Carolyn Hennesy is a theatre, film, and television star, and 2010 Daytime Emmy Outstanding Supporting Actress nominee for her role as Diane Miller, a smart, sassy mob lawyer on General Hospital. You may also know her as Barb Coman, the real estate agent from ABC’s primetime hit Cougar Town… and she loves to knit! And she knits with Clover’s Takumi Bamboo needles! We LOVE her! Her favorite knitting store is La Knitterie Parisienne in Studio City, California, where she’s learned some tips from owner & designer Edith Eig.
Carolyn, a Los Angeles native who has appeared in more than 100 theatrical productions throughout the world, has received an Ovation Award for her role in The Fan Maroo (Theatre of NOTE) and an NCAAP Award nomination for her ensemble work in Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Sacred Fools). Her numerous film appearances include Terminator 3, Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde, The Cougar Club, Sublime, The Believers, and Click.
A woman of many talents and interests, Carolyn is also the author of the best-selling tween series Pandora. Moreover, she is a proud shop-a-holic, unabashed foodie, teacher of improvisational comedy, speaks American Sign Language, and studies the flying trapeze. And she’s happily married to actor Donald Agnelli.
Clover: Congratulations on receiving an Emmy nomination! That must have been very exciting.
Carolyn Hennesy: It was a thrilling ride, to be sure! It was a very competitive field this year and I was absolutely stunned to be included. Win or lose, getting to wear a gown and jewels for an evening is lovely!
Clover: What TV projects are you working on right now?
Carolyn Hennesy: I'm currently on General Hospital and the primetime series for ABC, Cougar Town, is about to start filming its second season. Should be great fun! I'm also about to start a web series which will take me through the end of the summer.
Clover: You’re very busy! When do you find time to knit?
Carolyn Hennesy: On set, so actually, I have a great deal of time to knit. I have always found it difficult to read on a set or location: you get deeply involved with some plot point or other and then you get called for a scene. But knitting is fast and easy and, if you're like Edith [Eig] (which I'm not!) you can carry on a conversation without even looking at your hands. It's the perfect set activity.
Clover: What do you like about knitting and what type of projects do you like to make?
Carolyn Hennesy: It's creative, beautiful, fast (depending on what you're making) and you actually get something useful at the end. Because I knit on set so much, I try not to work with really complicated patterns or stitches. But Edith has shown me that, sometimes, the most intricate work can evolve from the most basic stitches ... it's all how you combine them. At this point, everyone I know still gets a scarf for Christmas and I'm very good with Edith's “Fan and Feather" pattern for making baby blankets. My baby blankets are a topic of conversation at smart dinner parties everywhere. Friends want to have a child just so they can get a blanket from me.
Clover: What kind of needles do you like to work with and what do you like about Clover’s Takumi Bamboo needles?
Carolyn Hennesy: It’s interesting. I started out, years ago before I found La Knitterie Parisienne and Edith, with plastic and metal needles (I think I found them at a thrift store). The more proficient I became, the faster my speed, the greater the chance was that I would slip the yarn or the yarn would just come off the needle. It was crazy and I was going into La Knitterie Parisienne simply to have Edith "fix" whatever the problem happened to be. With Takumi Bamboo needles the yarn stays put when you need it to and slides easily when you're creating a stitch. The needle points are perfect for getting in between the yarn without ever snagging.
Clover: What style of Takumi Bamboo do you enjoy?
Carolyn Hennesy: I'm a big fan of circular needles. I like the fact that it's more difficult for my projects to "escape" (and run off somewhere!).
Clover: What is your favorite needle size?
Carolyn Hennesy: 11 and above. I watch Edith, as I sit at the table at La Knitterie Parisienne, using tiny needles to create stunning pieces of art. She makes using small needles seem far less daunting than I've worked it up to be in my head. But big needles make big stuff! It goes fast and I can make a scarf in a day... whoopie! Fortunately, color is the name of the game for me, and Edith helps me pick colors and types of yarn to blend together in fantastic ways.
Clover: Do you find it easier to work with Takumi Bamboo than other brands?
Carolyn Hennesy: Are there other brands?
Learn more about Carolyn Hennesy at carolynhennesy.com and pandyinc.com.
For more information on Edith Eig & La Knitterie Parisienne, visit laknitterieparisienne.com.
