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.
Lorilee Beltman

Lorilee Beltman

Lorilee happily sees no end to where your knitting curiosity can take you, so she enjoys helping knitters make new discoveries. Since 2009, this former yarn shop owner has enjoyed her students at national events and looks forward to meeting you in class! Her articles and designs have been published in books including The Ultimate Hat Book, in magazines, and in online mags. She is a Craft Yarn Council certified knitting instructor and an instructor at Craftsy. Lorilee grew up in Pittsburgh, spent thirty years in west Michigan, and now calls Seattle home. For more about Lorilee go to lorileebeltman.com. Find her knitting techniques column “try this...” at Knitty.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.​
Amy Detjen

Amy Detjen

Amy Detjen was the “List Mom” of the original Knit List for more than four years, then started KnitU. She’s very proud to have been Meg Swansen’s assistant at Meg’s Knitting Camp for more than fifteen years. Teaching knitting and helping people learn about their knitting options is something Amy is passionate about; she loves helping people solve problems.

Nicky Epstein

Nicky Epstein

Nicky Epstein is an artist. Her brushes, palette, and canvas are her needles, yarn, and a boundless imagination that has never adhered to the proposition that “everything has been done in knitting.” She is a prolific designer who goes from high fashion to whimsical fun with great ease and an innovative thinker that embellishes traditional knitting techniques and creates new, revolutionary ones.
 
Her beautiful, innovative creations, love of knitting, and her passion for sharing her experience and expertise with others through classes and workshops around the globe has gained her worldwide recognition with thousands of adoring knitters and crocheters. She has authored numerous bestselling and award-winning books, in both fashion and resource genres, that are “must haves” in knitters’ libraries. To name a few: Knitting on the Edge, Knitting over the Edge, Knitting Beyond the Edge, Nicky Epstein’s Knitted Flowers, Knitting on Top of the World, Knitting in Tuscany, Knitting a Kiss in Every Stitch, Knitting Block by Block, The Essential Edgings Collection, Knitting in Circles (voted “Favorite Knitting Book of 2012”), Knits for Dolls, Crochet for Dolls, Knitting Reimagined, Enchanted Knits for Dolls, and her latest, Make a Square, Create a Cuddly Creature. She is the only knitwear designer that Mattel has given permission to design three Barbie Doll knit and crochet books. Her versatile designs have been frequently featured in all the major knitting publications (her designs graced the covers of the twenty-fifth and thirtieth anniversary editions of Vogue Knitting), as well as on television, in fashion shows, and in museums.
 
She has also expanded her artistic talent by creating lines of designer buttons, clasps, scarves, and patterns, and her own knitting bag for Lantern Moon. You can find her kits and samples for sale at www.nickyepstein.etsy.com.
 
Nicky lives in New York City but travels extensively around the world sharing her love of knitting with countless fans, between creating a never-ending number of new and unique books. Her knitting travel tours and classes are always filled to capacity.
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Rhonda Fargnoli

Rhonda Fargnoli studied fashion and textile design at Chamberlain School of Design and has taught art and studio art for more than 22 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, including Blue Sky Alpacas, Koigu, and Sheep Shop, and her knitting designs are published in Noro magazine and Knit Simple. Rhonda is also a contributing writer for Fiber Art Now magazine.

Norah Gaughan

Norah Gaughan

Perhaps best known for her book Knitting Nature and a nine-year stint as the design director at Berroco, Norah is now working independently. Current ventures include being a member of the Brooklyn Tweed design team and designing a fun collection of pieces in collaboration with The Fibre Co. Her newest book, The Knitter’s Cable Sourcebook, from Abrams, came out in 2016. Keep up with her new ventures and adventures at norahgaughan.com.
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, Interweave Knits, Knit.Purl, Knitscene, Twist Collective, Interweave Crochet, and various books. Faina is best known for her elegant and well-fitted classic designs that show off textures, cables, brioche, and slip-stitch techniques. She teaches in person at various venues nationally and abroad as well as on Craftsy.com. She is fascinated with many knitting techniques and loves to pass her excitement to her students. Unusual slip-stitch techniques are Faina’s latest obsession. 

