Teachers

Our expert teachers cover topics from casting on to binding off and everything in between! Learn more about the knitterati who will guide you through a new technique or skill this weekend.
Ambah O'Brien
Ambah O'Brien
Ambah designs contemporary knitwear patterns with a nod to retro and geometric design—patterns that are straightforward to make and fun to wear. Ambah spends much of her time dreaming about her next favourite shawl, the accessory she most loves to design, knit, and wear. Making is her happy place and has been since she was a girl surrounded by the chaos of her mother’s textile art and design. Her mother had a basket of fabric that was taller and longer than Ambah that she could literally dive in! Ambah has a background in painting and a passion for color and interesting design. In knitting Ambah has found a craft that resonates deeply within her. Her knitting designs come from both a practical need: wanting to create items for herself and others to wear and also a compulsion to express myself creatively. She is influenced by everything around her; fashion, nature, beautiful yarn, favourite artworks. Recently Ambah has developed and launched a range of “Knit Bling” beautiful accessories for knitters including shawl pins, enamel pins, tools, and stitch markers. When not designing she’ll be wandering about her vegetable garden, nearby bush, or perhaps a little escape to the beach. Ambah lives in a regional town in Australia with a vibrant artistic community, with her architect partner and their beautiful son.

Amy Small
Amy Small
Amy Small is the creator and founder of Knit Collage, a handspun yarn company with a focus on creative yarns and pattern design, community, and connection. Through her business and podcast, she hopes to inspire others to lean into all the things that make us unique and of course, to make all the things in whatever form that takes!

Andrea Rangel
Andrea Rangel
Andrea Rangel is an experienced knitter, designer, and educator. She’s the author of Rugged Knits and Alterknit Stitch Dictionary, and her design work has been published in Brooklyn Tweed Wool People, Twist Collective, Interweave Knits, and Knit Scene, as well as independently. She’s a trained educator, having taught elementary, middle, and high school for several years before becoming a full-time knitwear designer. Her classes are organized and clear, with a strong understanding of learners and class planning, and they always include useful, beautiful workshop handbooks for students to take home.

Anna Maltz
Anna Maltz
Anna Maltz is an avid "sweaterspotter" and knit detective who sees the world through yarn-tinted spectacles. She is an independent knitting pattern designer with a background in fine art. She writes a regular column (and the occasional pattern) for Pom Pom Magazine. She has published two books, Penguin: A Knit Collection, and Marlisle: A New Direction in Knitting, as well as contributing to other publications such as A Stash of One’s Own, compiled by Clara Parkes and Making Magazine. She lives in London and teaches all over the world.

Brandon Mably
Brandon Mably

Brandon Mably has been interested in colour and design since he was young and according to author/designer and mentor Kaffe Fassett, has "one of the sharpest eyes for style" that he has ever come across.

For more than 20 years Brandon has managed the Kaffe Fassett Studio as well as designing fabric for FreeSpirit Fabric’s Kaffe Fassett Collective and being a regular contributor to Rowan Knitting and Vogue Knitting, among others. He has authored a number of knitting books including Brilliant Knits, Knitting Color and Knitting with the Color Guys with Kaffe Fassett.

An inspiring and enthusiastic teacher, Brandon began travelling the world with Fassett teaching workshops. Exotic locales such as Africa, Iceland, Guatemala, and India filled his designer's eye with inspiration and an explosion of colour and pattern. Brandon teaches knitters and quilters to embrace colour and use it to greatest effect.
 



Carla Scott
Carla Scott
A knitter since age seven, Carla Scott is the Editor in Chief of Vogue Knitting and Knit Simple magazines, both published by Soho Publishing Co. She has been working with Vogue Knitting magazine since 1982 and has enjoyed hosting the VK International Tours for the past ten years. She created and edited the Vogue Knitting Stitchionary series and is closely involved in the various knitting books published by Sixth&Spring, including the recently revised Vogue Knitting: The Ultimate Knitting Book. Her career in the hand-knitting industry spans more than 35 years, working for various yarn companies, knitting magazines, and book publishers in New York City. Carla lives in Manhattan with her husband; their daughter is a recent college graduate and also a knitter.

