About Leanne

Crafty since childhood, I learned to sew at an early age. I have a passion for handmade work of all sorts, but in particular: stitch-work, silk-screening, knitting, and textile design.

Since I was introduced to subversive craft via the DIY movement of the early 1990’s, the political and cultural aspects of modern handicrafts have turned into a downright obsession.

In 2009, I co-authored the subversive knitting book Yarn Bombing: The Art of Crochet and Knit Graffiti with knitting editrix Mandy Moore (published by Arsenal Pulp Press) in 2009. Yarn Bombing has been distributed throughout North America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, and it has been recently been translated into German by Droemer Knaur.

I’ve also worked as a communications designer for almost a decade. Being a designer, I am fascinated with street art, publishing, social media, and technology. I enjoy interviewing people and investigating how handmade skills can flourish and be taught in the internet age. I love mixing old and new.

Photograph by Jeff Christenson

I was born and raised in the Comox Valley but moved to Vancouver, BC after high school to pursue post-secondary studies. True to my interests in art and writing, I earned a BFA in creative writing and art history at The University of British Columbia and a Master of Publishing from Simon Fraser University. I live in Vancouver, Canada.

I continue to blog about knit graffiti at www.yarnbombing.com, about stitch work here at www.unexpectedembroidery.com, and I have a personal website at www.leanneprain.com which contains official-author-type-info if you are interested in inviting me to a speaking engagement or to run a workshop.

I love to connect with people in the design and craft community – drop me a line and let me know what you are up to!