Meet the Instructors
Debbie Stoller
Debbie Stoller is the author of the New York Times-bestselling Stitch ’n Bitch knitting and crochet books, of which there are now five in the series. She has been teaching people to knit for over 20 years. A knitter since the age of 6, Debbie is multi-craftual and enjoys embroidery, cross stitch, sewing, and bobbin lace making in addition to knitting and crocheting She is also the co-founder and editor-in-chief of the feminist magazine BUST. Debbie hopes some day to live on a small farm with her own sheep and goats. For now, though, she lives in Brooklyn with her partner and 3 dogs.
Melissa Leapman
With over 1250 designs in print, Melissa Leapman is one of the most widely-published American knit and crochet designers at work today. She's worked with leading ready-to-wear design houses and is the author of several bestselling knit and crochet books including The Knit Stitch Pattern Handbook, Mastering Color Knitting, 6000+ Pullover Possibilities, Knitting the Perfect Fit, Melissa Leapman's Indispensable Crochet Stitch Collection, and most recently, Knitting Modular Shawls. She is a sought-out speaker and teacher at national and international yarn events such as Vogue Knitting Live. She lives in New York City.
Toby Roxane Barna
Toby Roxane Barna is an independent knitwear designer and dyer of luxury yarns. She began her design career in 2012, and since then she has released over 90 patterns and self-published three books. She is the author of Design Doubles (Stackpole Books, 2018) and Easy Knits for Beautiful Yarns (Stackpole Books, 2021), and her designs have been featured in publications such as Knitty.com, Knitting Traditions, I Like Knitting, and she has contributed patterns to several Interweave compilations.
Toby fell in love with dyeing in 2015 and she now sells her yarn at festivals, trunk shows, and yarn shops. She especially enjoys being able to design patterns specifically for her yarn, and vice versa.
Rosann Fleischauer
Rosann started crocheting and knitting while working as a management change consultant specializing in project risk management for the financial services industry.
“The most common question I receive is ‘Where did you find the time?’ It’s easy, I made the time. While working full time to build my consulting practice there was a lot of down time, waiting, just waiting whether on hold, for a train, for a plane, for a team meeting, it really added up. I took a tip from my architectural history professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ‘Go no where without your sketchbook and pencils.’ I started sketching concepts while others were fiddling with their phones. Sketches during the day turned into swatches at night, which developed into designs. My colleagues found my creative outlet interesting so I started teaching them how to crochet and knit. Before long I had developed a series of goal oriented special interest classes which I continue to offer exclusively in person through one yarn shop per year.”
Rosann's designs have appeared in several magazines; I Like Crochet, Vogue Knitting, Designer Knitting, KnitSimple, Noro Magazine, I Like Knitting and Creative Knitting, as well as in three books; 60 Quick Cotton Knits, Noro Kureyon - the 30th Anniversary Collection and All Aboard, a collection of knit dresses. Most of her patterns are available from her web site www.firstbytedesigns.com.
Lisa Hoffman
Lisa Hoffman is a knitwear designer and knitting teacher. Lisa’s designs have been published in Vogue Knitting, Interweave Knits and knit.wear magazines. A collaboration with her cousin, Alice Hoffman, in Faerie Magazine led to a book, Faerie Knitting, a collection of stories and knitting patterns. She is the manager and teaches knitting classes at String in New York. Lisa lives in New York City with her husband. When she is not working or knitting, you will find her with her grandchildren.
Ravelry: LisaHoffmanKnits
Instagram: @lisahoffmanknits
Website: Lisa Hoffman Knits