Donna Kay is a renowned knitting and spinning teacher with decades of experience. She is also a freelance knitwear designer whose patterns have appeared in publications such as Interweave Knits, PLY, Spin Off, and her own company Tree of Life Designs.

Donna will be visiting The Endless Skein July 29 and 30, 2023 to guest-teach two exciting classes: Steeks Without Fear and Spindle Spinning.

Recently Donna spoke with us about her own story as a knitter, spinner, designer, and teacher, and how she has seen the fiber world change over the years. Keep reading to learn more!

Please tell us the story of how you learned to knit. How and when did you learn to spin?

My knitting journey began shortly around the time I was finishing college. There were no yarn shops in my area, no knitting books to speak of, just a yarn corner in the fabric store. I do remember that my preference was to work with wool. My mom taught me the basics of knit and purl. With the blissful ignorance of a beginner, I jumped in headfirst. My second sweater was a cable sweater and the third a Lopi with a color stranded yoke. Since then, knitting has been a constant in my life! I was fortunate to take a workshop with Elizabeth Zimmerman in the early ‘80’s. Her commonsense approach to knitting opened my eyes to the possibility of designing.

Learning to spin was always on my wish list. I purchased copies of Spin Off magazine for years before I ever sat at a spinning wheel. I was a mom of four by the time I got the chance to learn from a local woman who taught in her home. The first few years I spent more time dusting my wheel than spinning on it! As with any craft you come to the point where you either move forward or leave it behind and I realized that I had the desire to stick with it and learn as much as I could.

What animals do you have on your farm? Do you spin fiber from your own animals?

We have scaled back a bit in the last years. When my children were active in Pony Club and 4-H we had 5 or 6 horses, several pairs of oxen and a 30+ flock of Icelandic sheep. Currently we have fewer horses, a two-year old pair of working steers (oxen) for my grandson and a small flock of sheep – 3 Clun Forest, 2 Jacobs and an Icelandic. I prepare and spin many of their fleeces.

Do you have a favorite knitting technique?

Stranded knitting (color work) is my favorite. I love to see the patterns develop as the knitting progresses. Fair Isle and Scandinavian stitch patterns are what I am most drawn to. After a while it seems strange to knit a project with one color!

Just thinking about steeking seems to make a lot of knitters shudder! Were you ever afraid? Tell us about your first steeking experience.

My first steeking experience was early on. I had purchased a Norwegian book that included 2 badly printed pages on how to cut and assemble a Norwegian sweater. Based on that, I knit a patterned pullover and had my mother sew the stabilizing stitches for the armholes on her sewing machine before I cut it. I do not recall being afraid, but I remember that my mom would not watch! I naively assumed that it was not a big deal. At this point I have steeked more garments than I can count!

Do you prefer spinning on the wheel or drop spindle? Which is easier to teach?

I enjoy spinning on both the wheel and a spindle. The portability of the spindle is wonderful but sitting at a wheel is also a joy. To spin for a few minutes with a spindle is instantly relaxing and a wonderful way to start the day – it is my form of meditation. Another plus for spindle spinning is that you do not have to spend any time getting ready to spin – just pick up the spindle and go.

Drop spindle is easier to teach because of the simplicity of the tools and technique. You turn the spindle, it twists the fiber, you have yarn. No worries about learning how to coordinate your body with a wheel. But, learning to spin, whether on a spindle or wheel can be a frustrating experience even though the process is fairly simple, because of the high expectations and lack of patience we have with ourselves.

Have there been any surprises in your career as a designer and teacher? What has changed over the years that you have been designing and teaching?

Interesting question! The biggest surprise (and a good one) is that knitters have a renewed interest in and appreciation for traditional folk knitting. As a teacher it is very rewarding to be able pass these skills on to others.

Over the years there have been many changes in design and teaching. For one thing, we now have the world at our fingertips – any technique, yarn and pattern can be found online. Communities such as Ravelry have given knitters and spinners of the world a way to connect that is frankly amazing. There are online learning resources that you have access to no matter where you are. However, even with all that I think having the ability to work with knitters and spinners on a personal basis is still the best way to learn.

An interesting observation regarding designing is that the way pattern writing has changed over the years. Even with the accessibility to knitting techniques and overall higher skill set among knitters, patterns are written almost step by step. By comparison we have European and Scandinavian patterns that assume that you know the basics and the directions can be quite sparse in detail. In my experience writing a well written pattern for more complicated designs can be a daunting task in the present format.

What’s currently on your needles?

There are always projects that I wish I were knitting! What is currently on my needles is usually a sample of what I have coming up in my teaching schedule. Currently I am knitting and writing a pattern for an Icelandic lace shawl for a workshop I am teaching in a few weeks. I have other side projects of course but they often get set aside for what needs to be done.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

I am always conflicted between teaching and designing. As an introvert I love the solitude of designing and always have more ideas than time! On the other hand, my soul craves the personal connection with others who share my love of the craft.

You can follow Donna on Instagram @treeoflifeknitter.

Donna will be teaching Steeks Without Fear and Spindle Spinning classes at The Endless Skein on July 29 and 30, 2023. Space is limited and registration is required. Sign up now for one or both!