FOUNDER/ORGANIZER (she/they)

A life-long love of handmade, in 2008 Ana established Toil & Trouble, a knitwear design company. In 2010, she created her own line of hand-dyed yarns. Ana's love of community and teaching lead her to open Circle of Stitches in 2015. Ana is passionate about supporting artists and artisans, and values the relationship she builds with every maker she is proud to represent in the shop. She is also an inaugural member of Vogue Knitting Live’s Diversity Advisory Council.

When she is not at the shop, you can find her elbows-deep in her dye pots. Ana has a wealth of fiber knowledge to share, with over 25 years of knitting experience and extensive technical knowledge. She loves helping people find inspiration, and her favorite projects are sweaters, shawls, socks. Ana specializes in fixes and repairs, and can help you fix any sort of project, from scarf to charted lace. She teaches at knitting guilds and events across the country.

Ana brings her practices of mindfulness to the fiber community. She is a Fiber Witch - W.I.T.C.H. is a “Woman in Total Control of Herself” (though the acronym isn’t perfect, as we believe all genders can be witches). So what is a Fiber Witch? To Ana, that means approaching fiber crafts with mindfulness and intention. Knitting (or crocheting, weaving, embroidering…) is an invitation to slow down in a world that romanticizes busy-ness. The repetitive nature of knitting helps us drift into a meditative state. Our brain waves literally slow down!

Ana also has over 20 years of tarot experience, which she brings to Circle of Stitches in workshops and tarot readings. Book a tarot reading, or check out Ana’s knitting and crochet patterns!

ORGANIZER/MARKETING MAVEN (she/they)

Emily is the artist behind Kitty With A Cupcake where she creates Magically Cute Flair for Queers, Witches and Cool People. She designs accessories, stationery, and flair that all feature her whimsical illustration style, highlighting themes such as witchcraft, crafting, queer pride, and nerdy stuff, all in a 90’s color palette of pastels and neons. Emily started their small business in 2022 with a successful Kickstarter for their Magical Merit Badges Pin Collection and has been working full time as an artist since 2023. She loves drawing and creating things she would personally use and wear, so every sale is meaningful!

Prior launching Kitty With A Cupcake, Emily has been working in niche retail marketing for over a decade, and in the fiber industry specifically for over half that time. Emily’s marketing specialties are content creation, email marketing, and e-commerce optimization.

Emily has vended at numerous shows including comic cons, occult expos, knitting events, and witchcraft conventions across the country. They have previously lended their organizational and marketing expertise to the board of the Kentucky Sheep and Fiber Festival where they served as the Education Chair. It is her goal to use her extensive knowledge of shows and festivals to help provide a smooth experience to all vendors, both before and after the Fiber Witch Festival.

As a knitting pattern designer, Emily has published patterns with Knit Picks Collections, Interweave, Knit Now, and Insight Editions. Emily has previously hosted both The Fiber Coven Podcast and F** This Knit Podcast.

Emily shares their Louisville, KY home with their spouse and a lively menagerie, including one dog and three cats,. Her love for kitties, cupcakes, all things witchy, all things cute, and yarn shines through her work.