name: Shannon Okey
business name: Cooperative Press
website(s): Cooperative Press, Knitgrrl

What kind of items do you make?
Personally, I’m a knitwear designer, but my main business these days is Cooperative Press, an indie publisher of fiber arts books.

How long have you been in indie artist?
Full time since 2004.

What got you interested in your art of choice?
I started knitting relatively late compared to most people I know, I actually began as an embroiderer in high school, but if nothing else this has given me a broader range and appreciation for all kinds of fiber arts.

What do you most enjoy about what you do?
On the publishing side, I love seeing how excited our authors are when their books come out! On the designing side, I just love the process of actually knitting — it’s very calming for me. Give me miles of stockinette in the round and I’m happy.

What most inspires you?
Color.

What makes your creations unique?
All the thought that goes into them. This applies bookwise AND patternwise.

Do you have a favorite item or colorway?
Chartreusey-greens ALWAYS speak to me.

What is something you strive to offer the fiber arts community?
A sense of community as creators — Cooperative Press isn’t named “Cooperative” for nothing — the authors really do support one another, it’s fantastic.

Does being an indie fiber artist affect other aspects of your life?
Every single day, in everything I do.

What is your fiber arts superpower?
I’m REALLY good at pulling together color combos — when my old shop was next to my LYS, I used to get called over to do color combo help all the time!

How is the fiber arts world different for you today than it was five years ago?
The ability to compete with larger fiber arts publishers on their own turf is pretty amazing — in the same way Knitty and Ravelry broke the patterns-are-in-print-magazines-only mold.

name: Lisa Beamer
business name: Fibernymph Dye Works
website(s): fibernymph.com and the Shop is here.

What kind of items do you make?
I created hand-dyed yarn and spinning fiber, specializing in self-striping yarn and gradient-dyed yarn and fiber.

How long have you been in indie artist?
Almost two years!

What got you interested in your art of choice?
I’m been an avid knitter for years and I always enjoyed working with indie-dyed yarns. I finally decided to give it a go myself, and it’s been a great adventure!

What do you most enjoy about what you do?
I love playing with color…coming up with new colorways, putting colors together in unexpected ways. I also enjoy how much enjoyment other people get out of what I create. That’s very satisfying.

What most inspires you?
Color…I can find color inspiration in almost anything from nature around me to things I see in photos to the most mundane, everyday kinds of items. It’s like a puzzle, finding new ways to extract color combinations from the things in my world.

What makes your creations unique?
They’re unique because they are my babies…put a dozen dyers in a room and give them the same palette to work with, and they’ll all come up with unique creations. I love that about what my fellow indie dyers and I do!

Do you have a favorite item or colorway?
I really do love the gradient-dyed fibers…they can be spun up so many different ways and all yield unique yarns in the end.

Does being an indie fiber artist affect other aspects of your life?
We’re a homeschooling family with two teenagers, and my dyeing business is very much a family affair. Both of the teens, whom I affectionately refer to as my minions, put in a lot of time helping to get the yarn and fiber I create ready to go out to our customers. My husband, while not overly hands-on in the business, says nothing about the boxes and piles of yarn and fiber that have become a regular part of the landscape of our house, and he is always a source of encouragement to me.

What is your fiber arts superpower?
Wrangling colors in new and creative ways!

name: Gwen E. Brown
business name: Gwen Erin Natural Fibers
website(s): Gwen Erin Natural Fibers, and the Shop

What kind of items do you make?
Handspun yarn and knitwear; locks, roving, batts, and top: hand-dyed in small batches, breed-specific, and locally sourced.

What makes your creations unique?
Unpredictability. Not only are my colors created using an unscientific method, but the fibers themselves are constantly changing. By using individual fleeces, one can experience the unique qualities that breed and that fleece has to offer. From year to year, month to month, it’s always changing.

