Five autumn knitting trends

1. Strong yokes

Yoked jumpers and cardigans come from many sources - we love them for their Icelandic colourwork roots, their Fair Isle heritage, and the vintage charm that moves so easily from gentle Agatha Christie-style cardigans to dark detective dramas: such is the power of the feature yoke.

Colourworked yokes have always been a classic trend, but this autumn we love the flurry of designs that have risen up to meet the demand for this beautiful shape. As knitting techniques change, so does design, and yokes can now be knitted in the round or in one piece on long circulars for cardigans. Where stranded knitting and Fair Isle might once have been the province of flat knitted garments, it is now easier than ever to knit these beauties without fretting over lots of twisted floats and purl rows.  

If you’re an adventurer, you can take on the terribly clever Strange Brew sweater by Tin Can Knits and design your own motifs using their pattern which has all the maths done for you.

MillaMia’s new collection ‘Me and Mini Me’ is all about delightful pairings of adult and child sized designs to that you and your little darlings can match.

2. Textured scarves

There is nothing as satisfying as warm knitwear around your neck and shoulders when there’s a nip in the air. This autumn we are treated to more than the traditional straight up and down scarf - although still a marvellous insulator, there are other exciting shapes to explore. Get your needles into textured wraps, deliciously warm shawls of every shape and size and cowls that sit close or double (even triple) up for lots of layers.

Shawls by their very nature are designed to hug the top half of your body whether you wear them with the fuller point at the front, or at the back to keep your shoulders warm. We have discussed textured knitting here at LoveKnitting HQ and decided that any texture, even lace, manages to trap the warmth more effectively than plain stocking stitch.

3. Vintage mid-century knits

Many of this season's knits have been inspired by the fabulous Netflix series The Crown, which charts the life of Queen Elizabeth II and the British royal family.  There has always been a love of mid-century practical cardigans, twin-sets and feminine shapes as worn by Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth, but thanks to Matt Smith’s portrayal of rugged Prince Phillip, a new passion has been ignited for chunky Fair Isle jumpers and stylish tanks. This autumn, we predict a riot of these Fair Isle chunkies, echoing the need for a deep-rooted heirloom feeling, knits made to last, just as they were in the 1950s and 60s. These are not the natty tank tops of Edward VIII to wear with plus fours in the roaring 20s, these are the jumpers of handsome men who rub their eyebrows wearily in a crisis but always manage a wry smile and a twinkle.

4. 90s gothic

The gothic aesthetic is never quite out of fashion, and we’ve spotted some classic 90s pairings that call up images of those spooky fashions reminiscent of Buffy, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and The Craft - big collars and sleeves you can disappear into, camisoles, batwing jumpers and metallics. All of this combined with great sophistication with lace, pearls and a pair of DMs. It was an eclectic mixture! This trend will be deliciously established by the time we get into October and Halloween trends are in full swing. But how does this translate into knitwear?

5. Sugar sweet sherbet

A fabulous antidote to the gothic darkness of the 90s, sweet sherbet pastels are having their moment. Reminiscent of summer holidays and ice creams, knits in pastel shades are a glorious way of hanging on to the summer months as we wend our way into the tumbling leaves. There’s very little that a piece of sherbet knitwear can’t cure - mint, lilac, cream, ice blue, ballet pink, peach - these sweet shades are full of love and instantly restorative. Pastels are often best friends with cables and textured stitches, showing them off gently but with confidence, and because they are such complementary colours, they work wonders as stripes or Fair Isle.