Rachel Illsley

Patterns available as Ravelry Downloads

Knitting: Pullover
Catkins is a top-down, textured yoke sweater, designed especially for The Fibre Fox’s 2024 Advent fade set. It features a beautifully ornate textured pattern of knits, purls and picked up stitches that mimic the shape and texture of catkins.
Knitting: Pullover
Antique Filigree is a top-down, circular yoked sweater, which features stranded colourwork through the majority of the yoke, body and sleeves. The patterns of the stranded colourwork are inspired by filigree, an intricate type of metalwork found on jewellery and other ornate pieces.
Knitting: Cowl
This cowl is a fun, engaging knit that combines colourwork techniques and texture to create an eye-catching, beautiful winter accessory.
Knitting: Scarf, Shawl / Wrap
The Low Tide Shawl is a textured accessory, featuring combinations of eyelet lace and cables. The textured design is inspired by the ripples of sand, tiny rivulets of water and scatterings of pebbles and shells left on the beach by a receding tide.
Knitting: Pullover
Karma is the sixth design of my Ffrench Collection, a series of designs inspired by the music of composer Alexis Ffrench. Karma features a repeating undulating phrase that separates sections of flowing, delicate melodies.
Knitting: Pullover
Low Tide is a textured garment, featuring combinations of eyelet lace and cables. The textured design is inspired by the ripples of sand, tiny rivulets of water and scatterings of pebbles and shells left on the beach by a receding tide.
Knitting: Pullover
Lir is a top-down, circular yoke sweater featuring stranded colourwork around the yoke. The name “Lir” means sea in Old Irish and is also the name of a sea god from Irish mythology.
Knitting: Pullover
Harewood is inspired by memories, recent and from childhood, of visiting stately homes around England. I have always admired the complex and ornate patterns found on wall hangings, rugs, wallpaper and upholstery in such houses, which often feature patterns inspired by nature alongside intricate fleur-de-lis motifs. The colourwork seen here is m...
Knitting: Tee, Vest
Folklore is a simple yet eye-catching design with delicate colourwork borders, inspired by relaxed Summer days. The design can be worked as a waistcoat, V-neck vest, or tee.
Knitting: Pullover
Awakening is a top-down, circular-yoked sweater. Around the majority of the yoke a pattern of stranded knitting is worked, with a motif inspired by Art Deco designs.
Knitting: Pullover
Experience is the tenth design of my Einaudi Collection, a series of designs inspired by the music of Ludovico Einaudi. Each design takes its name from the piece of music that inspired it.
Knitting: Pullover
Apoplystra takes its inspiration from patterns formed when layers of rock are folded and contorted by movement over time. A notable example of this is called the Apoplystra Fold, found on the island of Crete.
Knitting: Pullover
Dawn is inspired by a piece of music by Ola Gjeilo of the same name and is the fourth design of my Gjeilo Collection. The music is constructed using a combination of short, quick notes and longer, drawn out phrases; you can see this construction represented in the combination of small, individual stitches combined with longer lines of stitches ...
Knitting: Pullover
Sundial is a top-down, circular-yoked sweater, which features patterns inspired by the shapes and textures of a sundial.
Knitting: Pullover
Hoar Frost is a new addition to my Organics Collection, a series of designs that are inspired by the natural world, or by the work of other artists who take inspiration from the natural world.
Knitting: Pullover
Night is the ninth design of my Einaudi Collection, a series of colourwork designs that each take inspiration from one of Ludovico Einaudi’s musical compositions. Night begins with simple, minimalist motifs, which gradually grow in intensity and complexity to a dramatic climax. Throughout the music, rising sequences of notes creates a sense of ...
Knitting: Pullover
Knot Bad is the fourth design in my Macramé Collection, a series of designs inspired by the beautiful shapes and textures of macramé. Knot Bad features spiralling cables down the centre front of the garment, representing the designs of macramé wall hangings.
Knitting: Pullover
Inspiration for this design came from a gap in my Winter wardrobe – I wanted to create a warm, cosy sweater that felt perfect for really chilly days whilst also still feeling stylish and interesting to wear.
Knitting: Pullover
Days of Beauty is a top-down, colourwork yoke sweater featuring stranded colourwork. The colourwork design is inspired by a piece of music by Ola Gjeilo, also called Days of Beauty. It features an undulating, repeated phrase on the piano, surrounded by swells of atmospheric vocals.
Knitting: Pullover
Walking on a Dream is inspired by a piece of music of the same name, by composer Sophie Hutchings. The structure and design of the colourwork pattern around the sweater’s yoke is a reflection of the structure and design of the music. The design starts simply, with a few sparse patterns that gradually increase in frequency and combine to create ...
Knitting: Pullover
I have a memory from childhood of being fascinated by playing with the tuning dial on an old radio. Switching on the radio, I would hear nothing but static, but then as I turned the dial snippets of different music or voices would appear and disappear amongst the static. Then suddenly with another turn of the dial I would find a station and lou...
Knitting: Pullover
Run is the eighth design of my Einaudi Collection, designs inspired by the musical works of Ludovico Einaudi. Run starts as a delicate and sparse piece of simple, atmospheric phrases. These gradually combine into more complex melodies and as the complexity increases, the music develops runs of melody that radiate from a powerful, repetitive cho...
Knitting: Beanie, Toque
The Kismet Hat features the same colourwork pattern as the Kismet sweater, which was the fifth design of my Ffrench Collection. Kismet is full of small repeating patterns of music (called ostinati) that dance and flow around each other. This design explores these ideas through the use of both pattern and colour.
