When I found out my niece is obsessed with leaf shapes, I decided to develop a square motif using the Leaf Coaster pattern by Katherine Laight as the base/center shape. I’m planning to join a dozen or so of these squares into a small throw for her birthday early next year.

A longtime Urban Achiever, I decided to jump on the pocket shawl craze with a design inspired by the Dude — or El Duderino, since I’m rarely into the whole brevity thing — for maximum abiding as fall sets in. The motifs of the Dude’s iconic Pendleton Westerley sweater — reminiscent of Cowichan designs — are divided between the main shawl and th...