Dr. Jennifer Daley is a textile historian and a leading authority in the collaboration between textiles, industry, and war. She earned a PhD from The Department of War Studies at King’s College, London, UK. Part of her doctoral research included researching sailors’ knitting and wool aboard British Royal Navy ships during the nineteenth century. She is the author of several books, including A History of Clothing and Textiles for Sailors in the British Royal Navy, 1660–1901 (2027) and Journey to Fair Isle: Knitting, Textile History, and Pilgrimage (2026).

In April 2022, Jennifer moved to the Shetland Islands, Scotland, to continue her research into the history of Shetland wool and Fair Isle knitting. In the Shetland capital of Lerwick, she managed the day-to-day operations of the Shetland Textile Museum, where she also researched the history of the Shetland knitting industry, handknitting techniques, and tools specific to Shetland. In 2023, Jennifer launched The Knitting Jenny Pattern Series while living in Fair Isle, the most remote inhabited island in the UK. The launch had been long in development. Starting in 1997, she designed original knitting patterns for her own personal knitting pleasure, not as an entrepreneurial venture.The 2023 launch of The Knitting Jenny Pattern Series was especially meaningful, as it represented the culmination of more than two decades of knitting and designing and sharing—and a pilgrimage to Shetland to study Fair Isle knitting.

Jennifer brings an interesting mix of academic textile knowledge to The Knitting Jenny Pattern Series, along with practical design experience.