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2025 Instructors

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Rusty Boyd

Rusty Boyd has been a crocheter since the age of 9.  At age 34, he took his first knitting class and was “hooked.”  Since that time he has taught himself to knit lace, cables, stranded, mosaic and more.  After attending his first Men’s Knitting Retreat, Rusty had his first pattern published by Skacel for their Simplicity Men’s Booklet.  He has also been published by Love of Knitting, Love of Crochet, and self published on Ravelry.  He is the Founder of the Southeast Men’s Knitting Retreat, which began in 2011 providing a weekend getaway for like minded male fiber enthusiasts.  Rusty lives in Ahoskie, NC with his partner, Kevin, his son, Avery, his daughter, Eleanor, her dog, Lily,  a spinning wheel, 2 weaving looms, and a very large yarn stash.

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Kerry Bullock-Ozkan

Kerry Bullock-Ozkan is a knitting pattern designer, author, teacher, and TKGA-certified tech editor living in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. Her work has appeared in Interweave Knits, Stripes: Making Stories, Cast On, Spin Off, and Farm and Fiber Knits.

When not knitting, Kerry can be found exploring rare wool breeds and her local environment through spinning, weaving and natural dyeing. You can follow all her fiber adventures at bullockozkandesigns.com.

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Rachel Offerdahl

My sister and I grew up spending summers with our aunt and uncle, crafting, gardening, and hiking; when I was nine, my aunt taught me to knit. I began knitting in earnest when I moved to Boston for college and learned the value of layering - what's more fun to layer than knitwear?

A couple years and a couple jobs after graduating from college, I asked for a job at a local yarn shop. I treasure the seven years I spent there, learning by helping customers, teaching classes, and leading knitalongs. While knitting is my first love, I enjoy making with other mediums, including spinning, sewing, crochet, embroidery, and quilting.

I live with my husband and our two dogs and three cats in Durham, North Carolina. I also enjoy hiking, cooking & baking, and trialing in various scent sports with my beagle mix. My current obsession is my sweet little toddler niece, Ada.

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Heather Storta

Heather is a TKGA-certified Master Knitter, Tech Editor and Knitting Instructor. She is the VP of Education on the board of directors for TKGA, the editor of TKGA’s monthly K2TOG newsletter, and a Co-Chair Emeritus of the TKGA Master Hand Knitting committee, as well as a member of the Cast On magazine editorial committee. She has been designing knitwear and teaching knitting for well over 15 years. Her designs have been published in Cast On magazine and Knitscene, as well as Knitty and elsewhere. Designing items that tickle her fancy, she loves designing socks, lace shawls, and Fair Isle, among other things. She teaches up and down the east coast as well as nationally (and online), and her focus is on giving knitters the skills and confidence needed to perfect their knitting and knit complex or intimidating techniques.  Heather resides in the Charlotte, NC area. When she is not knitting, designing, editing, or teaching, she can be found sewing, spinning yarn, reading, or in the outdoors camping and hiking with her family. She can be found online at www.heatherstorta.com

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Emily Wood

Emily learned to knit three times – once when she was a kid, once during college, and again about five years after that. The last time, it stuck. She's been designing knitting patterns since 2011 and tries to hit the sweet spot with patterns that are fun and engaging to knit, but also easy to understand. Her patterns have appeared in Interweave Knits, Knit Now, Knitty, Cast On, and collections by KnitPicks, SweetGeorgia Yarns, and Miss Babs Yarn among others. She is an active member of the Creative Knitting Guild in Maryland and has taught workshops all along the east coast from Georgia to New York.

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Lynne Yengulalp

Lynne is a mathematician, teacher, and knitter. She works as a professor in the math department at Wake Forest University and regularly teaches knitting to students, faculty, and staff during a weekly “Commit to Knit” group on campus. When she is not knitting or doing mathematics, she enjoys adventure motorcycling and traveling. Lynne learned to knit as a child from her mother and likes to knit sweaters for her. She most enjoys colorwork but also likes knitting small cats and birds.

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