Knitting has been a big part of Cynthia’s life for nearly 20 years, and she’s also an avid crocheter. Her next big life adventure will be relocating in 2013 from the snowy Northeast to the sunny Southwest. She’s known as Missallen on Ravelry, and is usually hanging out with Dr. Who, Nerdy Knitters, or another arcane group.
Julie is a designer of knit toys and a knitting instructor. She strives to design toys with a whimsical feel that children will love. She likes to incorporate different textures into her designs as well as fun colors. You can find Julie’s work at www.the-byrds-nest.com.
Sharon is an indie crochet designer. Her designs have appeared in magazines such as Interweave Crochet, Crochet!, and Tangled. She also has designs in Oh Baby! Crochet (DRG) and Crochet One-Skein Wonders, as well as upcoming books by Cooperative Press. Find Sharon on Ravelry as stitchesandstones.
Tonia lives in New Hampshire with her husband, daughters, and a beagle. She is a designer at Classic Elite Yarns and also designs independently for various knitting publications. To see more of her designs visit www.toniabarrydesigns.com or check her out on Ravelry.
Despite the fact that Atlanta doesn’t have ideal knitwear weather, Barbara loves living and knitting in the South. Self-proclaimed as “a bit of silly and a bit nerdy,” this often translates into her designs. When not knitting she can be found elbow deep in the kitchen, garden, or Play-Doh. You can also find her blogging around as Tumped Duck at tumpedduck.wordpress.com.
Rae lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she works in the design department at Universal Yarn. She also owned and operated Rae’s Yarn Boutique in Lansing, Michigan, for nine years. Her designs can be found online under the name Extravayarnza.
Julie’s been crocheting since she was eight years old. She works with a community of knitters at Haus of Yarn in Nashville, Tennessee, and is continually inspired by their talent and creativity. Accessories are her favorite projects, especially shawlettes, necklaces, and purses.
When not playing with her computer network or techwriting/editing, Heather, a.k.a. walkaboutknitter, can be seen walking and knitting in San Diego, California. She loves knitting just about anything but loves it all a bit more if math and lace are involved.
The love for knitting, crocheting, and fashion has a long tradition in Christiane’s family. Since moving to the United States from Switzerland, she’s spent a lot of time designing and teaching knitting and crochet. She is Lismi on Ravelry and blogs at lismiknits.blogspot.com.
Sarah blogs about knitting and environmental issues at www.verdigrisknits.com. She shares her Indianapolis, Indiana, home with a husband, dogs, and two horses. Look for her knitting in the crowd at the Indianapolis 500.
Kim has been knitting for almost 40 years, but it wasn’t until she started working at Knit Picks, surrounded by all its creativity, that she started to design. She’s inspired by family and friends, and loves to create lots of texture in her designs.
Due to heredity and the Canadian climate, Amanda has never met a fiber art she disliked. A biochemistry graduate and horticulture student, she indulges her creative side by writing patterns (found on Ravlery as KnitPicks) and dyeing yarn for her Etsy shop, Wayside Weeds and Wool.
Designing professionally since 2005, Jean’s favorite designs are classic in style yet unique in construction. Living on the high plains of Colorado, she finds inspiration all around her. Jean’s designs can be found in knit.wear, Knitscene, Twist Collective, and other knitting publications. She showcases her self-published designs at www.drdesigns.net.
Terry works as a manager for Harrisville Designs and at Painted Shadow Farms, owned by her daughter, Bonny. She fills a lot of her time helping out with her flock of more than 100 colored Angora and Pygroa goats. Having a never-ending supply of fiber available helps inspire new projects every day and leads to hours of playing with the “kids!”
Tamara’s been knitting and crocheting since she was eight years old. These endeavors are a great joy, second only to her grandchildren. She has been a pattern contributor for several publications, and her Clickity Sticks patterns can be found on Ravelry and Craftsy.
A crocheter and knitter for 30 years, Sara is a teacher at WEBS, where she helped to develop the crochet curriculum. She’s been publishing patterns with WEBS’s own Valley Yarns and self-publishing since 2009. She also raises chickens and makes maple syrup. You can follow Sara on Facebook at ChickenBettyDesigns or on Twitter @ChickenBetty.
A knitter for more than 25 years, Kerin’s fine art and graphic design background influences the aesthetics of her work. Counted among her inspirations are the natural wonders of the plants, animals, and geology of the Pacific Northwest, and the math and science that gives them depth. Kerin is a pattern writer for Knit Picks.
