Welcome

Yes, this is the place! Welcome to Karen Alfke's website, featuring 2nd Nature Design knitting patterns and Unpatterns.

The joke around here is that summer officialy hits the Pacific Northwest on July 5th. But we're not taking a summer vacation this year – it's all hands on deck with Unpatterns for the next few months!

The two (yes, two!) Sock Unpatterns have been available via download on on Patternfish, the online pattern store. (One from the cuff down - the traditional method - and a new one from the toe up!). And as of early April, the perennial favorite Top-Down Sweater is available there as well, but with a twist. I decided to break up the instructions for Top-Down Raglans into two Unpatterns: one for pullovers, and one for cardigans. The Unpattern Top-Down Raglan Pullover has been up for a while … and now the Cardigan is available there, too! Hooray!

I'm very proud of them, and hope you enjoy working with them.

All the 2nd Nature patterns are available for purchase via download  on Patternfish as well. [See the links in the sidebar at left for an overview of each pattern and a direct link to its page on Patternfish.]

You cannot purchase these patterns from me directly, in part because I feel so strongly about supporting local yarn shops. Click here for a list of shops who currently carry my patterns and Unpatterns. If you live near one of them, give them a call! Or, if you prefer to purchase a paper pattern rather than download, there are online retailers listed on my shops page as well.

It's a brave new world for all sorts of reasons: I've been blogging, too! (That's where you can read about all the other crazy things I'm doing, like training for the Chicago marathon.)

So nice to see you! I'm glad you came.
Prowl around, grab a catalog … there will be more fun to come.