Kristi Porter is an author, designer, technical editor, and teacher. In addition to authoring Knitting for Dogs, her work has been featured in the Knitgrrl series, the Big Girl Knits series, No Sheep For You, and Knit Wit. She is a frequent contributor to Knitty.com and has been a part of that online magazine since its start in 2002. Kristi doesn't remember learning to knit as a child, but she captured the basics and an enthusiasm for the craft from her mother, her aunt, and her grandmother. She began her first projects as a designer and a knitter, realizing only later that not everyone designed their own patterns. Though her first attempts were boxy and oversized (thank goodness it was the… '80s!), once she grasped the importance of gauge, she was on her way to creating wearable designs. She began approaching the craft in a serious way in the late '90s and learned how to read and write patterns in order to share her designs with others. As a knitting instructor, Kristi teaches students at all levels and ages. Getting feedback about what knitters want to knit, what they enjoy, and what they find difficult has given her a strong sense of what knitters need to know. She delights in helping her students create their own patterns to suit their own needs and senses of fashion.