Judith is the editor of the best-selling One-Skein Wonders series, as well as author and/or coauthor of a half dozen other books including Knitting Know-How. She loves to teach knitting and does so where and when she can. She lives in Lowell, Massachusetts, and can be found at judithdurant.com.
Laura is a fiber artist whose design expertise spans several fields including knitting, weaving, sewing, and gardening. She has designs published for Storey Publishing and Tahki Yarns. She is owner of Fibers Entwined, is a knitting and weaving instructor, and works in her LYS.
Taught by her grandmothers, J. M. is a lifelong knitter, crocheter, and spinner, as well as a designer and test knitter for many renowned designers and companies. She is a patient teacher, encourager, and friend.
Diana is owner and designer for Lowellmountain Wools, LLC, a farm shop with sheep in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont that offers knitting classes. She is a member of the Knitting Guild Association and knitting instructor at The Old Stone House Museum in Brownington, Vermont.
Mary began designing shortly after teaching herself to knit at age eight. An avid hand-knitter and designer for more than 40 years, she runs By Hand, With Heart, works at her LYS, designs for a cashmere goat breeder, and sells patterns on Ravelry and Craftsy. Visit her at www.marygildersleeve.com.
A lifelong knitter, Ellen’s designs have appeared in Knit It! magazine, Simple Knits for Sophisticated Living, and in many knitting pattern calendars. A CYCA certified knitting instructor, Ellen teaches in various settings in Connecticut and New York. When not knitting, she can be found in the library, working as a reference librarian.
Debbie and husband, Joe, happily reside in the greater Houston area. In July of 2012 they opened their yarn shop, iPurl, in The Woodlands, Texas. An avid, possibly obsessed knitter, Debbie’s days are spent in the shop with lots of yarn and visiting with friends, old and new.
Naomi has always loved interacting with great fibers, believing that the history of fiber is the history of humankind. Most recently, she learned to knit and weave, and now co-owns Bella Yarns in Warren, Rhode Island (www.bellayarns.com) where she gets to buy and try an amazing variety of useful, lovely, and inspirational yarns.
Marianne lives with her family, dog, and two cats in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Her day job as an accountant leaves little room for creativity. Thankfully, she has knitting and designing as an outlet for fun and artistic expression, and plenty of great knitwear as a result of her efforts.
Sarah Jean is an avid knitter and lifelong student of color, Fair Isle, and lace. She’s happiest teaching, designing, and writing patterns for her LYS in Kent, Connecticut, and pleased with her designated title “Friend of Store.” On a good day she’s outfitted in a cashmere tee, Fair Isle cardigan, lace scarf, and felted bag, dreaming of lace skirts, Fair Isle leggings, and assorted hats and mitts.
Gina, author of Dreamscape and Wonderlace (soon to be published), loves to design luxurious and unique knitwear accessories. Her SleepyEyes app is free on iTunes, includes free patterns to download, patterns to purchase, and other knitting tools. You can visit Gina on her Facebook page (sleepyeyesknits) and website, www.ginahouse.net.
Kirsti spends her days teaching musical theater at MadCAP School of the Arts where she is Artistic Director. When not directing or knitting, she enjoys adventures with her husband, Steve. Kirsti has been published in Spin Off and Jane Austen Knits. Kirsti lives in Madison, Wisconsin, and can be found at travellingstitchsisters.com and @kjerstie (Twitter).
Molly is a dyed-in-the-wool Northwesterner, currently stuck in the Midwest where she knits non-stop to keep warm. She draws inspiration from science, history, and nature. And she likes to make stuff, the more challenging the better. Molly can be found online at www.octopuspaper.com or on Ravelry as beadskater.
Knit Picks proudly gives in to the siren song of the handmade. Never accepting that the end result is the only exciting part of the process, they strive for designs that feel decidedly unexpected, but always joyous to make.
Brigitte learned to knit as a child and got really hooked while in college. She still knits daily, rarely using a pattern. Most of what she knits she makes up as she goes. Brigitte owns a yarn shop in Germantown, Tennessee.
A gift received became a passion embraced as Lindsay sought distraction from a medically mandated isolated life. One sweater accelerated into “Eco ChicKnits,” in which three key philosophies reign: knits that fit curves; unique, intricate patterns; and eco materials. Concurrently, Lindsay is pursing an MA in philosophy and authored Cheeky’s Tales.
Henna is a budding knitwear designer from Finland. She loves lace, especially shawls, and gets bored easily with too simple patterns. You can find her on Ravelry as henna-markkanen.
