Craft Cruises™ Instructors
Annie Modesitt uses the combination method of knitting and believes there is no wrong way to knit. Most knitters find it reassuring to know there are many ways to achieve the same results when working with yarn.
Annie Modesitt teaches the combination method of knitting as well as various forms of western knitting techniques. Annie will teach different ways of forming stitches by converying how a stitch is seated on the needle.
The method a student uses to knit is irrelevant when they participate in more advanced technique classes. As long as a student can make a knit and a purl stitch, Annie believes it can help them fulfill any knitting passion they posess.
Annie Modesitt lives in St Paul, MN with her husband, kids and assorted pets.
Barry Klein is the owner of Trendsetter Yarns and is one of the biggest sensations in the knitting world. Barry Klein has been named one of the top 10 most influential men in the world of knitting right along with such multi-talented knitters as Kaffe Fassett and Eugene Bourgeois. Barry Klein is creative, innovative and fun. His fiber creations are inventive and diverse making Trendsetter a world leader in the fashion yarn industry.
Barry Klein is a passionate world traveler who will inspire you every moment of your journey with Craft Cruises. Barry has traveled Europe extensively and loves cruising. Barry has taught on over 30 cruises specializing in all types of cruise crafts.
Barry Klein resides in Tarzana, California.
Beth Brown-Reinsel has been involved in many facets of the fiber arts industry. Although Beth is a spinner, basket weaver, dyer, knitter, yarn shop and mail order business owner, author, and knitwear designer, teaching is her passion.
She has worked in production as well as in creating and teaching courses and workshops both locally and nationally. She developed and implemented the correspondence course, "Traditional Ganseys" for The Knitting Guild of America for 11 years.
Beth designs for yarn companies, magazines, and for her own pattern line. Her next book, on Scandinavian Knitting, will be published by Nomad Press.
Beth lives in Putney, Vermont.
Bobbi Daniels is an outgoing and inspirational fiber artists who runs Raven Frog Fiber producing hand spun and hand dyed yarns in Alaska. Join Craft Cruises and Bobbi Daniels on a knitting or spinning cruise or visit her for dying demonstrations while taking one of our Alaska cruises.
Bobbi Daniels lives in Sitka, Alaska with her husband Clint, a very old Giant Schnauzer, two very opinionated cockatiels and a few lovely French angora rabbits. They have three grown sons and two granddaughters.
The bead bug bit Carol Bauer at the tender age of 12 when she was given a small beading loom. As an adult Carol continues her love affair with beads and jewelry. She has worked with metal clay (PMC), polymer clay, fused glass, copper enameling and, of course, beads.
Beads of all types are Carol's first love when it comes to artistry and she uses them to create personal adornment and to decorative objects of all sorts. Carol Bauer co-founded the Willamette Valley Bead Artists Guild, has exhibited in various art shows and has been teaching bead weaving for over 12 years.
Carol loves cruising and cruises as often as her busy schedule allows. Carol feels cruising is truly the best way to travel.
Carol lives in the Pacific Northwest in Olympia, Washington.
In her teaching role, Chris'reward is when the "light bulb" goes off and knitters learn to discover and trust their own creativity. In her workshops, she encourages knitters to color outside the lines - where it's more fun! Chris firmly believes that knitting is not construction. Knitters should explore and make mistakes, feel free to change their minds and most of all, enjoy what they are doing.
Chris lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her husband, Charlie.
Why cruise with Chrissie Day? Because you will laugh a lot, learn a lot, in fact you will learn more than is written down in the class descriptions because she believes in an open book approach. Chrissie combines traditional techniques with an innovative and creative twist.
Chrissie Day, known for her innovative knitwear designs, can be found in all the most popular British knitting magazines and journals. She uses felt and embroidery to create very unique one of a kind pieces. Chrissie is a writer with five titles to date on knitting, crochet; wire jewelery and felting. Her functional fashion accessories fuse her distinctive style with fine design techniques that ensure they are unique. Chrissie Day's striking knitted felt bags and slippers/shoes are sold as kits in many areas of the world.
Chrissie Day resides in rural England with her darling husband who is getting to understand all things yarny
Cynthia LeCount is a specialist in festival costumes, traditional clothing and handmade textiles of Bolivia and Peru. Cynthia operates her own adventure travel company specializing in "Arts and Festival Tours" for small groups to South America.
Cynthia LeCount loves sharing her knowledge and enthusiastically shares her expertise with all who are interested. She is an amazing person who is passionate about the traditional textiles of exotic cultures in far away destinations.
Cynthia LeCount lives in El Sobrante, CA
Dale Anne Potter came to fabric and paper arts naturally and is inspired by the natural world around her. Nature, its texture, rhythms and colors, the material at hand, is where she finds inspiration for her work. She grew up in a home inspired by crafts. Dale Anne Potter is a leading mixed media artist who loves to incorporate native designs and natural landscapes into her artwork.
