Alexis Winslow

Alexis Winslow is a Brooklyn-based knitwear designer, author, and the founder of Knit Darling, a long-running independent pattern studio known for its bold graphics, thoughtful construction, and modern sensibility. For more than fifteen years, Alexis has been designing knitting patterns alongside her full-time career as a UX and branding designer, bringing the same empathy, clarity, and structure she uses in digital design into the world of knitwear.

With a background in printed textile design and fine art, Alexis approaches knitting as both a visual and a tactile medium. A core part of her design philosophy is helping knitters build confidence and level up their skills, making techniques that might otherwise feel intimidating feel approachable and well-supported. Her patterns are designed not just as finished objects, but as learning experiences — combining clear structure, thoughtful pacing, and an emphasis on making complex ideas easier to understand. Her patterns often explore geometry, texture, and graphic contrast, but they are always grounded in an intuitive, knitter-friendly experience. Whether she is developing colorwork charts or explaining a tricky technique on camera, her goal is the same: to make knitting feel engaging, accessible, and deeply satisfying.

Alexis is the author of Graphic Knits (Interweave Press), a full-length book that showcases her signature use of color and form, as well as three smaller collections, Speckle & Stone, Homage, and Winsome Knits which explore more personal and experimental design directions. In addition to her own books, she has contributed patterns to a range of collaborative publications, including Free Spirit Shawls (Lisa Shroyer), Scarf Style 2 (Ann Budd), The Knitted Hat Book (Interweave), Join Hands, and Berroco Portfolio Vol. 3. Her work has also appeared in publications such as Interweave Knits and Knitscene, and she has collaborated with yarn companies including Quince & Co., Brooklyn Tweed, Berroco, and Knit Picks, among others. A full list of publications and collaborations can be found on the Press page.

In addition to her pattern work, Alexis runs Twill Creative, a boutique UX and branding studio that serves creative and professional-services clients. That dual practice — part designer, part maker — strongly shapes her approach to knitting: every pattern is treated as a product, a teaching tool, and an experience, not just a set of instructions.

As part of this approach, Alexis created an extensive library of instructional videos on her YouTube channel, originally as a way to support her patterns with clear, on-brand technique tutorials. Many of her patterns link directly to these videos, allowing her to include more ambitious or nuanced techniques while keeping the knitting experience accessible and confidence-building. Over time, the channel has grown organically into a popular standalone resource, now reaching tens of thousands of subscribers and millions of views. Knit Darling remains a slow, intentional studio — focused on meaningful projects, beautiful craft, and designs that knitters return to again and again.

You can find Alexis's knitting work at knitdarling.com and on Ravelry, her instructional videos on YouTube, and occasional updates on Instagram. Her design studio can be found at twillcreative.com.