Today’s blog post is sneak peek of the projects for Winter Drop 2026. Since I have had a bit of a headstart, there are quite a few that I started working on. Some true to their inspiration, some marginally so, and some… just took off on their own path.
1. Blue Brioche Scarf
I knit the first project, a scarf, in November 2025, when temperatures dipped to single digits and the AQI (Air Quality Index) made it clear how polluted our air had become. This, in a strange way, inspired the design. I love clear blue skies, so I pictured a two-toned blue scarf to represent them. Blue in itself is a comforting colour, versatile and timeless, and almost always gets along with other colours in the outfit.
The pattern is based on a brioche stitch called Under the Dutch Skies by Nancy Marchant. It was knit using the superwash 100% merino yarn by Ashford (Shuttles and Needles). The scarf itself is squishy, and the stitch definition is quite clear and prominent.
By the way, if you don’t know this about me … I adore everything about brioche knits- their plush texture, sculptural drama, and inherent wow factor. Since the first time I saw brioche knitting, I fell in love with it so much, that I never ever had a drop without a brioche knit product. Including the Winter Drop 2026… watch for more brioche magic ahead.
2. Piece Out Hat
After every medium or large sized project, I knit something small. This helps me to maintain the momentum, while whipping up something quick and easy with larger sized needles.
For this, I chose the Piece Out Hat by Stephen West. This is a simple hat, where colour play has a very small role, but actually is the main character. The dark grey Istex Lettlopi base yarn pairs with lighter grey yarn from the same brand up top, accented by rust-coloured from Heartbeats Yarns.
It really is a quick project, cute and quirky. Both yarns have great stitch definition; one is certainly hairier than the others which adds to its quirkiness.
The weather was still quite awful while I made it. It was quite cold, unusual for Pune. The greys in this hat match my mood and the weather, while the rust was my attempt to depict warmth that I was missing. It is not complete though; I am on the hunt for a cute button to finish it.
3. Mohair and Alafosslopi Scarf
The third one is a scarf, which explores colour and texture together. I was playing with yarn combinations, and was contemplating using a very thick yarn (bulky yarn from Istex Alafosslopi in yellow ochre) and a very thin yarn (mohair yarns in orange, white and black) together.
However, I had two concerns. I didn’t know if the bigger needles that seemed appropriate for the bulky yarn would work with the much thinner yarns. Also, the colours of the mohair yarns seemed sharp in contrast with each other and the Alafosslopi as well. I needed something that would look just right.
So, I made a few swatches to see what could be knit.
I finally decided to hold the mohair yarns together, to make the mohair yarns a little thicker. Also, the black and white would merge into a grey, rather than contrast sharply against the ochre. The end result is a lacy, yet very warm scarf. I think this is one of those projects, which just took off on their own.
Though it looks simple, this project was challenging thanks to mohair. Mohair in general is tricky to work with – the fibres that make it look fuzzy are the same fibres that make it impossible to tink or frog easily.
This scarf was knit in December, when temperatures dipped to 10° Celsius, and the skies went really grey. Yellow ochre was my obvious idea of a colour pop for the season, when I craved the sun’s light and warmth, and couldn’t wait for summer.
4. Tweedy Shrug
After the scarf, we were deep into December 2025, and two things happened – it got way colder than I am comfortable with, and end-of-year activities began. I wanted a medium sized project, that required mindless knitting, so that I could start and stop as per the activities of the day. And hence I chose the Tweedy Shrug by Beata Jezek.
The pattern has a very simple construction, nothing too complicated that requires my complete focus. I chose Patty Lyons’ twisted YO technique (M1L and M1R), which leaves no holes in the shrug while increasing the number of stitches.
This is one of those projects that any beginner can work on, to improve their stockinette tension. I have to admit that this pattern may be very basic for an advanced knitter, I did breeze through two entire K-dramas while making it.
The shrug was knitted with DMC’s Sublime Alpaca in Jade Green and Yellow Ochre. I had bought both these colour ways in Dubai, intending to use them in separate projects. However, yarn chicken with the green shade did happen, and so I had to use the ochre for the front and sleeve ribbing sections.
Both colours are considered to be analogous, with yellow as the common hue, providing a low contrast and cohesive aesthetic to the shrug. At this point it definitely seemed like subconsciously I was looking for warmth through the ochres. Summer can’t come soon enough!
5. VIBGYOR Blanket
The fifth project is a granny square crochet blanket, in all possible colours of the rainbow that I could find in my stash. It is a basic square, that builds on itself, with colours changing every round. Previously, I used to join new colors while working the last double crochet loop of the round. This time, I learned to slip stitch to the corner chain space at the end of each round before switching to the next colour. This is a much neater way to end and begin the rounds, and the difference really shows!
I used 100% cotton yarns by DMC, Wendy Wools, ABC Wools and Magic Needles, in 4-ply and DK weights. The blanket feels soft to the touch, and has some weight to it which I think adds to its comfort value. There’s a bonus use to this blanket: I tried to fold it in half and use it as a poncho with a shawl pin to hold the two ends together, and surprisingly that works well too!
Five products made so far. I am happy with how things are going so far. And while I have also been introspecting, I have learnt that I love:
- quirky details,
- experimenting with textures, and
- brioche knitting.
So tell me, dear readers, how did you like this Winter Drop 2026 Sneak Peek? I’ll see you in the comments!