Hi there! I’m Tiffany and my Ravelry favorites list is nothing short of extensive.  I spend most of my free time plotting color options for many things and sending color ideas to friends. I am a social worker by trade and work with veterans with traumatic brain injuries at the VA in Atlanta. When I’m not at work, you can most often find me somewhere with yarn in my hand. Once upon a time, I’d knit on patios with friends, and now I zoom with them instead. I love cookies & cream ice cream and things that are just a little bit ridiculous, like Barnaby, my navy-blue acrylic bison head on the wall in my bedroom. 

How did you get into knitting & designing knitwear? I am pretty sure that I became a designer by accident. Due to my proportions, I was often modifying patterns to work for my shape. I did this more and more once I had a better understanding of construction, why certain techniques are used, and when. My very first piece was my Rhinebeck ‘sweater’ last year, a one-piece jumpsuit. It was also my first swatch, but that’s another story.

What does your design process look like? My design process, for the most part, consists of me obsessing over an idea, tearing it apart and putting it back together. And don’t get me started on choosing colors. Gah! I can stay wrapped up in color options all day.

What type of project do you like to knit/crochet most? I have found that I am almost entirely a sweater knitter. To be honest, I learned to knit to make clothes and I rarely pick up the needles to make anything else. Though, I have made a few hats…maybe 3?

What are you best known for as a designer? I am hoping to be known for garments that are a little bit unexpected but very wearable. I want my pieces to incorporate well into daily life. I want the pieces that are made from my designs to be something you just toss on and go about your day in. I don’t want them to be ‘knitwear,’ I want them to be just ‘the pretty dress I decided to put on today.’

What yarns do you prefer? So far, I find that I prefer a wool/nylon blend. For me the addition of the nylon minimizes the sag around the, ehrm, bum to be sure that the garment keeps its proper shape. Because no one wants a saggy bum, amiright?!

What are your hobbies/interests outside of the fiber community? In general, I am a pretty crafty person. I always have been. I get it from my mom, though she’d rather die than knit or crochet. Since I just bought a house, I think I am mostly preoccupied with decorating. I love it! Time I would have spent obsessing over yarn colors, most recently has been spent picking paint colors and furniture choices. My downstairs is mostly done, and I have been saving the craft room for last. Chartreuse anyone? Because what is a craft room without chartreuse?

Is there anything else you’d like our crafters to know about you? I am a collector of things. Probably much more than I need to be. At the moment, my collection of owls and elephants can almost compete with my stash, almost.

You can find Tiffany on Instagram @theobsessiveknitter or on Ravelry as theobk!

My name is Shana, I live outside of Denver, CO with my husband and son. I am an architect by training with an extensive background in college design education.

How did you get into knitting & designing knitwear?
I started knitting while studying for my architecture licensing exams in 2008. At the time, I was spending all of my free time preparing for the multi part exam, and decided I needed a study activity break that was portable. I took a 2-week class at a local yarn store and made my first scarf. I joined Ravelry a few months later, and I have enjoyed knitting ever since.
My first design was a collaboration with my son in 2018: a superhero cape! We talked together about the design, and I created a version he loves. I worked through several iterations, experimenting with color and construction technique. The design comes with a blank coloring page, something that many of my subsequent patterns also include. Over the next year, I created a few simple hat designs. In early 2019, the spark of an idea to create a multi-fit poncho came to me, and through several iterations, I created Moduloncho. I reconnected to a creative problem-solving part of my brain. The design was met with open arms and lots of excitement when I released it at the Zombie Knitpocalypse retreat in 2019, and through that experience, I gained some confidence to try to execute other designs that up until that point were just ideas and quick sketches in my notebooks.

What does your design process look like?
My process is heavily analog, involving pencil sketches and words, then experimenting with scaled models and later full-sized mock up pieces. My years of architecture teaching and practice experience guide my process, which often gets messier before it gets neater. I find inspiration in shapes and colors.

What type of project do you like to knit/crochet most?
I love knitting shawls and lately ponchos with interesting styling. I also enjoy knitting hats and cowls for quick palette cleansers!

What are you best known for as a designer?
Within my work, I strive to create designs that are easy to follow and allow for multiple styling options. I create designs that fit many body sizes without needing lots of extra yarn. I bring an architectural sensibility to my designs, paying careful attention to the amount of yardage in a skein, for example, just as one would pay attention to amounts of building materials. I work diligently to maximize yardage without needing to add extra. I love being able to showcase the work of my test knitters and others that create their own versions of my designs. I always enjoy working with others to help them create the best creative versions of themselves.

