Let’s get this autumn started

Yes, last Friday was a hot one, but an Indian summer this September is not. Never mind socks, Brontë and I are back in boots now. The heating may not be on yet, but Autumn definitely is. And we can’t stop makng knitting plans. There are plainly too many in the list right now so I’ve done my best to narrow things down to a short list of 9. But I’ve got to tell you, it wasn’t easy..

I stumbled into this pattern by chance whilst flicking through the marvellous new Wonder of Wool book by Lee and Morency (which was totally great before I even got to the patterns), and had an unexpected, Oh Yes! moment as I turned the page to see the Ullin. There’s an intriguing architectural minimalism in the mix of those horizontal textured lines and the sweater’s square shape. As for yarn, I can’t see past the beautiful Uist wool I fetched back from Grimsay in the summer. Its earthy toothiness and those wild streaks of contrast fleece feel like they’re made to measure for the texture and mood.
Less streaky but just as characterful would be the WYS Jabcob DK, or for an altogether softer but more interesting route colourwise, Malabrigo Rios would be fab. 

In truth there are 2 Anne Ventzel patterns I’m toying with but this one had me at that enchanting neckline detail, and so the lovely Mono sweater, got pushed off into second place. AV uses her signature 3 strand mix of fibres to get an aran weight (17 stitch) gauge, but I plan to leapfrog the multi-strand tangle and use the dark Shadow shade of WYS Fable (which has 3 fibres twisted into it) as my main colour and may even go rogue and mix the fluffy alpaca Saperlipopette with some gold for the accent colour.

This more-than-meets-the-eye sweater vest just gets better each time you look. Separate fields of apparently solid colour dissove into 1 row garter stripes on closer inspection, and the quirk of that offset hem just makes perfect sense even though it absolutely shouldn’t. 
LM has used 2 strands of extremely light 4ply to get a 22 stitch gauge. Laxton’s Sheepsoft 4ply, J&S Jumperweight, JA Exmoor, Riverknits Nene or the JA Harvest Hues are all good contenders here. Or if you prefer a single strand approach, Sheepsoft DK, the WYS BFL DK or Rauwerk Sport would all be super. Equally an airier sport weights like Cautiva, Ulysse or Birlinn could also work.

Yes, it’s made in pieces and yes that means you have to knit it flat but the reward is worth it – a generous sweater without the slouch, all on acount of the structure those seam provide. With more than a nod to an 80s Après-ski vibe in the garter striping accent patterning on the shoulder, I love the way that it makes me want to shake up my colour combo pre-sets. 
It’s a tight 23 st DK gauge so I’d be tempted to err on the thinner side – Cautiva, Ulysse, or Rauwerk Sport. Equally the new WYS Morris would also work a treat.

I’ve had my eye on this one since the end of last winter, when I went down the Ravelry rabbit hole in search of a hat pattern that could stop me day dreaming about a hat I couldn’t afford from Toast. This was the closest I could get and now the more I look, the more I like. There’s a kind of lumberjack-meets-retro-aviator feel going on, and I can’t help imagining how cosy it would be to use the super soft Gepard Teddyfor the boucle interior. Other than that you’ll need a nice chunky for the outside. I’m thinking Malabrigo Chunky, Zagal or Laxtons Fibreknit.

Designed by Elena for her very own Xolla yarn, this absolute beauty has been distracting me ever since it was released last year. Named after one of the farms that she sources the fleece from, she’s plainly put her heart, soul and a binge-worthy box set’s worth of techniques into this lovely sweater. As she says, it has.. “intarsia, hammer sleeves, stranded colourwork, buttonholes, i-cord bind off“. 
Obviously I’m going to do mine in the Xolla Pastoreta – they are quite literally made for each other.
But if you find it a bit too dry and rustic, the Donegal Darnie would make a super substitute.

Brontë’s had this cosy cardie in her back pocket for a while now, waiting for her needles to get released from a few other stalled WIPs, but the word on Lower Clapton Road is that its time may finally be here. Ribbed and all in one piece with some delightful detailing (that button band!) in the shape and construction, it’s like a sweater version of her curling-up-with-a-paperback mood.
It’s absolutely calling for an airy worsted so you really don’t need to look any further than Gilliatt, Mota or Dlana. They would all work beautifully.

MFT has gone full raglan here and brought them right up front to give the stripes a new direction around the shoulders. I love those slouchy wide sleeves but I suspect Brontë will want to rein her’s in a bit with some tapering maths that she is firmly in charge of.
Yarn-wise it’s another DK and the colour combinations in the WYS Morris are making it a pretty strong contender right now. Others to consider would be the Sheepsoft DK, the WYS BFL DK.

Sock’s covered in ladybirds because they’re a bit hilarious, very jolly and today they are Brontë’s bug of choice.
Another marvellous sock pattern from Charlotte Stone, who just gets it right every time.
Socks call for sock yarn obvs. But we need to be a bit mindful of colour with these. For a good ladybird pallette we think the JA Exmoor or the Mondim will work best.