Kirsten Joel Designs | Size-Inclusive, Coastal-Inspired Knitting and Crochet Patterns
There is something quietly powerful about picking up a pair of needles or a crochet hook and deciding to make something for yourself. Not something that almost fits, or something you hope will look the way it looks on the model if you could only change a few things about your body — but something designed with you in mind from the very first stitch. That is the heart of what Kirsten Joel Designs is all about.
Welcome to a space where the ocean meets yarn, where the rhythm of the tides is somehow captured in every stitch pattern, and where size inclusivity is not an afterthought or a marketing footnote — it is a design philosophy built into the foundation of every single pattern.
Where Coastal Living Meets the Craft of Knitting and Crochet
Coastal living has a particular aesthetic that is hard to fake and impossible to ignore once you have felt it. It is the soft, sun-bleached palette of driftwood and sea glass. It is the textural richness of rope, netting, weathered wood, and the foam left behind by a retreating wave. It is the way light moves differently near the water — diffuse and generous in the morning, golden and dramatic by late afternoon.
Kirsten Joel Designs translates all of that into fiber. The stitch patterns chosen for each design are never arbitrary. A twisted stitch column might echo the spiral of a nautilus shell. A linen stitch panel catches light the way sunlight catches the surface of still water. An airy openwork section suggests sea spray or the gaps in a weathered pier railing. Every design decision is intentional, and the result is a collection of knitting and crochet patterns that feel cohesive and evocative without being costumey or kitschy.
This is not lobster-print craft. This is the real thing — wearable, livable, and deeply connected to the natural world that inspired it.
The coastal aesthetic also lends itself beautifully to an approach to color that feels fresh and accessible. You will find patterns that shine in single-color neutrals — the creams, taupes, warm grays, and dusty blues that feel at home whether you are near the ocean or simply wish you were. You will also find patterns that bloom with colorwork, borrowing from the rich, complex palette of coral reefs, sunset over water, and the surprising variety of color found in sea glass collected over years on a favorite beach.
Whatever your personal style within the coastal world — minimalist and clean, or warm and maximalist — there is something in this collection for you.
What Size-Inclusive Design Actually Means (And Why It Matters)
The phrase “size inclusive” gets used a lot in the crafting world these days, and it is worth taking a moment to talk about what it actually means in practice — because there is a significant difference between a pattern that includes a few extra sizes as an afterthought and a pattern collection that is genuinely designed with all bodies in mind.
At Kirsten Joel Designs, size inclusivity starts at the concept stage. Before a single stitch is written, the question being asked is not “how do we adapt this for larger sizes?” The question is “how do we design this so it is beautiful across the full spectrum of body sizes and shapes?”
That distinction matters enormously. A design that starts from a small size and is then scaled up often encounters problems: proportions that shift awkwardly, stitch repeats that do not work out evenly across all sizes, construction methods that become structurally compromised at larger measurements, or design details like colorwork yoke patterns that end up positioned in unflattering or uncomfortable places on the body. These are not theoretical concerns — they are the frustrations that knitters and crocheters in larger bodies encounter over and over again when trying to work from patterns that were never truly designed for them.
Kirsten Joel Designs takes a graded approach to sizing, which means that every size in a pattern has been considered on its own terms. Ease is calculated thoughtfully for each size range, not simply extrapolated from a single standard. Construction is chosen not just for elegance but for how it behaves across a wide range of body measurements. Fit notes are included in patterns with enough detail that knitters and crocheters can make informed decisions about which size to work and how to customize their fit — because bodies are not just bigger or smaller versions of each other, and good pattern writing acknowledges that.
The size range itself is substantial. Patterns in this collection typically include sizes that work for a wide range of chest circumferences, from smaller sizes through what the industry often calls plus sizes and beyond. Specific size ranges are noted in each individual pattern so you can check before you purchase whether a pattern will work for your measurements.
Beyond the technical execution, there is something else that size inclusivity requires, and that is a shift in aesthetic intentionality. Truly size-inclusive design means making design choices that are beautiful on all bodies — not just technically functional, but genuinely lovely. It means thinking carefully about where a colorwork panel sits on the body, where an empire seam falls, how a collar frames a face at every size. It means photographing and styling finished garments on models of different sizes so that potential knitters and crocheters can actually see how a design looks, rather than having to guess or extrapolate from a single photograph.
This is the standard Kirsten Joel Designs holds itself to. It is a higher bar than simply adding more sizes to an existing pattern, but it is the only bar worth clearing if the goal is to genuinely serve all crafters.
The Patterns: What You Will Find in This Collection
The Kirsten Joel Designs pattern collection spans both knitting and crochet, because the coastal aesthetic translates beautifully into both crafts — and because crafters deserve options. Some people knit. Some people crochet. Some people do both and choose their craft based on the project, their mood, or simply which hook or needles are within reach. This collection welcomes all of them.
Knitwear in this collection leans into texture and drape. You will find sweaters worked in linen stitch that have the weight and movement of a favorite worn-in layer. You will find cardigans with interesting construction details — asymmetrical hems, unexpected button bands, or quietly clever seaming — that set them apart from the standard cardigan pattern while remaining completely wearable. You will find accessories like hats, cowls, and shawls that can be knitted up in a single skein of handpainted yarn or serve as an introduction to colorwork for crafters who are just beginning to explore that territory.
Crochet patterns here embrace the unique possibilities of the craft. Crochet creates fabric differently than knitting does, and the designs in this collection celebrate that rather than trying to make crochet approximate knitting. You will find garments with the kind of bold, graphic texture that only crochet can create. You will find openwork designs where the negative space is as intentional as the stitches themselves — shawls that feel like seafoam, tops that feel like something woven from light. You will find accessories that take advantage of crochet’s structural stiffness to create bags and baskets with real function and real beauty.
