At Home with Knitwear Designer and Instructor Lisa K. Ross

It was love at first stitch when Lisa K. Ross discovered knitting about 9 years ago. In fact, she fell so in love with the craft that in her first full calendar year of knitting, she made more than 20 handknit sweaters and 15 pairs of socks, plus a few shawls, hats, and accessories.  

Above: Lisa K. Ross is a prolific knitter and dynamic designer who is now teaching for Interweave. Image © Lisa K. Ross.  

We recently fell head over heels for Lisa’s work the same way she fell for knitting. And we are excited to welcome her to the Interweave team of instructors. She’ll be teaching her course, Clever with Color, for Interweave @ Home soon! We took the opportunity to chat with Lisa to learn more about her background and approach to knitting.

Pregnant Crocheter Turned Knitter

Lisa received a knitting book while six months pregnant with her fourth son. She had been a crocheter since she was a child, but knitting was very different. “I couldn’t fathom how stitches could be made without a hook at the end,” she said.  

Her curiosity piqued, Lisa dove into YouTube videos and books from the library to learn more. When she discovered videos that showed yarn being held as you would hold it while crocheting, it clicked. Continental-style knitting made sense. Within a few days she created her first project from scratch—a pair of cabled mitts. Although, she kept that pattern to herself.

Related: Teacher Appreciation: How We Learned to Knit and Crochet

About three months into her newfound passion, Lisa took the leap into pattern design for the masses. It was the desire to dress her boys in coordinating vests that prompted her next steps. As many designers say, Lisa had a vision and couldn’t find a pattern, so she took matters into her own hands. She shared, “I couldn’t find what I wanted, so I decided to create my own. I studied techniques from other designs that I wanted to incorporate—trying all different decreases, bind-offs, and stitches—until I had exactly what I wanted.”

Just six months after learning to knit, Lisa K. Ross released her first pattern as a knitwear designer, “Band of Brothers,” under the business name Paper Daisy Creations. Since then, she’s gone on to release more than 130 patterns in the last 8 years.

The name and logo are deeply personal to Lisa. Daisies are her favorite flower and her sister designed the graphics. She knowledges that Paper Daisy Creations doesn’t communicate that her business revolves around knitting but she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Lisa K. Ross Loves Color

A common theme that is instantly seen when you view Lisa’s patterns is her deep love of color. If using color in creative ways was a knitting technique unto itself, Lisa would be the first to call “color” her favorite knitting technique.

Mini skeins, in particular, open the door to creativity for Lisa. “I am always on the lookout for creative ways to combine color with knitting to create something magical,” she gushes. The range of colors in a mini-skein set combined with simple techniques that have a strong, graphic impact are at the heart of what she does.

In the classroom, Lisa K. Ross’s goals shift from getting creative with color to fostering confidence in her fellow knitters. She says, “Just as my patterns are created with the knitter in mind, my classes are designed to give them confidence in the skills they already have so they can take that next step.”

She goes on to say, “So many knitters dismiss techniques (e.g., brioche, stranded colorwork, double knitting, etc.) as something they can’t do. You can do anything you put your mind to if you have patience and determination. Every one of those skills is achievable if you take it step by step.”  

We couldn’t agree more, Lisa!  

Kerry Bogert
Content Manager, Yarn

Excited to take a class with Lisa K. Ross? Be sure to check out her Interweave @ Home class, Clever with Color. You can find her patterns at Paper Daisy Creations and follow her on Instagram @paperdaisycreations.