Susanna
Jan 11, 20192 min
It's barely January and I'm already looking ahead to next spring and summer!
Twice a year, Garnstudio asks knitters to vote for their favorites and suggest names for patterns to be included in the next free pattern collection. Photos of the Spring/Summer 2019 collection are now up on the Garnstudio website.
Like runway fashion trickling down to ready-to-wear, the Garnstudio collections always show what kinds of garments and pattern features are making their way from the hot-right-now designer patterns to mainstream knitters. Looking at the patterns they've produced for the upcoming season I identified five big knitting trends that will be popular in Summer '19.
Left to right: Benedicte, Spring Song, Bittersweet
#1. Statement Sleeves
Statement sleeves have been appearing in sewing patterns for a couple of seasons now and are finally making it to knitting patterns as well. What is a statement sleeve? It's an exaggerated sleeve style, and can be billowy, bell-shaped, ruffled, extra long, or extra wide, for example. I'm seeing lots of oversized bell and flutter shapes in the new collection.
Left to right: Spring Harvest, Pink Moon, Egyptian Feathers
#2. Brioche
Brioche is no longer a thing for the super-advanced knitter. The number of brioche knitting patterns released each year has exploded over the recent years.
I got a little nerdy and did some statistics digging on the Ravelry pattern database. Did you know nearly 1,000 new brioche patterns came out in the year 2018 alone? I'm sure we'll breach 1K in 2019.
The Garnstudio Spring/Summer 2019 collection shows two-color brioche used in both garments and accessories... even socks!
Left to right: Rosewood, Flamingo Parade Jacket, Dear to my Heart
#3. Colorwork Yokes
The biggest trend in sweater patterns over the past couple of winters has been colorwork yokes. The new Garnstudio collection shows this trend continue well into the summer, from the whimsical to the more subdued. Seriously, who doesn't need pink flamingos prancing around on their sweater?
Left to right: Bee Stripes, Evening Out, ?
#4. Color Blocking
The block is back! Color blocking was popular in fashion in the early 2010s and it's now making a comeback in knitting. Large sections of contrasting colors and big, bold stripes are heavily featured in these patterns.
Left to right: Summer Shells, Wistful (cardigan version), Miss Lemon
#5. Loose & Lacey
The fashionable boxy, drop-shoulder sweater is not going away in style just yet. This summer it's coupled with big yarns and an airy, lacey texture that's perfect for a beach cover-up or cool summer night.
What's your favorite knitting trend? Or do you see a trend that makes you want to hide your knitting needles? Let me know in the comments below.
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