2010 Teachers > Bios

Gwen Bortner is a Craft Yarn Council Certified Teacher and is accredited by the Association of Knitwear Designers in both teaching and design.  Her first published article covered the Seamless Entrelac technique and was featured in Threads July 1994 and again in Taunton Press' Great Knits. Gwen first learned to knit when she was 6 years old, but it really took hold while attending University of the Pacific.  While completing her degree in computer science and higher mathematics, she worked part-time at the local yarn shop, teaching, designing and assisting customers.

After graduation, Gwen followed the career path directed by her degree.  She worked as a programmer/consultant, owned her own computer consulting firm and then later joined Ernst & Young, LLP as senior analyst.  Her executive career took her to Kansas City where she headed up the information technology group as a Vice President for Birch Telecom, Inc.

Cookie A is a knitting addict living in Northern California. She is particularly prone to sock yarn impulse purchasing and knitting, has a darling cat named after a mathematician, and is in search of the most whack haircut ever.  She is the author of Sock Innovation.

Kathy Dummer adores ornamentation and pattern/ Her background in graphic design really shows in her work. Kathy gets a lot of inspiration perusing through fabric and quilt stores from the prints and color schemes. Her polymer clay work is unique, beautifully-finished, well-made and long-lasting.

Candace Eisner Strick learned both music and knitting at the age of three, and has followed these two loves all her life. She was co-director and cello instructor of the Suzuki String Program of Mansfield, CT for 16 years. She is the author of Sweaters From a New England Village, Sweaters From New England Sheep Farms. Beyond Wool, The Quilter's Quick Reference Guide, and Little Box of Crocheted Bags. Candace designs for yarn companies while she and her husband run their internet based business, www.Strickwear.com, which features her exclusive designs, and her new line of yarn, Merging Colors. When not doing the above, she is riding her bicycle. She lives in rural Connecticut with her pianist/knitting husband and 2 birds. She has three grown sons, all of whom know how to knit but refuse to do so.

Fifty years ago, Martha Gifreda’s mother taught her to knit in an (unsuccessful) effort to keep her quiet. Her prize winning hat design features knitted-as-you-go I-cord.

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Franklin Habit is well known for his blog, The Panopticon. The author of It Itches, a collection of pen-and-ink drawings and essays about knitting. His other interests include photography and  Zen Buddhism.

Janel Laidman is the author of the eclectic sole and The Enchanted Sole.  She knits, spins, dreams and writes in Eugene, Oregon.

For over 25 years, Ruth Lantz has specialized in dressmaking, weaving, machine/handknitting, and croshet.  A former gallery owner, she produced wearable art sold in galleries across the country. 
She now does more experimental work and is a curator for the Ohio Craft Museum. Ruth also teaches
a knit module to the fashion design students at Columbus College of Art and Design.

Debra M. Lee is a certified CYCA teacher and an avid designer. She enjoys combining color, texture, and structure into silhouette- flattering styles. Her designs can be found in Knitters, Knit ‘n Style, and A Gathering of Lace. As an accomplished teacher, Debra encourages her students to knit with confidence and adventure.

Ginger Luters is nationally known for her innovative knitting designs as seen in her book, Module
Magic. She has an M.A. in Fine Arts with a specialization in fibers and has taught weaving and knitting
at the college level.

Judy Pascale launched her career as a professional knitting instructor and designer in the early 1990's. She is now exclusively teaching knitting and design classes with the emphasis on customizing desired fit.

Susan Rivers

Long time fabric artist, Susan Rivers, uses various methods to convey her passion for her craft.  An avid quilter and self confessed “fabriholic”, Susan’s work incorporate many techniques – including piecework, appliqué, embroidery and silk fusion. She uses premier commercial fabrics or those she has hand dyed, painted, “sun printed”, embossed or made by transferring images via an ink-jet printer. Through these varied processes she creates original, unique quilts, wall hangings, pillows and clothing. Not bridled by tradition, her work continues to grow and develop.

Gayle Roehm says, “I've reached an age when taking myself too seriously is no longer an option. From now on, I'm just having fun. Messing with yarn is the most fun thing I know.” Her mother tried to teach her to knit as a child, but she wasn't truly dedicated until she needed a stress reliever for a demanding job. During several years in Asia, she discovered Japanese knitting patterns. Since then, she has published designs in various magazines and books and is most interested in unusual construction methods.

Mary Beth Temple designs patterns for and write about knitting and crocheting. She is author of The Secret Language of Knitters and Hooked for Life: Adventures of a Crochet Zealot.

Amy Tyler has been knitting and designing for 20 years, spinning for nine years, and teaching for over 30 years (dance, biomechanics, neurophysiology, motor learning, statistics, and fiber!).

Amy's fiber arts work is heavily influenced by both her fine arts training and her science training. Common to both is an appreciation for pattern recognition and composition. The result is her focus on texture, three-dimensional structure, and knitting techniques that require handspun yarns. Most recently, she has been exploring the use of slip stitch patterns in her knit designs; creating hats, felted bags, socks, shawls, and sweaters that use slip stitches to create textural effects with various yarns. Her recent spinning projects have been focused on creating combinations of yarns that are different but complementary, by varying fiber blends, yarn thickness, plying strategies, and colorways.