Elizabeth Zimmermann spearheaded a major shift in mid- to late 20th century attitudes toward knitting and techniques of the craft in the US. Over time her mission emerged: teach American knitters to think independently as craftspeople. Purpose, audience, and social and material interactions were crucial to this work. The Mediation Model of Purpose and Power captures how Zimmermann’s purpose mediated her own motivation system and larger societal power dynamics, here magazine publishing and craft associations. Audience was crucial in the emergence of new innovations for teaching. This case also provides the opportunity to consider the role of audience on legacy – specifically, the long-term impact of her work and the evaluation of her contribution within feminist discourses of empowerment. The most distinctive opportunity this case offers is, however, an in-depth consideration of material actors within thought processes. Zimmermann’s reflections on, descriptions of, and demonstrations of her work provide evidence concerning the central role of her material to thought, insight, memory, and emergence of ideas. Her experience of knitting also exemplified the metaphor Johnstone proposed for improvisational narrative: walking backward, aware of resources from the past but stepping spontaneously into the future. Full case analysis presented in Creativity and Improvised Educations: Case Studies for Understanding Impact and Implications.