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The weather is just starting to think about turning, and you might be just starting to think about needing a light scarf to keep the chill off… not yet… but in a month or so? I have a suggestion.

Concrete Jungle is a repetitive knit that holds your interest through a gorgeous gradient yarn (Muruk, a silk/yak blend from Bilum Yarns), and some fun stepped ends. It’s inspired by the glow of sunset on city skyscrapers, but also by the need for an office-appropriate neck warmer.

Grab it for 20% less until Sunday. No code required on Ravelry; on Payhip you can use the code SKYSCRAPER to get the discount.

Feeling the need for some comfort knitting? I got you. Viandar uses those mini-skeins you can never resist, and gorgeous garter stitch short rows, to create a stack of colour wedges that settle around your neck just so. It’s a very soothing project, perfect to pack in your holiday bag (or take to the pool). So simple, there’s really nothing else to say except that it’s 20% off until Sunday, June 28!

Colouring outside the lines can be irresistible! In the Frail scarf, irregular leaves scattered along – and just over the edges of – a brioche pathway create a playful but restrained elegance.

I’m offering Indie Untangled readers 30% off until 14 December, using the code INDIEFRAIL. And the pattern even includes a discount for the gorgeous recommended yarn!

I had so much fun with Kadigan, my newest design. (Kadigan is an old placeholder word – a thingamajig, a wotsit. How could I resist using that?) I love the style, which offers three different looks, but the making is the best part. It’s a bit quirky, but so rewarding.

You start with a basic shrug, then pick up stitches and work the skirt sideways using garter stitch short rows, ie basically the most enjoyable knitting there is. This construction has two great benefits. One is the simplicity of it: you follow an internal logic rather than the numbers, so although there’s always something going on, you don’t have to check the pattern much. The second is the adaptability. You can adjust virtually any part of it to fit your specific shape, without any maths, and I wrote the pattern specifically to encourage knitters to make the most of this.

Start by picking your size based on upper arm measurement, because that’s the most fixed aspect. Adjust the sleeve length if needed. Try it on as you go to get a perfect fit across your shoulders. Then grab an inchtape and choose the right size for the front pieces. Follow a different set of instructions depending on whether you want to lengthen or shorten the back, and by how much. See? Perfect custom sizing, and no calculator required!

It’s surprisingly addictive. My testers are already talking about their second Kadigans, and I’m planning at least two more. I hope you have as much fun with it as I have!

Everybody loves a bargain, and I love giving people an excuse to look at more of my patterns. So I’m offering one free pattern with every three bought from my Ravelry store. There’s no voucher – just add four patterns to your cart and the cheapest will be free.

There’s something for everyone, from accessories (many offering child-to-adult sizing) to sweaters. I do seem to have a particular cowl thing going on at the moment, though, so if your neck needs a little extra warmth in the winter – and really, whose doesn’t – I might have just the thing! Elfbaby, a hat with three brim options, is a popular baby gift; or if you’re looking for a grown-up lace challenge, how about Pavonis?

Most of my patterns include photo tutorials for special techniques. Whatever level your knitting’s at, there’s always something new to learn.

If you have a tiny amount of wild and crazy yarn in your stash – brightly coloured super bulky, or maybe some fabulous but baffling handspun art yarn – Nullkommanix could be the answer. It might also solve a gift knitting crisis. AND it has a couple of nifty tricks to teach you.

Nullkommanix (meaning 0.0 seconds, which is about how long it takes to make) is knitted in simple elongated garter stitch, then twisted to make a moebius loop. Here’s the fun part: you can use the simple backward loop method as a nearly perfect provisional cast-on; I do that all the time in all kinds of yarn, but wild yarn like this will camouflage it particularly well. Photo tutorials teach you how to do that, and how to kitchener in garter stitch, for a super-easy and satisfying result that you’ll find yourself applying everywhere.

It’s free for newsletter subscribers new and old. My newsletter goes out every two weeks and is full of linky goodness, so don’t be shy – join us!

Did you ever wish you could channel the strength of a dragon?

I admit it’s a lot to ask of a knitted accessory. But that’s what I was thinking of when I designed Haku and Chihiro – companion one-skein cowls using the dragonscale stitch pattern. I love the thought of casing my vulnerable neck in steely yet elegant dragonskin. And I really love how this looks.

Haku uses silky fingering yarn and beads for a glamorous, grown-up accessory with a flared base. Chihiro is a straight tube in worsted weight that makes a quick gift knit for kids or adults. You can buy the set for just €6, more than 25% off the price for each separately.

Incidentally, the names come from Miyazaki’s anime classic Spirited Away. It took me ages to find a named dragon who wasn’t scary – which probably shouldn’t have surprised me, and yet. Do you find the idea of wrapping your neck in protective but totally elegant dragonskin as appealing as I do?

In designing Wraparoche, I wasn’t happy with the usual brioche cast-on options, so I went looking for something a bit different. I found this braided two-colour cast-on to be perfect (and a good match for a two-colour brioche cast-off), and have shared the technique on my blog. It’s sturdy and decorative; it isn’t elastic, so you’ll need to take care to work loosely to match the brioche fabric, but the results are perfect.

I’ll also be publishing the cast-off tutorial shortly (both are of course included in the pattern). You can find plenty more tutorials for unusual techniques on my blog, including this one for one-pass brioche – ever wished you could do away with the hassle of repeating each row or round to work two-colour brioche? Turns out, it’s really not that hard… and makes challenging patterns like Pravigan that much faster. Of course it also works great for Wraparoche!