Wintry woollens A\W 2010

Suzie Blackman
Saturday, 30 October 2010

Toast catalogue

It’s amazing how quickly it happens, the last rays of summer sun fade to an autumnal chill sets in and I’m overcome by a sudden urge to cover myself in knitwear. Happily this coincided with the beautiful Toast autumn/winter catalogue arriving on my doorstep. The snowy cover alone is enough to make one reach for the woollens. Not that I can afford anything in it, it serves mainly as inspiration for my own project ideas.

I love the shape of this cosy, cape-style ‘Megan’ cardigan with over-sized hood. I’ve been thinking of making a coat with a similar cut for quite a while and have some knitted wool fabric with black and white, Scandinavian star motif at the ready. I have no idea how to cut a garment this shape, it will be trial and error.

‘Megan’ cardigan by Toast

This glittery ‘Sparkle’ cardigan takes knitwear into the evening like a fine shawl. I love the gold zig-zag pattern against rich purple. The oversized, relaxed fit flatters any figure. For a touch of luxury on a more modest budget, Toast do handwarmers and a hat in the same knit fabric.

‘Sparkle’ cardigan by Toast

It’s nice to see lots colour and texture patterns, like on this ‘Jaquard’ kimono-style cardigan. I’m interested to know what the stitch is, any ideas?

‘Jaquard’ cardigan by Toast

Another exciting event, heralding the onset of the knitting season is the Kim Hargreaves new book, Cherished. This is the most excited I’ve been about one of Kim’s books in ages! I found the designs in the last few books a bit ‘meh’, not because they weren’t lovely, but I felt that we’d seen it all before. What’s so great about Cherished? Coats! Really, really nice kitted coats.

This ‘Ford’ double-breasted trench coat is truly classic.

‘Ford’ by Kim Hargreaves

And this cape-style number has jumped to the top of my queue. I’m a bit worried it will look like a sack on me, but there’s only one way to find out.

‘Winter’ by Kim Hargreaves

Knitting an entire coat is a costly affair. I certainly wont be using the suggested Rowan Felted Tweed. Luckily I have yarn bargains from Kemps and eBay to choose from.

The author

Suzie Blackman

The dyer, designer, photographer, creative technologist and maker-of-things behind It's a Stitch Up. She lives in East London in a home filled with colour, fluff and house plants.

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