Coated in Knitting

I had planned to do a post of selected knitted coats and jackets for the first day of autumn last week, but last week found me having to focus on writing reviews of all the new knitting magazine issues that had been published the week before. Knitting magazine publishing is seasonal, which means that there'll be no new issues for awhile and then there's five or six published all at once, and I like to give the magazine review posts first priority as they're the main reason people read this blog. Anyway, October 1st also seems like a good day to post about knitted coats, so here's the post. I've selected ten jacket designs for women, five for men, and five for children. Let's start with the women's patterns. The photo above is of the 705 - Coat pattern by Bergère de France. It's been published in several magazines and pamphlets. I find this pattern so inimitably chic and French.

This is the Milkweed pattern, designed by Carol Sunday, and available for $8(USD). I posted this really lovely pattern to this blog's Facebook page recently and the page's followers got nearly as excited about it as they did when I posted a picture of Daniel Craig in a cardigan, which is saying something.

This is the Moscow Coat, designed by Vladimira Ilkovicova. It's available for $9(USD). I love the smart, modern vibe of this piece. The cowl collar is actually a separate piece and can be arranged in a few different ways.

This is the Shell Game Coat, designed by Patty Nance and published in Bargello Knits. I'm revelling in imagining this coat in a variety of other colourways, though you'll need to be very good at working with colour to plan a colourway as beautifully integrated as this one.

The Urte pattern, designed by Louisa Harding. This pattern was published in Eventyr Pamphlet #140 in 2014. As I researched jacket patterns for this post, I told myself I definitely had to include one pattern with a lush faux fur collar and cuffs as I love that look, and this stylish number was the one I chose. The collar can be worn buttoned shut or opened up and folded back and looks equally good either way. I would tweak this pattern by decreasing the depth of the faux fur around the hem to something like six inches. This design is a little too hip-emphasizing as is.

The Houndstooth Car Coat, designed by Cecily Glowik MacDonald, and it was published in the November 2007 issue of Cast-On. If it proves too difficult or impossible to get that issue of Cast-On, the pattern looks not too difficult to copy. Love this one for its retro feel. I'm imagining it in neutral colourways (gray and black; ivory and brown) for maximum wearability. I don't think I'd knit this one in mint green unless I owned the roadster behind the model. Then I would feel I must.

Of course not everyone who would like to knit a jacket wants to knit a long one, so let's look at some short jackets. This is the Graphic Jacket, designed by Jacqueline van Dillen, originally published in the Holiday 2013 issue of Vogue Knitting. It's a polished, "go nearly everywhere" piece. And if you find yourself standing the way this model is while wearing it, do make it a priority to see your chiropractor and/or take some Ex-Lax.

This is the Edgewick jacket, designed by Cheryl Chow. It's an immensely wearable item that should look good on almost any woman, and is available for $6.50(USD).

The Cranston Coat, designed by Cecily Glowik MacDonald and published in New England Knits: Timeless Knitwear with a Modern Twist. It's so simple yet so distinctive.

The Harlow Suit Jacket, designed by Evelyn Hase. This pattern is available for $4.95(USD). Love the detail on this one.

Let's look at the jacket patterns for men next. This is the Nottingham Sweater, by Marlaina Bird. It's available for $5.99(USD). The zipper and the contrast trim give it quite a sharp and modern air, yet it's a classic look that almost any man of any age could wear.

This is the Cable and Rib Zipper Jacket, by Patons Australia, originally published in the Patons pamphlet #1232, Inca for Men. Very classic and wearable, but with a little style.

The Peavey Jacket, designed by Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark. This pattern is available for $5.50(USD). Love the plaid pattern, though there are definitely better colourways for this one.

The Man's Plaid Jacket, by Mari Lynn Patrick. This pattern is available for $5(USD). This is a bolder, younger version of the plaid jacket just above, but one does have to look past the styling of this photo, and imagine the sweater in another colourway.

The Men's Short Jacket, by Martin Storey, published in Sarah Hatton & Martin Storey Designer Knits: 22 Handknit Designs for Him & Her Using Rowan Yarns. Some unusual and interesting texture here, with lattice work laid over stripes.

Now that we've seen the women's and men's jackets, let's move on to the children's jacket patterns. The Super Stripes Jacket, by Patons, published in Patons pamphlet #500882, Cool for School. This is a smart zippered sweater that will suit either a boy or a girl.

How adorable is this Rosebud coat, designed by Ann Kingstone? This pattern was published in Stranded Knits.

The Pevensie coat, designed by Emma Galati. This pattern is available for $4.50(USD). This isn't styled very well — this jacket would look much better in any number of other colourways or with other buttons, but the design has good lines and is very eye-catching.

The Hansel jacket, by Alison Stewart-Guinee, was published in Fairy Tale Knits: 32 Projects to Knit Happily Ever After. If I was making this sweater for a boy, I'd tweak it a little to make it more masculine by going with wooden buttons, or perhaps leather buckles, and perhaps a different colourway.

The Child's Mosaic Jacket, by Suzanne Bryan. This pattern was originally published in the November 2011 issue of Cast-On. This is really quite a strikingly original piece of work and an interesting rendering of the mosaic effect in yarn.