About Shannon Okey
Shannon Okey has published a dozen major-publisher books and is the former editor-in-chief of monthly UK-based print knitting magazine Yarn Forward. She is a frequent magazine and television contributor, and was named one of six “New Guard of Knitting” in Vogue Knitting’s 25th anniversary issue. Shannon has taught all over the world, including a cruise ship rocking from side to side and online at knitgrrl.ning.com. Offline, she teaches at her own Knitgrrl Studio in Cleveland, Ohio and at yarn shops everywhere.
Shannon runs her own publishing venture focusing on both digital and print publications. Shannon was formerly a columnist for knit.1 magazine, and a founding co-owner of Stitch Cleveland, a similar space in Lakewood, Ohio. She founded Stitch Cooperative, a designer-operated pattern publishing co-op, and organizes events ranging from the Cleveland edition of Bazaar Bizarre to gallery shows featuring fellow fiber artists.
She has written not only the Knitgrrl series, but also two books for Interweave Press (Spin to Knit and Felt Frenzy, the latter co-authored with Heather Brack). Shannon edited and wrote the instructional text for Just Socks and Just Gifts for Potter Craft and Crochet Style at Creative Homeowner.
Her first sewing book, AlterNation (with Alexandra Underhill) was released by North Light Books in 2007, and was followed by The Pillow Book for Chronicle Books in 2008.
How to Knit in the Woods was also published in 2008. Shannon’s forthcoming knitting books include Alt Fiber and the revised 2nd edition of Pam Allen’s Knitting for Dummies.
She will be teaching 2 classes at Purl Jam on Sat. June 5th and will be signing her books that evening at Mosaic.
