Carmen Jorissen – Knitwear Designer
Carmen Jorissen is an innovative knitwear and crochet designer who has been inspiring the fibre arts world with her patterns and tutorials since 2012. Renowned for her joyful approach to colourwork, she makes complex projects fun and accessible. Carmen shares her passion in her beautiful book Breien Met Kleur (2023), translated into English in 2026: Colorwork Knitting from Head to Toe.
Her goal is to help crafters confidently explore knitting patterns, especially stranded colourwork and sock knitting techniques. Having successfully transitioned her hobby into a dream career, Carmen is an inspiration to many.
Where to find patterns
Find all patterns by clicking on ‘Patterns’ in the menu. Some of those will be free, others will be available to purchase in my shop. Carmen has always found it very important that everyone gets a chance to discover the fibre arts so you will find most of her patterns are free. All free patterns also have a paid PDF counterpart which is great if you want to print it out. Most patterns are available in English as well as in Dutch. It’s a good idea to turn off any automatic translators.
Knitting Tutorials
Find knitting tutorials for beginners as well as advanced knitters on the Youtube Channel ‘New Leaf Podcast‘. If you are ready to level up your knitting skills even more, why not become a member of the Confident Knitters Club with exclusive in-depth tutorials and masterclasses.
Carmen’s journey as a fulltime knitwear designer
“Knitting and crocheting are two things that fill my life with so much joy. I started both as a hobby in 2011, and it all kind of snowballed from there!” – Carmen
If you want to read more on her early designing journey, read the article “Three things that helped me get into designing” right here.
Since starting her design career in 2012, Carmen was finally able to go fulltime in September 2019. In October 2023 she published her first knitting book ‘Breien met kleur‘ (Knitting with colour) with a Dutch publisher. The English version ‘Colorwork Knitting from Head to Toe’ is to be published in 2026.
If you want to work with me, feature my patterns in your publications, or have a great idea, you can contact me at hello [at] newleafdesigns.nl
Inclusivity in the fibre arts world
Carmen believes crafting should be a safe and joyful experience for everyone. She is committed to contributing to a diverse and truly inclusive community where racism, homophobia, transphobia, fatphobia and ableism have no place. Want to find out about easy ways to adapt knitting patterns for wheelchair users? Find more here.
My patterns and publications
You can find all of my free patterns here, and my paid-for patterns are all in my shop.
My designs have previously been published in Scheepjes YARN bookazine, Mollie Makes, Simply Crochet and Inside Crochet.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact me via the contact form below.
GHV