What yarns do you prefer?
Lately I’ve been using a lot of DK weight yarn. I enjoy working with superwash merino DK, and I also really enjoy combining 2 strands of leftover fingering weight yarn to achieve a DK gauge.

What are your hobbies/interests outside of the fiber community?
I love hiking and socializing with friends over a cup of coffee or a craft beer.

Is there anything else you’d like our crafters to know about you?
I am a textbook extrovert, I laugh at my own jokes, I have no poker face, I love iced coffee and most snacks from Trader Joe’s, I like hiking, Zumba, and knitting garter stitch, and I have difficulty saying no to helping friends.

Shana is super active on Instagram so follow her there and check out her designer page here!

I am a stay-at-home mom of 5, living in Milwaukee, WI. My fiber journey began in childhood, when I learned to knit and crochet from my mom. I have been creating most of my life, and studied Art in college. I am ethnically Russian, having lived in US all my adult life, enjoying discovering the rich heritage of fiber arts of Eastern Europe.

How did you get into knitting & designing knitwear? A couple of years ago, I was challenged / inspired by the Fruity Knitting podcast to knit and modify an adult garment. This challenge helped me to overcome a fear of not following a pattern exactly, as well as knitting an adult garments, something that I was still reluctant to do, even after decades of knitting! I also became a test knitter for other designers, and have knit 28 garments before taking the plunge of designing my own.
What does your design process look like? I love to study stitch dictionaries, looking at interesting textures, lace, and colorwork patterns. This is especially helpful if I am designing for a particular theme/mood board, in a pattern submission to a publication. But occasionally, I just pick up the yarn and “play” with it, creating something that is inspired by the colors, or an idea I had, developing design as I go.

What type of project do you like to knit/crochet most? I enjoy variety of projects, sometimes alternating between a smaller and larger project, but my favorite category would have to be garments.

What are you (or hope to be if you’re just starting out!) best known for as a designer? I hope to be known for designing wearable garments, that are enjoyable to make, with interesting details or embellishments. I love color, and like to play with bold designs for accessories. I am also interested adding embroidery to knitted, or crochet projects.

What yarns do you prefer? I believe that there is a place for all types of yarns in a maker’s world, and finding the right project is a key for a successful outcome. I have yet to come across a yarn that I would not use in some way, be it a man-made fiber for a home decor project or a toy, or a luxury blend for a special accessory. I am probably
a lot like my mother in this regard, practical and frugal. I just love yarn!

What are your hobbies/interests outside of the fiber community? I love to learn alongside with my kids. Homeschooing them over the last 9 years has been a very enriching experience. It also helped me to become a better communicator, which is important for pattern writing. I also love to sew, garden, and do some painting.

Is there anything else you’d like our crafters to know about you? I have done some natural yarn dying in the past, and hope to do more of it in the future.

See all of Olya designs on her designer page or see what she’s up to on Facebook!

I live in Portland, Oregon, with my husband, my daughter, and my Great Dane, who is approximately 1 billion years old. I grew up creating handcrafts (I think I could sew a running stitch before I could tie my shoes!), and am one in a long line of fiber artists.

How did you get into knitting & designing knitwear? I’ve always toyed with the idea of designing and I improvise on my projects all the time, but I hit a tipping point last winter when I couldn’t find the perfect colorwork hat. I found designing to be the perfect marriage of knitting & spreadsheets and was immediately hooked.

What does your design process look like? My design process is very nonlinear. I am constantly swatching new yarns and patterns, just to see what comes out. At the same time, I’m often thinking about how a line could lie across the body, or a feeling I’d like to evoke, or browsing/creating mood boards. Eventually, some mix of the perfect texture, feeling, and shape comes forward.

What type of project do you like to knit/crochet most? I’m a sweater girl! I love knitting sweaters, and I love designing sweaters. Right now ,I’m really engaged in skill-building children’s sweaters and size-inclusive wardrobe staples for adults.
What are you best known for as a designer? I’d like to be known for writing patterns for garments with maximum wearability, and for writing patterns that create high impact with low complexity. I want knitters to finish my garments and think ‘that looks really amazing, and it was actually super easy!’

What yarns do you prefer? I gravitate towards DK weight wool. I love solids and lightly tonal yarns and tend to lean towards either neutrals or deeply saturated colors.

 Sharing a design space with a three-year-old means that my swatches get tons of use!
They play frequent and important roles in many, many games.