Dale Anne Potter lives in Morse, Saskatchewan with her loving husband Brian.
Donna is a fun and dynamic teacher who loves spending time with other knitters. Donna’s passions are traveling and sharing knitting knowledge while visiting new landscapes and learning about interesting cultures.
Donna Druchunas is inspired by ethnic knitting both within the United States and abroad. Donna likes to emphasize a basic understanding of traditional knitting techniques so we, like our ancestors, can discover the joy and satisfaction of knitting without patterns.
Donna's books on Ethnic Exploration and Discovery as well as her book on ethnic knitting in Alaska "Arctic Lace" are packed full of traditional knitting techniques and patterns to help you love and enjoy knitting as much as she does.
Donna lives in Longmont, Colorado.
Drew Emborsky, aka The Crochet Dude® has quickly established himself as one of the hardest working success stories in the industry today. Drew's quirky title as "The Crochet Dude" and his kitschy tongue-in-cheek designs have propelled him from a young, unknown fiber artist to the cutting edge of the fiber design world. His unique role as a male knitter and crocheter has opened doors for other men who were stuck in the closet with their yarn, knitting needles, and crochet hooks.
Drew Emborsky calls Houston, Texas home where he lives with his two cats, Chandler and Cleocatra.
Jane Thornley is an avid knitter, designer and traveler who will inspire you while cruising to some of the world's most wonderful ports. Join Jane Thornley on a Craft Cruise and let us feed your imagination.
Jane has led workshops and guided knitting excursions all over the world including Morocco and Tuscany. Her approach delves into evocative knitting that uses the colors and textures of the landscapes to evoke the spirit of the country. Every knitter has the ability to create unique works of fiber art once they trust that inner voice. Discover a whole new approach to knitting with Jane's unique style.
Jane Thornley lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia with her husband.
Janet M. Perry is one of the leading writers of needlepoint stitch guides in the world. She writes innovative guides for needlepoint canvases from over 20 designers. Her blog, Nuts about Needlepoint, is full of exciting needlepoint information and is the most quoted on the Internet. She puts into practice her motto to make needlepoint fast, fun and affordable.
Janet Perry brings a fresh, fun approach to needlepoint and she loves to tell people all about needlepoint. Janet Perry believes every canvas is a learning opportunity. Join her on a cruise and you will go home filled with ideas, stitches and techniques you can apply to the pieces in your stash.
Janet Perry resides on Mare Island, California with husband, son, and one cat.
Janet Szabo is a nationally-known knitting designer, author, and teacher. Her designs have been featured in Cast-On, Knitter's Magazine, The Complete Knitting Collection, and Knitting NOW.
She has appeared as a guest on the DIY Network show Knitty Gritty and has taught at workshops and conferences around the country.
Janet Szabo is also the editor and publisher of Twists and Turns: The Newsletter for Lovers of Cable Knitting.
Janet lives in northwest Montana with her husband and two daughters.
A self-confessed “technique freak” and “skill junkie,” JC Briar dabbles in all kinds of knitting, but has a special fondness for textured knitting and novel construction techniques.
If it involves lace, cables, or seamless construction, it’s sure to catch her eye. She shares her enthusiasm by teaching at shops and fiber festivals, and online through Needlecraft University.
Regardless of the topic, JC Briar aims to build confidence by expressing concepts clearly and concisely, and by presenting skills and ideas in a digestible progression.
JC Briar lives in Corvallis, OR.
Jenny King is Australia's most innovative and amazingly diverse crochet designer. Crochet is her passion. She has been extremely lucky to have made her obsession her profession. Her work ranges from glamorous one-off runway fashions to soft felted dreadlock dolls. With bags, jewelry, baby wear, quirky Australian animals and botanically correct crochet native flowers in between.
Jenny's classes are a real treat because she delights in teaching the rules and also teaching how to break them to get the best results. Jenny is forever pushing the boundaries of crochet and lets the yarn tell her what it wants to be - and it does.
Jenny lives in Queensland, Australia with her husband and 3 adult boomerang children. Boomerang means that they leave and then come back and leave and come back.
Jill Deal is a fiber arts instructor who owns and operates a wonderfully popular yarn shop located in the heart of picturesque downtown Milford, Pa. This shop is not only the leading source of the best and hardest-to-obtain knitting and crocheting supplies you'll find in the tri-state area but it is also a gathering place to learn and share ideas with fellow creatives. This shop welcomes everyone, no matter what experience level from seasoned pro to enchanted beginner.
Jill Lives on the banks of the Delaware River in New York with her son, Samuel, Shop Poodle Lana and Tiger Lily the cat.
