I’m the kind of person who gets very irritated by the repetitive adverts that run around every YouTube video, but apparently I’m also the kind of person who can’t pass up the chance of grabbing some knitting inspiration. So when I caught sight of these jumpers, I leapt into screen shot mode like a mad thing.

This illustrates my idea of a perfect work knitwear ‘wardrobe’. All in one colour to mix and match, but a variety of styles. Fairly plain, but each one has some little twist – a lace or texture feature, those subtle pleats at the top of the sleeves on the left-hand lady in the photo. I love the pale blue in the advert, but I’d probably be tempted by basic navy to start. A 4-ply sleeveless top with a texture stripe and a plain DK weight v-neck cardigan – a riff on the classic twinset when worn together, but either piece would work over a blouse. Stay with the DK weight for a warm round-neck jumper, perfect for spring and autumn.

Expanding on this, how about a second iteration, in a colour which would work well with navy? Grey, perhaps, or the pale blue that started this train of thought. Or a more striking complement such as gold or rose. Here’s where I’d get a bit more creative. A second plain sleeveless top in the accent colour is a given, but how about the second cardigan being in a combination of the navy and the accent colour? I’d marl them, because it’s a technique and a look that I particularly like, but they could be combined in stripes, or fancy colourwork, whatever takes your fancy. After that, I’d enjoy putting a decorative navy border around the hem and cuffs of the contrast round-neck jumper, and perhaps that could be a finer 4-ply wool than I’d used on the navy version.

I’m imagining using John Arbon’s Knit by Numbers wool which would work like magic for this kind of wide-ranging project (like these which I used for my Grape Fade Rimini back in 2020). It’s available in both 4-ply and DK weights and the colour gradations would make finding complementary colour combinations a cinch: just pick one shade from the darker end and one from the lighter end in any of the colour sets for guaranteed success.

Winter would call for some chunkier woollens, so that’s the perfect time to combine the DK weight and 4-ply yarns together to knit up some aran-weight wonders. Personally, I’m loving the idea of a long cardi-coat which would be like wearing a very smart dressing gown to work. Or, on a more achievable scale, knit a couple of dickeys (because we all want to look like mid-century Scandinavian children don’t we?). Those would cosy up the basic knits a treat and turn them into year-round work fodder. Add a couple of pairs of fingerless mitts for some chic wrist-warming and you’ll be toasty in even the chilliest office.

I’ve enjoyed this foray into an imaginary work wardrobe. It almost makes me forgive the commercial-makers…. but not quite.