Shannon Okey

Shannon Okey (born January 6, 1975) is an American writer and knit designer.

Biography

Okey was born in Medina, Ohio.

Her book Knitgrrl appeared on the New York Public Library's 2006 Books for the Teen Age list,^[1] a list of titles recommended by librarians for younger audiences, and also received a starred review from Booklist.^[2] Knitgrrl 2 was nominated for a CraftTrends Award of Creative Excellence in December 2006. Both Knitgrrl books are designed to teach beginning knitters and feature colorful illustrations by Canadian illustrator and webcomic artist Kathleen Jacques. Okey's book Alt Fiber received a 2008 "Proggy" award for "Most Animal-Friendly Craft Book."^[3]

Okey has been featured on several television shows, including Uncommon Threads, Crafters Coast to Coast and Knitty Gritty. She has curated and appeared in national fiber arts shows at galleries including Assemble Gallery ^[4] and New York-based artist Cynthia von Buhler's CVBSpace. Photos of both shows, including Okey's own work, were published in the summer 2006 issue of knit.1 magazine.

During a 2006 podcast interview with Marie Irshad of KnitCast, Okey discussed her interest in fashion, not just knitting, and the designs she created for a "computational couture" show called Seamless in Boston.^[5] Okey is also a frequent contributor to knitting-related magazines such as Yarn Market News, and was a columnist for knit.1 magazine. She began editing British knitting magazine Yarn Forward in 2008, but left the magazine to focus on her own publishing company, Cooperative Press.

She lives in Cleveland, Ohio.

Publications

• Knitgrrl (Watson-Guptill Publications, 2005) ISBN 0-8230-2618-3
• Knitgrrl 2 (Watson-Guptill Publications, 2006) ISBN 0-8230-2619-1
• Spin to Knit (Interweave Press, 2006) ISBN 1-59668-007-5
• Crochet Style (Creative Homeowner, 2007) ISBN 1-58011-331-1
• Felt Frenzy (with Heather Brack, Interweave Press, 2007) ISBN 1-59668-009-1
• AlterNation (with Alexandra Underhill, North Light Books, 2007) ISBN 1-58180-978-6
• Just Socks (as editor, Potter Craft, 2007) ISBN 0-307-34595-5
• Just Gifts (as editor, Potter Craft, 2007) ISBN 0-307-34596-3
• The Pillow Book (Chronicle Books, 2008) ISBN 0-8118-6085-X
• How To Knit in the Woods (Mountaineers, 2008) ISBN 1-59485-088-7
• Alt Fiber (Ten Speed Press, 2008) ISBN 1-58008-915-1
• The Knitgrrl Guide to Professional Knitwear Design (Cooperative Press, 2010) ISBN 0-9792017-1-3

References

1. 2006 Books for the Teen Age
2. Amazon listing, featuring Booklist review
3. Random House book data, including award reference
4. Assemble Gallery
5. Interview with Marie Irshad of KnitCast

• "Spinning Takes Its Turn." Yarn Market News. October 2006.

External links

• IMDB page for Shannon Okey
• knitgrrl.com, Okey's blog
• Cooperative Press, Okey's company