Koigu Fall Leaves Skirt Knitting Pattern

Koigu Fall Leaves Skirt

What Is Being Made

The Koigu Fall Leaves Skirt is an advanced knitting project that creates a sophisticated knee-length skirt featuring decorative leaf motifs. Designed by Kathryn Merrick and published by Koigu Wool Designs in their Pencil Box Collection 2, this garment combines structural shaping with artistic colorwork. The skirt is available in two finished sizes: 25" or 28" waist circumference with corresponding hem widths of 36" or 39" and lengths of 21" or 23".

Techniques Used

This advanced project employs multiple sophisticated knitting techniques that require experienced craftsmanship. The construction begins with individual leaf motifs that are knitted separately and then strategically sewn together to form decorative rounds. The skirt utilizes cable cast-on for creating the leaf shapes, allowing for precise stitch placement at the foundation. Decrease techniques including slip-slip-knit (SSK) and pass slipped stitch over (P2SSO) are used to shape the leaf points and create the tapered silhouette. Make one increases (M1) both knitwise and purlwise add fullness where needed. The garment transitions from flat leaf construction to circular knitting when stitches are picked up around the assembled leaves to form the upper band and skirt body. Striped colorwork is incorporated in the yoke section, with color changes occurring every four rounds. Strategic decreasing continues throughout the upper band and into the waist shaping to achieve the fitted silhouette.

Stitches Used

• Knit stitch (K) – the primary stitch throughout the construction
• Purl stitch (P) – used for textural contrast in the upper band and leaf construction
• Slip stitch (Sl) – employed in decrease sequences
• Slip-slip-knit (SSK) – creates left-leaning decreases in the leaf shaping
• Pass slipped stitch over (P2SSO) – double decrease used to form leaf points and waist shaping
• Make one (M1) – increases worked both knitwise and purlwise to add fullness to leaves
• Cable cast-on – foundation method for leaf motifs

Materials and Specifications

This project is knitted with Koigu KPPPM Pencil Box Fall Leaves, a premium yarn consisting of 100% Merino wool available in ten 25-gram demi skeins, each providing 87 yards (80 meters) of yardage. The color palette includes multiple shades designated as A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, and J, with specific quantities required for each size. One additional skein of Koigu KPM in color 2388 is needed for the upper band. The project is worked on 3.25mm / US 3 needles or the size necessary to achieve the specified gauge. The recommended gauge is one that produces finished leaves measuring 3" × 5" when blocked. Additional materials include stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and a tapestry needle for seaming the leaf pairs together.

Project Structure

The Fall Leaves Skirt construction follows a distinctive multi-stage process. First, knitters create individual leaf pairs, with each pair consisting of one top leaf and one bottom leaf. The pattern requires making two pairs each in colors A, B, C, F, I, and J, along with three pairs each in colors D, E, G, and H. The larger size requires one additional pair in both B and C. Once all leaves are completed and blocked to their finished dimensions, they are sewn together in two rounds following a placement diagram. After the leaves are assembled, stitches are picked up around the top of the leaf assembly to create the upper band. The upper band features four-round color stripes in the sequence of J, B, G, D, H, E, F, D, I, A (with C and B substituted for the larger size). The skirt body continues with circular knitting in the round, incorporating strategic decreases to shape the waist while maintaining the overall silhouette.