Here comes the sun! Laine Issue 17 is not far away and we sure are looking forward to waking up from winter to some warmer days. This bright and cheery issue with a nod to a vintage aesthetic features the work of eleven designers: Julia Disini, Rastus Hsu, Elena Solier Jansà, Pauliina Leisti, Veronika Lindberg, Marie Régnier, Jacquline Rivera, Lene Tøsti, Maija Vasala, Pope Vergara and Thea Vesterby.

Below I have taken a closer look at the designs inside along with some yarn pairing suggestions from the Knit With Attitudes shelves.

Wave by Thea Vesterby. Worked seamlessly from the top down Wave features stripes of lace panels separated by bands of a contrast colour. You start by knitting the back, then pick up for the front at the shoulder seam, knit flat down to the underarms and join to work in the round for the rest of the body. The cute oversized sleeves are then worked down from the body in the round. I’m seeing a real trend for jumpers of this type lately, textural stripes are all the rage. You could knit each stripe a different colour or work the contrast bands from lots of different DK leftovers in your stash. Knit in a 100% Merino I would dive straight into Fyberspates Vivacious DK.

Utopia by Elena Solier Jansà. I really like the elegance of a simple shape with an all over stitch pattern. It elevates a classic look with a sophisticated twist. Worked seamlessly from the top down with raglan shaping. Look closer at those raglan seams, there is a cable that runs along them, I love that little touch. This is done in a sport weight but I’m thinking the Fibre Co Amble for this, its a 4ply but on the plumper side so I think it would work.

Sound of Spring by Lene Tøsti. The soothing waves of this asymmetrical triangular shawl is knit on the bias. A repeating motif of fan like shapes fill the shawl. This is separated by simple garter stitch bands of a contrast colour. It would coordinate very well with the wave jumper. Shawls like this with fun but memorable pattern repeats need to be honoured with a beautiful yarn. The lightness and drape of Black Elephant Merino Singles would be idea for this spring shawl.

Socks À La Mode by Jacquline Rivera. Ok these socks are giving me real ice cream cravings! The motif is inspired by Jacquline Rivera’s visit to the New Jersey boardwalk and eating frozen custard in a waffle cone from Kohr Brothers. Worked from the cuff down incorporating a stranded colourwork motif done on larger needles to counteract the lack of stretch from the floats. They are really cute and in beautiful ice cream tones. It has to be Socks Yeah 4ply.

Seashells by Marie Régnier. This simple summery vest has an interesting textured rib that runs thought the entire top. Starting at the top the straps are knitted first flat before all being joined to knit in the round at the underarm. I like how the ribbing gives the design real depth. Also a nice finishing touch is adding a scalloped crochet border around the neckline and armholes. &Make DK with a little bit of linen would be nice for this.

Linescapes by Veronika Lindberg. This is a cosy cardigan, I’m imaging movie night curled on the sofa wearing this. It’s worked flat incorporating the button band as you go. The fold down collar is a nice touch and its larger size plays with the chunkier yarn used. I would try this in Hillesvåg Blåne.

Liberty by Pope Vergara. This light short sleeved jumper is knit in a mohair combo. Light ruffles run up the back and down the front and it also features beading in the rib. I really like the beading detail in the neckline and cuff edges. It allows you to add a little bit of sparkle amongst the fluff. I would try a combo of Fyberspates Gleem Lace or G-uld No.4 held with Fyberspates Cumulus. The ruffles are cast off with a strand of pure silk, though I would be tempted to find a contrasting colour of the Gleem Lace Embroidery Thread for the cast off.

Kainuu by Maija Vasala. I love, love, love this design, it has a really sweet vintage feel to it but with little modern details. Worked from the top down this impressive yoke features 8 colours, but only two are ever worked in a row. You could have so much fun coming up with different colour combos. The motifs are inspired by traditional mittens from Kainuu in Finland where the designer grew up. My initial thought for this was Hillesvåg Sølje for the contrast colours and Hillesvåg Vilje for the main. But the bright colours of Garthenor Preseli are also calling to me as you use less than 50g for each of the colours.

JingWoo by Rastus Hsu. I have long admired this designers work, the origami like textures are simple to knit but very striking. They are created just by combining knits and purls in a clever way. Mesmerising but relaxing to knit. Worked flat as a large rectangle its also a nice shape to drape around yourself. I’m thinking Fyberspates Scrumptious 4ply with its bright colours and glossy silk content would create a striking version of this design.

Dress to Impress by Julia Disini. Another relaxed and cosy cardigan in this issue comes in the form of this light as air, fuzzy and lacey one. A large graphic lace repeat is featured on the back, fronts and sleeves. It’s knit from the bottom up with button bands worked simultaneously. It looks extremely wearable and one I think that would be very hard to take off. It is knit in a chunky mohair and I think the closest match would be holding two strands of the Fibre Co Cirro together, though it would be worth doing a decent sized swatch to check you are getting all the details.

Aamuyö by Pauliina Leisti. This simple cardigan makes an elegant layer. I’m imagining wearing it casually open over a smart shirt. Worked from the top down in an all over textural pattern that subtly alternates between colours. I really like simple and minimal edges, it gives it a really smart and crisp feel. Knit in an alpaca and a mohair I would pair G-uld Alpaca and because I’m craving a little bit of speckle Black Elephant Suri Cloud.