Ann is a professional writer and editor who has been crocheting since she was a child and knitting since 2001. When she isn’t playing with yarn she enjoys spending time with her husband, Brian, and their two golden retrievers. Her patterns have also appeared in Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders, Sock Club: Join the Knitting Adventure, and Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders. She blogs about her crafts and her dogs at travelingann.blogspot.com.
Marin’s mom, Lois, taught her to knit when she was seven years old. She designed her first garment while in junior high school with the aid of Barbara Walker’s Treasury of Knitting Patterns; it was a cabled vest. She enjoys making one-of-a-kind items, preferring to knit something only once.
Rebecca began knitting for what may seem an unusual reason. Living with severe pain, Rebecca hoped and prayed for something that she could do that would both occupy her time and take her mind off the pain. She discovered knitting and designing in 2004 and happily reports it helps with her pain. You can find her at whimsicalknitting.blogspot.com (personal) or whimsicalknittingdesigns.blogspot.com (design).
Nancy has been knitting for more than 20 years. She is a fiber addict who also loves to felt, spin yarn, and hook rugs. She teaches workshops on a variety of fiber topics and has had several of her designs and patterns appear in recent publications. Nancy lives in Maine, along with her husband and three daughters (who have already gotten hooked on felting), in a big old house by the sea that is busting with fiber.
Lorna has always loved all things girly: lace, lavender, makeup. Now she is lucky to have granddaughters to knit for also.
Michaela is a British designer from London. Her designs focus on playing with shape and scale and often feature original stitch patterns. She can be contacted via www.michaelaknits.com.
Jillian Moreno spends her days and nights spinning yarn then knitting it; any extra time is spent talking and writing about the process. She is the editor of Knittyspin, Knitty.com’s spinning little sister, and is on the editorial advisory board for PLY Magazine. She lives in a house packed with fiber and books in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Melissa, author of 2-at-a-Time Socks, Toe-Up 2-at-a-Time Socks, and Teach Yourself Visually Circular Knitting was taught to crochet, tat, and sew at an early age by women who encouraged her to create without patterns. Knitting she learned on her own, and she hasn’t looked back since.
Angela currently lives in northern California. She has been knitting since she was 10. She spends her days chasing her family and two dogs while attempting to knit, spin, and design fun patterns.
Facing the long commute between her hometown in southern Colorado and college in Boston, Meg learned to knit as a practical way to pass the time. She got to work at her LYS while in school and joined Classic Elite Yarns after graduating. Learning to knit might have been her best idea, ever. Visit her at www.my-meg.com.
Liz is an independent designer from Carlisle, Massachusetts. She has had her designs published by Interweave Knits, Knit Simple, Vogue on the Go, Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders, Nashua Handknits, and Manos del Uruguay. When not knitting she’s out in the gardens, New England weather permitting.
Christine started knitting about nine years ago thanks to a very good friend who introduced her to novelty yarn. Henceforth, Chrissie’s Creations evolved. She has been knitting and designing for Laura Bryant of Prism Yarns for about seven years. Christine would like to further the adventure and try her hand at dyeing yarn.
Kendra knits and designs primarily with silk and plant-based fibers. Her patterns have been featured in numerous books and magazines. Follow along at www.missknitta.com.
Cheryl is the author of three knitting books, including Folk Shawls, which contains knitted lace from around the world. At her studio in Denver, Colorado, Cheryl teaches lace and shawl knitting in classes and in her popular studio retreats. Cheryl enjoys sharing her lace knitting passion with other knitters. You can find her at www.cheryloberle.com.
May, of Ohmay Designs, is a native of the San Francisco Bay area and owner and designer of the online hobby business www.etsy.com/shop/ohmay. Knitting has been a passion of hers for decades, and she has designed and created many patterns, with many more to come.
Marina is a French designer living in Italy with her husband, baby boy, and two cats. She’s the author of the book Tricot: Premières Leçons (France). She translates patterns for yarn companies and dreams about creating her own hand-dyed yarns. She blogs at www.melusinetricote.com.
Born in Tokyo, Izumi designs for books and magazines while teaching Ipponbari knitting in Japan. You can find more information on her knitting blog, Izumi’s Knitting Notes, at somethingy.exblog.jp.
Paula learned to knit at the age of 10. Her passion for knitting continued through experiments with structure and design elements. Today she works at Harrisville Designs and has found a comfort zone in weaving fabric as well.
