The beautiful dynamo in a hat - no doubt of her own creation.

It must be traditional to kiss a llama before you borrow his hair for knitting. At least I think that's the deal. Either that or Tamas has funny ears.

Where to begin... I think I'll consult the wiki on this one so I don't forget any details. From Wikipedia:

CQ: Shannon Okey: PROLIFIC! OMNIPRESENT! The hardest-working woman in the craft biz! I’m glad we caught you with a moment to spare. We’ll try to keep the questions simple! First, update us on your books: what’s out, what's selling like hotcakes, what’s coming next?

SO: Knitgrrl and Knitgrrl 2 are still selling well; in fact, Knitgrrl 2 just went to reprint, which is great. Spin to Knit has been out since October and is selling like crazy, too. Apparently, when StK first hit shelves, people were stalking the poor staff at Barnes & Noble so thoroughly that they actually called Interweave Press (the publisher) to ask them "just what in the heck is GOING ON with this book?" That made me laugh. And since then, some readers have actually fessed up to harassing the bookstores for copies. I'd like to say I don't condone such behavior, but that would be a total lie. Harass away! Just do it nicely. Crochet Style came out in January -- I wrote all the text for that one. Felt Frenzy is next in line, it should be on shelves some time this month. Then Just Socks and Just Gifts -- they're out in June, and AlterNation is out in November. Finally, I just finished a book of pillows for your publisher, Chronicle, and it'll be out next year. That's not all, but it's all I can admit to right now.

CQ: That is seriously making my brain hurt! On top of everything else, I know you also manage to travel a lot. Where have you been lately? What are some of your favorite places or events? Do you still have time to teach people how to knit?

SO: I went on book tour with Kim Werker (founder of crochetme.com and now editor of Interweave Crochet magazine -- go, Kim!) in October, which took us up and down the east coast. That was a lot of fun, even though I caught some sort of horrific death-plague cold halfway through. Teaching large group of kids in Lake Placid, NY and Montclair, NJ was great. I taught a sold-out class on alt-fibers (soy, bamboo, etc) at TNNA in January. TNNA is the National Needle Arts Association show, it's a twice a year professional tradeshow for yarn-types. I've also been doing a lot of library presentations lately, but that's more show and tell, less teaching. Also, I'm teaching at the Original Quilt and Sewing Expo shows in Cleveland and Worcester this spring, as well as yarn store extraordinaire WEBS.

CQ: A little bird told us you’re also a columnist these days – do tell!

SO: Yes! I've got a new column in knit.1 magazine. The first one ran in the latest issue, and it will run in all upcoming issues as well. I'm also writing for CRAFT, Adorn and Yarn Market News.

CQ: Ooh, we loooove Craft - in fact, I remember seeing your article in the latest issue, duh. Congratulations, by the way, for Knitgrrl's inclusion on the Booklist year-end Top 10 Crafty Books for Teens. Wow! Any other superstar moments we should know about?

SO: Awww, thanks. Knitgrrl 2 was nominated for an Award for Creative Excellence in January. I wanted to go to CHA (the Craft and Hobby Association) show to check it out but couldn't, because I had some minor surgery right after TNNA. Bah!

CQ: You know, I was thinking... if there was a parade for the modern craft scene, you’d be the Queen! Who else would be on the float with you and why?

SO: Oh, that's hilarious. I'm envisioning a float covered in tissue paper puffs -- you know the kind you used to stick onto your Valentine's boxes in grade school? Where you wrap the tissue paper around the pencil, dip it in glue and stick it on the box?

CQ: Ooh, I forgot all about that pencil-twisting part, how funny! I love the smell of Elmer's in the morning.

SO: Yeah. Right on. Well, I think I'd want all my crafty friends there in tiaras and white gloves, waving to the crowd. It'd be hard to narrow down who -- there are so many people who inspire me and help me out with what I do -- but strong contenders include your boss, Jenny Hart, Lexie Barnes and the members of the Fiber League, i.e. Kim Werker, Amy Singer, Jillian Moreno, Stephanie Japel, Amy Swenson, Kristi Porter, Cecily Keim, Amy O'Neill Houck... Why? Jenny because she's done so much for the indie craft community, Lexie because she's just plain awesome and her knitting bags are the greatest thing ever, and the Leaguers because they are my support system, my rock and the people I turn to first when I have a dilemma, crafty-wise, business-wise or otherwise. They keep me sane. Which, admittedly, is a challenging job. Oh, and dressed up in his Prom King-style tux by my side? My boyfriend Tamas Jakab, who does more work on my books than anyone realizes. He's the Photoshop Master.

CQ: I see. He can drive the float for us, too! One last question - I can't resist: What do you do in all your SPARE TIME? (ha!)

SO: Actually, I've recently taken to turning off the computer for a few days, ignoring the world and just knitting / watching Buffy DVDs. (It's a well-known fact that I'm much more productive, knitting-wise, when ol' Buffy is playing in the background).

Oh, and I started my own publishing company called anezka media. We just put out a book by South West Trading Company founder Jonelle Raffino -- you can order it from them or via your friendly LYS*.

CQ: Well, Shannon, you never cease to amaze us, and I'm sure you'll continue to be an incredible inspiration. Thanks for hanging out and chatting. Now I've gotta go get ready for that parade!

*(LYS is local yarn store for us non-knitters).

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p.s.

Got a question for Crafty Query? Someone in the craft scene that you'd like to know better?
Just wanna say HEY? Send me a note c/o julie@subversivecrossstitch.com