Do you have a favorite item or colorway?
I find myself always coming back to bulky yarns. After spinning something smooth and fine, there’s nothing more comforting and stress-free than instantly filling a bobbin with something chunky and funky. As far as dyeing, love working with locks. Recently I started focusing on them more heavily, rather than simply considering them a minor side project. They are just too thrilling! I love the variety; the way the tips curl and twist; the luster and texture. Sheared, washed, and dyed. They are that close to the sheep. You just have to let yourself be inspired.

name: Kristine and John Keller
business name: Stormy Blue LLC
website(s): Facebook Group

What kind of items do you make?
We make pottery of all kinds, porcelain jewelry, shawl pins, and of course, yarn bowls!

How long have you been in indie artist?
We’ve been making pottery for about 12 years.

What makes your creations unique?
Each yarn bowl is a one-of-a-kind, wheel-thrown creation!

Do you have a favorite item or colorway?
Greens, browns, and blues.

What is your fiber arts superpower?
I can knit a perfect gauge swatch and STILL manage to make a sweater to fit a small truck.

name: Elizabeth Deremiah
business name: Great Lakes Hand Dyed
website(s): The Shop, on Ravelery as MissKatPegasus, also the GLHD Group

What kind of items do you make?
Hand dyed yarn

How long have you been in indie artist?
Since Feb 2012

What got you interested in your art of choice?
My love for working with color and hand dyed yarn.

What do you most enjoy about what you do?
Working with color and making beautiful yarn. I also love watching people create with the yarn that I dye.

What most inspires you?
Video games, geekery and nerdom.

What makes your creations unique?
I feel I have the uncanny ability to take beautiful items and incorporate it into yarn.

Do you have a favorite item or colorway?
My favorite colorway to date is a Dr. Who inspired colorway called “Did I mention it’s a time machine?” It was inspired during a lengthy dying marathon while watching episode after episode of Dr. Who.

What is something you strive to offer the fiber arts community?
Quality products that fill a need for geekery combined with knitting.

Does being an indie fiber artist affect other aspects of your life?
It always has and always will. My coworkers know me as a knitting and crochet guru and are always asking me for help with their fiber projects.

What is your fiber arts superpower?
Teleportation with simultaneous time travel definitely.

How is the fiber arts world different for you today than it was five years ago?
I actually only learned to knit 2 years ago. Before I learned to crochet when in 1998 and kept very steady for it. When I realized that knitting would be something that I enjoyed, I taught myself using the internet and YouTube videos. I am an adventurous knitter and love to try new techniques.

See the right side bar!

Indie Knit and Spin is looking for some new vendors! The event will happen Saturday November 17th at the Wilkins School Community Center from 10-4. I have a couple of 8×8 booths available as well as a bunch of 6 ft table spaces. I’m hoping to expand the event this year.

Please email me at cosymakes (!at) gmail (dot!) com if you are interested. Booths are $50 and tables are $25. This show is for knitting or spinning supplies – yarn, fiber, buttons, stitch markers, bags etc. Let us see what you make!

Hi friends,
Just a brief note to let you know that we’re busy working on a date and space for Indie Knit and Spin this year!

And if you may be interested in having a booth, let me know – cosymakes (!at) gmail (dot!) com

hope to see you all there!

Artist: Eileen Hotham

What kind of items do you make?
I make glass beads and use the finished beads in stitch markers (I also knit!)

What got you interested in your art of choice?
I saw a demonstration of glass bead making at an arts fair and was fascinated.
I took a class in Glass bead making at the Pittsburgh Glass Center and was hooked.

What do you most enjoy about what you do?
I love making things and I especially love making beautiful things.

Do you have a favorite item or colorway?
I love all color, but I keep going back to purples and blues. I’m also very fond of iridescents and metallics (shiny!)

What is something you strive to offer the fiber arts community?
One of a kind stitch markers (can be used as pendants!)

What is your fiber arts superpower?
Even though I’m not doing fiber for this show, I will say that I am very good picking the right yarn for a project.