What are your hobbies/interests outside of the fiber community? I work as a nonprofit CPA by day, and I have a preschool-aged daughter, so a lot of my time has to do double duty. If I’m not working, you can usually find me trying to squeeze in a bike ride, grubbing around in my garden, listening to non-fiction audiobooks, making soup, or endlessly reading out loud about the solar system.

Is there anything else you’d like our crafters to know about you?
For me, all the hard work that goes into wring a pattern is worth it when I see someone knit up one of my patterns and show it off with joy. I want to see as many people as possible find the joy and satisfaction that comes from creating – and wearing – knitted garments, and for that reason, inclusion is really important to me.
In my design practice, that means I grade all sizes as I write the pattern so that I know before I even pick up the needles that every element will work perfectly for every size. It means being intentional on how I source my yarn, notions, and services. Finally, it means creating testing spaces and other groups that are intentionally welcoming of people of all races, sizes, and incomes. There’s a lot I’m still learning in all of these areas, but it’s important to me that I’m explicit and vocal about these values.

See all of Jennifer’s designs here and check her out on instagram @JP_Knits_Things!

I’m Lori of Aklori Designs. I live in sunny Arizona. I’ve always loved making things and working with my hands and tools so turning yarn into new designs is really enjoyable to me (and cheaper than home renovation projects).  I live with 3 cats, 1 shiba and my amazing (stash enabling) partner.

How did you get into crocheting & designing knitwear? 

I started crocheting when I was a child, but it wasn’t until I discovered Tunisian crochet in my late 30’s that my love for crochet really blossomed. I started designing when I ran out of patterns in Tunisian crochet that I wanted to do.  I felt the craft had so much untapped potential and much to explore.

What does your design process look like?

It really depends on the design.  Most begin with a rough sketch on whatever paper is handy. I have notebooks and pads of paper scattered around my house with all my ideas.  Sometimes I love an idea so much, I have to start working on it immediately.  Sometimes I need to just let the idea marinate for a while to figure out how to make it actually work. Then depending on the design, I either start with swatching or writing up a chart then swatching. I typically am working on 2-3 designs at once.

What type of project do you like to knit/crochet most?

I love shawls; they can be all sorts of shapes, and, living in Arizona, they get more use than sweaters, etc.

What are you best known for as a designer?

Modern designs with clean lines and fun shapes.

What yarns do you prefer?

Fingering is my favorite yarn weight because Arizona is too warm for anything heavy.  I love working with merino/silk blends from indie dyers.

What are your hobbies/interests outside of the fiber community?

I enjoy hiking and nature photography. I’m also a huge foodie and love cooking.

Is there anything else you’d like our crafters to know about you?

About me … probably not. About Tunisian crochet? Yes!

If you are interested in trying Tunisian crochet, it is really important that you use a hook 2 sizes bigger than the yarn suggests. Otherwise, you’ll get a fabric that is way too dense and difficult to work with.  You can learn the basics with a regular hook and rows of 10-20 stitches.

To learn more about AkLoriDesigns, check out her designer portfolio and patterns or visit her Instagram @akloridesigns

Curious about what I include in every knitting or crochet project bag? These are my top five favorite notions whether you are a beginner or are a seasoned yarn lover.

1. Clover Soft Touch Crochet Hook is perfect to pick up dropped stitches or work a provisional cast on. I like the soft thumpad which means it isn’t slipping out of my hand while trying to maneuver tiny stitches.
2. HiyaHiya Kitty Snips travel well! I have yet to have them confiscated by airport security. They have a cover so they won’t poke through your bag (or project).
3. Knitter’s Pride Locking Stitch Markers easily mark the right or wrong side of your work, and can be attached at any point. Separate repeats, or use them as a progress keeper. I like to clip a few to the zipper pulls of my bags for easy access.
4. Katrinkles Georgia Needle Gauge is cute and functional. No need to squint at the microprint size etched on your needles. Just try your needle in each hole, and the first one it moves all the way through without resistance is your winner.
5. Clover Bent Tip Tapestry Needle Set is my favorite notion. It comes with 3 sizes and the bent tips make it incredibly easy to weave in ends, or put in an afterthought lifeline. 

The Baggu Dopp Kit zipper bag is a shop favorite.They’re sturdy and collapse flat when not in use. They can take a beating on your commute, playground, hike, or travel. It has an interior zip pocket, and two slip pockets.

