For Kim Haesemeyer, knitting is like breathing -- natural and easy. However, it wasn’t always that way. “My mom taught me to knit when I was young, but my stitches were so tight, I promptly broke a needle. Out of frustration, I didn’t touch anything knitting-related until after my third child was born, when I taught myself from a kit I purchased on clearance. I started designing because I knew there had to be an easier way to make the projects I wanted. My goal with each design is to create clear patterns that are easy to read and understand, because knitting time is too precious to be spent agonizing over directions.

Kim has designed for yarn manufacturers, and several of her designs have appeared in popular knitting magazines. Her first book with Leisure Arts, Expand Your Knitting Skills, was published in June 2012.