Fran Gross has likely been knitting for longer than you’ve been alive. Her first knitting project was something known as a half hat. As a child she would spend Saturdays at Kresge’s on Livernois or on Wyoming at Spitzer’s Knit Shop with her mom and sisters waiting for a turn with Mrs. Spitzer, who would take their measurements and create a pattern for whatever they dreamed up to create. Fran has knitted some beautiful heirloom pumpkins for Nora that serve as festive autumnal home décor. Growing up in Northwest Detroit, Fran loves Palmer Park and all the newer farms and garden that have sprung up around Detroit. Named for her maternal grandparents Fanny and Jacob, she would have been named Jay Francis if she had been a boy, instead of Frances Jay, and she can’t decide which is worse. She wishes that Detroit creatives could create hundreds of thousands of jobs for the unemployed folks in Detroit who want to pool their energy and creativity into something positive. Pick one of her adorable pumpkins up at Nora’s patch.
Fran will be hosting a Meet the Artist Event on November 3 from 2pm-4pm at Nora.