We also love Baby Baggus! They’re waterproof and ripstop nylon. My 3-4 skein projects fit easily, and they are gusseted so they sit upright. I keep some in my car for tiny grocery runs. Working on a sweater or crochet squares? Check out the full size version. 

Spun Right Round Squish DK in Treasured, Pavement, and The Big Teal Wave.

What is your go-to notion? Share yours in the comments below for your chance to win a baby Baggu!

Recently, I’ve been taking stock of my knitting life. Rearranging bins as I get ready for a move (down the road!), I remember where and when I bought particular skeins, who was with me, what was going on in my life at the time. Sometimes I don’t remember any of those facts, just that there was something alluring about those tiny speckles or the fluffy plying twist.

Eventually, I unearthed my beginner swatch made of 100% acrylic pond-green yarn. I was in college when I taught myself on a whim. Who knows if I saw a post on Pinterest or a blurb in a magazine. I sat in my room with a learn to knit book and needles, and practiced each technique until I knew it by heart. My swatch is two feet long, leans this way and that. A record of increasing, then decreasing, garter and stockinette. It was wildly soothing once I got the hang of it, I was in that state of flow.

I drove past a local yarn store and stopped in, not knowing what to expect, or realizing that I had driven past it a billion times before. I left with a skein of Malabrigo Rasta and circular needles. I went back for Blue Sky Alpaca Silk and attempted a lace scarf because I had no idea it was any more difficult than stockinette. (There’s something to be said for bold learning!). I returned for MadelineTosh Merino Light and was hooked. It humbled me, too – I always said fiber arts would be the very last art I’d be interested in, if ever. So glad I was wrong. I still love pond-green, lace, single-ply, learning boldly. And I love sharing it all with you.

I asked around at the shop for stories of how each of us got hooked, here’s what they told me:

Jenny: My best friend, Katie, bought a lesson for my birthday (Even though I never get anything for her). 3 months later I decided to move from St. Louis to Atlanta and found a job posting for an “illustrator with knitting experience”…an extremely weird combo to pop up. And now here I am! All thanks to my best friend of 27 years who I STILL haven’t knit a dang thing for.

Emily: My Mom taught me the basics when I was in 6th grade (1998). We sat together many nights practicing on some basic scarves and pot holders with a few loud colors of worsted acrylic on straights – it was perfect.

Tracey: I learned in the early 2000s during the Stitch ‘n Bitch knitting resurgence. I was in my late 20s and living in Boston. I went to a local yarn store in Jamaica Plain on my lunch break and the owner sat me down on the shop couch with some yarn and a pair of needles and taught me the knit stitch, and I was hooked immediately!

Jessica: I loved seeing so many pretty handspun yarns online, and wanted to learn how to make them as well, but thought maybe I should know what to do with said handspun yarn first. I picked up knitting and gave it a try, I had a difficult time of it and put that project away for a while, but a few months later I picked it back up again and things clicked, and I became obsessed!

Erin: I had crocheted previously and scoffed at my friend for knitting because “why are there two needles and neither of them even has a hook and wow that seems slow.” I met my now husband in college, we eventually move in together. It’s Christmastime and I get out my heirloom handknit stocking – the one my mom’s coworker knit for me and every member of my family when I was born, aka, my Number 1 Christmas Tradition – and I realized this boy who is otherwise perfectly great does not come with his own matching stocking, and there was only one way to get him one. So I taught myself how to knit with a bunch of videos from knittinghelp.com, and spent a lot of time cursing and wondering how in the heck anyone ever did this for fun, but within a few months I had a knit myself a tank top out of the worst yarn you could think of for such a project. And he got his stocking, and then eventually so did my kids.

Kinsey: One of my old roommates used to knit. After she moved out I thought “why didn’t I ask her to teach me?” It looked fun and I’m a creative person who really enjoys handmade items. So started watching YouTube videos to learn on my own. I still do that, and if I still don’t get it, I just ask the other ESK kitties!

• cooking a big batch & freezing this hot and sour soup
• feeling some single color brioche coming on, maybe this?
• sitting on the porch in the evenings & loving later sunsets
• have you seen Stitch Maps?

I’d love to hear your stories, how you learned to create with yarn, who taught you, what made you want to start. Are you teaching anyone? Share in the comments!

Marling is an engaging way to add texture, depth, and interest to your projects. Some yarns are dyed as marls: 1+ ply is a different color than the other(s). Cascade Ecological twist colors are a good example. The first color is very clearly a marl, but the second is much more subtle.