Joan McGowan-Michael creates romantic knitwear with special consideration for a wide range of sizes from petite to plus. As a knitwear designer and instructor, Joan is dedicated to the concept that large is just as lovely as little and focuses on styles that show off your shape while remaining comfortable and flattering.
Joan lives in Northern California with her husband, son and three demanding cats. She is a seasoned traveler and loves every aspect of the cruise vacation experience and the luxury of shipboard living. Joan feels the longer the cruise the better!
Joan Schrouder has been teaching knitting since the mid seventies. She teaches classes at conventions such as Stitches and TKGA, plus travels the country teaching for guilds and yarn shops. Joan's classes often sell out months in advance.
Joan also answers technique questions on various internet knitting lists, and her designs have been featured in numerous knitting magazines and has designed for many yarn companies.
Joan is a native Oregonian who lives in Eugene with her husband; she has two adult sons.>
Joyce is a very skillful knitter, crocheter, designer and teacher who has won many awards. She designs for yarn companies and has seen many of her designs and articles published in national magazines. Her most recent designs were featured on the front cover of TKGA's Fall 2001 Cast On Magazine. Two of her children sweaters were published in National Magazines. Two of her children sweaters were published by XRX, Inc. in the "Kids, Kids, Kids" book.
Joyce resides in Los Angeles, California.
Judy Pascale is energetic and inspiring. Judy Pascale is a life long knitter who launched her career as a professional knitting instructor and designer in the early 1990's.
Judy Pascale has professionally sold her unique knitwear under the name THE JUDITH COLLECTION both privately and at juried shows. Judy teaches professionally an emphasis on customizing desired fit.
Most importantly, Judy has joined the ranks of other talented members of the knitting community whose explosive interest is creating a renaissance for the ageless art of knitting.
Judy Pascale calls Middletown, Connecticut her home.
Julia Bryant is a highly recommended textile artist specializing in crocheting, knitting, tapestry weaving and counted cross-stitch.
Julia Bryant became fascinated with Afghan/Tunisian crochet about twenty-five years ago, and has been developing and perfecting her skills using the color inlay technique ever since. Her work is often embellished with beads, bobbles and embroidery, and she creates all her own designs.
Julia Bryant lives in Toronto, Canada, she has a passion for color and loves to teach!
Leslye Solomon has taught thousands of knitters how to knit and improve their skills over the years and has been an inspiration to many. She is passionate about every aspect if knitting and loves to travel.
Leslye Solomon lives in Baltimore, Maryland where she owns and operates her very successful yarn store, Woolstock.
Over the years Lily Chin has become one of our most sought after instructors because she is not only a fabulous instructor but she enhances everyone's travel experience travel experience. Lily Chin is an internationally famous knitter and crocheter who has worked in the yarn industry for nearly 25 years. Lily Chin is a very popular designer, instructor, and author. Lily Chin recently launched her own line of yarn known as The Lily Chin Signature Collection.
Lily Chin lives in New York city with her husband.
Lucy Neatby is the original "Nautical Knitter" who, for many years, knit her way across the oceans as a British Merchant Navy navigating officer. Lucy Neatby is an expert instructor who can simplify even the most technical techniques. If you have ever wished to become really comfortable with your stitches and be able to make them do your bidding, Lucy will help you.
Lucy Neatby is truly masterful when it comes to knitting skills and design creativity. Lucy will inspire everyone who joins us on this trip.
Lucy Neatby resides in Dartmouth, NS and on Tancook Island, NS, with her seafaring husband John and neighbor's cat Mr. Cuddles.
Craft guru and artist, this Pocono Mountain native has been beading, knitting, tole painting, quilting and creating beautiful landscape gardens for many years. Several years when beaded evening bags became the craze, she shifted her interest in beading into high gear and has mastered even the most difficult beading techniques.
Mary Beth is not only an amazing bead artist but she has the ability to teach others to pick up the needle and thread and become bead artists themselves. Mary Beth can teach beginners how to become creative beading artists.
Mary Beth lives in both Gouldsboro, PA as well as Steamboat Springs, CO.
Melissa Gower is the founder of Craft Cruises and has been knitting for over a decade. Melissa does not consider herself to be a knitting expert by any means but surrounds herself with some of the most influential instructors and desingers in the fiber arts world.
Since starting Craft Cruises, Melissa Gower has escorted over 700 knitters, beaders, spinners and crocheters of all skill levels on cruises around the world
Melissa is not only passionate about the art itself but also in sharing the love for the art with others. Melissa has started a program onboard all Craft Cruises geared toward teaching others the basics. Melissa has taught numerous local teenagers, friends and non-crafting cruise participants the basics and has inspired many to continue learning new techniques.
Melissa Gower lives in Seattle, WA with her loving husband and gorgeous dog named Ubu.
