Our Teachers

Stephanie Gauthier-Phillips

Stephanie, the owner of Sugar River Yarns, has been knitting since 2006. What began as a hobby, quickly became a "wooly" lifestyle in that her day-to-day life completely revolves around the fiber arts. Stephanie has vast knowledge of fiber properties and sheep breeds, and was a shepherdess to her own flock of Cormo and Old English Southdown sheep. Though knitting is her primary passion, she also spins, needle felts and crochets. She really enjoys exploring techniques, particularly within Fair Isle knitting. She loves knitting socks and hats and always has a colorwork sweater on the needles.

Stephanie has taught handwork and knitting to students of all ages. She is experienced with helping students build confidence to tackle projects that may seem intimidating at first. Her favorite topics to teach include colorwork, cables, finishing techniques, fixing mistakes and how to find the perfect yarn for a pattern.

She also really loves traveling and discussing the social sciences (economics, history, geography, etc..) around knitting and wool production. 



Melissa Brown- Four Crows Fibers

Melissa has always been a crafter and an artist, growing up with artist parents and learning to knit and crochet at age 11. She grew up in Wisconsin, where the landscape and wildlife continue to inspire her.. When she first moved to the farm where she lives, there were always four crows sitting in the yard.

For many years, Melissa raised Corriedale sheep, which started her journey of hand-dyeing yarn as she wanted to keep working with the wonderful wool she had raised. Though the sheep are now gone, her passion for dyeing remains. With decades of experience in knitting and crochet, she has turned that passion into a career several times over, co-opening first The Sow's Ear and then The Cat and Crow yarn shops. Throughout her career, she has enjoyed sharing her knowledge and teaching new skills to fellow fiber enthusiasts. Now she has settled into hand-dyeing yarn as Four Crows Fibers, selecting texture and crafting colors to amaze and delight the senses.

 

Ashlee McClean

Ashlee (she/her) has lived in Mount Horeb for 10 years with her husband and their middle school-aged son, along with their three rescue dogs. She is an early childhood Montessori teacher and loves her job immensely. Ashlee has been crocheting for more than a decade and enjoys making stuffies for the children in her classroom, yearly book blankets, and other fun accessories. She loves learning new techniques and patterns and is excited to share her knowledge and skills with the growing group of learners at SRY.

 

Sarah Best

Sarah is a lifelong apparel designer with focus on knitwear and textile design. After graduation from UNC Chapel Hill, she took a retail job with Nordstrom which proved to be a great introduction to the business side of fashion. Her passion to sew and knit as a young girl led her to pursue the more creative side of the retail industry and head back to school for an Apparel Design degree, with a Textile Arts minor, at VCU in Richmond, VA. Her career has included working for Ralph Lauren in NYC, then Lands’ End in Wisconsin. She has designed and developed men’s and women’s clothing, ranging from basic knitwear to swimwear, sleepwear, and heritage sweaters. She is currently working as an educator and contract designer, expanding her creative interests across interiors and textile arts.