Cascade Eco Wool in #9016 – Silver Night Twist (left) and Cascade Eco Wool in #9004 – Ecru Beige Twist (right)

You can easily create this effect yourself! Just hold 2 or more strands of different color yarn together. That’s it! Take off, hold anything and everything together. This is great for stash-busting because we tend to gravitate towards a particular color palette. The odds that you have colors that will play well together are high.

• hold different weights together, I love a lace with nearly any weight
• hold similar colors together for subtle interest
• hold opposite colors for intensity
• hold a speckle or variegated with a solid
• hold 1 color constant, changing the other as you go to fade
• hold a mohair/silk or any silk lace with a wool, cotton, or linen to add loads of depth and texture

 I tried a bunch of marling with the swatches below. US size 7 for both.

As far as what needle size to use, I recommend swatching. Swatching also lets you know if that yellow sock really goes with that fuzzy opal mohair. Don’t forget that the intensity of your marl will vary in stockinette and garter.

Emily’s Ships & Seaside Cowl is a great example of what a single strand of mohair lace can do – check out the yellow in the white section. Here, she used Cascade Eco Wool and a single strand of Tweed Silk Cloud from Shibui, an especially sweet laceweight with the added texture of tweed!

My favorite for marling right now is Hedgehog Lace. It’s a boatload of yardage, clocking in at 1312 yards. The speckles and intensely saturated semi-solids make for easy impact. I’d pair the speckles with a neutral background to get a nice pop each time the specks show up. Remember when you first started knitting with hand dyed and would stop to stare at the perfect blip of pink on the left leg of that stitch? This will bring the feeling back.

Making Marls by Ceceilia Campochiaro, is a beautiful reference book. Loads of swatch by swatch samples and patterns. A Ravelry search will reveal plenty of patterns written as marls. Don’t forget that you can marl almost anything! Start looking at plain stockinette or garter patterns and imagine applying this technique. Our Q2 KAL is the perfect place to try it – silk or linen held with anything else – airy garter on big needles, lace with pops of color, tops with extra depth. Marling adds magic to any project! 

• cooking this chicken
• listening to/watching Live from Here on Instagram as they do live at home duets, so good
• reorganizing the stash
• practicing crochet for a granny stripe blanket
• laughing at this comic

Let me know what you’re thinking of marling, or have marled!

Our Q2 knit-along has finally arrived! We want your spring/summer months to be as relaxed as possible, so this KAL fits right in:

• any pattern
• any ESK yarn with 20% silk and/or linen

That’s it! Make one or make tons, it’s up to you. Cast on begins April 1 and, if you want that bonus star, ends June 30. Specifics found here. Specializing in hand-dyed yarn means we have mountains of merino, alpaca, and other animal fibers. The silk and plant based fibers can get overlooked so let’s wander…

Silk and linen, by themselves or blended, can be crisp, drapey, silky, and cool. Block the heck out of the linen, throw it in the dryer – it only gets softer. Silk can take a firm blocking too, those lace patterns will open right up.

Malabrigo: Mora in Aguas, Merino Silk in Blackberry, Silkpaca in Pearl, Susurro in Sunset

Mora is a 100% silk fingering weight. Crisp with intense shine.

Susurro, a 50/25/25% silk/linen/merino blend. It’s a single-ply with loads of drape and glimmer. It works up beautifully in lace, and I can’t wait to see it in garter.

Silky Merino, a DK weight single that makes a nearly weightless shawl.

Silkpaca, a slinky laceweight made of alpaca/silk.

SweetGeorgia Flaxen Silk DK: Saffron, Lollipop, Birch, Deep Cove

SweetGeorgia recently sent us Flaxen Silk DK. Deep, rich color and shimmer. Perfect for a tee or open drapey vest.

Juniper Moon Zooey DK is a new shop favorite. 60/40% cotton/linen, looks great on a US 3 all the way to a US 9. It almost has the slightest marl look, I can’t get enough. I’m working on a simple vest in Greyhound to throw over tanks.

Emily and Jess are twinning with a marl of Zooey DK and Malabrigo Lace for Age of Brass and Steam. Jessica chose Amarula & Arco Iris for a ghostly rainbow while Emily went bright with Mint & Zarzamora!

Tracey is working a beautiful cowl in Sweet Georgia CashSilk Lace in Wisteria.

There are many more qualifying yarns for Q2, don’t forget you can sort the website by fiber type. Feel free to send us an email or call if you’d like some help picking something out, we love to help.

