KDO 2023 Teachers
Kate Atherley
KATE ATHERLEY is an internationally known knitting author, teacher, and editor. Her latest book, Custom-Fit Hats is her ninth, and the fourth in a series on customizing projects for perfect fit and style; it joins works on shawls, socks, and mittens. She’s also the co-founder and publisher of Digits & Threads, an independent, member-supported online magazine about Canadian fibre- and textile arts, crafts and industry. The combination of her university degree in mathematics, professional experience in software development and usability, and training in garment and fashion design give her a unique perspective. She lives in Toronto with her husband and their rescue dog Winnie.
https://www.instagram.com/kateatherleyknits/
https://www.ravelry.com/designers/kate-atherley
Jacqueline (Jackie) Brown
I am an avid knitter and lifetime crafter. I began my knitting adventure more than 30 years ago. It became such a passion that I would spend Saturdays, knitting, at my local yarn shop. I love learning all the how’s and whys of knitting, from the history of the craft to the technical aspects of construction and design.
So much so, that I joined the Knitting Guild of America and started attending meeting regularly at a local chapter. This led me to enroll in TKGA’s Master Knitting Program. I have passed Level I, Level II and working on Level III.
As this love relationship continued to evolve, it took on various outlets. In 2014, I became a Certified Knitting Instructor and a certified Crochet Instructor in 2021 by the Craft Yarn Council. I supplemented my knitting training by attending Stitches East, Vogue Knitting Live (NY), TKGA Conferences and other knitting workshops. In 2019, I started working at my local yarn shops servicing customers, teaching classes, and giving private lessons. I teach at local Knitting events and have published several reviews in TKGA’s K2Tog Newsletter.
Ana Campos
Ana Campos was born in São Paulo, Brazil, and now makes her home in the Witch City (Salem, Massachusetts). She is a founding member of Vogue Knitting's Diversity Advisory Council and is committed to increasing equity and access in the fiber world. Ana brings more than 20 years of knitting experience to her yarn shop, Circle of Stitches, and to her workshops, which she teaches across the US. As a teacher, her focus is on the technical aspects of knitting, and she strives to empower her students to create pieces they love.
Judy Gelzinis Donovan
Judy is an award-winning wearable art designer, spinner, weaver and knitter who has been practicing her craft for over 35 years. She has taught workshops on knitting, off loom bead embroidery, weaving and felting in the Philadelphia/NJ area as well as online for Stitches At Home and the Mancuso Virtual Schoolhouse and numerous Mancuso Quilt festivals. A former art & museum librarian, she lives in Philadelphia with her husband and Siamese twin cats. She is on Instagram as judy.gelzinis.donovan and on Facebook as Judy Gelzinis Donovan.
Elizabeth Durand
Elizabeth learned to knit when she was 7 and has never stopped. She always has a sock (or four or five) on the go, loves all colorwork, and is always looking for something new to learn. She has taught at many KDOs, worked and taught at Stash (Ardmore and Havertown) for four of its five years, meets with a private knitting group every Thursday night, and has a loyal following at Main Line School Night in Radnor. You can find Elizabeth on Ravelry as BadInfluence.
Jennifer Ferrence
Jennifer Ferrence is a fiber artist and teacher in Northwestern PA. A long-time student of yoga and meditation, she enjoys sharing mindfulness and anxiety management techniques to help others. She has a passion for creating supportive communities for others, which began when she was a new parent, 14 years ago. Combining her love of teaching knitting and her desire to help others has led her to focus on classes that emphasize the therapeutic approach to the fiber arts. Jennifer embraces creativity in lots of different forms and can be foundon Instagram and Ravelry as Tricotlore.
Tanis Gray
A graduate of RISD, Tanis lives in Northern VA with her Mechanical Engineer husband and two children. She has been in the creative field for many years, including roles at Martha Stewart, HBO, Focus Features, Hungryman Productions, and as the Yarn Editor at Vogue Knitting/Sixth & Spring and co-editor of Knit.1. She has worked on projects with Warner Brothers, Lucasfilm, Tim Burton, and Disney.
She is the author of 15 published knitting books and has over 650 published knitting designs in her portfolio. Tanis had her own regularly-featured TV spot on PBS' Knitting Daily TV with Vickie Howell and has taught multiple online Fair Isle classes for Craftsy. It is her goal to help anyone who wants to learn how to knit accomplish their fiber goals. She is also a firm believer in using bright colors in knitting and wholeheartedly agrees with Ru Paul, who said, “Life is about using the whole box of crayons.”
Find out more about Tanis on her website at https://www.tanisknits.com/.
Joy Jannotti
Joy is a TKGA Master Knitter and enjoys sharing the tricks of the trade. She belongs to Brookside Knits in Pottstown, PA. You can find Joy on Ravelry as QuailsKnitNest or subscribe to the Quail's Knitting Nest podcast on YouTube.
Lavanya Patricella
Lavanya Patricella is a fiber artist, knitting instructor and designer based in North Eastern Pennsylvania. She's been teaching knitting since 2010 across the United States and has published more than 100 original patterns since 2014. Her passion for her craft lights up yarn shops and inspires knitters, eager to learn and expand their creativity.
Ravelry: Designs by Lavanya Patricella
https://www.instagram.com/lavanyapatricella/
Mariah Stanford
Mariah is an experienced knitter of 16 years, certified knit instructor and a licensed physical therapist. She finds joy helping others with their craft and uses her experience in physical therapy to keep her students knitting comfortably. You can find her teaching virtually through The Making App, in person at her local yarn store, and privately through her website, Mariahknits.com.
Lisa Stuart
Lisa is the owner of a small yarn shop in Northeast PA, Thimbleberry Yarn and Craft. She is a fiber enthusiast who quilts, sews, and loves modern embroidery. A knitter for more than 50 years she loves to teach and to bring new learners to the craft. She has taught several classes at KDO through the years and is thrilled to be back in the classroom for 2023. You can find Lisa on Instagram as @thimbleberry_makes.
Traci Verdin
I love to work with fiber. I can express things in my patterns that I cannot fit into words. One of my core goals is to empower people through teaching or through my patterns. My students teach me so much and help me to see things from views that I never would have thought of. They are all blessings to me.
Knitting isn’t just a craft for me; it is a way of life.
https://www.ravelry.com/people/Ruinwen
https://www.instagram.com/vixenpath/
https://vixenpath.blogspot.com/
Ann Weaver
When Ann Weaver is not traveling to teach or exploring thrift stores and estate sales, you will find her in West Baltimore, where she works as a freelance editor and writer and runs Plied Yarns. Mending, dyeing, sewing and piecing—she uses all her skills to give her finds new life. She loves inspiring and empowering students in her individualized, laid-back workshops.
You can find Ann on Instagram @weaverknits and find her patterns in the Weaverknits shop on Ravelry.
Come join us for KDO 2024 - September 27 & 28, 2024!
