Hi, I’m Vanessa, the designer behind Vanessa Smith Designs and a longtime lover of texture, rich colors, and well-organized spreadsheets.

I learned to knit when I was 16, thanks to a friend who showed me how to do the long-tail cast on and the knit stitch. I was hooked right away. After that, I taught myself as much as I could about knitting and immersed myself in different stitch patterns, techniques, and fabric shaping.

A few years later, wanting to be part of the knitting community in a bigger way, I opened an online yarn shop. I loved working with my customers, and many of them encouraged me to start designing after they saw how often I changed patterns to make them my own. I published my first paid pattern just shy of five years after casting on my very first stitch.

These days, I work full-time as an administrative professional and design in the margins of my day. Because I don’t have much time to create, each pattern I share is made with care, purpose, and its own special story.

I’ve been designing for 16 years now, and my goal has always been the same: to design knitwear that teaches, builds confidence, and leaves you feeling proud of what your hands can do. Whether you’re learning something new or just enjoying the process, I’m so happy you’re here.

When I’m not thinking about design ideas, stitch counts, or sweater shaping, I’m spending time with my husband Cody (who takes the photos you see here) and our two dogs: Wes, a sweet pittie, and Brogan, a scrappy little Heinz 57. ♥

Read more of my knitting story here, and be sure to subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on Instagram! If you have questions or just want to say hi, feel free to email me at vanessa@vanessasmithdesigns.com.

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