Born in England, Elizabeth Seward, PhD, has been in Waldorf classrooms since 1984 as a parent volunteer, handwork assistant, high school teacher, lead handwork teacher, and class teacher. She mentors teachers in private and public Waldorf schools and consults with schools on building a handwork program. Elizabeth teaches knitting, spinning, and other textile arts to ad hoc community groups and shares her enthusiasm for Waldorf education with parents of young children, homeschooling parents, and graduate students. She offers retreats and conferences for teachers, homeschool teachers, and parents. Elizabeth holds a doctorate in Education from Claremont Graduate University, an M.A. in Applied Linguistics, and most recently an interdisciplinary M.A. in Spirituality and Education. Her thesis was "Knitting: A Gateway Contemplative Practice?" Elizabeth has been living in Los Angeles for forty years and knitting for over sixty. She loves swimming, gardening, and meeting the challenge of every individual learner. Elizabeth has three grown children and four lovely young grandsons who are beginning to learn to knit.