Workshop Teachers
Rachel Illsley from Unwind Knitwear
9 - 14 May 2027
Rachel is known for her distinctive colourwork designs, combining thoughtful motifs with a clean, elegant style. She also enjoys working with cables, lace, and unusual constructions, always approaching design with curiosity and a focus on learning and refinement.
With a background in teaching, Rachel has spent years understanding how people learn, which in turn has shaped her approach to writing patterns and leading workshops: she builds new skills on solid foundations, adapts to different learning styles and tailors levels of challenge to suit individuals with a friendly, encouraging manner.
Rachel is very detail-focused and cares deeply about helping knitters achieve a beautiful, professional finish. She believes every garment should fit well and feel personal, and she designs her patterns and workshops with that in mind. Rachel equips knitters not just to complete a project, but to understand it, building confidence, skill and pride in the craft.
Zanete Knits
21 - 26 June, 2026
11 - 16 October, 2026
Zanete Hussain is a former software developer turned knitwear designer, constantly challenging her creative boundaries and inspiring others to do the same. Based in the UK, she’s known for blending traditional Latvian motifs with modern colourwork designs, creating fresh looks and interesting seamless garment constructions.
Her journey from tech to knitwear design started during her maternity leave, when her love for knitting grew from a hobby into a true calling. Through Zanete Knits, her patterns have gained international attention and been featured in popular knitting magazines.
With her analytical background, Zanete has a knack for breaking down complex techniques and making them approachable for knitters ready to take their skills to the next level. Her workshops focus on problem-solving and building confidence, helping knitters master the foundations and open up a world of creative possibilities.
Norah Gaughan,
14 - 19 June, 2026
Norah has spent her life immersed in knitting and authored many fantastic knitting books including Norah Gaughan’s Knitted Cable Sourcebook and 40 Timeless Knits published by Vogue Knitting. Norah is best known for her beautiful and innovative cabled stitch patterns.
As a freelancer for yarn companies and knitting magazines, then overseeing the Reynolds, Artful Yarns & Adrienne Vittadini Yarn lines as the design director at JCA, and as the design director at Berroco for nearly nine years.
Now an independent designer working out of her studio in historic Harrisville NH, Norah’s adventures have included working with Brooklyn Tweed and a stint as the Editor in Chief of Vogue Knitting.
Her newest labor of love is a book inspired by origami, Knit Fold Pleat Repeat. Look for her on her website, instagram and Youtube channel.
Marie Wallin,
8 - 13 March, 2026
12 - 17 April, 2026
Marie is a highly accomplished, independent knitwear designer, celebrated for her distinct handknitting and crochet patterns. She launched her own design company in 2013 while still serving as Head Designer for Rowan.
In 2014, Marie suffered a heart attack, which brought her time at Rowan to an end. During her recovery, and with Rowan’s support, she focused on building her own brand, self-publishing beautiful pattern books that showcased her signature designs using Rowan yarns.
Today, Marie works entirely independently. She produces her own exclusive yarns, British Breeds and British Breeds Aran, and publishes her own pattern collections and kits.
Marie lives in an old farmhouse, halfway up a hillside in glorious Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. She is happily married and the proud owner of two wonderful German Pointers, Nelly and Flora.
Taylor Tomson
1-6 october 2025, Austria
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Jemmy Smith
13-18 july 2026, Austria
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry’s standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book. It has survived not only five centuries, but also the leap into electronic typesetting, remaining essentially unchanged.
It was popularised in the 1960s with the release of Letraset sheets containing Lorem Ipsum passages, and more recently with desktop publishing software like Aldus PageMaker including versions of Lorem Ipsum.