Melissa Leapman teaches a wide range of knitting and crocheting techniques and belongs to a new generation of needle artists who are modernizing old techniques to create sophisticated sweaters and vests. Melissa Leapman is excited to teach onboard a Craft Cruise and to be inspired by the fabulous ports of call in the Mediterranean.
Melissa Leapman lives in New York City, New York
Melody MacDuffee is an amazing fiber and jewelry artist who has created a new technique, known as Overlay Crochet and is inspired to help others learn it so they too can achieve effects not otherwise easily achieved in traditional mediums.
Melody MacDuffee resides in Mobile, Alabama.
Join Myra Wood for an adventure of pure creativity on a free-form fiber cruise. Myra is a creative artist who combines different techniques to create unique wearable art. Myra Wood uses color, texture and design to guide the inspirational process. Come and immerse yourself in luxury onboard a beautiful ocean vessel while learning new methods of constructing and embellishing your work.
Myra, her husband and their 10 year old Italian Greyhound, Munch, live near Los Angeles, CA.
Myrna enjoys sharing her love of lace knitting by designing shawl and scarves, teaching lace knitting classes and publishing her designs. Her definition of lace knitting is using two sticks and some string to connect a series of holes in a pleasing fashion. Lace knitting does not require 000 needles and very fine thread. Worsted weight cotton and size 7 needles make practical, pretty lace dishcloths. Bulky yarn and size 11 needles produce beautiful lacy afghans.
Myrna Stahman lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband Bob.
Nancy Bush owns and operates The Wooly West. She started this wool business after returning from time abroad in the early 1980's. Nancy lived in Europe while attending weaving school in Sweden and working as a nanny in France.
Nancy Bush found her passion in knitting. She chose knitting as a primary focus, because of the portability of it (as opposed to weaving) and the accessibility to everyone. Through her company and highly popular books, Nancy Bush has encouraged more folks to knit than she ever thought possible.
Her goals have always been to offer fine natural fiber yarns, classic and traditional patterns, useful knitting tools and expert instruction to her customers.
Nancy Bush lives in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Nancy J. Thomas is currently the creative director for Coats & Clark Yarns and a trip leader for Behind the Scenes Adventures. Her almost lifelong interest in needle arts is evident in her endeavor to promote crafts. To stay in touch with the end consumer, Nancy attends seminars, workshops and conventions throughout the United States and Canada, as well as teaching needlecrafts on many levels. Aware of the importance of visibility for needlecrafts, she was the co-chairperson for New York City’s Knit Out & Crochet Too events sponsored by The Craft Yarn Council of America for over 5 years.
Nancy also has moderated numerous panel discussions and fashion shows and hosted events of Knitter’s Magazine’s "Stitches" conventions held in various venues around the United States.
Nancy J. Thomas lives in New York City.
Like Sally Melville loves all aspects of life as a ‘professional’ knitter: teaching, writing, designing, and explaining what this all means! And what does it mean? It means an extensive teaching schedule that takes her around the world, speaking to wonderful folk who can appreciate the perfect buttonhole, who love the textures and colors and techniques of knitting, who want to be more intuitive about their craft, and who know that life is about learning.
Sally lives alone in Ottawa, Ontario, while she is currently pet-less she hopes to change that soon as her new grandchildren are old enough. Sally lives near her daughter—who shares her love of knitting. In addition to a daughter, Sally has a son, a musician and composer and leader of his band, CANEFIRE.
When you cruise with Craft Cruises for Kids™ and The Handwork Studio, your kids will spend their time moving between creative activities such as knitting, crocheting, embroidery, hand and machine sewing and crafts. Each class is project based and will center around a fun filled theme sure to delight kids of all ages. The pride your child will feel will be remembered for a lifetime. Not only will they have a wonderful time but they will be working on math and fine motor skills, social development and patience by sticking with a long term project. The result: Making really cool projects with new friends while having Fun! Fun! Fun!
The Handwork Studio is a tight-knit community located in Narberth, PA.
Tulasi Zimmer is an award winning handspinner, professional artist, and educator whose experience as a fiber artist includes handspinning with a spinning wheel, drop spindles, Navajo spindles, handweaving, Navajo tapestry weaving, needle felting, crocheting, hand knitting and machine knitting.
Tulasi Zimmer resides in Helena, Montana on a 7.5 acre farm with her husband, 4 llamas, 3 German angora rabbits, 3 cats, and abundant wildlife.
Wendy Burton will be joining Craft Cruises onboard our first mixed media and paper arts cruise. Wendy's focus will be altered books and journaling. Wendy Burton will help guide you on an inspirational journey of self reflection while you are cruising through one of the most scenically beautiful natural areas in the world. Wendy will help you learn new ways of expression through creative writing and the use of different art media to create lasting memories in paper art.
Wendy Burton lives in the town of Humboldt in lovely Saskatchewan, Canada.