For some reason colourful design always grab my attention first. And if they are featuring an interesting construction and unusual shape I can’t resist. So of course LISMI’s wonderful patterns (Farfalla – cover picture) caught my attention right away and it’s a pleasure to present her to you. She is not only a great designer but also fun to talk to! Meet

Christiane Burkhard (aka LISMI on Ravelry), Germany

Christiane will give away two of her incredible patterns to two readers of this blog.

Please comment on this post and tell us which of her designs you would cast on right away!

I grew up in Germany and used to live in Switzerland and the US. Each culture had a deep impact on me and I call myself fortunate to have experienced that. The funny result of this international lifestyle is that my language got mixed up. Swiss German words, English and German all mixed together in one sentence sometimes. When I design I like to play with geometrical shapes (my math teacher would be thrilled to know that) and modular knitting. Other than that inspiration can hit anytime through anything. 

What started your crafting frenzy and when? 

It definitely did NOT start in elementary school when I gave my teacher a hard time with my free spirit. I just couldn’t wrap my mind around why a 9 year old should sew an apron. In high school knitting became very hip and we knitted in school secretly underneath the desk during class. At our graduation we even had a cat walk with all our hand knitted sweaters and named them like: the Math Sweater, the History Sweater… I loved the fact that I was able to create my own clothes, my style. I never used a pattern. I think that’s when designing started. 

My first ever design was a sweater for the graduation cat walk. This was long before there was Ravelry or other venues for knitters existed. During this time I designed a sweater for my mom and she still wears it. I recently took a picture of it. Very 80ties….

I like to design for the knitter who wants to be surprised by an unusual construction or technique they’ve never tried before. Secondly it should be wearable 😉 Recently, I started to think more about how slow fashion and knitting work together. They are a perfect match and I aim to move in this direction.  

Show us your stash!

My own hand dyed yarns 😉

What are you working on right now?

Right now I am about to publish a new design ZINA Skirt. The pattern writing is almost done and then testing follows. You will find it in 2 – 3 weeks in my Ravelry shop.

Which are your weapons of choice?

The best gift a knitting friend gave me was a sketchbook and a big box of colored pencils. This way I am able to sketch my ideas and they don’t get lost. During the design process I use a notebook to write down everything related to the design.  

Which designer/s participating in the GAL caught your attention and why?  

Kari-Helene Rane caught my attention because she dares to design dresses. Not many designers do that since it’s hard to make them look fashionable. Kari-Helene can pull that off with her Maddie Dress and Icon Dress.

What’s next in your queue?

A design for a Mystery KAL and a Sweater design…..

I want to thank wonderful people of the knitting community! Wherever I moved, they made it easy to settle in and find a home away from home. I call that knitting without borders!

Christiane will give away two of her incredible patterns to two readers of this blog.

Please comment on this post and tell us which of her designs you would cast on right away!

Happy knitting!