Amy Herzog

Amy Herzog

Amy Herzog loves helping knitters create garments they love to wear. She is the author of Knit to Flatter and Knit Wear Love and is the creator of the CustomFit custom sweater pattern generator and the Knitter’s Toolbox app of handy knitting calculators. She teaches across the country and on Craftsy.com, and she has appeared on American Public Television’s Knit and Crochet Now. Her designs have been published by Rowan, Interweave Knits, Knitscene, Twist Collective, and more. Find out more at amyherzogdesigns.com.
June Hemmons Hiatt

June Hemmons Hiatt

June’s book, The Principles of Knitting, first appeared in 1990, and it was soon recognized as the definitive work on knitting techniques. It went out of print in 1997, used copies were scarce, and it soon commanded very high prices. June realized a second edition was needed and set to work again. She spent ten more years rewriting the entire book and adding new material; the second edition appeared in 2012. This big book, with more than 700 pages and 900 illustrations, contains everything you could possibly want to know about the craft of knitting. You will not only find written instructions with clear graphics, but June explains how each technique works, compares it to similar ones, and makes suggestions for how to best use it. June will be giving her popular Stitch Gauge class about the innovative, accurate method of doing a gauge that was first introduced in The Principles of Knitting.
 
Since her book was published, June has turned her attention to reintroducing the technique of working with a knitting belt. This method—once widely used by production knitters in Europe—has been almost forgotten everywhere except in Shetland, where it is still in active use. It is known as one of the fastest ways to knit and also makes it possible to produce a remarkably even fabric. Perhaps even more important, it is very easy on the body due to the minimal motions used—those who knit with a belt tend not to have repetitive motion injuries. June and her son, Jesse, have redesigned the traditional knitting belt, making it more stable and comfortable to wear, and Jesse makes each one by hand. For more information about June, her book, and the knitting belts, see www.principlesofknitting.com.
Bristol Ivy

Bristol Ivy

Bristol Ivy is a knitting designer and teacher from Portland, Maine. Her work focuses on the intersection between classic tailoring and innovative technique, creating a unique and wearable aesthetic while maintaining knitterly appeal. Her work has been published with Brooklyn Tweed, Quince & Co., Interweave Knits, Knitscene, PomPom Quarterly, amirisu, and many others.
Gudrun Johnston

Gudrun Johnston

Gudrun was born in Shetland in the ’70s, when her mother was running the successful knitwear design company, The Shetland Trader. Some 30 years later and now living in the U.S, 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.
Keith Leonard

Keith Leonard

Keith Leonard gained a love for knitting at the age of eleven, when he joined a lunchtime knitting program in his hometown of Haworth, New Jersey. After working at four major knitting stores in Upstate New York, New Jersey, and New York City, he realized there was no specialized service for knitwear finishing and took the initiative to start his own business, called Knits All Done (a service for knitters to outsource their knits for professional finishing). Keith understands the fine difference between a “hand made” and “home made” finished garment. He now travels the country teaching classes while selling his custom Zen Yarn Garden yarns and colors. He is the American distributer for Soulwool, hand dyed yarn from Israel. knitsalldone.com
Patty Lyons

Patty Lyons

Patty Lyons (pattylyons.com) is a nationally recognized knitting teacher who is known for teaching the “why,” not just the “how,” in her pursuit of training the “mindful knitter.” Patty teaches nationally at guilds and knitting shows around the country such as Vogue Knitting LIVE, Stitches, and the Knit and Crochet Show, and her popular classes can also be found online at Interweave, Annie’s, and Craftsy, where her “Improve Your Knitting Class” was named Craftsy’s most popular class of 2013! Patty’s designs and knitting skill articles have been published in Vogue Knitting, Interweave Knits, Knitter’s Magazine, Cast On, Knit Style, Knit 1,2,3 and Creative Knitting magazines, where she also writes a knitter’s advice column called “Patty’s Purls of Wisdom.” Patty’s designs have also been included in pattern collections from Classic Elite Yarns, Kollage, Takhi Stacy Charles, Cascade, Universal, and Noro.

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, and Leafy Brioche, and she is working on her current knitting passion of developing tuck stitches. Nancy lives in Amsterdam and works as a graphic designer yet still finds the time to travel the world giving lessons and spreading the brioche love around.
Andrea Mowry

Andrea Mowry

Andrea Mowry focuses on designing knits to fit the modern wardrobe that are fun to knit and easy to wear, with clear directions for every level of knitter. She believes in enjoying every stitch and wearing at least one hand knit every day! Andrea has a great love for indulging in new techniques and skills and then sharing them with other knitters through her patterns and workshops. Her goal is to leave knitters feeling empowered and inspired, and wrapped up in their own beautiful knits!

