Kirk is a fibre artist, performer and writer, but his greatest love is knitting. He has been knitting since 1988 and began designing in 1996. Kirk shares his love of colour and complex design with renowned textile designers Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably. In 1998, Kirk apprenticed at the Kaffe Fassett Studio in London, England.

Kirk has designed several sweaters, afghans and pieces of knitted art.

In 2003, Kirk was awarded an OAC Chalmers Fellowship for Stitched Glass, an installation of three 5.5’ x 9’ tapestries, knit in the style of stained glass, exploring the commonalities and conflicts between Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The installation took him fifteen years to complete.

With the support of the TAC and Canada Council, Kirk and Claire Ross Dunn co-wrote The Knitting Pilgrim, a one-hour performance to tour with the installation that explores Kirk’s artistic and spiritual journey creating Stitched Glass. The tour launched at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, and has since performed over 50 times across Ontario.

Kirk has been a guest speaker for several knitting guilds, and has given workshops at the Textile Museum of Canada, Aga Khan Museum, FACTS in Blyth, the Almonte Fibrefest, and more, to teach his unique style of colour-blending on the fly that produces rich, textured knitting.

Kirk has been interviewed by CBC Radio, the Toronto Star, Vogue Knitting, Enroute Magazine, Family Circle Knitting, The National Post, Maclean’s Magazine, Vogue’s Knit 1 magazine, A Needle Pulling Thread Magazine, and more.

For more info please visit www.kirkdunn.com or Facebook: The Knitting Pilgrim.