February - Elizabeth Shoeman

Elizabeth Shoeman is a tapestry artist. For as long as she can remember, she has been attracted to textiles. As a young girl, she taught herself to sew on an old treadle sewing macine. As a teenager and young woman, she sewed most of her wardrobe. She was addicted to Vogue Pattern magazine and followed the latest styles, often creating her own from a combination of several patterns.

Children and a career eventually took her away from dressmaking. Her interest in textiles appeared again in the late 1990s when she discovered weaving. At that time, she was employed in the high-tech industry and found this very tactile, ancient art form provided a wonderful respite from her work life. Yarn gave her a new textile to create with and retirement gave her the time to immerse herself more fully in this craft and create her portfolio of work. Take a look at www.eshoeman.weebly.com.

Updated 10.30.2017

March - Roxana Bartlett

Roxana Bartlett’s life has been a journey with many adventures. Printmaker, painter, artist quilt maker all have been intertwined with knitting, first as a relaxing outlet and finally as a genuine aspect of my creative life. Designing is fun, writing the patterns not so much, and putting them on Ravelry impossible without a great technical editor! Roxana is both an artist-quilt maker and a knitwear designer. Leading a double life isn’t as difficult as it sounds, she says, since both reflect an aspect of her creativity and both are exciting. Her book Slip Stitch Knitting is an Interweave Press best seller.

Ellen Veneski spent her career working in high-tech marketing, advertising, and public relations. Now retired, she spends time with her family, as well as meeting up with friends to knit and play duplicate bridge.

Updated 05.14.2017

April - Barbara Beasley

Barbara is a native of Boulder with a varied fiber art background. She had an early interest in art, learned to crochet, quilt, embroider, and love animals from her mother. As her interests expanded to knitting, spinning, and needlepoint she was encouraged to join the Handweaver’s Guild of Boulder by Sue Henrikson. Barbara is now a full time working artist combining quilting and her connection to animals into a distinctive style of animal portraiture.

Updated 05.14.2017

May - Elizabeth Johnston and Martha Owen

Elizabeth Johnston is a spinner and knitter who learned much of her craft as a child, observing and learning from family and friends in Shetland. She uses these age-old skills, handed down through generations, to turn Shetland fleece into beautiful soft yarns and Fair Isle and lace items for her business, Shetland Handspun. Interest in the long history of Shetland textiles led to research into historic fabrics and the warp-weighted loom. Elizabeth has demonstrated, lectured, and taught workshops in spinning, lace knitting, and Fair Isle knitting in Shetland and throughout the U.K., Europe, and the U.S. She is co-author of two books, The Warp-Weighted Loom I Oppstadveven I Kljásteinavefstaður and Shetland Textiles: 800 BC to the Present. Elizabeth’s blog can be found at shetlandhandspun.blogspot.com.

Martha Owen is a resident artist in spinning, knitting, feltmaking, and dyeing at the John C. Campbell Folkschool in Brasstown, North Carolina. Her adventure in spinning began at the school in 1978. Since then her extended family has included sheep (Corriedale, Shetland, Romney) and Angora rabbits (French). As a banjo player and storyteller, Martha’s interest in sheep and wool, music, and dance has carried her literally and joyfully around the world. She is a member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild and is co-owner of Yarn Circle in Murphy, North Carolina.

Updated 05.14.2017

Prior years of program information will be added as time permits.