Judith Durant
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Judith had been knitting for thirty years and spent several years hanging around costume shops in New York trying to make ends meet in theater before she landed the job of book editor at Interweave Press. It was when she became a founding editor of Interweave Knits magazine that she discovered all the things she’d been doing wrong for all those years! Her passion ignited, she never stops searching for a better result. In an interview for Lattes and Llamas, Judith said "The more one knows about knitting, the more there is to learn." And, she loves sharing what she’s learned.
Judith was book editor at Interweave Press from 1994–1999 where she edited knitting books written by Nancy Bush, Nicky Epstein, Galina Khmeleva, Cheryl Oberle, and Vivian Høxbro, among others. She was one of the founding editors of Interweave Knits magazine. It was there that she honed her knitting skills and learned to communicate about all things knitterly in clear and concise language.
She went on to work with Storey Publishing as author Cable Left, Cable Right; Increase, Decrease; Knit One, Bead Too; and Never Knit Your Man a Sweater. She also edits the best-selling One-Skein Wonders series, with eight titles to date.
Judith has taught many classes based on her books at various yarn shops and at such venues as The National Needlework Association (TNNA), New York Sheep and Wool Festival, Fiber College of Maine, and Stitches. She has volunteered to teach young and old first-time knitters through a community skills-share group.
BIO ~ Judith Durant
Though she learned to knit as a child, Judith Durant began her creative life in theater. Upon graduation from Emerson College with a degree in Theater and a focus on costume design, Judith started her theater work with a season of summer stock at Keene Summer Theater in New Hampshire, then headed for New York City to start her career. She worked in Broadway costume and millinery shops and designed costumes for some off-off Broadway productions and showcases.
In 1984 she happened upon an ad for a managing editor at a technical theater book publisher. Knowing nothing about publishing but a lot about technical theater, she landed the job that sparked a now more than thirty-year publishing career. From 1994–2000 she worked at Interweave Press where she helped to publish scores of books and contributed to Interweave Knits and Beadwork magazines. Back on the East Coast she worked as a freelance book editor for Lark Books, Interweave Press, Storey Publishing, Quite Specific Media, Creative Publishing International, Guild of Master Craftsmen Publications, and Ivy Press. She pitched an idea to Storey Publishing in 2004 and ended up publishing 12 books with them, including the best-selling One-Skein Wonders books. In the early 2000s she also did a three-year stint as a production project editor at Pearson Education in Boston. Judith's most recent professional endeavor was to manage the hand-knitting of sweaters for the male dancers in the 2018 revival of Carousel on Broadway.
While Judith now considers herself semi-retired, she continues to feed her passion for yarn and books and to share that passion with others. She regularly teaches classes based on her books at national venues, including The National Needlework Association (TNNA), New York Sheep and Wool, and Stitches. She lives in Lowell, MA with her husband, Philippe, a few house plants, and lots of yarn and beads.
Books ~ Judith Durant
Books
Cable Left, Cable Right Storey Publishing, 2016
Increase, Decrease Storey Publishing, 2015
Knit One, Bead Too Storey Publishing 2009
Ready, Set, Bead Creative Publishing International 2009
Never Knit Your Man a Sweater (unless you’ve got the ring) Storey Publishing 2006
Book Coauthor
Knitting Know-How F+W Media 2012
The New Beader’s Companion Interweave Press 1998
The Beader’s Companion Interweave Press 2005
Book Series Editor
Crochet One-Skein Wonders for Babies Storey Publishing 2016
One-Skein Wonders for Babies Storey Publishing 2015
Crochet One-Skein Wonders Storey Publishing 2013
Lace One-Skein Wonders Storey Publishing 2013
Sock Yarn One-Skein Wonders Storey Publishing 2010
Luxury Yarn One-Skein Wonders Storey Publishing 2008
101 Designer One-Skein Wonders Storey Publishing 2007
One-Skein Wonders Storey Publishing 2006
Magazine Articles
Contributed projects and articles to Interweave Knits and PieceWork magazines
Contributed projects and wrote regular column in Beadwork magazine
Education ~ Judith Durant
Judith received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theater with a focus on Costume Design from Emerson College in Boston.