Oct 8, 2023

Autumn/Fall Knit and Crochet Ideas

Updated: Sep 23

green orange and beige crochet supercrop hoodie with sunrise motifs on the chest and cuffs — Woodland Sunrise Cropped Hoodie

If any season is yarncraft season, it has to be Autumn or Fall. Those of us in the northern hemisphere are now experiencing its shorter days and cooler weather when cosy evenings indoors with our knitting or crochet become even more tempting.

Try out some of these autumn/fall knit and crochet ideas to get the most out of the season. Thanks so much to my yarny friends Nichola, of Elimee Designs, and Tuula, of Crochet with Tuula Maaria, for sharing some ideas and photos for this blog post. Some of the links in this post are affiliate links which means I may get paid a small sum if you purchase something from the site after following my link. Read more about how I use affiliate links here.

Yarns

wooden crochet hook with orange, green and beie yarn — Furls Wander Yarn and Streamline Hook

This is a great time to make the most of heavier aran/worsted or chunky yarns for bold stitch definition and a cosy feel. As a bonus, they’ll work up quickly so you won’t get caught out by a sneaky early frost. Choose woollen yarns like Wool of the Andes Worsted for warmth and breathability or consider faster drying, easy care acrylic yarn, like the Furls Wander yarn I used for the Woodland Sunrise Hoodie for anything tending to get wet or dirty, such as boot cuffs and children’s beanies.

Autumn/Fall knit and crochet project types

Now’s the time to work on layering garments like cardigans or ponchos and warm accessories such as scarves, hats and wrist warmers that can easily be slipped on and off with the changeable weather. You can click through from the photos if you want to know more about any of the projects shown here. As the earlier sunsets and wet weather encourage us to spend more time indoors, it can be fun to create home décor items such as placemats to protect our tables from hot drinks and meals, squishy cushions, wall-hangings and even rugs to keep our toes off the cold floor when we get out of our warm bed on chilly mornings. Oh and how about a stack of fluffy pumpkins, like these ones (click for a great YouTube tutorial by Tuula), to bring some autumn cheer around your fireplace? Don’t forget to plan ahead for any large winter makes such as blankets or gifts for the festive season too.

yelllow orange and red crochet pumpkins on the grass with autumn leaves around — Crochet Pumpkins by Crochet with Tuula Maaria

Tools

Brighten up the grey days by topping up your toolkit with some new colourful needles or hooks; choosing lighter colours can help if you’ll be crafting in low light. A neck light can also help too if you need extra light on your project to avoid eye-strain while others enjoy relaxing in softer lighting.

Colour choices

simple chained crochet flowers in brown orange and yellow yarn — Crochet Flower Garland

Look to the colourful trees and fallen leaves for inspiration and choose from coppery shades, soft browns, golden hues and warm reds to bring a cheerful cosiness to both wearables and homewares like this crochet flower garland.

Stitches

Select dense, textured stitches like garter stitch, cables, twisted Tunisan simple stitch, star stitch or mini bead stitch (click photos for video tutorials/patterns) for items that need to keep the cold out and add ribbing for a snug fit at wrist and neck openings. Bobbles or leaf appliqués can add interest and if you’re not planning to set the lace look aside for the season, add it just to the edges of your garments or consider a filet design featuring an eyelet pattern within a denser background stitch like the lovely Caitlin Zigzag Scarf (top centre) by Elimee Designs.

Keep comfortable

Coffee in grey and terracotta cup and grey fluffy yarn with orange cotton yarn — Coffee and Yarn

If your hands feel cold and stiff from the change in weather, before you settle down for a yarncraft session, warm them up with a hot drink and a few exercises and perhaps wear wrist warmers as you work.

New season, new skills

Autumn is also back to school time, so might you take the plunge and learn something new too? Check with your local yarn store or adult education providers in your area to see what courses and classes are available or look into studying online if that suits your location or schedule better.

Autumn Celebrations

black round pendant with colourful dots and scalloped edge — Firework crochet pendant

What will you be celebrating this Autumn? It's a season with plenty going on: Halloween offers plenty of spooky amigurumi fun at the end of October and in the UK we celebrate Guy Fawkes night with fireworks and bonfires and I have the perfect pendant for you to make for the occasion. November brings Diwali, the festival of lights, celebrated in India and by those of Indian origin around the world. Join in and make this cute and quick crocheted Diya lamp decoration from my free pattern. If you're celebrating Thanksgiving and want a really fast floral garland to decorate the dining room, my Jubilee Flower Garland looks great in autumn leaf shades (see pic above in colour choices)

croheted diya lamp — Festive Diwali diya

Laundry Time

Grab your woollens from previous years while the weather is still good for drying outside and get them washed ready for the coming colder seasons. If the video is too quick or small, you can watch my laundry session at normal pace and full size on YouTube.

So, will you be dusting off your hooks and needles as the cooler weather sets in or have you perhaps been crafty all throughout summer? Let me know in the comments.