Carson Demers
Carson Demers

By day, Carson is a physical therapist who runs an ergonomics program for a San Francisco Bay Area medical center. Every other moment, he’s knitting, spinning, designing, teaching, or otherwise up to some fiber fun with a watchful eye toward ergonomics. His passion and experience in fiber arts combine with his expertise in physical therapy and ergonomics to create a unique skill set that he eagerly shares with the fiber community at local yarn shops, guilds, and major knitting events across the country. His aim is to keep us all creating healthfully and comfortably ever after. Carson is the author of Knitting Comfortably, the Ergonomics of Handknitting, and articles in several fiber related publications.



Catherine Lowe
Catherine Lowe

Catherine Lowe is known for her original and unique construction techniques and her pairing of luxury fiber with elegant design. She has developed an approach to hand-knitting that rethinks the traditional technical and design vocabularies of the hand-knitter and translates the distinctive elements of haute couture dressmaking into refined techniques. Her designs have appeared in Vogue Knitting, Interweave Knits, and knit.wear. Her articles on couture knitting technique have been featured in Vogue Knitting; she has been profiled in Interweave Knits, Knitting Lessons by Lela Nargi, KnitKnit: Profiles + Projects from Knitting’s New Wave by Sabrina Gschwandtner, and in knit.wear. For more information, visit catherine-lowe.com and knittingwithcompany.com.



Cecelia Campochiaro
Cecelia Campochiaro

Cecelia Campochiaro started knitting at age twelve as a hobby. She has a doctorate in physical chemistry and has lived and worked in Silicon Valley for more than twenty years, developing different kinds of microscopes for finding problems with computer chips. Cecelia began experimenting with new ways to create fabric when flying on business trips. These ideas grew, and eventually the book Sequence Knitting was born. Textiles, photography, and the arts have been lifelong passions, and she loves thinking about how these different creative areas intersect with math and science.​



Clara Parkes
Clara Parkes
Author of five books, including The Knitter’s Book of Yarn and the New York Times–bestselling Knitlandia, Clara has dedicated her life to figuring out what makes yarn tick. In 2000, she launched Knitter’s Review, the first comprehensive online knitting magazine and community. Since then, through her writings, workshops, books, television and radio appearances, and yarn adventures, Parkes has championed the notion of paying closer attention to what you knit and where it comes from. She swatches from her farmhouse on the coast of Maine.

Courtney Kelley Kelley
Courtney Kelley Kelley

Courtney Kelley is the co-owner of Kelbourne Woolens, a yarn company with a focus on high quality, natural fiber yarns for the dedicated crafter. She graduated from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2001 with a focus in Fiber and Material Studies and immediately began working in a knitting shop while attempting to become an artist. She stayed in the knitting world after a brief foray into the world of fine art, and founded Kelbourne Woolens along with her business partner, Kate Gagnon Osborn, in 2008. A designer at heart, she loves knitting and designing lace as well as making as many sweaters as possible. Courtney lives in Philadelphia with her partner and four children.



Deborah Jarchow
Deborah Jarchow
After many years of teaching knitting and crochet, Deborah discovered weaving in 1996, and her love of fiber, texture, and color came together. Since then she has worked full time as a weaver and artist, including teaching fiber arts, creating and selling wearable art, giving lectures, and showing in local, regional, and national exhibits. Deborah's work has been exhibited at galleries and museums across the country, and she has won numerous awards and writes articles for national publications. Her work has been commissioned by churches and is in many private collections. Since 2004 she has been an artist-in-residence, teacher, and weaver at Studio Channel Islands Art Center in Camarillo, CA. Deborah loves helping knitters discover the joy of weaving.

