Kay Gardiner (at right in photo) and Ann Shayne are the co-founders of Modern Daily Knitting, one of the most vibrant places in today’s knitting world. Their partnership began in 2003 with a blog that quickly grew into a beloved hangout online, known for its humor, warmth, and stalwart belief that knitting is a vital part of a life well lived. Their two best-selling books presented knitting as the most fun thing ever, the source of everyday joy, inspiration, and amusement.

Their craving for a daily destination for knitters led them to create ModernDailyKnitting.com in 2016.They spent a year developing a very fancy daily website featuring the voices of dozens of talented contributors, an online shop with exquisite yarns, and the much-loved Field Guides—a series of 29 beautiful little books that celebrate brilliant designers and yarnmakers. Ten years in, here has been something new on MDK every single day.

Ever evolving, MDK now offers dozens of virtual classes each year, in-person events at their world headquarters in Nashville, retreats and travel groups, and a bricks-and-mortar yarn shop. In 2024, they created Nash Yarn Fest, a big-hearted, large-scale annual gathering with vendors, speakers, and a Friday night hootenanny.

Beginning in 2025, they created a welcoming, inclusive community called The MDK Society, where members gather online and in person, and save all year long on MDK classes, shopping, and events. And, in what has been the ultimate manifestation of a dream and most certainly their steepest learning curve, they developed two MDK-exclusive yarns, American-made Atlas and British-made Jane.

Through all this, MDK has proved to be most definitely part of a life well lived. Kay, a recovering attorney, lives in New York. Ann, a Nashvillian, has a background in editing and writing. Among their accolades: in 1976, Kay won Best High School Short Story in the state of Nebraska. Ann won Second Place for a handknit cardigan at the 2006 Tennessee State Fair.