Ready For Autumn?

Knit Simple Fall 2015,
photo by Jack Deutsch

This past week I had a new pattern make its debut, and an old pattern make its first appearance on Ravelry.

My newest pattern appears in the Fall 2015 issue of Knit Simple, and it really speaks to fall.   It's also a blast from my past.  I created this pattern years ago for the class I taught at Knitche in Downer's Grove, IL.  The class was based on Ann Norling's classic baby fruit hat pattern.  While there are strawberries, raspberries, grapes, lemons, etc., there was no pumpkin.  So, not only did I offer it to the class, I made it a part of my own toddler's Halloween costume.  

My hat is different than some of the others out there in that the pumpkin's ribs start above the rolled band, and the stem is carries up and tied into a knot.  The stem does not begin until the top of the hat, a variation you might also want to make for a grape, apple or peach hat.  Knit Simple provided me with green yarn for the stem, but a tan color might be more realistic.  That said, in the original modeled by my daughter at left, the stem is green and I added some green leaves as accent.  If you are similarly inspired, there are many leaf patterns available.  I recommended Nicky Epstein's books as a reference.

Knitter's Magazine #88, Fall 2007
Photo credit: XRX

The second pattern to make a debut last week was Earthy from the Fall 2007 issue of Knitter's Magazine (#88).  Somehow when the magazine was loaded on Ravelry, my design was omitted.  A kind knitter pointed this out to me, and with a little help from the Rav staff, we got it fixed.   Issue #88 is out of print, but you can probably find a knitter willing to de-stash their copy.  Earthy is a simple men's pullover.  The saddle sleeves are plain stockinette and the front and back are a simple knit-purl stitch combination using the solid and a coordination variegated yarn.  The design is classic, and still as wearable today as when it was published nine years ago.