PHASE INTO PHALL (er…. FALL)

The air is suddenly crisp and cool. Fall (my least favorite time of year) may well be upon us and it’s still August! Tho’ I’m not a fan of Fall as cold winter soon follows, I do like the colors of fall and the transitional garments that often ease me into the heavier garments of the dreaded winter.

Here are a few patterns I’ve run across lately that will work up fairly quickly, will flatter most, and will fit into many of our wardrobes.

First is this freebie from Caron:

cowl vest 0809

http://www.caron.com/projects/ss/cowl_vest.html

For those of us with no necks, the cowl can be eliminated and a crew neck collar will appear.

Angela Lavonne Best led a Crochet-A-Long recently using a pattern she designed called a ‘Shawligan’. This is a perfect ‘into Fall’ transitional garment. Ronnie Titus made it in a lovely variegated yarn in a gray/black/white colorway.

http://lavonneknotjustknits.com/blog/

From the front, the Shawligan looks like a long garment, but the shortened back makes it easier for sitting at the office desk, sliding into the front seat of the car, and keeping the shoulders warm in Fall wind. As you can tell on Lavonne’s site, it’s also a very flexible garment that can be ‘wrapped’ in a variety of ways. The pattern is a free download on Ravelry.com. Just sign in and search for ’shawligan’ and you’ll find it. Thanks, Lavonne!

And, when you’re around the house or office and just need a little ’something’ on your shoulders, here’s a lovely ‘just enough’ shawl that will look great topping any outfit:

http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/80877AD.html

Make this in any fall color, especially a muted ombre, and you’ll have a topper that people will want to steal right off your back!

I left myself a note when I added Colorfully Sarah Shop to my list of shops to write about that says “small but adorable.” I was talking about the shop in general — which as of this writing has just 40 patterns — but it’s also true of the designs themselves.

These cute, candy colored designs are sure to make you smile and are probably as fun to stitch as they are to look at. Let’s take a closer look.

You know a shop (or its owner) defies categorization when the largest category (albeit only by one) is “other.” Other is all hoops of little icons, whether frogs with conversation hearts, different shapes of pasta or a set of colorful cupcakes.

I chose this set of Jellycat style kawaii creatures to highlight because it’s super cute and would be fun for a kids room or a kid at heart. The design include 13 little characters, including a bunny, penguin, croissant and marshmallows, the sun and moon and a octopus. My teenager would love this one!

It measures 88 by 87 stitches and uses 25 colors. The designer suggests using 14 count fabric and putting the design in a seven-inch hoop.

This design gives you a pretty good idea of the style and the colors that are used in a lot of her designs. Animals is the next biggest category and they’re the same kind of projects, with multiple little animals. The frogs are back, this time with mushrooms. There are axolotls, bunnies and “spring insects” including butterflies, moths and beetles.

Other categories include fall, Christmas and video games (which has a collection of retro controllers, some Starwdew Valley icons and a set of pastel potions).

All of the patterns are adorable and sure to bring a smile while you stitch and when you display them or give them as gifts.

Check out all the designs at Colorfully Sarah Shop on Etsy.

[Photo: Colorfuly Sarah Shop]

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