Dalgaard’s final project at the Royal Academy of Art drew much attention and several offers from design brands. Photo: Charlotte Quitzau
Strong colours, soft textures and bold creativity – knitting that turns heads From leopard-print sweaters to knitted computer sleeves and sculptural flowers, the work of Laura Dalgaard challenges traditional conceptions of knitwear. Educated at the Danish Royal Academy of Fine Arts, the knit-book author has built a distinctive design universe merging Nordic knitting traditions with pop culture and international references. Here, she tells Scan Magazine how knitting became her favourite medium and why she cannot stop creating. By Signe Hansen
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Photos: Laura Dalgaard Knit
Nearly a decade after first establishing Laura Dalgaard Knit, the designer has created a striking collection of patterns and curated yarn kits that invite knitters into a defined yet playful aesthetic world. The designs are bold, often graphic, and unmistakably her own. “It has to be original,” Dalgaard says. “It shouldn’t just be a new version of something that already exists. At design school, you learn both to copy and to understand why something works, but for me, the important thing is moving beyond that. I don’t want to make a version of a sweater that 16
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Issue 188
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March 2026
someone else has already designed. It has to stand on its own.” Her approach has led to a loyal following amongst knitters as well as several collaborations with fashion brands such as American Anthropology and Danish Baum und Pferdgarten. Not love at first sight
Delicate and life-like, Dalgaard’s knitted flowers defy traditional conceptions of knit. Photo: Steven Biccard
Some people have loved knitting since their first meeting with the craft, but not Dalgaard. As a child, she resisted her two grandmothers’ attempts to teach her to knit, but at 25, pregnant and after several rejections from art and design schools, she was introduced to the craft by a friend and teacher during what she describes as a difficult period. “Having the material in my hands and creating something was very healing at that time. I think a lot of people who have had that same experience – picking up knitting when they