We would like to thank Merritt Books for organizing this event again this year!

Here are some of the authors who will be signing and speaking at this year's festival in no particular order.  We will be adding more information as we receive it:

Edie Eckman
Knitters and crocheters alike are embracing the free-flowing, shoulder-wraped styles of ponchos, shawls, shrugs, capes, and cloaks. This collection of 15 original patterns from a notable array of knitting and crochet designers covers the gamut of popular wrap options.
Unlike other poncho books, this collection is designed to appeal to both knitters and crocheters, and offers a range of complexity from beginner to more advanced. Using the latest novelty yarns, as well as classic yarns and designs, editor Edie Eckman has included something for everyone. There's a comfy Aran Panel knitted poncho for cold winter days, an elegant Coral Capelet to crochet, a lightweight Mossy Stole that's perfect for cool spring evenings, a Maid Marian cloak with knit-in arm cuffs, a Snug Fall Cozy with beaded embellishments, and many more.
Part of Storey's popular die-cut series, this book features step-by-step instructions presented in our distinctive at-a-glance chart format that has been lauded by users. With this essential fashion accessory being tossed over the shoulders of everyone from Martha Stewart to J. Lo, Knit & Crochet Ponchos, Wraps, Capes & Shrugs! is a perfect fit for all those knitters and crocheters who are clamoring for distinctive, affordable pattern books.

Edie Eckman will be leading a workshop on Sunday at the festival this year.  Click here to find out more!

Lily M. Chin is an internationally famous knitter and crocheter who has worked in the yarn industry for nearly over 25 years, as a designer, instructor, and author of six books on knitting and crochet. She was the first American knitwear designer to create a line of fashion yarns under her own name, The Lily Chin Signature Collection, launched in 2005 with CNS Yarns. She has created couture crochet for the New York Fashion Week runway collections of designers Ralph Lauren, Vera Wang, Diane von Furstenberg, and Isaac Mizrahi, and her work has been on the backs of celebrities and super models, from Racquel Welch and Vanna White to Cindy Crawford and Naomi Campbell.She is regularly cited in media across the U.S., including Time, The New York Times, USA Today, The Washington Post, and New York Daily News, for redefining the image of today’s knitter and crocheter.

Most recently, she’s hosted the high-fashion knitting show, Stitchcraft, on the Oh! Oxygen network. Her other television credits include the Late Show with David Letterman, Martha,  CBS Morning News, ESPN’s Cold Pizza, Fox & Friends, The Jane Pauley Show, CNN, HGTV, and more. Chin is the official spokesperson for the Orphan Foundation of America Red Scarf Project, which collect handmade scarves to send warmth and encouragement to America’s college-bound foster youth each year in Valentine’s Day Care Packages. Web site: www.orphan.org

Lily Chin will be instructing five workshops at the festival this year.  Click here to learn more!


Doris Chan is a popular crochet designer and author.  She provides design support for yarn companies, including Caron International, NaturallyCaron.com, Tahki Stacy Charles and Coats & Clark.  Her garments and accesories, technical articles and essays have appeared in books and magazines, including Interweave Crochet, Crochet Today, Crochet!, KnitScene, Knit Simple, Vogue Knitting.  In her own three books, Amazing Crochet Lace (Potter Craft, 2010), Everyday Crochet (Potter Craft, 2007) and Crochet Lace Innovations (Potter Craft, 2010), Doris explores the seamless contruction and exploded lace techniques that are her specialty.  She is an avid professional member of the Crochet Guild of America, holds a CGOA Masters in Basics, and is a CYCA Certified Crochet Instructor.  Find her lurking at Ravelry.com (user ID dorisjchan) and on her award-winning blog, www.doriseverydaycrochet.blogspot.com.

Doris Chan will be leading a workshop at the festival this year.  Click here to learn more!

Merritt Books Sheep and Wool Festival's dedicated page on their website!

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Yarn Harlot: The Secret Life of a Knitter moves beyond instructions and patterns into the purest elements of knitting: obsession, frustration, reflection, and fun. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee's humorous and poignant essays find humor in knitting an enormous afghan that requires a whopping 30 balls of wool, having a husband with size 13 feet who loves to wear hand-knit socks, and earns her "yarn harlot" title with her love of any new yarn-she'll quickly drop an old project for the fresh saucy look of a new interesting yarn.

Since the upsurge in knitting began in the early '90s, the number of women under 45 who knit has doubled. Knitting is no longer a hobby for just grandmothers-women and men of all ages are embracing this art. Describing its allure is best left to Stephanie who explains: "It is a well-known fact that knitting is a sparkling form of entertainment, as spiritual as yoga, as relaxing as a massage, and as funny as Erma Bombeck trapped in a PTA meeting."

 


Darren Farrell When best friends Doug-Dennis and Ben-Bobby go to the circus, something terrible happens. Doug- Dennis eats all of his friend's popcorn, and then tells a fib (It wasn't me!), which grows and grows (Maybe monsters ate it!), carrying Doug-Dennis away. As the lie gets bigger, Doug-Dennis flies higher, until he's floating in a land of lies-some of them big, some small, and some just downright weird. Doug-Dennis misses his best friend, and realizes there's only one way to come back down: by finally telling the truth.Darren Farrell, a bright new talent in picture books, has created a cautionary tale that's chock-full of hilarity. This charming sheep is sure to become a favorite. (And that's the truth.)






Michael Psilakis 
Greek Modern: The New Mediterranean Home Cooking 
Saturday and Sunday 16th & 17th October 2010
Michael will give a cooking demonstration and presentation.  It will be lots of fun!





Susanna Hill Whenever Ava can't sleep, she counts sheep. But Ava takes so long to fall asleep, it's the sheep that are getting tired - until they finally quit! The sheep promise to find a replacement that Ava can count on, but it might not be as easy as they thought...
In this hilarious take on a familiar bedtime ritual, readers will be charmed by Ava and her fluffy friends.




Leda Schubert The simple daily farm task of feeding an animal begins a series of events that lead to a warm sweater. On a family farm an inquisitive child follows her mother as she takes all the steps from caring for the sheep, to shearing, drying, carding, spinning and dyeing the wool. Then she knits the sweater that will provide warmth for her daughter. But the real warmth and love is in the process. For each activity the child asks, “What are you doing?” Mother replies briefly, and Schubert adds a snappy four- or five-word descriptive rhyme. U’Ren’s action-filled, brightly colored double-page spreads convey physical exertion and concentration as well as joy and satisfaction. There is a strong sense of depth and detail, and, in a subtle touch, the little girl’s play mirrors her mother’s work. The collaboration of text and illustration is seamless and presents a complex operation in a manner completely accessible and understandable to young readers. Lovely. (Picture book. 4-8)  from Kirkus





For more information about these authors please visit