Knitting: Pullover
Moments is the sixth design of my Ffrench Collection, a series of designs inspired by the music of Alexis Ffrench. Moments is a flowing, delicate piece, with a lightly romantic quality thanks to its waltz-like triple time structure.
Knitting: Cardigan
Engravings is inspired by engraved patterns in wood. This design explores how cables can be used to “engrave” a pattern into a stockinette fabric.
Knitting: Cowl
The Kismet Cowl features the same colourwork pattern as the Kismet sweater, which was the fifth design of my Ffrench Collection. Kismet is full of small repeating patterns of music (called ostinati) that dance and flow around each other. This design explores these ideas through the use of both pattern and colour.
Knitting: Pullover, Tee
The Lake Isle is inspired by a musical work by Ola Gjeilo. The music is light, warm and serene, evoking images of idyllic summer days. And so, the Lake Isle is a draped, airy, warmer-weather design, with colourwork representing the complex yet delicate movement of the music that inspired it.
Knitting: Tee
Knot Again is the third addition to my Macramé Collection, a series of warmer-weather knitwear designs that take inspiration from the open textures and shapes found in macramé. Knot Again features vertical panels of texture between drapey sections of stockinette to create a lightweight Spring/Summer garment.
Knitting: Pullover
A Game of Croquet is inspired by a piece of music of the same name by Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson used in the film The Theory of Everything. It’s a beautiful and emotive piece, with repeated undulating phrases accompanied by longer, slow-changing chords.
Knitting: Pullover
Kismet is the fifth design of my Ffrench Collection: designs inspired by the musical works of composer Alexis Ffrench. Kismet is full of small repeating patterns of music (called ostinati) that dance and flow around each other. This design explores these ideas through the use of both pattern and colour.
Knitting: Pullover
Shake a Tail Feather is the eighth design of my Organics Collection, a series of designs inspired by the natural world or by the work of other artists who are inspired by nature. The inspiration for the colourwork came from the pattern of layered feathers that form the plumage of birds.
Knitting: Pullover
Reflecting takes inspiration from the reflections of foliage and flowers on water. The yoke features stranded colourwork combined with delicate textured stitches to create a beautiful and intricate motif inspired by shapes found in nature; this motif is then reflected in the end of the yoke and into the body and sleeves.
Knitting: Pullover
Earth Prelude is the seventh design of my Einaudi Collection, a series of designs inspired by the musical works of composer Ludovico Einaudi. Earth Prelude is inspired by a piece of music of the same name, which combines long, slow chords accompanied by simple, undulating melodies that gradually develop in complexity and intensity towards the m...
Knitting: Shawl / Wrap
The Black Elephant Shawl has been designed for the Black Elephant Yarn Advent of 2022. The shawl consists of sections of garter stitch alternated with textures of double moss stitch, brioche and brioche honeycomb stitch. The result is an engaging and motivating knit that allows the beautiful advent fade to take centre stage.
Knitting: Pullover
Life is the sixth addition to my Einaudi Collection, a series of designs inspired by the music of Ludovico Einaudi. This design takes inspiration from both the title and the musical structure of Einaudi’s “Life” composition. To honour the theme of life, the design uses a range of colourwork motifs and pattern inspired by shapes and forms found ...
Knitting: Pullover
Lineal is a celebration of patterns created with lines; an exploration of how lines can be combined in different ways to create a beautiful and modern geometric design.
Knitting: Pullover
Time is a top-down, yoked sweater with colourwork patterns inspired by the music “Time” by Hans Zimmer for the Inception movie soundtrack. I love this music for its clever combination of strict rhythmic structure, mimicking the ticking of a clock, and swells of freer movement that create emotion and drama.
Knitting: Beanie, Toque
The Chapel House Hat features a combination of ribbing and cable work to create a textured winter accessory. The patterns created take inspiration from the architecture of Harrogate Spa Town, particularly the archways and columns that feature on so many of the town’s beautiful buildings. Chapel House, which gives its name to this design, is an ...
Knitting: Pullover
Evolving is a delicately cabled knit, featuring cabled textures throughout the yoke and additional cabling at the sides of the body and above the sleeve cuffs.
Knitting: Shawl / Wrap
The Alvor shawl was inspired by the yarn colours you can see in the sample; I saw the beautiful Enchanted Forest Fade from Skein and the Stitch and immediately knew I needed those colours in my wardrobe. I wanted to explore the ways in which these colours could fade, mix and contrast with one another and a combination of garter stitch and brioc...
Knitting: Pullover
Reborn is the fourth design of my Ffrench Collection: a series of designs inspired by the music of composer Alexis Ffrench. This sweater features stranded colourwork with two colours across the majority of the yoke and into the upper body and sleeves, with an additional decoration of colourwork above the sleeve cuffs.
Knitting: Beanie, Toque
The Orbits Hat features the same colourwork pattern as the Orbits sweater, which was the fourth design in my Einaudi Collection – knitwear patterns inspired by pieces of music written by Ludovico Einaudi. The patterns capture the mysterious, repetitive yet delicate essence of the music.
Knitting: Cowl
The Chapel House Cowl features a combination of ribbing and cable work to create a textured winter accessory. The patterns created take inspiration from the architecture of Harrogate Spa Town, particularly the archways and columns that feature on so many of the town’s beautiful buildings. