knit designer + artist

Kate Preston is a knit designer and artist whose work spans fashion editorial, community-building, and coastal-inspired art. Rooted in a lifetime of summer days along the shores of Long Island, New York, her abstract oil paintings capture the ever-changing beauty of coastal landscapes.

An active leader in the creative community for over two decades, Kate strives to bridge the gap between fine craft and high fashion. In 2013, she achieved recognition when supermodel Kate Upton wore her custom-designed knitted swimsuit in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit’s historic, first-ever fashion photo shoot on the continent of Antarctica. Kate’s designs have also been published in Sixth & Spring’s 60 Quick Knit Gifts for Babies, and featured in New York Newsday, Knit Simple magazine, and Martha Stewart American Made. Her commercial success includes having her custom knitted accessories featured in the 2013 trunk shows of New York fashion designer Daryl K.

Passionate about education and philanthropy, Kate founded a local knitting program in 2010 that has empowered over 140 women to master techniques through her comprehensive 12-month curriculum. Her community impact led to an invitation for her and her students to attend a live filming of The Martha Stewart Show in New York. A member of The Knitting Guild Association, Kate taught two courses at its 2014 national conference. Today, she heads a local chapter of Care to Knit—a non-profit donating handmade items to veterans' hospitals, children's hospitals, and shelters.

Kate’s artistic talent was recently recognized by her selection for Hickok Cole Art Night, a curated exhibition benefiting the Washington Project for the Arts and local artists.

Kate lives in New York with her husband and four sons.

Read about Hickok Cole’s Art Night, supporting the Washington Project for the Arts here.

See the Kate Upton Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue here.

Purchase your copy of 60 Quick Knit Gifts for Babies here.

Member of The Art Guild of New York

Member of The Knitting Guild Association

Proud supporter of the Washington Project for the Arts, Rockville Centre Breast Cancer Coalition, Golfing for Gabi, and Care to Knit.