Faina Goberstein
Faina Goberstein

Faina Goberstein is a prolific knitwear designer, author, and a professional teacher. She is the coauthor of the bestselling books The Art of Slip Stitch and The Art of Seamless Knitting, and her designs can be found in Vogue Knitting, Rowan Magazine, Interweave Knits, Knit Purl, Knitscene, Twist Collective, and various books. Faina is best known for her elegant and well-fitted classic designs that show off textures that use and combine cables, brioche, and slip-stitch patterns. She is fascinated with many knitting and finishing techniques and loves to share her expertise and excitement with her students. Developing new slip-stitch and brioche patterns for her new designs keeps Faina’s love for math and knitting merged. She teaches in person at various venues nationally and abroad as well as online. Visit her website at fgdesignsknits.com.



Franklin Habit
Franklin Habit

Designer, teacher, writer, and illustrator Franklin Habit is the author of I Dream of Yarn (Sixth&Spring Books), It Itches: A Stash of Knitting Cartoons (Interweave Press, 2008) and proprietor of The Panopticon, one of the most popular knitting blogs on the Internet. On an average day, upward of 2,500 readers worldwide dropped in for a mix of essays, cartoons, and the continuing adventures of Dolores the Sheep.

Franklin’s varied experience in the fiber world includes contributions of writing and design to Vogue Knitting, Interweave Knits, Interweave Crochet, PieceWork, Twist Collective; and a regular columns and cartoons for Knitty.com, Ply magazine, Skacel Yarns (Fridays with Franklin), and Lion Brand Yarns. Several of his independently published designs are available via Ravelry.com.

He travels constantly to teach knitters at shops and guilds across the country and internationally, and he has been a popular member of the faculties of such festivals as Vogue Knitting LIVE!, Stitches Midwest and East, and the Madrona Fiber Arts Winter Retreat.



Gayle Roehm
Gayle Roehm

Join us and learn about Japanese knitting from Gayle Roehm, who has been teaching knitters across the country how to enjoy these beautiful designs. Gayle is the translator of the Japanese Knitting Stitch Bible, Japanese Knitting, and 250 Japanese Knitting Stitches. She is a former management consultant who has worked all over the world, including many visits to Japan. An avid knitter throughout her career, she majored in Japanese studies, speaks Japanese, and has been using Japanese patterns for many years. With the rise of the Internet, anyone anywhere can find a wide range of Japanese books and patterns, and her classes have been popular at events such as Vogue Knitting LIVE, Stitches, Madrona Fiber Arts Retreat and more. Gayle’s designs have also been published in Knitter’s Magazine, Interweave Knits, A Gathering of Lace, and by yarn companies. For several years she translated Japanese patterns for Dancing Fibers (now Sunrise Yarns/Diakeito), and she prepared the Japanese section for the book Knitting Languages. She also sells original work at a local fiber arts gallery.



Gudrun Johnston
Gudrun Johnston

Gudrun was born in Shetland in the seventies, when her mother was running the successful knitwear design company, The Shetland Trader. Some thirty years later and now living in the United States, Gudrun has followed in her mother’s footsteps by reviving the Shetland Trader name, and she has made a name for herself in the knitwear design industry. Gudrun often includes aspects of her Shetland heritage in her designs, mostly utilizing traditional lace patterns in a contemporary context. She also loves to design using seamless construction methods and is always adding new techniques to her seamless knitting skills.



Isabell Kraemer
Isabell Kraemer
Isabell is a qualified dressmaker who became a knitwear designer almost by accident! People kept asking her how she made things, so she published her notes on her blog. When she discovered Ravelry, she gradually started to publish more and more designs. It wasn’t long before she had gained a large and dedicated following for her fresh, wearable, and modern patterns. Isabell’s designs have been published in Laine Magazine, Amirisu, and Vogue Knitting. She has also produced beautiful designs for Malabrigo Yarns, Quince & Co and Swan’s Island… all in her signature streamlined and contemporary style.

