Knit a Cozy Pencil Skirt

If you live in a part of the world that’s going into cold weather, this one is for you. And even if it’s getting warmer where you live right now, this is a great pattern to keep in mind or make ahead for the cold season that will be back before you know it.

The Julia Slit Pencil Skirt by Kunbi Ayo-Okanlawon is a simple project in the best possible way.

It’s worked from the bottom up, starting with a flat panel to allow for the slit on one side, which is required for ease in walking in such a long skirt.

After that the piece is joined in the round for the rest of the body, and a slip stitch pattern adds interest to the field of stockinette.

It has an elastic waistband and some waist shaping and negative ease for a sleek fit.

The reason this is for the folks experiencing colder weather is that it’s knit with chunky yarn, which is great because it makes a big project like this go a lot faster. And I for one love the idea of a chunky wool skirt over a pair of leggings (maybe even knit leggings?) with a chunky sweater when it’s cold outside. Though it’s also super cute styled with a T-shirt and jacket like Kunbi did.

The skirt has nine sizes available, ranging from a waist circumference of 21 to 47.5 inches (that’s 53 to 121 centimeters) and a hip circumference of 29 to 57 inches (74 to 145 cm). Those are garment measurements, not body measurements; the Ravelry description says it has negative ease but I’m not sure how much. (I’m very interested in this one so if I knit it I’ll update to let you know!)

You can find this pattern on Etsy. And if you like the idea of knitting skirts I’ve shared another of this designer’s patterns before that might be better for folks heading into the warmer seasons, so check out the Hopeful Skirt too!

[Photo: Kunbi Ayo-Okanlawon]

Knit a Pretty, Lacy Skirt

Knit Yourself a Skirt with the Hopeful Skirt Pattern

Book Review – All-Year-Round Knitting for Little Sweethearts

Over the years I have shared a lot of pumpkin knitting patterns, and I’ve knit and crocheted a lot of pumpkins myself. But it feels like there are always more fun things to try with knit pumpkins, so this year I wanted to look a little more beyond basic stockinette or ribbed pumpkins and share some pumpkin patterns with cables, bobbles and colorwork.

In the cable collection we’ve got these cute little basic cable and ribbed pumpkins from Elly Bear Knits. There are two sizes that make a wide, flat pumpkin and a taller round pumpkin. Both are worked in the round as a tube that’s cinched top and bottom when you’re done, and they use bulky weight yarn.

Another cute cable pumpkin knitting pattern comes from Gray Bear Akswokrat. This one is knit flat and it looks like a chunky yarn but you could use other weights to make pumpkins of different sizes. This one also has an I-cord stem and uses yarn to cinch up the sections of the pumpkin, giving it a more natural look.

Add some bobbles to your pumpkins with this design from Autumn Shelter Makes. Also worked in the round in a tube, it features a repeating pattern of bobbles and uses yarn wrapped around the outside to make segments. This one looks like worsted weight yarn to me.

Of course there’s nothing that says your pumpkin has to be a single color, so let’s throw in some colorwork. I love the look of the Cozy Fall Pumpkin knitting pattern from South Stitch Girls. The little leather loop adds a rustic touch but you could also just add a stick. These pumpkins have five colorwork options and are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round.

There’s also the Autumn Fair Isle Trio pumpkins pattern from Equestriann Style, which has three different sizes of pumpkins with four colorwork designs. They are worked in super bulky yarn in the round and look good with high contrast or more muted color combinations.

Have you read?