KNIT • CRUISE • EXPLORE
Joji Locatelli is a knitwear designer and teacher from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
She loves helping knitters move beyond simply following patterns to start understanding how sweaters truly work.
Known for her friendly, engaging classes and practical approach to garment construction and fit.
Joji has taught knitters around the world through retreats, festivals, cruises, and online workshops.
When she’s not designing patterns, she runs Joji & Co, a leather goods brand for makers.
You can find Joji on Instagram and Ravelry as @jojilocat
Veera Välimäki lives and designs in a small village in Southern Finland.Her aestetic focuses on clean lines and modern silhouettes, eleveated by fresh , intentional details.
She is drawn to knits that are both effortless to create and timeless to wear pieces that remain wardrobe favorites year after year.
Shawls and sweaters are Veera’s two favorite things to knit. She is truly a master of casting on for new sweaters , fueled by a love for Garter stitch, the versatility of short rows and the excitment of a new project.
An accomplished author , her two most recent books, My Dream Knits ( 2025) and Stripes ( 2021), were published by Laine Publishing. Her collaboration with Joji Locatelli, The Interpretation Series , has reached its landmark 10th volume.
Veera’s work has been featured in leading publications across Finland, Europe and the US. She has taught at prestigious knitting festivals worldwide, sharing her expertise with communities throughout the US, the UK and central Europe.
Aleks Byrd is a knitwear designer with roots in Estonia, Canada, and the USA. Aleks’ passion is creating modern patterns with a connection to the past using little-known traditional techniques for unique wearable designs that are fun and rewarding to knit for all levels of knitters.
Her portfolio of designs includes individual patterns as well as those published in The Knitter magazine, Laine Magazine and her books such as Kindred Knits – Patterns from My Estonian Family Archives. Her book Traditions Revisited – Modern Estonian Knits brings together her designs and teaching as an introduction to Estonian knitting,both traditional and traditional-inspired.
Aleks teaches workshops to demystify the deceptively easy techniques used in her patterns all over the world in the UK, Europe, Canada, the United States and Australia.
Aleks especially loves sharing traditional knitting techniques from Estonia with knitters around the world to expand their view on what knitting can be.
Gudrun is a celebrated designer known for her modern yet timeless knitwear, beautifully rooted in her Shetland heritage. Her thoughtful colorwork, elegant constructions, and deep understanding of traditional techniques have made her designs beloved by knitters around the world. She frequently returns to Shetland where she loves spending time with her family in the Westside. In addition to Grand Shetland Adventure Knits she is the author of The Shetland Trader Books One, Two and Three and Knit With Me and she has a new publication coming in September 2026 with Laine.