Jennifer Steingass
Jennifer Steingass
Jenn Steingass is a Maine-based knitwear designer in love with all things knitting, color, wool, and circular yoke sweaters. She started knitting for her son when he was a baby and hasn’t been able to put the needles down since. She strives for her designs to be simple yet beautiful while being easy to make and flattering to wear. Jenn believes that knitting is empowering and that knitting is a must-have life skill. You can follow her design endeavors and soon-to-be tiny house building adventures on Instagram: @knit.love.wool

Joan  McGowan-Michael
Joan McGowan-Michael
Joan McGowan-Michael has been professionally designing clothing and knitwear for more than 30 years. She has had designs and articles published in Vogue Knitting, Interweave Knits, Knitters, Cast On, and other knitting publications and is the author of Knitting Lingerie Style (STC 2007). Joan also styles unique, romantic, vintage-inspired patterns and yarns for her company, White Lies Designs. She lives in Northern California with her husband, a dingo, and 2 demanding cats. Visit her website at whiteliesdesigns.com

Josh Bennett
Josh Bennett

Josh Bennett grew up in Pennsylvania, where he learned to knit from his grandmother when he was 8 years old. After a short time, he stopped, because boys don’t knit. Then he got interested in musical theater, because all boys sing and dance. In 2000, Josh worked at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, CT, where he picked up knitting again from the cast members in the show, and he hasn’t stopped since.

After moving to New York City in 2001 and knitting constantly, Josh worked at a yarn shop on the Upper West Side that wrote custom patterns for their customers. Noticing the lack of menswear patterns being designed and published, he decided to use his pattern-writing skills to change that. Since, Josh has collaborated with CFDA Award winner Michael Bastian on a hand-knitted line, Michael Bastian by Josh Bennett sold at Bergdorf Goodman, Saks 5th Avenue, and stores worldwide. They have also worked together on projects for the Folk Couture: Fashion and Folk Art at the American Folk Art Museum, Le Cabinet de Curiosités of Thomas Erber, and a fashion helmet for the NFL/Bloomindale/CFDA Super Bowl XLVIII collaboration, which was auctioned off for the NFL Foundation.

He was the Men’s Sweater Designer at Tommy Hilfiger and has also worked with and designed for GANT by Michael Bastian, Perry Ellis, Alexander Wang, Rowan Magazine, Vogue Knitting, and other knitting publications. He is the designer of his own exclusive capsule collection of men’s hand knitted sweaters at Bergdorf Goodman, Josh Bennett + Goodman’s.

Josh is currently working on his collaboration with Marvel, Marvel x Josh Bennett, which is a hand-knitted, limited-edition sweater collection inspired by Marvel Studios films and characters. Josh studied Menswear Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT).

For more info, www.JoshBennettNYC.com.



Julia Farwell-Clay
Julia Farwell-Clay

Lifelong knitter and former college English teacher, Julia brings enthusiasm and experience to her students and a love of technique often explored and expanded through her sweater and accessory patterns, published both in legacy magazines and as an independent designer. Julia was the featured designer for Mason-Dixon Knitting Field Guide No. 7: Ease and was profiled in the Winter 19/20 issue of Vogue Knitting.



Julie Weisenberger
Julie Weisenberger

Julie Weisenberger is an internationally renowned knitwear designer and teacher known for her elegant, modern fashion sense and her unique commonsense method to knitting tailored, seamless sweaters that are as enjoyable to make as they are comfortable and flattering to wear.



Keith Leonard
Keith Leonard

Keith Leonard began his knitting journey when he joined a lunch time knitting program in elementary school. Once the knitting bug bit, the itch never went away. After graduating from college, he started a knitwear finishing business called Knits All Done, completing hundreds of finishing projects for clients all over the United States. His finishing expertise organically transitioned into teaching knitting classes, and he has taught his skills to thousands of knitters throughout the country. In 2019 Keith started his own yarn line, yarnsnobyarns.com, and he currently spends his days producing astonishingly vibrant skeins to put in the hands of knitters.



