dublin for the beautiful people and beer.

POLKA DOT ROBOT FAVORITES: Deer to My Heart Hat, Monster Hoodies, Beau Geste Mittens