cuddling season

It's cool and crisp outside this morning, and all I can think about are big, tweedy sweaters! I'm so happy that wool season is back. Summer in North Carolina is fun and all, but the steamy sticky months last way too long for me. Right now about half my friends are cussing the snap in the air and bemoaning the end of day trips to the beach, but I'm just making some more tea and getting drooly over new fall knitting patterns.

Check this sexy mess out!

Ondawa / Michelle Wang  |  Crosby / Julie Hoover

First of all, I can't stop looking at the new fall collection from Brooklyn Tweed. Anything in tweedy wool that says "mariner" is going to be a hit with me. The wide, highly-textured scarves in this collection are so dreamy, I want to make them all right now and wear them tomorrow. At a moment when the kids on the street are wearing neon one-shoulder crop tops and high-heeled sneakers, this new collection is a balm to my soul.

Rhiannon / Sue Lazenby

New in the Ravelry store this month is a wonderful traditional Celtic shawl by Sue Lazenby called Rhiannon. I don't wear shawls as well as some people, but they're so much fun to knit, and I can definitely see myself wrapped elegantly in this one. Sue Lazenby's work is new to me, and Rhiannon led me to check out her other designs... I love her old-world Celtic designs and Arianrhod is another shawl I'd just love to curl up with. I'm not sure if it's all the ugly 80's throwbacks or what, but I'm really digging the classics right now.

The big question is, where to start?? I want to make all this stuff!

Opus the Octopus / Cate Carter-Evans

And okay, this is not a garment but can we just stop for a minute and ogle Opus the Octopus? This is wonderful work from Cate Carter-Evans (Infinite Twist), and I'm so excited that she made this pattern free via Knitty. Opus is definitely the superstar of Knitty's Deep Fall issue this year IMHO.

I can't wait to dive into something warm and snuggly. Maybe this is the year I'll finally make myself a big cozy EZ Aran Coat - a project I've been sort-of planning for years. Is this cool fall air inspiring you, too? What are you excited about making?