About Knitability, LLC
Knitability, LLC
was conceived of in the summer of 2001 with the official company
formation taking place in the fall of that same year by friends and knitting buddies Gwen Bortner and Beverly Jensen. Since that time the company adjusted to the quickly changing needs of the knitting industry. In 2005, Gwen became the sole owner and began a process of defining a more narrow focus for Knitability. Today, Gwen's passion is the company motto, "Taking Knitters to the Next Level".
Gwen Bortner has been teaching knitting and designing knitwear since the early
80's. Her math background made designing and writing patterns a
natural extension to her love of fiber and knitting in particular.
But Gwen’s greatest passion is sharing her love of knitting with
others and helping knitters of all levels move to the next level of
their hobby.
Knitability headquarters is housed in Gwen's home, a California farmhouse built in 1902 by her great-grandfather. These days, Gwen spends very little time in her office as much of the time she is traveling all over the country teaching.
Knitability's History
Knitability made
its first public appearance as a vendor at Stitches West in February
2002 with the Knitability web site, being open for business that same
month. 2003 marked the launch of the Knitability Representative
program, the first of its kind in the industry. That same year, Gwen
was asked to teach at several national knitting convention venues. In
2004, Knitability offered the first annual Knitting Teacher’s Retreat.
This all-inclusive weekend featured a variety of classes designed
specifically for knitting instructors, opportunities for teachers to
share ideas and a fun environment to meet new friends and relax.
In the Fall of 2004, it become obvious that to be most
effective, Knitability would need to focus its efforts. In short,
Knitability had to move from being a marginal resource for all kinds of
knitting supplies to the premier source for knitting instruction. At that time, Gwen's development efforts focused on the creation of Knitability's unique Skill Builder pattern line. As electronic media become the standard, Gwen has focused her efforts on developing a line of patterns specifically for electronic delivery. Shops interested in carrying print versions of either of the Knitability line of patterns can find more information here.
Specializing in Knitting Instruction
Gwen's passion is teaching and enjoys every opportunity she has to share her knowledge with others. Whether teaching through the local community education program or at a national knitting convention, meeting new people and sharing the love of knitting is one of Gwen's greatest joys. Gwen always welcomes the opportunity teach and has a wide range of classes available to choose from. Drop her an e-mail to see about having her as your instructor at your local guild, shop or knitting group.
