With fall approaching, I’ve been thinking about all of the new things I have to look forward to and reflecting on fond memories of the past. Fall means cooler weather, wearing hand knits, appreciating nature and getting cozy. What’s not to love?
Fall means cooler weather and I’m here for it. I’ve never been a fan of the warm weather. I’d rather layer up than sweat, I mean, it sounds reasonable, right? Most people seem to disagree and love summer, so we can agree to disagree. As the weather starts to cool, I think about all the things I love about it. I enjoy early mornings outside with a sweatshirt, a cup of coffee and a book.
We are currently in the process of beginning a backyard project and I’m really excited to have the space to start lounging out there. The photo above is from our apartment before moving into the house. It’s nice to not overlook a parking lot anymore, but I was always grateful to be out there.
As it gets cooler out, the first handknits to come out of hiding are the handknit socks. I mostly knit with fingering weight yarn, which means as soon as it’s cool out, I can wear socks. And I do. So I’m thinking about the socks I like to wear and knit.
I find in general that I knit a lot of self striping vanilla socks or a patterned tonal sock. I do have some variegated or speckled sock yarn, but I often lean more towards the others. At least lately.
In terms of wearing them, I’m totally fine with either. It’s really a matter of the mood I’m in when sitting down to knit. I wear my hand knit socks daily and love every minute of it.
I also love the fall season for wearing smaller shawls. I do normally like to wear fingering weight shawls, but let’s be honest. They’re not always the warmest. I think the ones I end up going to in winter are ones with brioche or squishy garter. The more stockinette ones tend to be perfect for the cooler mornings of fall. Some of my favorites are the following:
Smaller shawls – designed by Jennifer Lassonde
Jen (BostonJen)’s shawls can be on the smaller side. I think she has some larger ones, but I love the smaller ones that she designs. They are perfect layering pieces that don’t make you too warm. I’ve knit the Riley Rose shawl and the Emelyn Mae shawl.
These smaller shawls are great for layering in the fall and I cannot wait to start wearing them.
Lighter weight, somewhat larger shawls – designed by Tamy Gore
Tamy Gore is a go to pattern designer. She has beautiful shawl designs that I’m always admiring. I’ve knit both the Drifter and the Ashbrook shawls. For the Drifter, I knit the two color version, which makes it smaller, I think. In any case, the shawl isn’t that large and so it’s a great layering piece too. For the Ashbrook, it’s a lighter weight shawl that isn’t wide, but it is long. I find that on colder days, I can wrap it around my neck more and on warmer days, I can wear it hanging low and it’s very comfortable.
It’s also impossible to not think about fall festivals when we think about fall in the knitting world. Of course, that’s all different this year. I remember heading to Rhinebeck last year for the first time ever and having a blast. It was so much fun to see and meet people I knew virtually or admired.
Of course I can’t forget to mention the Pigskin Party! This make along runs all through the fall and it’s such a fun time to connect with others and see what other people are making. As a sponsor, I’ll be participating in the virtual kick off weekend. Come dye with me on Saturday September 26th at 2pm ET. Details coming soon!
Fall brings excitement for new projects, new knitwear we finished up over the summer and fond memories of years past.
What’s your favorite thing about fall? Check out me talking about these things on my YouTube channel: