April has seen an explosion of knitting patterns.  My favorites list can barely keep pace.  Today, I’ll show you ten of the patterns that have caught my eye recently.  I will start with the fabulous men’s fair isle waistcoat, Machrihanish, designed by Kate Davies.  I love Kate’s designs, almost as much as I love her blog.  I believe this is her first menswear pattern; hopefully, it will be the first of many.

© Kate Davies Designs

Next up is the Artemis Sweater, designed by Anne Podlesak.  I think this is a really simple but effective design.  The ribbing gives it a good fit, with just enough of an architectural cabling detail to make things interesting.  I especially like the sleeves.

© Kristen Brooks Photography

I’m not usually one for pink but I am quite taken with the beautiful soft pink of the Dolores sweater, designed by Dawn Catanzaro for Quince and Co.  This is such a sweet sweater, pretty and feminine.  I am a fan of Quince and Co, both of their yarns and of their design portfolio.  Their sweaters are always beautifully photographed.  And the yarns really impress me, especially with their colourfastness and vibrancy.  I have knit with their Osprey and Chickadee wool yarns, but Dolores is knit with their Tern yarn, a wool-silk blend in a fingering weight.  Its definitely on my must-try list.

© Carrie Bostick Hoge

Dolores is not the only Quince and Co sweater to hit my radar this month.  I really like the clean lines of the Aisance cardigan.  This is designed by Kirsten Johnstone and incorporates really clever ribbing details on the back, as well as the beautiful columns of ribbing down the fronts.  Aisance is also knit with Tern.  I think the silk really gives it a nice drape.

© Carrie Bostick Hoge

You might think that April would bring mostly spring sweater patterns to the fore (how terribly Hemispherist of me!)  You would think wrong! I adore the brilliant navy and white graphics in the Enige Og Tro Genser sweater, designed by Arne & Carlos.  Isn’t it fun?  Arne & Carlos do kitsch is such a good way; their designs always make me smile.  This pattern is unisex and comes with a matching hat, but if I had a 20-year old guy to knit for, I would totally make him this.

© Norsk Flid

I tend to prefer winter sweaters, but this year’s crop of summer designs is pretty good.  There are quite a few that have caught my eye, including the Austin Tee, designed by Jean Chung for the Summer 2013 issue of Knitscene.  The lace is pretty and interesting, but I especially like the shape of this garment, in particular the wide neckline and the sleeves.  If I had this in my wardrobe I think it would get worn a lot; it could as easily dress up a cute summer skirt as be worn with cut-off jeans.

© Knitscene/Harper Point

The Twist Collective is one of my favorite knitting publications.  I eagerly await every issue and always enjoy their patterns and articles.  It is a well-designed on-line magazine and their production standards are very high.  Their were plenty of pretty spring sweaters in the new edition; I will just show you one – the lovely Finery by Karolina Eckerdal.

© Linus Ouellet

I think this is a perfect cardigan to dress up a summer outfit.  It has beautiful drape. To really appreciate it, however, you have to see a photo of the back:

© Linus Ouellet

And this brings me to the new Brooklyn Tweed release, Wool People 7.  Brooklyn Tweed has become a powerhouse of design.  The stable of in-house designers put together by Jared Flood, along with the subtle colours of the Brooklyn Tweed yarns, and the meticulous curating of the collections make each new publication an event in the knitting world.  Three of the ten patterns I’ve chosen for this post come from Wool People7; I could easily have included them all.  First up, Arabella by Ann McCauley:

© Brooklyn Tweed/Jared Flood

I’m not quite sure why I like it so much, but I love the casual ease of it, which still manages to be sophisticated.  (I am in fact considering knitting it with the four skeins of Madtosh Light in Tart which I posted about here.)

I also love Yane, by Tokuko Ochiai.  It is a very simple design, using the classic pullover shape (but extremely well-executed) and enlivened by intarsia chevrons.  I find it very appealing.  I also love this photo. You should definitely take the time to look through Brooklyn Tweed’s Look Books; the photography is always superb.

© Brooklyn Tweed/Jared Flood

I’ll end with Pente, a great, casual, comfy, drapey cardigan using two colours of Brooklyn Tweed Loft.  I love this one.  (I have a lighweight cashmere cardigan of a similar shape and drape which I bought close to 20 years ago at the KaDeWe in Berlin; I love it to pieces but it is looking increasingly threadbare.  I think it’s past time to knit a replacement.)  Pente is designed by Carol Feller, who regular readers of this blog will know is a particular favorite of mine.  (I also must point out that I adore this model; she is so gorgeous.)

© Brooklyn Tweed/Jared Flood

© Brooklyn Tweed/Jared Flood

That’s it for Pattern Radar.  I am very nearly finished with a new knit; stop by to see it next weekend!