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Kate AtherleyKate 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, joining 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.
Carson Demers Carson Demers is a physical therapist with 30 years experience. He has been knitting even longer. He became interested in ergonomics when a set of computing related injuries left him temporarily unable to treat patients or knit. Ergonomics, especially as it relates to textile arts, has been his passion ever since. Carson has written and published the preeminent book on ergonomics for knitters and fiber enthusiasts, Knitting Comfortably: The Ergonomics of Handknitting, which is available at www.ergoiknit.com and yarn shops around the world. He has taught classes to knitters, crocheters, spinners, weavers, and other textile enthusiasts for 15 years at major knitting events, fiber retreats and festivals, yarn shops, guilds throughout North America. Carson has contributed articles to numerous fiber and crafting magazines and been a consultant to writers at Martha Stewart Living and other publications. 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.
Tanis GrayTanis Gray Chang believes that we are stronger together. When we respect each other, listen, learn, and educate, we can lift each other up and thrive as humans. All are welcome here, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation, race, age, religion, fiber/material choice, or crafting style.
A graduate of RISD, Tanis 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.
With over 650 published knitting designs in her portfolio, her work has been featured in many major publications and books worldwide. She has published 15 bestselling knitting books and won first place nationally for the American Heritage Award and the National Women in the Arts Award numerous times for Fiber Arts.
Sivia HardingSivia Harding has worked with fiber and art since she can remember. By adulthood she had dabbled in weaving, spinning, and dyeing before coming to knitting in the 2000. Almost immediately, she began to design. She is known for exceptional designs including lace, garments, accessories, and imaginative Moebius creations. She has been widely published in books, collections, and magazines, including Jared Flood’s Wool People series, Spin Off, and on Ravelry as Sivia Harding Knit Design.
Anna HrachovecAnna Hrachovec is a designer and artist who is obsessed with knitting little characters and bringing them to life using stop-motion animation. She named her woolly world Mochimochi Land after learning to knit in Japan, which is also where she fell in love with squishy, adorable, delicious mochi.
She is the author of six books — five books of knitting patterns and one children’s book, Catside Up, Catside Down.
Anna lives in Chicago with her husband, two kids and two cats.
Keith LeonardKeith 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 is a fiber artist, knitting instructor and designer based in northeastern Pennsylvania. She’s been teaching knitting since 2010 across the United States, and has published more than 100 original patterns since 2014 on Ravelry, Etsy, and in select publications. Her passion for her craft lights up yarn shops and inspires knitters eager to learn and expand their creativity. She was taught how to knit by her Grandmother 20+ years ago and hasn’t really put the needles down since. Lavanya loves to teach people her favorite stitches and techniques, but lately spends most of her time at home designing. She’s a full time Mom to three wonderful children, two cats, and her bountiful organic backyard garden.
Amy SnellAmy Snell is a knitting instructor and designer with an eye for the unusual or unusually captivating. She enjoys teaching unique techniques and stitch patterns that bring color, contrast, and texture into knitting in new or interesting ways.
Whether teaching locally in the San Francisco Bay area, virtually or in-person for knitting guilds and events nationwide, Amy loves to help other knitters explore new techniques and expand the way they think about their knitting. Her goal is to make complex concepts approachable for all knitters, while sharing tips that improve your process whether you’ve been knitting for several weeks or several decades.
Amy’s work has appeared in numerous books and periodicals including Cast On, Interweave Knits, Knotions, I Love Knitting and numerous pattern collections. She frequently shares tips and tricks on her website, www.DeviousKnitter.com, and can be found as @DeviousKnitter on social media.
Safiyyah TalleySafiyyah is the author of the best selling book, “Knit 2 Socks in 1. She is also a knitwear designer, teacher, blogger and podcaster that works out of her home in scenic Indiana, USA. When she is not knitting, Safiyyah either spends her free time hiking with her photographer husband, her toddler son Beau, and chocolate lab, Arya, or enjoying the rural Indiana landscape with her three cats, Khaleessi, Nymeria, and Benjamin Chase.
