Shannon Okey is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 writer

Writer

A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....

 and knit

Knitting

Knitting is a method by which thread or yarn may be turned into cloth or other fine crafts. Knitted fabric consists of consecutive rows of loops, called stitches. As each row progresses, a new loop is pulled through an existing loop. The active stitches are held on a needle until another loop can...

 designer.

Okey was born in Medina

Medina, Ohio

In the city the population was spread out with 29.9% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 92.1 males...

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

.

Her book Knitgrrl appeared on the New York Public Library

New York Public Library

The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...

's 2006 Books for the Teen Age list, a list of titles recommended by librarians for younger audiences, and also received a starred review from Booklist

Booklist

Booklist is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. It is geared toward libraries and booksellers and is available in print or online...

. Knitgrrl 2 was nominated for a CraftTrends Award of Creative Excellence in December 2006. Both Knitgrrl books are designed to teach beginning knitters and feature colorful illustrations by Canadian illustrator and webcomic

Webcomic

Webcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are comics published on a website. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers or often in self-published books....

 artist Kathleen Jacques. Okey's book Alt Fiber received a 2008 "Proggy" award for "Most Animal-Friendly Craft Book."

Okey has been featured on several television shows, including Uncommon Threads

Uncommon Threads

Uncommon Threads is a TV craft show on the DIY Network, hosted by Allison Whitlock. The series focuses on the art of needlecrafts, including appliqué, crochet, embroidery, patchwork, quilting and rug making. The host is joined on each show by a different needle arts group, club, or designer from...

, Crafters Coast to Coast and Knitty Gritty. She has curated and appeared in national fiber arts shows at galleries including Assemble Gallery and New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

-based artist Cynthia von Buhler

Cynthia von Buhler

Cynthia von Buhler a.k.a. Countess von Buhler, is an American artist, performer, and children's book author.-Early life:Von Buhler was raised in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the middle child in an artistic family with six children...

's CVBSpace. Photos of both shows, including Okey's own work, were published in the summer 2006 issue of knit.1 magazine.

During a 2006 podcast

Podcast

A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...

 interview with Marie Irshad of KnitCast, Okey discussed her interest in fashion, not just knitting, and the designs she created for a "computational couture" show called Seamless in Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

. Okey is also a frequent contributor to knitting-related magazines such as Yarn Market News, and was a columnist for knit.1 magazine. She began editing British knitting magazine Yarn Forward in 2008, but left the magazine to focus on her own publishing company, Cooperative Press.

She lives in Cleveland, Ohio.

External links

• IMDB page for Shannon Okey
• knitgrrl.com, Okey's blog