Have I mentioned how happy I am that it’s September? I know you’re all with me on this (in this hemisphere, at least). I’ve been getting a lot of questions about Slow Fashion October, in particular, and seeing lots of speculation here and there about the various upcoming knitalongs. I get that everyone’s curious and excited and also increasingly busy as we head toward the holidays, so I thought it’d be good to take a minute to discuss the fall highlights!
—Fringe and Friends Knitalong—
As noted last week, there’s another big Fringe and Friends Knitalong coming your way in two weeks. (If you missed last year’s Amanda/fisherman knitalong, it’s all here.) I’ll announce the pattern pick on Friday Sept 18th and introduce you to this year’s illustrious panel of knitters on Monday the 21st, and we’ll be off and running. Er, knitting. I’m super excited to show you these swatches! This year’s sweater is a super quick knit — the opposite of last year’s — and is in some ways insanely simple and in other ways interestingly challenging. It’s going to be a ton of fun to see what each of the panelists does with it — and what you all do.
—Slow Fashion October—
Yes, Slow Fashion October is happening! As you know, it’s inspired in large part by Me Made May, in the sense that it’s meant to be super participatory and a total community event. The focus and structure will be different, and I hope to involve not even just knitters and sewers, but also anyone who wants to be more thoughtful about their wardrobe and where their clothes are coming from.
There won’t be any kind of pledge or commitment — how you participate will be entirely up to you. There will be a hashtag of course (#slowfashionoctober), and I’m planning to structure it around weekly themes, with which you can do as you please. That may mean just thinking about these subjects and ways to apply them to your own life and closet, but it will hopefully mean sharing your thoughts and efforts and conclusions on your own blogs and social media, as well as in your offline social circles or around the community table at your local yarn/fabric shop or whatever the case may be. So I’ll declare a theme for each week and give you some ideas of subjects to think and talk about within that theme, and you take it from there!
I’ll post the outline for that here in the next week or two and again on the first of October. Cool?
I’ll be doing lots of posts here on the blog and on my @karentempler Instagram feed relating to those themes and prompts. But I’m also declaring one specific, ambitious project for myself to tackle during that month, and I hope you’ll think about doing the same. Mine is that I’m going to sew a garment from fabric that my friend Allison Volek Shelton will be weaving for me. So I’ll have lots more to say about that, too! Your project might be to knit your first sweater, or to try your hand at sewing, or to push your own boundaries in whatever way, with the idea of creating a really special something that will have meaning to you for years to come.
—Fringe Hatalong Series—
The Fringe Hatalong Series (aka #fringehatalong) will continue throughout all of this, as well. You guys all know my one true love (for knitting and wearing) is cables, so of course the fall hat is a cable hat. It’s an original pattern designed for the hatalong by one of my favorite people, and it is just perfection. I cannot wait to show it to you and to cast on, so keep that in mind for mid-October. Totally doable even if you haven’t done cables before.
And then the last hat in the series will be revealed in either late November or early December. They’ve all been excellent hats for gift-giving, and I know a lot of you have been stockpiling them for that purpose, but this one is especially great for holiday knitting. It’s a men’s/unisex hat with really interesting construction, and again, I’m dying to get to it because I can’t wait to see for myself how it works.
I’ll have more on all of the above as their respective dates draw near! Which part are you most excited about?
Center photo by @shuttersandshuttles, used with permission
As a new knitter,I am ready for a challenge to enhance my skills .I can’t wait to see what’s in store for fall fashion.
Slow Fashion October – sounds fantastic. I am SO in! My challenge will be to hybridize my ‘ideal’ sewing pattern for a dress for me (I have a few favorites that I’d like to mashup), and sew a few in fall fabrics.
That, and finish one or two sweater UFOs that have epitomized ‘slow fashion’ in an ironic way for far too long…!
Thanks so much for the prompts, support, and structure, Karen! I look forward to October!
It all sounds great and I look forward to being inspired, as usual, from your work out here, Karen! I’ve only knit one of the knitalong hats but hope to get the others going at some point – such a wonderful variety and a great idea. I’m working on a cable sweater and have plans to start a seamless, yoked sweater this fall with my LYS…. so, I might have to be an observer in your sweater knitalong – which is always rewarding in it’s own way. I look forward to it all!
I have slowly been working through creating a capsule wardrobe – including more of handmade and slow fashion purchases. So I am very excited about Slow Fashion October and how it continues to shape my decisions and future purchases/project selections.
So much to think about, Karen! As for me, I’d like to do it all! I’ve enjoyed the Hatalongs very much this year, so, check…I’ll do that. The Knitalong sounds interesting – I especially like the “super quick knit” description of the pattern, so yes…I’m in for that. And, as for the slow fashion challenge…I’ve been thinking of that a lot lately, so your prompts will probably provoke further thinking and action on my part. Ironically, I bought a jacket pattern yesterday that will push my sewing forward and that sounds like the perfect ambitious project for me to undertake. So, I’m pretty excited about October – just need to finish my current WIPs so I have the time to undertake all of these great projects!
I suspect my participation in Slow Fashion October will involve paring down my too many clothes and figuring out what I own that makes me feel good, keeping those things, donating the rest, and maybe dipping my toes back into sewing for myself. I’m looking forward to it.
I’ve finally shoved the hat-along hats to the front of my queue and have the Audrey OTN. I’m loving knitting it and the way it’s turning out. I may be slow but I’m chugging away back here, determined to knit them all, in stash yarn, and in the order they were announced. Maybe I’ll have caught up by the time the last one rolls around.
I have been swatching with every yarn I can think of in preparation for all the knitalongs. I’m determined to join at least one this season
I really appreciate everything you do to support the knitting community. I’ve just become serious about knitting this year and not only is your blog a repository of a wealth of info, but you also create opportunities for us to learn in a really welcoming, logical, and structured way. And, on top of all of that, you are consistent thoughtful and reflective about where your clothes come from and what this all means to us.
I just made my first colourwork item thanks to the current hatalong hat and I’m looking forward to participating in knitalongs and more in the future!
*consistently!
I’m so excited for Fall! It seems like there are a million exciting things happening. I loved this post and I want to join in on everything :) I’m already participating in 2 KALs but hopefully I can join in on the hat-along and the sweater KAL
Hurrah for Slow Fashion October! It’s the perfect motivation for me to finally buckle down and figure out a long-sleeved, button-down shirt. I have Aster, so I think I’ll start there. I’m excited to see your themes.
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