"Pantheon" by Norah Gaughan

"Pantheon," by Norah Gaughan, sleeve detail

It's Labor Day today, which means that the hot, humid weather will be coming to an end soon and knitters will be digging out their large needles and wool and daydreaming of sweaters. I love knitting lace, and I've been having a great time knitting up the Orenburg Shawl, but I am also looking forward to more substantial projects.

Fall is the perfect time for knitted coats, and there are several beauties in our Fall issue. On my recent visit with Margery I snapped some pictures of a couple of them that deserve a closer look than you get in the magazine.

First up, is this unusual design by Norah Gaughan. Made with Berroco Blackstone Tweed on size 8 needles, and constructed of pentagons, you can start knitting the smaller shapes for the sleeves now and not find yourself knitting the larger pieces until the weather has cooled off enough to make that welcome. Before you know it, there'll be a nip in the air, you'll want a light coat and find yourself nearly done! 

Berroco Blackstone Tweed is soft and luxurious with a wonderful, lofty texture. The mohair and angora in the blend give the yarn all the visual appeal of tweed but none of the scratchiness.

The design is so subtle it's really not easy to photograph in a way the does it any kind of justice. You can see the different directions the knitting takes in the pentagonal design, but you'll have to trust me that this gem is so much better in person than pictures can convey.