Fashionknitsta Thursday: 10/1/09

It's Thursday again which means time to share with all of you some great fashion forward designs I've been looking at over the last few days. Fall is upon us and I hope all of you are feeling the wonderful inspiration I am that comes with the cooler temps and changing leaves.

I don't know about you, but I love a good cardigan. Even as a kid growing up in Southern California you would have found me in the middle of July in a cardigan. So, now that I'm an adult and I can make my own, I need to find the perfect one. My instinct right now says shawl collar and with a wrap tie, BUT will I like that next year? If I'm going to put the work (not to mention $$) in I want to like it for a very long time, of course, though I also don't want to put the effort into something plain that I could get at the Gap. Well, I found this sweater by Tory Burch:

Love the ruffle and I think I will continue to love the ruffle for quite sometime. Ok, so style is decided, time to find a pattern. Flo by Kim Hargreaves is the first to come to mind. I know I referred to the wonderful book Thrown Together last week, but I'm really in love with it. The patterns are classic, but with a twist which I think is perfect.

I think I would make the sleeves a touch longer (need to keep my hands warm once the rain starts) and not gather them, but otherwise this fits my vision wonderfully. Now yarn? The book calls for Rowan Cashsoft 4ply and Kidsilk Haze, but I think I would do Isager Alpaca 2 in a grey, and a Shibui Silk Cloud in Mist or perhaps Mulberry for a bit of saucy contrast. Or now that I'm thinking about it, it would be lovely (and washable!) in Shibui Sock. Hmmm....

Another Option I found for this is from Vogue Knitting Fall 2007. This Ruffled Jacket by James Coviello, is really adorable.

Again, I would make the sleeves a little longer but I love the shape of the bottom and how the ruffles follow the whole edge. The original calls for GGH Bel Air and GGH Soft Kid held together, I think I would do Malabrigo Worsted and a strand of Shibui Silk Cloud.

A while ago my roommate asked me to find her a good free pattern for a Mobius scarf. I keep telling her to sign up for Ravelry because it will change her life, but for some reason she still hasn't. This is beside the point though, and I'm quite glad she hasn't gotten her own yet because whilst perusing Ravelry for said Mobius pattern I stumbled upon an amazing collection of patterns I had never seen before. Jane Richmond is a designer from Vancouver Island and I am absolutely in love with her patterns! A few highlights are her Cozy Bolero:

Which I think would be beautiful (and quick!) done in Shibui Highland Wool Alpaca held double. She also has a number of lovely hat patterns, each with the perfect amount of slouch; though I think I'm leaning towards Pasha as my favorite. Probably because I'm a big fan of the yarn it's done in: Sublime Cashmere Merino Silk DK, which I wish we had on the website, but I don't think it's quite made it there. Although, it would also be quite luscious in Catherine Lowe Alpaca 6.

You should definitely check out her Ravelry page and blog for these patterns and much much more.

For my last pick this week, I didn't have to wander far. I've always been a CocoKnits fan but last week we got in a new pattern, Yvonne that is absolutely fantastic.

I've already expressed my love of the cardigan, but this sweater would also satisfy my wardrobe needs when all I feel like doing is wrapping myself in a blanket. I think it might just be fate that this pattern entered the store right around the same time the Fibre Company's Road to China Light did. I'm so anxious for that yarn to make it onto the website, it is amazingly soft (not to mention the colors! Oh the colors!) and just the perfect gauge for this pattern.

Once again I wish you all a great weekend, and check in next Thursday for the next edition of Fashionknista. Until then, stay chic blogfans!

-Lindsay