Lori started to publish with Knotions in 2018! And it took us until the end of 2023 for us to do a Designer Focus with her *smh*.

Lori designed this month’s Dottie Socks and many others.

Tell us a bit more about yourself. Where do you live? Who do you live with? How did you end up there? Where are you from originally?

I am originally from Fresno, California. My dad worked for the Bureau of Reclamation so we moved around every 4 years, while I was growing up, between California and Nevada. My husband and I just recently relocated to Henderson, Nevada in June 2023. We owned and operated a chiropractic office in Temecula, California for almost 20 years. We decided it was time to live closer to family and scale back our busy lives and semi-retire. My son and daughter decided to move with us for a fresh start. They both go to school out here and work at competing coffee shops in Boulder City, Nevada. My husband works for a multi-disciplinary practice and I now design and teach knitting at a new LYS that opened up in Boulder City.

Who taught you to knit? And when did you start?

My first introduction to knitting was at 12 years old when I was in the 4-H while we lived in Gilroy, California. I remember knitting on straight metal needles, my stitches being super tight and making a lavender garter vest. It was the only thing I knit because I didn’t enjoy it very much but I did wear the vest a lot! Fast forward to 2008 and my high school friends and I were on a girls’ getaway. We took a class at a LYS in Astoria, Oregon. I was immediately hooked and ended up finishing two of my friend’s scarves for them!

What about your kids? Do any of them knit?

No, but my daughter enjoys crocheting.

What made you want to do knitting design?

I enjoy challenges and after taking Laura’s Nelkin’s Design Your Own Cowl class at a Vogue Knitting Live event in Seattle, Washington in 2014, I decided to try and design a cowl. At first, it was a bit frustrating because I was trying to fit a stitch pattern in a fixed total stitch count. I had to put it down for a while. It then occurred to me that I could alter the stitch pattern to the repeat I wanted that would divide evenly into the total stitch count. It seems like such an obvious thing but I was too focused on the number for the stitch repeat. After this revelation, Wrapped in Daisies was published!

Do you design full-time or part-time?

I design part time. I do work on my design work most days. I also enjoy teaching my knitting classes and knitting other designer’s patterns so I leave room to be able to do that as well.

What’s your favorite color?

At this moment, it would be the brightest fuchsia pink. Most times I am drawn towards neutral colors.

What are your favorite (other) things:

Yarn weights

I really don’t have a preference as I enjoy working with all the weights of yarn.

Fibers

I enjoy working with natural fibers but I do love working and designing with superwash merino wool too. It’s hard to pick because I love to knit so much!

Types of objects (e.g., shawls, hats, etc.)

My favorite things to knit are sweaters/cardigans. I don’t design them but I admire designers that do. I enjoy finishing up a garment, wearing it and people asking me where I bought it. That is the greatest compliment to me!

Do you have a design that you think people should give a little love?

It would be the Cabello Cowl. It was my first design that was accepted by a third party yarn company. I spent so many hours swatching the stitch pattern and designing this cowl. I have knit this pattern many times and I still fall in love with it all over again each time I cast in on my needles. The combination of lace and texture is my happy place.

Where do you get your inspiration from?

I like to find inspiration from past memories, themes and even stitch patterns I see. I enjoy incorporating a part of my past life experiences in my designs. I also love taking a stitch pattern and working it in a way where is flows into another stitch pattern.

Can you tell us about your signature style?

I think my signature style is to knit stitch patterns that flow and stay interesting. I am not one to design in all stockinette or garter stitch. I have to have something in my designs that keep my interest or I get bored. I also have to be completely in love with the thing that I am designing.

Do you have a favorite type of knitting?

I love to knit lace!! It has such a soothing flow to me. I enjoy reading the row below instead of using stitch markers and I love the challenge!

What is your nemesis? The thing that makes you want to run and hide when you think about it.

This would be stranded knitting! It can actually make me break out in a cold sweat! I recently knit tellybeanknits Haunted House MKAL cowl. Most of the cowl was stranded knitting and I discovered that I was not bad at it. It was challenging yet satisfying and I thought, I would like to knit more stranded knitting…just not a lot of it.

What does your typical Lori-day entail?

I get up around 5:00 a.m. to do my Peloton workout. I then fix myself breakfast, a cup of tea and go through my emails. I then watch the news, knit and finish my cup of tea. After getting my shower, I sit at my computer to work on my knitting patterns, answer test knit questions or what ever knitting computer work that needs to be done. I usually take care of errands or things around the house after I finish up on the computer. In the afternoon, I turn on Hallmark or a crime show and work on my design work. Sometimes obsession sets in and I could knit until it’s time for bed!

Other than knitting and designing, do you have any other creative endeavors?

I grew up sewing and in my early 20s I used to cut my own wood and tolepaint. While I still have my supplies, I don’t do it as much as I used to. I love to bake! When I need a break from knitting, I am usually in the kitchen baking something. My specialty is cheesecakes. I am currently trying to perfect the Yuletide Log for Christmas!

Do you have a stash? Or, once you buy it you make it up pretty quickly?

I have a huge, embarrassingly large stash!! I can usually find what I need by shopping in my craft room. My husband likes to joke that we bought our new house based on the craft room needs and storage! He will also tell you that it was the first room set up and completely put together after the move. What can I say? I was ready to get back to my design work!!

And, most importantly – where can we find you?

I have an Instagram account. My handle is sunny_shine_bird. You can also find me as davenlori98 on Ravelry and my Ravelry store website is https://www.ravelry.com/designers/lori-wagner