Harry WellsTeaching and knitting are passions for Harry. In 2010, he retired from being a university professor to pursue his passion for knitting professionally. He has taught a myriad of classes at knitting conferences and fiber festivals on the regional and national circuit. His extensive experience in classroom presentation and course preparation makes for an organized and engaging learning experience. He enjoys designing knitwear and accessories for both men and women, with an aesthetic that emphasizes texture and linear flow. Check out his designs and knitting blog at www.goodforaboy.com. He is Knitteryninja on Ravelry, @harrywellsknits on Instagram, and Good for a Boy Knitting on Facebook.
Roxanne Richardson is a knitting communicator who lives in Minneapolis. Her YouTube channel explores a variety of knitting-related topics, including knitting history and techniques, and she writes technical knitting articles for Interweave publications. She’s a certified master hand knitter and certified knitting teacher, and she can’t wait to answer your burning knitting questions.
Currently Open
Marketing Director
The marketing director position is currently open. For more information contact the Guild President, president@knitters.org
Kelly
President
(Term 1, Year 2)
A visiting friend from Seattle taught Kelly the very basics of knitting (a twisted loop cast on and just the knit stitch) in 2008 before flying home. Turning to the internet (thanks knittinghelp.com!) Kelly taught herself through a lot of trial and error. Uncontent to keep knitting the scarf she’d started as her first project, she jumped into knitting a pair of striped mittens for her non-knitter, but very knitworthy, twin sister. Twelve years later the mittens are still in her sister’s glove box, and Kelly is usually horrified when she pulls them out and sees the mistakes she made using double pointed needles for the first time. Kelly loves knitting socks and is thankful for the many months of cold weather when she gets to exclusively wear her handknits. (she, her, hers)
Kendra
Secretary
(Term 1, Year 1)
Kendra lives in the Twin Cities and learned to hand knit from her mother in middle school. In the last few years, she has also learned crochet and machine knitting. Kendra enjoys knitting items to donate and challenging herself with new techniques. She prefers knitting in the round with colorful yarn. (she, her, hers)
Rose
Treasurer
(Term 2, Year 2)
Rose learned to knit from her mother at the age of ten. She started knitting on the ends of small paint brushes. She continued to knit off and on through her teenage and young adult years and became a more avid knitter after taking a Norwegian sweater knitting class through community education. Today, knitting has become a passion and she knits for charity, herself, and her family her stash. She enjoys meeting other knitters and learning new techniques.
Open Position
Programming Director
(3-year term)
This position is currently open. If you are interested in volunteering for the Guild board, please contact our president, Kelly, at the email me link below.
Betsy
Service Director
(Term 1, Year 3)
Betsy never had patience for knitting, until she found herself spending a lot of time at little league games and waiting for the last kid to emerge from the locker room after swim practice. With her background in graphic design, stranded colorwork has a natural appeal. Not to mention the practicality of an extra layer of warmth. Betsy has recently begun publishing her original hat and cowl patterns, which are available on Ravelry. (she, her, hers) (See our Service Knitting Page for more information about our current projects and donation process.)
Nikky
Membership/Programming Director
(Term 2, Year 1)
Nikky was first introduced to knitting in 2012 when her visiting sister-in-law taught her the basics of casting on and the knit stitch. A few weeks later, she learned how to purl from her mother-in-law. From there, it quickly became a passion and she has taken on each new project with a desire to expand her skill and discover new techniques. She loves a good mystery (knit-a-long) and knits way more shawls than a single person can wear in a month.
Melissa
Technology Director
(Term 1, Year 2)
Melissa has been knitting for 15 years. She loves socks and sweaters. She is a new member who hopes to use her marketing background to lift up the MKG. While she isn't local to MN, she really loves the atmosphere created by the Guild. Melissa and significant other Al enjoy traveling, wherein Al graciously offers to drive so Melissa can knit in the passenger seat. (she, her, hers)
Anna
Yarnover Committee Chair
While Anna learned to knit at some long-forgotten point in time, her commitment to the craft really began her freshman year of college. Sitting still has never been Anna’s strong suit, and giving her hands something to do while chatting with friends or watching movies in the dorm brought a sense of calm during this new chapter of her life. Once the sense of calm wore off (and no one else needed a scarf), she began trying new techniques, patterns, and projects, and until 2018 was primarily a self-taught knitter. After being intimidated early in her crafting, Anna feels strongly about creating a welcoming environment within the fiber community for people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. She enjoys knitting and fiber traveling, test and service knitting, a good challenge (knitting or otherwise), and is likely to have at least 3 WIPs at any one time. She is also learning to spin and ply her own yarn! (she/her/hers)
Project HandWork is an exhibit of photos by photographer Christopher Dykes. Using flash, a backdrop, and the infinite human variety, Christopher is collecting a series of images of hands at work in the fiber community. Manicures, hangnails, tattoos, wristwatches, cheap yarn, expensive silk, easy socks and exquisite lace all show the human diversity and the compulsion to create.