• food52 science-y food posts, best way to fry an egg anyone?
• playing with marls (stay tuned!) and stitch dictionaries
• new episodes of Ozark and The Office reruns
• reading: Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg and Seven Spoons cookbook from Tara O’Brady
• planning a porch garden with my grey-ish black thumb
• starting a crochet granny stripe blanket, so relaxing

What are your Q2 plans, knit, crochet, and otherwise?

I live in Jefferson City, Missouri with my husband, brown dog, and butter-colored kitty. In my day job, I am a high school English and Journalism teacher. I also ride dressage and have several horses. Between teaching, riding, and knitting, I keep pretty busy! 

How did you get into knitting & designing knitwear?
I have always been arts-and-craftsy, mainly dabbling in painting, and had tried a bit of knitting. After a failed garter stitch scarf project, I declared knitting to be not-for-me. Then my very cool and trendy aunt started knitting some years ago and dove into the world of Ravelry, indie designers, gourmet yarn brands, and local yarn stores. I held strong to my conviction that I was not a knitter, but then she knitted me a really awesome dressage horse hat for Christmas and it convinced me to try knitting again. I started with a swatch, then a cowl with an interesting stitch pattern, and never looked back. I’ve still never knit a plain garter-stitch scarf.

I began designing when I kept envisioning just the perfect thing and not finding patterns that matched my vision. Once I first saw my imagined knits come to life, I was hooked!

What designers do you admire & why?
Lots! I love searching through the depths of Ravelry’s pattern database looking for new constructions, fun yarn combinations, and interesting photography. Some people get lost in funny cat videos, but for me, the Ravelry filters are definitely my internet wormhole.

As for specific designers, I love everything Isabell Kraemer’s designs. Her aesthetic is minimal & comfortable and her sweaters fit incredibly well. TinCanKnits is my go-to recommendation for people learning to knit or trying a new technique. I love their blog and tutorials! The cables of Thea Coleman always catch my fancy, I have so many of her patterns on my to-knit list. Also the colorwork yokes of Jennifer Steingass (knit.love.wool) are so captivating, I love seeing what she’s come out with.

What does your design process look like?
I start with a germ of an idea, a feeling for a project I need or want to give. Sometimes it’s a matter of practicality (My neck is cold, need cowl). Sometimes it’s a matter of the perfect item for a recipient (Wouldn’t so-and-so love something like…!). Sometimes it’s a need for a type of process (Roadtrip knitting, anyone?).

After I have that initial idea, I dive into my stash and find (or order) the right yarn. Armed with yarn and an idea, I grab a notebook, a pen, and a calculator to work out stitch counts and details before casting on. Usually I refine the design on-the-needles, so to say, and try to keep track of minutiae in a combination of illegible scrawls in a notebook and cryptic messages on google docs.

I also keep a notebook of rough sketches of ideas that are still germinating with notes about how things should fit, stitch patterns that might create the right type of fabric or look, and chart ideas for colorwork motifs.

What type of project do you like to knit/crochet most?
I love knitting (and wearing) pullover sweaters. Nothing is cozier than a handknit wool sweater and the possibilities are endless! They do take quite a bit of time, though, so I also really like a good hat. An interesting hat practically knits itself. I’m trying to be better about knitting hats to give away, though, as my own hat collection is becoming a bit obscene.

What are you best known for as a designer?
I see my design style as colorful and eclectic. I design things that inspire me and hope that they inspire others too! I guess what I hope to be known for are projects that are fun but also meaningful. In my patterns, I try to include the story behind the inspiration in order to share a little of my journey with others.

What are your hobbies/interests outside of the fiber community?
I may be a knit addict now, but horses are my real life-long obsession! I ride dressage and am human servant to several horses, a couple of which I share with my mother. Leda, my Ravatar, is a Westphalian warmblood mare and my main squeeze at the moment. I also have Mocha, my retired Thoroughbred gelding and my dear old man. Then there’s Ziggy, who is really my mother’s retired Hanoverian but who I have to dole out carrots to, and Sydney, a leased dressage schoolmaster who is stepping down a bit in his workload to teach me a thing or two.

Is there anything else you’d like our knitters to know about you?
I enjoy reading knitting blogs. Some of my favorites are Yarn Harlot, Pumpkin Sunrise, Paper Tiger, and Knit1Make2. If you have a knitting blog or a suggestion for me to try, let me know!

Thanks for following along as we introduced you to our inaugural Pattern Academy class. Keep in touch with Anne on Ravelry or follow @claiborneknits on Instgram.