The first memory I have of knitting is my Dad teaching me how to cast on when I was a child. I think it's the one and only time I ever saw him pick up needles, but that was all it took for the love of making to take hold.

In fact, creativity and making is what brings me the deepest joy in life and I'm excited about helping others find that creative flow too. Knitting a sweater is intensely rewarding, but it's not actually about the final sweater. It's about the joy you find along the way.

Hello, I'm Katrina and while I knit cosy sweaters for myself, I'm really passionate about empowering others to do the same. Sure, I could just knit you a sweater myself, but then you’d be missing the self-satisfaction of doing it yourself … and that’s the best part. But I know it's not easy sometimes, so I'm not going to leave you hanging. Please message me if you're stuck or have any questions about techniques in my patterns.

I also believe our tools are often overlooked and should be as beautiful as our yarn or patterns are, so I aim to bring you functional and tactile items that your inner creative will love (and as plastic-free as possible). Purl Foundry is based in Nelson, New Zealand and all physical orders are shipped from there.

You might also see collaborations with other designers in here and this pairs nicely with my passion for empowering others. Currently, there are some big hurdles for designers around the world when it comes to selling their designs everywhere; language, cultures and even pattern formats all play a big part. So I'm working with people in a variety of countries to provide translation work and open up new opportunities for both designers and knitters everywhere. I hope you'll see many more of those designs here soon!

On a personal note, I live with my husband and two kids (and a pug). We all love good food, mini adventures and sunbeams. I love travel, hate spiders and have a weakness for salty chips. I also drink black coffee ... because one day my husband told me that I didn't have the "personality" for it. So I proved him wrong. I guess I'm rather competitive.

Thanks for choosing Purl Foundry and I hope you get many years of enjoyment from each garment you create. If you ever have a question, please get in touch!

Katrina x

These patterns are made in New Zealand and handcrafted by you.