SHANNON OKEY lives in Cleveland, Ohio with her boyfriend Tamas and their furry “children”: Anezka (the dachshund pictured in
Felt Frenzy and
How to Knit in the Woods), Spike (the kitten pictured in
Knitgrrl and
Felt Frenzy) and Giles (the feline baby of the family, who attempted to sneak into some photos in
AlterNation, but was denied).
Shannon runs her own publishing venture (Cooperative Press) focusing on both digital and print publications, and most recently served as editor in chief of UK-based print knitting magazine Yarn Forward. She also owns and operates Knitgrrl Studio, a teaching space and shop in Lakewood, Ohio. Shannon was formerly a columnist for knit.1 magazine, and a founding co-owner of Stitch Cleveland, a similar space in Lakewood, Ohio. She started Stitch Cooperative, a designer-owned-and-operated pattern publishing co-op, and organizes events such as Cleveland edition of nationally-known indie craft show Bazaar Bizarre. You can check out her fiber- and craft-related videos here on YouTube. Most recently, she’s been writing the expert knitting column for Knitting Today! magazine.
Shannon teaches and speaks nationwide for many different types of audiences: see the events page on her website for her upcoming classes, book tour information and more.
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 by Mountaineers Books. Shannon’s other knitting books include Alt Fiber and the revised 2nd edition of Pam Allen’s Knitting for Dummies. Her most recent book is The Knitgrrl Guide to Professional Knitwear Design. All book news and data can be found at knitgrrl.com.
