About Us

Jennifer Hansen lives in California's Santa Cruz Mountains where she is a full-time crochet and knit designer, teacher and writer.  Her innovative crochet work has been featured in various books, magazines and television shows including Vogue Knitting, Interweave Crochet, The Happy Hooker, The Encyclopedia of Crochet and Knitty Gritty.  She has been described as “One of the names that immediately comes to mind when thinking of the creative forces that have helped transport crochet from the realm of acrylic afghans to the sexy world of figure-flattering fashions.” (Yarn Market News)  Her professional background is in Architecture and Information Technology.

Jennifer is passionate about the craft, and wants to contribute to the joy you'll find in creating beautiful things.

Wendy Bernard, author of Custom Knits: Unleash Your Inner Designer with Top-Down and Improvisational Techniques , designs, knits and writes from her home in Southern California. She is a contributing designer for Stitch Diva Studios and her patterns appear in the pages of the Interweave publications, Knits, Knitscene, and the book, No Sheep for You. You can read more about her life and what's on her needles at www.knitandtonic.net.

Wendy's goal is to make knitting patterns that are fun to make and as seamless as possible.

Stefanie Japel is the author of two knitting books, Fitted Knits: 25 Projects for the Fashionable Knitter and Glam Knits: 25 Designs For Luxe Yarns, and is currently working on a third, due out in the fall of 2009. Stefanie is a pioneer in the art of circular knitting and her top-down style of construction has ‘brought sexy back’ to women's hand knitting patterns. Stefanie currently lives in New Mexico with her daughter and husband.

You can find her online at Glampyre Knits.

Marnie MacLean

 Marnie MacLean has been knitting and crocheting since she was six, designing knitwear since 2003 and has recently taken up spinning on both a spindle and wheel. She is widely recognized as a unique talent at creating unusual, sexy, and elegant knitwear designs. In addition to offering over 30 high-quality free patterns on her website, her work can be seen in publications such as Knitty, MagKnits, Spun Magazine, Spindlicity, A Pattern a Day Calendars, and on several episodes of the TV show Knitty Gritty.

Marnie, her husband and her dog Panda live in Portland where they like hiking the wild back country of Oregon.  She works as a technology specialist for a major US newspaper.

Jordana Paige

 Jordana has been knitting since she was 15 years old.  Three years later, as a freshman in college, she founded her knitting bag company, Jordana Paige.  She combined her loves of organization and knitting to offer knitters a way to tote their knitting and daily necessities in one functional and stylish handbag.  Jordana's designs, both handbags and knitwear, are inspired by classic style and simplicity. Her knitwear has been published in Vogue Knitting, Knit Simple, Knitty.com, Big Girl Knits and the television show Knitty Gritty.  Since founding her company Jordana has graduated from college and now designs and runs her business full-time in California.

Tina Whitmore

 Tina was raised in both England and the USA and draws from over 20 years of design and 5 years of professional teaching experience to create her original knit patterns. Her unique color sense and creative inspiration come from an extensive background in fine arts and textile design, as well as a profound appreciation of diverse cultures and history. Tina is the owner and designer of Knitwhits, a design company selling knit patterns and knitting kits.  Her work has been featured in Vogue Knitting, Newsweek, Knitter's Magazine and Family Circle Easy Knitting and she has appeared as a guest on "Knitty Gritty", the premiere knitting show on the DIY Network.

Chie O'Briant

 Born and raised in Japan, Chie is a third generation knitter & crocheter in her family. 

The women in her husband's family also inspired her, and Chie has developed more interest in crochet.  Her work has been featured in Crochet! magazine.  Read about what she's been up to at her blog: chiescrochetandknitting.blogspot.com.

Like many members of the Woodstock generation, Danna “Faylene” Spiro learned to crochet and knit from her paternal grandmother.  After a hiatus of many years, she took up her needles again in the mid-90’s and hasn’t put them down since.  With a professional background in health care, finance, and personal counseling, she possesses an obsessive attention to detail, balanced by a strong appreciation of the absurd. Danna and her business partner, Ellen Lenthall, are the creators of Queenie Sisters Designs (www.queeniesisters.com); she also is an academic tutor, a music teacher, and an adult literacy volunteer.  A native New Yorker, Danna has lived in North Carolina since late 1996 with her husband and five resident felines.

Danna has been working with Stitch Diva Studios since August 2006, as a stunt knitter, technical editor, copy editor and customer service representative for technical knitting questions.

P.S. As of September 2008, a sixth feline has been added to the family.

Tram Nguyen

 Tram began knitting 9 years ago and has been clicking away since then.  Inspired by the crochet work at Stitch Diva Studios, she also picked up crochet 2 years ago . She dabbles in machine knitting, but maintains a penchant for handknitting.  She has recently been featured in Interweave Crochet Winter 2009 and will be featured in Interweave Knits Spring 2010.

Tram is a pharmaceutical scientist by day in the Chicagoland area when not moonlighting as a stunt knitter.  Tram can be found as Lucipurl on Ravelry.

Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson aka “The Opinionated Knitter” is a 20-something self-taught knitter and crocheter hoping to someday become a full-fledged knitwear designer. Sarah’s work has been seen in Knitty and MagKnits, in addition to the free patterns offered on her blog (www.notayarnsnob.blogspot.com) and through her LYS, Great Balls of Yarn (www.greatballsofyarn.com)
 

Donna Druchunas

Donna Druchunas loves yarn of all kinds and sizes.  Her curiosity about knitting results in long trips to unusual places and the study of a variety of languages.  Her previous books include Arctic Lace: Knitted Projects and Stories Inspired by Alaska’s Native Knitters and The Knitted Rug: 21 Fantastic Designs.  Visit Donna’s website at www.sheeptoshawl.com for information on where she’s been traveling and what else she’s making.