Across both crafts, you will find a range of complexity levels. Some patterns are written for confident beginners who have the basics down and are ready for their first garment. Others are intermediate projects that introduce techniques like short rows, picked-up stitches, or seamless construction in a supportive way, with detailed instructions and technique notes included in the pattern. Advanced projects exist too, for experienced crafters who want a genuine challenge — complex stitch patterns, intricate colorwork, or construction methods that require careful attention and reward it with something truly special.
Yarn Selection and the Coastal Palette
One of the most frequent questions designers receive is about yarn substitution, and it is a genuinely important conversation. The yarns suggested in a pattern are chosen for specific reasons — fiber content, weight, drape, stitch definition, durability, how they behave when blocked — and understanding those reasons makes it much easier to substitute successfully.
Kirsten Joel Designs patterns include detailed yarn notes for exactly this reason. You will know not just what yarn was used in the sample, but what properties made it the right choice for that particular design, and what to look for if you want to substitute something else.
For coastal-inspired knitwear, fiber choices tend to skew toward natural fibers that connect to the aesthetic and perform well in the kinds of conditions that coastal living actually involves. Cotton and cotton-blend yarns offer breathability for warmer climates and the kind of stitch definition that makes textured patterns really sing. Linen yarns have that particular worn quality right out of the skein that only deepens with wear and washing, making them ideal for the laid-back, lived-in aesthetic of coastal dressing. Wool and wool blends remain workhorse choices for colder-weather garments, and a well-chosen wool has a loftiness and warmth that cotton and linen cannot replicate.
The palette most frequently seen in this collection draws from the natural world of the coast. Undyed and naturally dyed yarns in the range of warm whites, creams, sandy taupes, driftwood grays, and weathered blues are perennial favorites. Deeper tones — the navy of deep water, the charcoal of wet stone, the rich forest green of sea vegetation — provide contrast and depth. And then there are the accent colors: the unexpected coral, the flash of golden kelp, the soft lavender of certain sea glass, the warm terracotta of seaside cliffs. These accents bring life to a neutral palette without overwhelming it.
Building Your Coastal Handmade Wardrobe
One of the most satisfying things about working from a cohesive designer collection is the way individual pieces begin to work together over time. Kirsten Joel Designs patterns are created with this in mind — each piece is complete on its own, but they are also designed to layer and coordinate with one another.
Think about building a coastal handmade wardrobe across a season or two. A lightweight crocheted top worked in natural cotton becomes a summer anchor piece. A knitted linen cardigan gives it range into cooler evenings. A textured shawl in a soft wool-silk blend bridges the gap into autumn. A cozy, oversized pullover in a heathered wool sees you through winter, and a slouchy knitted hat and matching cowl make sure you are warm and well-accessorized the whole time.
This kind of wardrobe building is not just financially satisfying (though it is certainly that — handmade garments made from quality yarns represent genuine value over time). It is creatively satisfying in a way that fast fashion simply cannot replicate. Every piece carries the memory of making it. You remember the podcast you were listening to when you turned the heel on those socks, the afternoon you sat on the porch and finally figured out the colorwork chart for the yoke, the quiet satisfaction of casting off the last stitch on a sweater you have been looking forward to for months.
When those pieces also fit beautifully, at every size, that satisfaction deepens into something that feels genuinely important. Handmade clothing has always been about more than fabric and fiber — it is about claiming the right to make something beautiful for yourself.
Resources for Knitters and Crocheters at Every Level
Kirsten Joel Designs is not just a pattern shop — it is a resource for crafters who want to grow their skills, understand their craft more deeply, and connect with a community of like-minded makers.
Pattern pages include links to video tutorials for any techniques that might be unfamiliar, so you are never left searching for help on your own. Written technique notes within patterns are clear and detailed, explaining not just how to work a stitch or technique but why it is being used in that particular context, which is the kind of instruction that actually builds skill over time rather than just getting you through the project at hand.
Blog content covers everything from how to choose the right size in a garment pattern (a topic that deserves far more attention than it usually receives) to in-depth explorations of coastal color palettes, yarn fiber content and care, and the history and technique behind specific stitch patterns. If you are the kind of crafter who wants to understand what you are doing and why, you will find plenty to engage with here.
There is also a community dimension to Kirsten Joel Designs — a Ravelry group where crafters share their finished objects, ask questions, get help with tricky spots in patterns, and simply enjoy one another’s company in the way that fiber arts communities have always done. Making is better together, and seeing how different crafters interpret the same pattern, in different yarns and colors and sizes, is one of the genuine joys of being part of this world.
An Invitation
If you have ever set aside a pattern because it did not include your size, or worked through a pattern in a larger size only to find that the finished garment looked nothing like what you hoped for, or wished that you could find beautiful, thoughtfully designed coastal-inspired knitwear and crochet patterns that took your body and your style seriously — this collection is for you.
If you are newer to knitting or crochet and looking for a collection of patterns that will grow with you as your skills develop, offering both approachable starting points and exciting challenges further down the road — this collection is for you.
If you are an experienced crafter looking for designs that feel fresh and intentional, that will challenge your skills in satisfying ways and result in pieces you will wear and love for years — this collection is for you.
The ocean does not care what size you wear. The waves do not check whether you fit into a standard size range before they roll in. There is something right about the coastal world in that way, something generous and indifferent to the anxieties that so much of modern life manufactures for us. Kirsten Joel Designs tries to carry a little of that spirit into every pattern — the spirit of a place where you can simply be present, breathe the salt air, feel the warmth of the sun, and make something beautiful for the body you actually have.
Browse the collection. Find your next project. Cast on, and feel right at home.