Yarnover attendees may have their hands photographed for a $50 sitting fee. Each sitter will receive an edited photo via email. The sitting fee goes to Help In Crisis, his local domestic abuse shelter.
Laura Haave
Great Guild Getaway Committee Chair
Laura learned to knit in 2003 by taking a four-week class during MIT's annual January Independent Activities Period. The class project was a striped hat knit in the round, and since that time, Laura has been a big advocate of 1) helping other adults learn to knit for the first time, 2) hats as a manageable first project, and 3) circular needles for everything. She enjoys thinking about knitting and planning her next project almost as much as she enjoys actually knitting. Laura is highly motivated by knit-alongs and loves to knit in community. (she, her, hers)
Thyra
Newsletter Editor
I grew up watching my mom knit. She tried to teach me as a kid and I never enjoyed it, but after finishing college I found myself with extra time and no hobbies. In the last 20 years I have dove in all the way and love to learn new and challenging techniques. As my fiber love has grown, I have also started raising sheep in order to go from sheep to sweater. I love interacting with the sheep who have big personalities and learning to process and spin the wool has been a great adventure.
Meg
Vice President
(Term 1, Year 2)
Meg grew up surrounded by makers. Her mom, a master quilter, former Home Ec teacher, and 4-H club leader in Duluth, taught her to sew, embroider, and cook. She won a trip to the State Fair as the Dress Review Princess at 13! Another MKG member taught her to knit continental style 15 years ago. Meg can’t sit still and NOT be knitting, embroidering, rug hooking or sewing. Favorite thing to knit? Mittens! She loves taking classes and learning new things – absolutely amazed and inspired by all the amazing knitters in the guild! (she, her, hers)
Our spinning demonstrations are sponsored by Get Bentz Farm.
After growing up in the city and suburbs, the owners of Get Bentz Farm felt a need to be closer to nature and to be more connected to where their food came from.
In 2014, they found a farm house for sale and later that year they decided on and purchased their first two Icelandic sheep.
Once they had a good size flock they began marketing the amazing meat and wool. Initially, they found that many mills in the area do not process dual coated long wools, which slowed down their growth in yarn, but they did find a great market for wool filled bedding products and batting for spinning.
Today, they have a variety of yarns, batting and roving as well as finished products like dryer balls, sheepskins, and wool bedding. Most recently, they opened their own Get Bentz Wool Mill as well as their own line of yarn – Badgerface Fiber.
Mona McNeely been a certified Iyengar Yoga instructor since 2016 and has studied yoga since 2002.
She has three grown kids and two, almost three, grandchildren. Her grandma taught her to knit when she was seven. She picked it up again in her early 20’s and hasn’t put the needles down since. She is also an avid spinner and has woven her share of rugs. In her spare time, she volunteers at a non-profit called We Can Ride where they use horses as therapy for people with disabilities. She also works full time as a Treasury Analyst for a fairly large company. Somehow it all balances out.
The Midwest Machine Knitters’ Collaborative (MMKC) is a Minnesota based fiber guild established in 2011. We envisioned the Collaborative as a way to connect with other machine knitters who like to think (and knit!) outside the box. MMKC provides a forum to promote fun, interest, appreciation, education, inspiration, and camaraderie in the art of machine knitting. We welcome all levels of experience, as this is the best way to learn and inspire. We will all become better knitters through collaboration. https://www.midwestmachineknitters.org/
Kathy
Webmaster
Kathy has always been into crafts, but didn’t teach herself to knit until after college. She really got hooked while living in San Francisco when a friend opened a knitting store. To pitch in, Kathy started knitting up fun (and odd) things for window displays, as well as teaching classes. In the last couple of years, she has started designing her own knitting patterns (many of them available for free on Ravelry!) with toys and mittens being her primary obsessions. (she/her/hers)
