Author and knitwear designer, Ann McCauley, learned to knit from her mother as a child. While touring Europe as a professional dancer her interest intensified as she observed knitters all around her. In 1980 she began designing sweaters, focusing on classic lines and strong textural stitches with crisp and smooth fibers. She has written two books, The Pleasures of Knitting and Together or Separate: Knitting the New Twinset. Both include many contemporary yet classic sweater designs. The second one focuses on two (or three) coordinating pieces which may or may not be the traditional shell and cardigan combo one thinks of when seeing the term “twinset.” The coordinating patterns can be knit and worn together or as stand alone pieces. There is a good review of it at The Independent Stitch.
On Tuesday, May 4 we are excited to welcome Ann to the shop. There will be a free trunk show where you can see the designs from her books for yourself from 4-5pm. Following the trunk show, Ann will be teaching a class on Movement for Knitters from 5-7pm for $30. In that class you will learn a variety of techniques to keep your body happy despite the repetitive movements of knitting.
“An awareness of alignment, body mechanics, self-help hand care and pressure points is covered in Movement for Knitters that gives us many, many tools for being able to comfortably knit as much as we would like to. Dare I say even a little obsessively for some of us. I try to give as many tools as possible in class because I recognize that different things work for different people and I encourage knitters to stay connected to the ones that work for them. The ‘icing on the cake’ is that nothing in our bodies is an isolated event so we inevitably end up supporting even more than our knitting with these awarenesses and tools.”
Ann has a bachelor’s degree in dance therapy and a masters in dance in addition to having had a long career as a performing modern dancer. The physical strains of being a performing dancer inevitably leads one to also study body movement and mechanics and seek out body work. She has found Jin Shin Jyutsu, an ancient Japanese modality that focuses on pressure points, to be most effective for her and began practicing it in 1986. For over 20 years Ann has brought her knowledge of movement to a wide variety of people, including 14 years of teaching at the Boulder College of Massage Therapy, and 20 years at The National Theatre Conservatory in Denver for a 3 year MFA program for actors.
After having published two books so quickly Ann is enjoying focusing on single designs. In addition to her books she has designed for Louet and will have several patterns appearing in future issues of Knitter’s Magazine, including the soon to be out Summer issue. On of the perks according to Ann is “getting to meet way more knitters and visit way more yarn shops than I ever could have anticipated.” You can learn more about Ann’s design background and philosophy in a blog interview conducted by Donna Druchunas.
So let’s show Ann how great our shop is! Stop in for the free trunk show from 4-5pm and sign up for her class so you can better care for your body when knitting. Stop by or call to sign-up. Space is limited to 10 students!
If you are taking her class, please bring with you any current project in progress, and paper and pen for notetaking. Handouts are included, but Knitting Together or Separate is recommended and will be available for purchase at the shop.
A New Jersey native, Joanna Johnson and her husband moved to Colorado in 1999 for the sunshine and drier climate and haven’t looked back. Together they have started an independent publishing company called Slate Falls Press. This spring marks the first released publication, Phoebe’s Sweater which was written by Joanna Johnson and illustrated by her husband.
the midst of summer’s heat. I called her over to try it on, and at that moment, something seemed so poignant about everything- her carefree playfulness, my pregnancy, the coming changes in the seasons and in our family… it was a very rich moment and inspired the whole story from there.“ Included in the book are patterns for the sweater, a Phoebe doll and a doll-sized sweater to match. The book is sure to make a great gift for a special child with a knitter in their life.
Joanna comes from a long line of knitters and has her mother and grandmother to thank for her love of knitting today. Like many she relearned as a young adult. Joanna also enjoys sewing and quilting and exploring the wide world of fiber arts, including spinning and weaving with her daughter who also has the “fiber bug.”
My Sister Knits Blog 