Winter is fast approaching, and the darkness and cold damp nights and days are, frankly, depressing. I wouldn't mind so much if we had crisp, clear, cold days with weak sunshine and blue skies, but living on the west coast of Scotland means those days are few and far between. We are more likely to have grey skies and rain, with wet leaves being blown against our ankles, and jackets soaked through.

Despite this sorry state of affairs, we can embrace winter as knitters and crocheters, because this is where our skills come into their own. Who doesn’t love being wrapped up in cosy handmade accessories and jumpers, hats rammed down onto cold ears, and chins snuggled into woolly shawls and scarves?

We can brighten our dull days with rainbow shades, scorching colours and fluffy textures, raising our spirits and easing our souls.

This was kind of what I was feeling when I chose colours for the Evenfall jumper by Andrea Mowry. This slip-stitch, fingering (sock)-weight design was itching for some colour therapy, and seemed the ideal way to showcase some of the glorious Scottish yarns in the shop.

Warmth was key, in every sense, so I chose merino yarns in colours that reminded me of the depths of a campfire - a rich raspberry red, Reidhaven by Bow Fiddle Yarns as the main colour, with contrasts of fiery orange, aptly named Fankle Orange from Stewart Yarns, and the neutral balance of Tammie Norrie by Cookston Crafts, a stunning blend of shades of grey with hints of amber and red, like ash at the bottom of the fire.

I absolutely love how it turned out ♥️

Pattern is available on Ravelry and from the designer's own website at www.dreareneeknits.com.

Evenfall by Andrea Mowry with yarn from Fankle Yarns