Autumn Knits Preview: Laine, PomPom, and More!
It may be difficult to imagine while we’re in the throes of another heat wave here in London, but autumn is right around the corner. As we fantasise about cooler days to come, now is the perfect time to plan the season’s knits. This week, we’re looking at the autumn issues of Laine Magazine and PomPom Quarterly as well as some exciting forthcoming books. Read on!
Laine celebrates a brand new modern look with the launch of Laine 15 on 16 September. What’s new? A brand new look and feel designed by Kyiv-born Marina Veziko, whose design accolades include Grafia’s Graphic Designer of the Year 2021, plus a limited-edition black and white cover. What’s the same? Beautiful knits, insightful articles, and the stunning photography you’ve come to expect from Laine. There are 12 exciting projects to get stuck into in this issue, as well as a new regular column called Jeanette Sloan Talks Fibre featuring interviews with interesting people working in fibre.
Olga Putano’s Adventitious top is a perfect lightweight layering piece to transition from the warmth of late summer to cool autumnal breezes. Plus, it was designed using mYak Baby Yak Lace, a gorgeous yarn from one of our favourite yarn producers. This yarn is truly stunning. It’s made with baby yak down that is hand-harvested in Tibet before making its way to Italy to be spun. It’s as soft as cashmere and warmer than wool. You really won’t find a more special yarn anywhere. (You can learn more about the story behind mYak and founder Paula on our you tube channel.)
Meiju K-P, whose recent book Contrasts has become an instant classic, designed a cosy brioche sweater for Laine 15. Perfect to wear on its own on brisk morning walks or layered with a jacket for chilly evenings, the Hento sweater promises squishy comfort all season long. This sweater is knit with a strand of fingering weight merino and a strand of lace weight mohair held together. La Bien Aimée’s Cashmerino or Merino Singles would work well as the base yarn, as would Madelinetosh Merino Light. Both LBA yarns pair well with La Bien Aimée’s Mohair Silk, and Qing Silk Mohair would work delightfully as well.
Long-time friend of Loop Florence Spurling has also designed a colourwork hat for this issue. Keep your eyes out for full Ravelry previews coming soon and Pre-order your copy of Laine 15 now!
PomPom Quarterly – Autumn 2022
While Laine has leaned into a cool modern look for their autumn issue, PomPom Quarterly is embracing maximalist texture and colour. This issue features 11 designs with bright hues and bold stitch patterns.
Elena Dimchevska and Fran López are two of the designers who have designed beautifully bright pieces with big textures that look so fun to wear. Elena’s Epoch sweater and Fran’s Michay hat are an irresistible combo in their sample colourway, though we’re sure they’d translate well to any hue. Epoch’s vivid floral stitch pattern was designed with De Rerum Natura Pénélope, De Rerum’s Ulysse would also work well for this sweater. The Michay hat is organised chaos at its best. It’s knit in the round and features intarsia cables and crochet berries. Michay uses a laceweight mohair as its main yarn, with cables and baubles using a fingering merino. Once again, La Bien Aimée’s Cashmerino, Merino Singles, and Mohair Silk would work brilliantly here.
What’s more perfect for autumn than a nice cosy sock? While Yukka’s Kumiko sock might be one of the more subdued patterns in this collection, it is by no means bog-standard. This five-tone exploration of autumnal hues explores the softer side of the season. The beautiful colour range of Eden Cottage Hayton would lend itself well to this sock, or to explore the brighter end of the spectrum, Uncommon Thread Tough Sock would do the trick.
To explore all the textures and colours of PomPom 42, pre-order your copy now!
In addition to PomPom and Laine, there are three forthcoming knitwear books currently available for pre-order and we can’t wait to flip through them all. Cosmology is the latest Daruma collection from Amirisu. This year’s edition is themed ‘heavenly bodies’ and features eight patterns designed by Canadian duo Kiyomi and Sachiko Burgin. Laerke Bagger has been dubbed Europe’s coolest knitter, and her book Close Knit shows why. Out in English in September, this volume throws the rule book out the window for a truly modern take on knitting. Finally, Laine Publishing will release Salt & Timber later this month. This collection by Lindsey Fowler draws inspiration from the wilds of the Pacific Northwest. It’s going to be a busy knitting season!
Two of our favourite yarns from Quince + Co are on sale while supplies last! Puffin and Lark are wonderfully soft workhorse yarns that bring out some of the best characteristics of wool. Puffin is a chunky/bulky single-ply yarn that blooms beautifully once knit for garments and accessories with a broken-in feel. Lark is a 4-ply Aran/worsted weight yarn that is just great at showing off beautiful stitch patterns. Get these beauties while supplies last!
More Tiny Tassel Kits in La Bien Aimée Cashmerino
We’ve mad a few more of our ever-popular Tiny Tassel Kits with La Bien Aimée Cashmerino yarn. This is the perfect piece to transition to crisp autumn weather, so get it on your needles now!
Enjoy!
Main image courtesy of Laine (left) and PomPom (right) PomPom image © Salsabil Morrison
Those Kumiko socks were made with Viola yarns. Do your substitute suggestions mean you will not be stocking Viola in the future?
Hi Michele,
Viola is unfortunately not wholesaling at the moment so we are unable to carry their yarns. We have tons of lovely options for the Kumiko socks. Feel free to stop by the shop or drop us an email!