The "go-with-everything" colors you didn't know you needed

Introducing: my Wardrobe Essentials palette

This is my regular Friday newsletter where I share what’s new in my shop, along with a little bit of yarn talk.

Let’s talk about the quiet colors in your wardrobe that are workhorses. The colors that go with everything, that form the base of an outfit, the ones that make you feel at home in your body and in your life.

It might be the perfect blue of your favorite jeans, the ones softened with years of wear and that fit your body just so. It might be the perfect color of a sweater that picks up the warm brown of your eyes.

Over the past four years, I’ve been rediscovering what these colors (and shapes and silhouettes) are for me. I’ve knit about two dozen sweaters and have found that the colors, above, have stood the test of time for me. At first glance, they may not feel showy or striking. But, I have found them to be full of quiet magic, and I think you might find this too.

I’m calling this palette of 9 colors my Wardrobe Essentials, and they are now available in my shop on Harvest Sport. (They will eventually be available, all the time, on all 8 of my base yarns, but as I like to do, I’m starting slow. 😌)

Let me tell you why I’m starting with my Harvest Sport base:

If you care about being gentle on the earth (which I know is a top focus for many of you): you will love this base. It’s non-superwash, made from wool that’s grown with the highest regenerative standards, and fully grown and spun in the US.

If you love bouncy, tight twist wools, you will love this base. It’s a 3-ply (my favorite) which makes a plush and springy fabric. It has a tight spinning twist (also my favorite) which means that you get cables that pop and really crisp stitch definition.

If you like finishing sweaters that aren’t too hot to wear, just that little bit faster, you will love this base! It’s sportweight, which means that sweaters are still lightweight, but they knit up just that little bit faster than fingering weight.

Audition this base with a 1-skein project & free pattern

Knitwear designer @clevereststitch modeling the Penchant hat pattern for me. This color is Tea Rose.

This hat, Penchant, by @hunterhammersen is free with every skein of Harvest Sport. Hunter generously licensed the pattern to me for a Little Skein-exclusive version that has full line-by-line-written instructions as well as charts. It makes a beautiful, wearable, lightweight hat—and more than that, when you knit a hat out of a single skein, it lets you try out the yarn to see how it feels in your hands, to see how you like the fabric, and to try out a colorway.

I’ve knit 3 sweaters, 1 vest and 6 hats out of this base, and I wear them all the time. I can confidently and wholeheartedly recommend this yarn to you.

What will you make?

In addition to my Wardrobe Essentials (all 9 colors are in stock in the shop right now), I have also loaded up the shop with 6 additional colorways, all ready to ship.

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If you’re the kind of person who likes to pick a pattern before you choose yarn, you will like knowing that these 3 sweater patterns were designed especially for Harvest Sport:

• Bandit Cardigan by Jacqueline Cieslak

• Kittenish Tank by Tina Tse

• Texture Garden Cardigan by Tina Tse

as were these 3 perfect accessories:

• Penchant hat by Hunter Hammersen

• Maxie's Swatch Cap by Ainur Berkimbayeva (links to Ravelry)

• Kittenish Shawlette by Tina Tse Knits

& here my top 30 pattern recommendations for Harvest Sport in a helpful Ravelry bundle. All of these patterns are #sizeinclusive up to a 60-inch bust (with the majority of them exceeding this standard).

A final note about yarn and affordability: Using hand-dyed yarn for a sweater is a delightful and special treat for a knitter. Some hand-knitters do not have budget constraints around yarn, which is wonderful. Some hand-knitters do have budget constraints, which is also normal. If using my yarn is not in your budget but you would really love to try it, you may wish to consider applying to my Community Fund, which can help bring down the cost of my yarn by giving you a gift card that covers a portion of the total cost. My Community Fund is generously funded by knitters who follow and appreciate my work and who have a bit extra in their budget to share.

This month, your fellow knitters Eileen, Jennifer, Ann, Linda, Catherine, and Michelle have contributed to the fund.

So, if you’re reading this and wondering whether the Community Fund is for you, then I offer this advice:

• If you live on a fixed income, or

• If you usually use more basic wools or acrylic yarn, or

• If the cost of my yarn or kits is not financially feasible for you at this time, or

• If multiple intersections of your identity are impacted by systemic racism and/or bias ...

… then, yes, the Community Fund is for you, and you can apply here!

I hope this weekend finds you with plenty of moments of calm and joy, and in the words of my favorite audio podcast, I hope you are able to knit more!

—Anne

PS: This is the last weekend to preorder my early spring colorways, so if you’ve had your eye on Starling (which has been my best-selling new colorway ever), now’s the time.