Cable knitwear is set to be huge this Autumn

It’s official – Autumn 2011 has arrived! Our new Autumn catalogue started to drop on to doormats across the country at the weekend. Did you get yours? If you would like to receive a copy but don’t think you are on our mailing list, please click here to request a copy now. If you can’t wait, click here to see it online.

While I don’t have any intention of wishing away the summer, I can’t help but feel excited about the array of wonderful knits which we are offering this year and can’t wait to be able to wear them all! It isn’t just us talking about the new season either; browsing magazines over the past couple of weeks I have seen quite a few trend reports and ‘must-have’ lists for Autumn/Winter.

One of the key trends which is set to be huge this Autumn/Winter is traditional cable stitching. In Company magazine this trend has been mixed with paint box colours including bright green and hot pink!

While we might not have chosen such bright colours in our cable pieces, they are still just as eye-catching with their on-trend styles including oversized slouchy knits and chunky waistcoats. Here is a small selection of our cable woollies…
As well as boasting intricate cable stitching, the pieces in the above image all have something else in common; they are all knitted in the UK from home grown Bluefaced Leicester wool. With British Wool Week coming up in a few weeks’ time (5th-11th September – read more about the Campaign for Wool here), what better way to mark the occasion than with a cosy cable-knitted jumper or waistcoat made from one of the finest British yarns!

There are three chunky cable designs in our Autumn 2011 catalogue which are knitted using Bluefaced Leicester wool. Here is the first - the Longline Cable Tunic…

Our HR Manager and Press Officer, Charlotte Cole received plenty of compliments when she wore this during Fashion Press Week back in May (read more about that here). The combination of the wide neck and sculpted hem line make this a really flattering shape and I think it works well on its own or over a jersey top as Amelie wears it in the catalogue (page 60 if you would like a look).

For a contemporary twist on the traditional Fisherman design, I love the Stylised Fisherman’s Jumper…The name of this jumper should hopefully give you an idea of what to expect! This jumper has been modernised with a slightly longer back and shorter sleeves to reflect current trends while being comfortable and warm too. Again, the Stylised Fisherman’s Cable Jumper can be used as a layering piece or simply worn on its own depending on the temperature.

Bluefaced Leicester wool knits closely which makes it ideal for detailed cable stitching as it shows off the contrast between flat cables and raised twists. You can see this in more detail in the third piece from our new catalogue; the Chunky Cable waistcoat…


I love the style of this waistcoat and can imagine a myriad of occasions for wearing it. As an extra layer, it makes a change for the usual cardi or jumper option too!

As well as the Bluefaced Leicester pieces, we have plenty of other variations on the cable trend. Just type “cable” into the search box on our website and you can see what comes up for yourself!