Laura Nelkin is a knitwear designer, teacher, and self-described creative whirlwind whose patterns pair lace, beads, and thoughtful techniques with an energy that's playful right down to the last stitch. (Some knitters might know her through her spicy alter ego, Lola.) She's also the founder of the Knit For Food Knitathon, a 12-hour knitting marathon that has turned the simple act of knitting into millions of dollars for hunger relief. In this month's Maker Spotlight, Laura shares a look into her creative world and the passion behind her work. Her answers, like all of her work, are full of heart.
Q. Your designs are known for their creative techniques, intricate lace and sparkly beading, and engaging stitch patterns - blending detail-oriented designs with a playful, joyful energy (hello, Lola!). How do you balance the technical side of your work with keeping things fun and accessible for knitters of all levels?
I tend to think of my designs as falling into two distinct camps, the restorative knits and the more challenging ones. What stays consistent across all of my designs, regardless of difficulty level is that I want to teach something new (and that I LOVE helping knitters laugh out loud). There’s always a technique, a little nugget of knowledge included, something that makes a knitter feel like they’ve leveled up their skills by the end of the project.
At least once a year, I design what I jokingly call an “anti-Alzheimer's" design… a knit that requires every part of the knitters brain. These designs demand that you are in it, fully focused, with a meditative concentration that brings the joy.
I also love designing patterns that are perfect for sitting with your knitting group, catching up with friends, laughing, and not stressing about losing your place every two seconds. That kind of relaxed, social knitting has its own special magic.
It is a balance as I design. Not every project needs to be a mental workout, and not every project should be mindless. There's a time and a place for both, and I almost always have one of each on my needles.
During the pandemic, my husband and I teamed up to create video tutorials… he is WAY techier than I am and has helped me produce videos that I can actually watch. (My older videos make me cringe…). As a result of the partnership, most of my newer patterns have video tutorials linked in them. If a picture is worth 1,000 words, a video is worth a million, right? Sometimes you just need to see a new technique being done to make it click. We want every knitter, whereever they are in their journey, to feel supported and BE successful!
Q. You founded the Knit For Food Knitathon back in 2021, and the knitting community has (as of asking this question) raised over $1.7 million for hunger relief through the event. What has it been like watching this grow from its first year to what it's become, and what keeps you motivated to bring it back each spring?
I want to make sure we have the most current number in here because it still blows my mind: we have now raised over $2.2 million for hunger relief.
When we started the Knitathon back in 2021, we were in the thick of COVID times. Everything was virtual, and we thought it would be absolutely amazing if we could raise $10,000 that first year. That was our dream goal. Watching the energy, the excitement, and the sheer involvement of knitters from across the country completely exceeded anything we could have imagined, and it has only grown from there. The sixth annual knit-a-thon was in April and over 3,000 knitters raised $569,766 to fight hunger and food insecurity by committing to knit for 12 hours. This is a staggering amount of money (and stitches knit).
What keeps me coming back every spring is simple… I would love nothing more than for this fundraiser to no longer be needed. As long as hunger and food insecurity is a reality for so many, knitters will keep knitting to make a difference. This community has shown up in the most incredible way.
What has also been so special is witnessing the knit-a-thon evolve beyond a virtual event. Now we have public meetups around the country where knitters gather together, and that energy is just awesome. Thousands of knitters look forward to it every year, and knowing that this community has turned their love of craft into real, meaningful change is what it's all about.
Q. Many knitters might know you for your beadwork in your garment and accessory patterns - but you've also expanded into beaded jewelry designs. What has drawn you to jewelry as a creative outlet alongside knitwear, and how does the design process differ (or overlap) for you?
People might not realize that I have been designing beaded jewelry and knitwear since 2008, right alongside my beaded knitwear. It has always been part of my creative world.
Knit jewelry is wonderful for gift giving. Knitting someone a beautiful beaded bracelet or necklace feels thoughtful and personal without the time commitment of a full shawl or garment. Knit jewelry is also a fantastic stash buster. All those little bits of leftover yarn that you just can't bring yourself to throw away? Necklaces and jewelry are perfect for them.
The smaller scale of jewelry is also a huge advantage from a design perspective. If I want to explore a new technique, jewelry gives me the perfect palette to test it out quickly without committing to an extensive project. I can knit up several different versions, see what works, and really play. That makes them incredible teaching opportunities too, whether you are teaching yourself something new or using them in a class setting.
There is a very practical seasonal reason I love them, too. I love to “tag” myself as a knitter and wear my makes whenever I can. When it’s hot outside, the last thing I want is a wooly knit. A gorgeous beaded piece of jewelry lets me carry that handmade joy right into the hot summer months. I have a line of kits that contain everything you need BUT the needles, so you can wear your knits in the summer too!
Q. You're as well-known for teaching as you are for designing - from workshops and retreats to your YouTube tutorials and Q&A sessions. How does your experience as an instructor shape the way you approach designing and writing your patterns?
Teaching and designing are so intertwined for me that it's hard to separate them. When I'm developing a new design for a club, I often start from the other direction: I find a technique I want to teach, and the design grows around that. This gives knitters the motivation to learn and practice and then end up with a gorgeous finished knit.
Pattern writing is where that teaching instinct really gets tested. There is a fine balance between writing too much and not enough. Finding that sweet spot is something I take really seriously. To make sure I get it right, all of my test knitters work through patterns without access to any video tutorials. If they can't execute the design from the written pattern alone, I go back and rewrite it until they can. The videos are there to support knitters, but I believe the pattern has to be able to stand completely on its own.
Ultimately, I just really, love to knit. By the time a design is on my needles, I'm already thinking about what I want to cast on next. It's a self-fulfilling knit design prophecy! I constantly go down rabbit holes with new techniques, and that curiosity is what keeps driving new designs. I discovered stitch savers and ended up doing a whole series around them, then I found the I-Cord tool which led me to develop a fast and tidy attached I-Cord edging. One discovery leads to another, and suddenly you have a whole new collection, born out of pure excitement about a technique.
I have a new obsession right now, knitting with stainless steel chain, and I can already tell you that the jewelry designs that are going to be born of it are destined to be some of my all-time favorite pieces.
In the end, it all comes back to how much I love to knit, and I hope knitters can feel that embedded into every stitch of my designs.
Thank you, Laura, for reminding us what a knitting community can do when it puts its heart into something. You can find Laura's patterns and kits at NelkinDesigns.com, follow her (and Lola's) daily adventures on Instagram at @LauraNelkin, and catch her video tutorials on YouTube. And if you want to knit for a cause, keep an eye out for the Knit For Food Knitathon each spring.
love,
