5... Striped Sweaters for Almost all of the Family

I love stripes. I know it almost goes without saying that horizontal stripes are unflattering and make you look wider - but I refuse to listen to this propaganda! I love stripes and I think there's the right striped sweater out there for everyone.

 Photo - Tanis Fiber Arts

Lifesavers by Tanis Lavallee. One of the reasons I'm so fond of stripes is they're such a good way to inject pops of colour into outfits without committing to overall colour and this cardigan is a perfect example of that. I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable wearing a rainbow usually, but the skinny stripes against the grey work wonderfully. I'm not sure I'd bother with the buttons and I think I'd add a couple of extra inches of rib on the cuffs but customisation is the best part of knitting!

Photo - La Maison Rililie  Designs

 Dessine-Moi Un Mouton by La Maison Rililie. The combination of the texture and the stripes is what drew me to this sweater - I love how the broken seed stitch affects the stripes on the body and how this contrasts with the stockinette stripes on the sleeves. Also, a great way of using up treasured leftover yarn? Hmm...

Photo - Brooklyn Tweed / Jared Flood

 Mimic by Joji Locatelli. I know knit dresses aren't everyone's cup of tea - and this one certainly wouldn't suit me, but I was drawn in by the styling. Worn over a shirt and jeans it's a perfect smart casual outfit. I've just finished knitting a Joji pattern and it was a delight to work on, I think if I were to knit this one, I'd probably shorten it to hip length so the hem of the shirt would peek out.

 Photo - Marianne Barta / peatmoss83

Tide Pools by Andrea Sanchez. I'm always on the lookout for well designed kids knits and I love the simplicity of this sweater and the button detailing on the shoulder is the icing on the cake. Now I just need to find someone to knit it for...

Photo - westknits

Hofsós Pullover by Stephen West. Late June probably isn't the time for cozy winter sweaters, but I guess if you started now, it could be finished in time for the colder weather (or if you're in the Southern hemisphere, this could be exactly what you need right now)! For me, I think knitted out of a variety of charcoal greys, this could be great for winter beach walks.

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5... Hot knits to keep cool in this summer

Ahh forgive me for the cheesy title - I couldn't resist ;) Now I know that lots of places get far too hot to even consider wearing knitwear in the summer - but as a rule, England isn't one of them! I've noticed there are loads of knit tees in the shops right now - but why buy them, when you can knit them?! Here are five of my favourites..
 Sombra by Elanor King. Featured in the 'Summer 2014' issue of Pom Pom Quarterly (you can buy a digital download of the issue here) this lace weight sweater would be perfect on a cooler or cloudier summer afternoon. I love the chevron colourwork and I think it would look fabulous out of neutrals with a pop of neon...
 Fleetwood by City Purl. I love this tee - from the turned up sleeves to the centre panel - even the fringe and I'm not usually a fan of fringe! I know that comparing hand knits to commercial knitwear is often seen as derogatory, but in my opinion, this wouldn't look out of place on the highstreet this summer - and I mean that in the best possible way!
 Saco Stripes by Pam Allen. This is such a pretty tank top and I love the narrow stripes - it's probably not something I would wear - I prefer my tops to have a bit of a sleeve - but if you're not as hung up on your upper arms as me, this could be perfect for the summer.
 Vasa by Dianna Walla. I really like this tee - the neck, the drape of the fabric and the stripes, I love stripes - but unfortunately it's not a style that would flatter me - and I'm not the type to knit sweater size garments as gifts! But again, everyone has different body types and this could look fabulous on you!

Insouciant by Julie Hoover. I feel this style of tee would work better with my body type than the cut that Vasa; the rounded neck, the longer sleeves. I don't imagine that the large amount of stockinette would be too exciting to knit, but I find it's often the simpler garments that get the most wear...

This is the first year I've really thought about knitting summer garments, usually I spend my summer knitting things for winter but I've got an urge to knit lots of stockinette tees out of laceweight yarn... That's a good enough reason to go on a yarn buying spree, right?! ;)

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5... Sweater patterns that are really wearable

Mixing it up a little this Sunday - instead of My Week In Pictures, today I wanted to share five sweaters that I'm itching to cast on.

 photo: Amy Miller

Isabel by Amy Miller. I love the swingy drape of this cardigan, the long rib pattern on the sleeves and the shawl collar. Knit in a more neutral colour, this is a garment I'd get a lot of wear out of - especially in spring and on cooler summer evenings.

photo: Alicia Plummer

 French Toast by Alicia Plummer. I'll admit, the colour and the styling of this sweater is what first drew my attention to it. I love a good mustard yellow and where possible I like to wear all of my sweaters over a shirt with the collar, cuffs and hem peeking out. But I love the fitted waist and the central cable - sometimes simple is best.

photo: Suvi Simola

 Light Trails by Suvi Simola. Another simple, wearable sweater. I love the decreasing size in the sleeve cables and the mixture of stockinette stitch on the body and garter stitch on the sleeves. A looser fit than French Toast, this would probably suit my body shape a little better.

photo: Quince & Co.

 Featherweight Cardigan by Hannah Fettig. Unless you've been living under a rock (or you're not really into Ravelry) you've probably stumbled across this cardigan. After all, 7000 knitters can't be wrong! I'd quite like to knit a couple of these - one as written and another slightly longer with full sleeves, maybe adding a ribbed collar. It's such an easily customiseable garment.

photo: Jared Flood / Brooklyn Tweed

Hawser by Jared Flood. It was pretty hard not to fill this post with Jared Flood or Brooklyn Tweed patterns. Maybe I'll do a top five BT patterns post at some point... Anyway. This sweater would be perfect for autumn (or if you're having the weather that we are, here in the UK - you could probably wear it right now!). Again, worn over a shirt it looks casual and fabulous. I love the chunky cables down the front - although I suspect knitting the cable crosses could be awkward!

Now I'm craving sweater knitting. I've spent most of this year working on socks and shawls and I think it could be time for a change...

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