Lavanya Patricella
Lavanya Patricella
Lavanya Patricella has been teaching knitting since 2010 at yarn shops and art venues across the United States. She’s published more than 60 patterns since 2014, both independently and in select publications. Her primary knitting passion has been the brioche stitch, and she teaches more than 20 classes a year on this technique alone. Her passion for knitting lights up yarn shops and knitters eager to learn new techniques.

Lorilee Beltman
Lorilee Beltman
Lorilee happily sees no end to where knitting curiosity can take you, so she loves to help knitters make new discoveries. For the past ten years she has enjoyed her students at more than one hundred national events, and she looks forward to meeting you in class! Lorilee is patient with every student and packs her classes with content and lots of extra tips you can really use.

Her articles and designs have been published in books, magazines, and online mags. She is a 2018 Knit Star teacher, the former techniques columnist at Knitty, and an online instructor at Interweave and at Bluprint (Craftsy), where her classes are consistent best-sellers.

Tent-camping with her husband and boys has brought Lorilee to more than twenty National Parks. She grew up in Pittsburgh, spent thirty years in west Michigan, and now calls Seattle home.

For more about Lorilee, go to lorileebeltman.com.

Louisa Harding
Louisa Harding
Louisa studied textiles for fashion at Brighton University. During her third year she undertook an internship at Rowan Yarns, and after graduating she worked as an in-house designer for Rowan for 11 years. Since having children, she has worked alongside her husband, Stephen, a photographer. Together they created the Miss Bea series of knitting books inspired by their children. In 2005, she was very fortunate to be given the opportunity of introducing her own line of yarns and patterns, Louisa Harding Yarns. Returning to the textile heritage of Yorkshire in October 2016, Louisa and Stephen launched Yarntelier, a bespoke collection of cashmere yarns showcased in a beautifully photographed series of hand-knitting patterns and books.

Mary Jane Mucklestone
Mary Jane Mucklestone

Mary Jane Mucklestone is a hand-knitting designer known for inventive colorwork design. She has a passion for folk knitting and has traveled the world to study traditional techniques and to learn about the history of the craft. Her first three books, 200 Fair Isle Motifs, 150 Scandinavian Motifs, and Fair Isle Style, were instant classics, and her latest, Geo Knits: 10 Lessons and Projects for Knitting Stripes, Chevrons, Triangles, Polka Dots and More is set to become one as well. Mary Jane loves to teach, specializing in lively, fun, and informative classes. Mary Jane’s inventive hand-knitting designs are featured in many books and magazines as well as on her website, MaryJaneMucklestone.com.



Megan Kreiner
Megan Kreiner
Started in 2012, the brands of MK Crochet and MK Knits feature the toy design work of artist Megan Kreiner. Working as an animator for DreamWorks Animation by day, Megan picks up her sketchbook, needles, and hooks after her kids are tucked into bed at night and designs toys that encourage imaginative and safe play for children (and adults) of all ages. Megan's patterns have been featured in books, magazines, and kits from companies such as Martingale, Dover, Spring House Press, Vogue, and Disney.

Nancy Marchant
Nancy Marchant
Nancy Marchant is the Queen of Brioche. For more than 30 years, Nancy has studied the nuances of this European stitch, developing new and exciting stitches and techniques for achieving beautiful results. She is the author of Knitting Brioche, Knitting Fresh Brioche, Leafy Brioche, Tuck Stitches, and Knitting Brioche Lace. Nancy is a retired graphic designer who lives in Amsterdam and travels the world, giving lessons and spreading the brioche love around.

