2023 Knitting Trend Predictions
Every year the fashion world is revamped with the newest trends, often pushed by celebrities and influencers and seemingly disappearing almost as soon as they are noticed. In the current state of fashion, with fast fashion having an impact on the quick turnover of trends, it can feel like we just can’t keep up with what’s next.
In the hand knitting world, trends still come and go and are frequently influenced by high fashion. But, because of how long it takes to actually knit a garment, trends in hand knitting take longer to live out their life cycle which is something to applaud as so many knitters are trying to achieve a more sustainable lifestyle through making their own garments.
Below are some trends I predict we will see come into the spotlight in 2023. I can’t wait to see if these predictions come to life!
Maximalism
Inspired by the clean principles of mid-century modern and Scandinavian design, minimal boxy shapes and fully stockinette stitch projects in a range of neutral colors have dominated social feeds for the past several years. As the fashion industry is having a resurgence in maximalist design fueled by the shift in lifestyle as we reach a new point in the pandemic, I think we will see the same principles embraced in hand knitting. Color work, fair isle, patchworking, and intricate cables are some of the design elements that will be used to carry this new trend.
Designers like Stephen West & Andrea Mowry with their signature maximalist aesthetic have held their popularity in the industry, while it has been exciting to see patterns with intricate elements from designers with a typically more minimalist handwriting such as My Favourite Things Knitwear gain popularity.
I also think that people who took up knitting during the beginning days of the pandemic have now grown their skillset to take on more advanced projects and are ready for a challenge.
Bold colors
Similar to the above prediction of maximalism, I also think that we are going to see a lot more color in knitting this year. Neutrals are always safe for knitwear because they match basically everything, and when you invest so much time into knitting yourself a garment, you get a lot more wear out of a piece if it’s easy to make outfits with. That being said, with recent fashion trends like “Barbie-Core” (cannot wait for the new movie with Margot Robbie!!) coming to the forefront, and Pantone announcing the 2023 color of the year as Viva Magenta it will not be a surprise to see more knitters catching on and exploring bold color in their designs or projects.
Scrappy projects
In 2023, I think that stash busting projects will be at the top of many to-knit lists. Unfortunately, with the possibility of a recession in the US in the coming year, I predict that a lot of knitters will try to use up what is in their stash rather than buying whole sweaters quantities of new yarn. It is also not an uncommon new year’s resolution in the knitting community to try to use up your stash yarn before buying more, which will help to propel this trend.
The fashion world is still holding onto the quilt coat trend, with brands like Sea New York embracing it as part of their identity. As we see fashion trends continue throughout hand knitting, we may all be adding some stash busters to our queues this year.