Australia
Hand Knit Designer, Tutor
Katrina Walser
Katrina Walser is a knitwear designer and teacher based in Sydney, Australia.
She produces patterns under the brand name Oliphant Kat, drawing on her love of teaching and designing to create simple, modern designs that give knitters the confidence to create something beautiful.
Originally started in 2016 while she was living in New York, Oliphant Kat began life as an Etsy store selling hand-knitted items. But, as Kat fell in love with the design process she began writing patterns, which have become renowned for having clearly written instructions and in-pattern tutorials.
At the same time, she began sharing her love of knitting by teaching classes at the Etsy headquarters in Brooklyn and she continues to teach both in-person and online classes through a newsletter, her IGTV and YouTube channels.
Since moving back to Sydney in 2019, Kat has committed to focusing on her Australian roots. Her patterns, some of which have been featured in publications such as Knit Crate and Knit Now use both Australian and US terminology, and her teaching focuses on 'helping Aussie knitters make sense of international patterns'.