Sarah-Hope teaches writing and knits and writes about knitting at www.whatifknits.com. Nothing pleases her more than finding a new stitch in an obscure stitch dictionary. She and her wife share their lives with six very fine cats, indeed.
Brenda has designed patterns for Knitty, Knitter’s Magazine, Knitscene, and Twist Collective. Her pattern line, Brenda Patipa Knits, debuted in 2006 with Lisa Souza Knitwear and Dyeworks. Brenda teaches and lives in the San Francisco Bay area. You can find her designs on Ravelry as Beeeepatipaknits.
Between baking, sewing, and playing with her nieces and nephews, Jenise madly knits and publishes her patterns on Ravelry and with Knit Picks. She likes to have a long, complex project on her needles at all times and takes periodic breaks by knitting toques, gloves, and lace scarves.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell if Karlie is a high-tech entrepreneur or a housewife from a different time. See more of her patterns at karlierobinson.com.
Hélène is the owner of the yarn company Knit One, Crochet Too. She sold her first design in 1979 and has added more than 1,000 to her list since then. She loves to knit!
Yumiko has been designing for Knitty, Petite Purls, and Interweave Knits since 2009. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband, two children, and a dog. She loves photography and playing music in her free time. Please see more of her work at www.harumidoridesigns.com.
Vera is a knit and crochet designer who learned the craft as a young child and started designing as a teenager. Her designs can be found in various well-known publications, as well as on Ravelry.
Kerri owns The Dragonfly Yarn Shop. Open since 2004, the shop offers a variety of wool and luxury yarns and is the only yarn shop in Jonesville, Wisconsin. Monthly classes in addition to lessons by the hour are offered. Stop in for Open Knitting on Thursday afternoons.
After losing her son in 2004 to brain cancer, Carol has knitted close to 1,000 hats and baby sweaters for charity in his name. Her patterns have appeared in machine and hand-knitting magazines and books. She lives in Gig Harbor, Washington, where she plays keyboard for her church.
Myrna, author, designer, and publisher of Stahman’s Shawls and Scarves – Faroese-Shaped Shawls from the Neck Down and Seamen’s Scarves, enjoys exploring the many facets of lace knitting and introducing others to those explorations through her teaching and publishing endeavors. She currently has two books on lace knitting in the works.
A confirmed fiber fanatic since childhood, Gwen has edited more than two dozen books on crochet, knitting, spinning, weaving, and dyeing, and has contributed designs to several of them. She shares her passion for fiber in her book, The Knitter’s Life List. She lives in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and blogs at theknitterslifelist.wordpress.com.
Meg is a Nashville-based self-taught knitter who works at her LYS, Haus of Yarn. In other words, she’s living the dream. She loves trying to convince friends to take up the craft, but doesn’t hold it against them if they don’t. She is also the founder and creative director of knitknotes.com, which produces clever knitting-based gift enclosures.
Lisa is a novice designer, urged on by the wonderful group of women she knits with regularly, the Nokomis Beach Knitters. She never leaves the house without a project bag because, “You just never know where or when you’ll find some knitting time!”
Laura is a busy wife, mom, and social worker, who never leaves the house without a knitting project. She remembers asking her mom to teach her to knit when she was a little girl, never knowing it would become a lifelong passion.
Mindy was born and raised in south Florida and still lives within 30 minutes of the beautiful Florida beaches with her husband and daughter. For the most up-to-date information, be sure to check out her website at www.minknit.com.
Katherine has been knitting for 25+ years and designing for more than five. She primarily designs children’s clothing and accessories for adults and the home. She daylights as a medical librarian in North Carolina, where it is (almost) never too hot to knit. Visit her website at www.ktlvdesigns.com. Her Ravelry ID is KTLV.
Kim lives in Berkley, Michigan, where she is married and the mother of three adult children. When she is not at work, she spends her time designing knitwear, planning knitting projects, talking about knitting, hanging out on Ravelry, and actually, maybe, knitting.
Lynn is a designer, knitting instructor, and dedicated knitter. Her designs have been featured in various knitting books and magazines. She has designed for Tahki Stacy Charles and Be Sweet and has her own collection of Lynn Wilson Designs knitting patterns. For more information, visit her website: www.lwilsondesigns.com.
Jill learned to crochet at age eight in Newcastle, England. Jill has had designs published in Interweave Crochet, Crochet!, and Love of Crochet. Jill also designs for yarn companies such as Classic Elite, Universal, and Bison Basin Ranch. Jill’s website is www.woolcrafting.com.