This is the first installment of our new Teacher Spotlight series. Throughout the year we will be spotlighting one of the wonderfully talented teachers you’ll find at the helm of an upcoming workshop at Brooklyn Craft Company. 

First up is Kristin Parker, a Brooklyn-based knitting instructor, fiber artist, climate change activist, and kitty-cat mom of three who finds the act of knitting rewarding and therapeutic.

“Knitting has huge benefits because you are using the right and left side of your body, and sometimes our brains can get frustrated, but once our body catches the rhythm then it all starts to make sense.”

For over a year, Parker has been leading knitting classes of all levels from the Brooklyn Craft Company studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Parker’s favorite class to teach at the moment is Sock Knitting. “It’s exciting to watch students reach the moment it all clicks—usually around the heel—when it turns and starts to look like a sock.” 

A new sessions of the three-part workshop is starting on 3/26 and you can sign up for it here. 

Parker first found herself at Brooklyn Craft Company as a student in the DIY Espadrilles Shoes workshop where she found the supportive environment conducive to learning. But her love for knitting started early in life when at the age of nine her grandmother began sharing her knowledge and love for the art form. 

Whether teaching, shopping (check out her must-haves below!), or taking a class at Brooklyn Craft Company, Parker’s favorite spot to grab a coffee or a juice in the neighborhood is Pueblo Querido Coffee Roasters Café de Colombia (195 Greenpoint Ave), and she always seizes the opportunity to fill up on the groceries she needs at Maison Jar (566 Leonard Street) where patrons are encouraged to bring their reusable containers to purchase food, personal care, and home essentials.

Incorporating sustainable practices into everyday life is very important to Parker. In addition to mindful consumption and eco-friendly packaging, Parker is highly committed to mending garments and sourcing local materials for the projects she is working on.

“I’m knitting a sweater made from yarn that I spun after sourcing the fleece from a sheep in Upstate New York. I dyed the yarn with natural items to make it a shade of Robin’s Egg Blue."

Parker, currently residing in Ditmas Park, grew up in Massachusetts and is committed to amplifying sustainability and protecting the land of indigenous communities. She is passionately involved with the New York Textile Lab initiative, a local brand of the national non-profit Fibershed movement encouraging and connecting designers and makers with locally sourced materials from farms in their area. The Fibershed organization strives to combat the detrimental environmental effects of fast fashion and textile waste by establishing sustainable communities.

You can get updates from Parker by checking out her website and by following along on her adventures via Instagram @kpmadethings.

From Knitting 101—where participants acquire the foundational skills needed to unlock their knitting journey—to more intricate yet practical workshops, like Sock Knitting and Stranded Colorwork Knitting (taught via ear warmer project), you can join a knitting class led by Parker (or another excellent teacher!) at any level. 

The supportive and highly approachable atmosphere in the studio space at Brooklyn Craft makes it easy to dive into learning a new skill. With a passionate expert leading each class, like Parker, you’ll soon feel comfortable to try, learn, mess up, and try again. 

“It’s inevitable and part of the fun!”

Kristin’s favorite items in the shop: