Barbara Kerr is a passionate knitter. She has been knitting almost every day since she was 17 years old. She has studied with the experts in the field including, Kaffe Fasset, Horst Schulz, Alice Starmore, June Hiatt, Sally Melville, Joan Shroeder, and Dorothy Radigan to mention but a few. Barbara has also traveled to, England, Ireland, Scotland, as well as California, in search of knitting knowledge.
Barbara worked as a Social Work Supervisor at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, and felt a need to preserve her mental health. Knitting had always been a private comfort. She organized a free lunch-time knitting group. She was surprised to receive permission to do so during work hours. A group quickly formed and she enjoyed every moment, particularly teaching those who had never knit.
Barbara is a founding member of Big Apple Knitters Guild (New York City). She was Charity Chairperson for 3 years and motivated members with her enthusiasm and knitting knowledge, teaching in members’ homes for charity sweaters. Word of her teaching groups got around and Nancy Thomas, then editor of Knitters Magazine, asked Barbara to show some Baby Surprise sweaters from her group in the Magazine. (Knitters Magazine Fall 1999 issue#56). Barbara presented some programs for BAKG. From socks, and slip stitch to introducing Patchwork Knitting to BAKG. She had made all the swatches for the Patchwork workshop from the German books without English translation! Her popular presentations at the guild and her successful knitting groups at work and at members’ homes led to numerous requests for teaching. Especially requested were the “new” Patchwork Knitting techniques.

Barbara has traveled the north east teaching over 100 workshops since April 2000 alone, and still going strong.

Barbara’s passion for Patchwork Knitting (and there is no other way to describe it…) began in 1996 when she first set eyes on Horst Schulz’s books. This is also the time when she started to apply color theory to her work. In September 1999 she traveled to Lake Tahoe, California and sat “at the knee “ of Mr. Schulz, a most charming teacher. “I was surprised and happy to learn so many new things. While Patchwork knitting isn't new, (new in the sense of never having been done before), it is new in what and how we do it,” says Barbara, “The techniques are easy to learn and entice you to do just one more…. With Patchwork knitting, its one more section, one more shape, one more color combination.”

"For the knitter who is hesitant to design or experiment, Patchwork knitting allows an easy entrée into creativity, one piece at a time. For the knitter ready to experiment, a new door is open. His wish, as well as mine, is for us to have fun while discovering the unlimited possibilities."

“Let me encourage you to look at knitting from a totally different perspective. Everything that surrounds us consists of individual parts. Why then must a piece of knitting consist of only one part? As a house is built brick by brick until it's as big as you want and as you place planks next to planks to create a floor of a room until it is finished. This is exactly how I have arranged my knitting work-Patchwork unit attached to Patchwork unit and strip attached to strip. The new knitting is not only creating and attaching the different forms and pieces but also the inexhaustible abundance of colors. It is not my intention that you to copy the models exactly. For one thing, yarn collections are short-lived and change constantly. Also, I would like to appeal to your imagination and challenge each knitter in a new way. Each one of us has more imagination than we know. Just take needles and wool in your hands and start. These workshops serve to show you the knitting techniques for the individual shapes and the different ways of joining together. Have confidence when choosing colors and with the creation of the parts. Trust your intuition and have the courage to experiment. My samples are here to stimulate you, to be a self designer." Horst Schulz
"I would wish that people would share and stimulate each other as it used to be in the days of spinning, quilting, and knitting get-togethers. We often smile about those days. In our world of hectic days, knitting creativity is a balm." Horst Schulz


Barbara has developed a ten workshops series, Inspired by Patchwork Knitting. The workshops can be taken as a series, or individually. To contact Barbara about her next teaching date or to organize a teaching group for homes or yarn stores:

Barbara Kerr 718 743-3445 E-mail info@barbarakerrknits.com