Michele Rose Orne, Partner and Knit Design Director for Swans Island, has been designing hand knits for over 25 years. She brings a rich combination of passion and experience to Swans Island’s line of all-natural, hand-dyed yarns and timeless patterns that are inspired by classic favorites and daily life along the coast of Maine. After graduating from Yale University in 1985 with majors in fine arts and economics, Michele spent several years in the garment industry in New York designing knitwear for many major retailers. She has also worked as a freelance designer in the handknitting industry since then, contributing hundreds of patterns to major national magazines, knitting books and yarn companies. Michele moved to Maine in 1990 where she continued her design career until the birth of her fourth child in 2002. After taking a few years off to focus on being a mom, she published Inspired to Knit (2008), which was her reentrance into the world of hand knitting design. Michele lives in Camden, Maine, with her husband Matt, four children, and various other domestic creatures.