Nathan Taylor
Nathan Taylor
Nathan Taylor (Sockmatician) is known as the DarK Lord of Double Knitting, and he has a dastardly plan to take over the world, one double knitter at a time. He is a fanatical teacher, giving entertaining and inspiring classes in this beautiful and impressive technique all over the world. His patterns have been featured in Vogue Knitting, Knit Now! Magazine, Rib Magazine, The Knitter, Vogue Knitting Shawls and Wraps II, among others, and on Ravelry. Nathan hosts a very popular knitting podcast (www.YouTube.com/sockmatician), discussing all aspects of his life: the knitting, the designing, his career in musical theatre, and his work as an advocate for HIV awareness and the quest to reduce the stigma that still surrounds people living with HIV today. He is passionate about championing male knitters, and his first book, GUYS KNIT, a beginners’ knitting manual aimed specifically at men, was released in October 2018.

Patty Lyons
Patty Lyons

PATTY LYONS (pattylyons.com) is a nationally recognized knitting teacher and technique expert who is known for teaching the “why” not just the “how” in her pursuit of training the “mindful knitter”. She specializes in sweater design and sharing her love of the much-maligned subjects of gauge and blocking.

Patty teaches nationally at guilds, shops, and knitting shows around the country as well as hosting her own retreats. Her popular classes can also be found on DVD and online through her website on her education site, education.pattylyons.com.

Her designs and knitting skill articles have been published in Vogue Knitting, Interweave Knits, Knit Purl, Knitter’s Magazine, Cast On, Knit Style, Creative Knitting, Twist Collective, and Modern Daily Knitting, where she writes a monthly knitter’s advice column: “Ask Patty.” Patty’s designs have also been included in pattern collections from Classic Elite, Noro, Cascade, Tahki Stacy Charles, Sugar Bush and Willow Yarns.

Patty has been a repeat guest on PBS’s Knitting Daily TV and even quoted as a subject-matter expert in the Wall Street Journal. Patty is also known for her lighthearted “feud” with Seth Meyers. Patty is the author of the best-selling book, Patty Lyons’ Knitting Bag of Tricks. Follow her on Instagram @pattyjlyons.

 



Rhonda Fargnoli
Rhonda Fargnoli
Rhonda Fargnoli studied fashion and textile design at Chamberlain School of Design and has taught art and studio art for more than 25 years. Rhonda was the Faculty Advisor to the Hand Knitting Certificate Program at Rhode Island School of Design/CE. She has been featured in articles about teaching knitting design courses for RISD/CE in Yarn Market News and Vogue Knitting, for her Vogue Knitting Challenge class for teens, which included the winning student’s design. Rhonda’s recent RISD graduates have been published in several magazines and books, something she is most proud of. Fargnoli has also designed for several yarn companies, and her knitting designs are published in Noro magazine and Knit Simple. Rhonda has spent her recent years botanically dyeing yarn for 30 yarn shops nationwide and now works for Eileen Fisher, where she continues to combine her love of sustainable fashion and rediscovering way to re-purpose fabric and fiber.

Rosemary (Romi) Hill
Rosemary (Romi) Hill

Romi Hill lives on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains in Northern Nevada, where the high desert nights are cool and the air is clear and crisp. A lifelong crafter and knitter, she is inspired by the natural surroundings in her corner of the world, and her designs have an organic flow. She specializes in lace of all weights, and you can see her full pattern collection on Ravelry. Romi's lace book from Interweave Press, New Lace Knitting, was published September 2015 and features timeless patterns for garments and accessories. She loves dark chocolate with chili peppers, and she’s a sucker for a great pair of cowboy boots.



Xandy Peters
Xandy Peters

Xandy Peters is a knitting designer and teacher best known as the innovator of the stacked stitch technique and for the Fox Paws pattern. Starting out as a footwear and product designer, Xandy turned to knitting as a way to explore textiles and surfaces without using factory production. They have since made a career out of knitting, publishing new patterns and teaching workshops in their techniques. Xandy has been published in magazines such as Vogue Knitting, Twist Collective, Knitscene, and Knitty, but publishes most of their patterns via Ravelry. Xandy also blogs about design, crafting, and baking on their blog, soimakestuff.com.