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 Motifs150 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.
Shannon Jason

Shannon & Jason Mullett-Bowlsby 

Shannon & Jason Mullett-Bowlsby, aka the Shibaguyz, are the DIY duo behind Shibaguyz Designz, a versatile design company that uses their unique flair to combine fashion, fiber, and photography into a cohesive whole. Their detailed and upscale designs can be seen in magazines like Interweave Knits, Crochet!, and Noro Magazine; in collections for yarn companies like Mango Moon and Tahki Stacy Charles; and publishers like Quayside, Leisure Arts, and Lark/Sterling. The Shibaguyz live in Seattle with their three Shiba Inu, who, more or less, support their ventures as long as time is taken for walks and treats.
Deb Newton

Deborah Newton

For more than 25 years, Deborah Newton has designed for all the major craft and knitting magazines, for yarn companies, and for Seventh Avenue, as well as being a regular columnist for Vogue Knitting. She is the author of numerous books, including Designing Knitwear, which has been in continuous print for more than 20 years, and Finishing School: A Master Class for Knitters. Deborah's latest book, Good Measure: Knit a Perfect Fit Every Time, was chosen by Amazon as one of their 15 Top Craft Inspiration Books of Fall 2015. She lives and works in Providence, Rhode Island.
Xandy Peters

Xandy Peters

Xandy Peters is a knitting designer and teacher. She is best known as the innovator of the stacked stitch technique and for her 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. She has since made a career out of knitting, publishing new patterns monthly and teaching workshops in her techniques. Xandy has been published in magazines such as Vogue Knitting, Twist CollectiveKnitscene, and Knitty, but publishes most of her patterns via Ravelry. Xandy also blogs about design, crafting, and baking on her blog soimakestuff.com.
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.
Carla Scott

Carla Scott

Carla Scott is currently editor in chief of Knit Simple magazine and executive editor of Vogue Knitting magazine. She has been working with Vogue Knitting since 1982 and has enjoyed hosting the VK tours for the past ten years. She created and edited the Vogue Knitting Stitchionary book series and is closely involved in the various knitting books published by Sixth&Spring Books. A knitter since the age of seven, Carla has had a career in the hand-knitting industry spanning more than thirty years, working for various yarn companies, knitting magazines, and book publishers in New York City. Carla lives in Manhattan with her husband and daughter (who is also a knitter).

Leslye Solomon

Leslye Solomon

Having taught more than 20 years of sold-out classes at national and international seminars, Leslye Solomon is an enthusiastic, energetic, and empathetic teacher. Her classes include comprehensive sweater designing, hands-on sweater finishing, and easy-to-learn (or switch to) continental knitting. Leslye has published a number of sweater designs and editorials, and she has produced numerous instructional DVDs. Her well-photographed, studio-produced DVDs include the following titles: The Hand-Knitter’s Guide to Sweater Finishing, The Absolute Best Way to Learn How to Knit, The Hand Knitter’s Guide to Buttonholes and Bands, The Hand Knitter’s Guide to Making Socks, and The Hand Knitter’s Guide to Making Socks on a Single Circular Needle.
Debbie Stoller

Debbie Stoller

Debbie is the author of the New York Times–bestselling Stitch ’n Bitch series of knitting and crocheting books. She is also the Editor in Chief of BUST Magazine. Debbie began knitting when she was only six years old, but it took thirty years before she actually learned to enjoy it. Once she became obsessed, in 1999, she started a Stitch ’n Bitch group in a cafe in NYC’s Lower East Side, and it became the inspiration for thousands of Stitch ’n Bitch groups that have formed all across the country in the years since. She has written five books in the Stitch ’n Bitch series and has her own line of yarn, Stitch Nation by Debbie Stoller. She lives in Brooklyn with one crazy cat, 2 weird dogs, and way too much yarn.

Stephen West

Stephen West

Stephen West’s shawl designs and innovative colorwork have helped him become a widely recognized and respected designer around the world. Stephen’s newest book, Westknits Bestknits, is a self-published presentation of popular Westknits shawls from the past three years.
 
Stephen was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He studied dance at the University of Illinois, where he encountered his first local yarn store, Klose Knit in Urbana. The creative atmosphere of that local shop spurred Stephen to start designing patterns, and he was quickly featured in Knitty’s fall 2009 issue with his Colonnade Shawl. Soon after, he moved to Amsterdam and began publishing more patterns and launched a series of pattern books under the name Westknits. He continues to produce pattern books and hosts several online knit-alongs each year. His simple, clean, architectural designs have now been knitted by thousands of knitters all around the world.
 
Stephen has taught workshops throughout the United States and internationally in Finland, Denmark, Germany, Italy, France, Israel, Iceland, UK, and Amsterdam where he co-owns Stephen & Penelope, a yarn boutique in the city center.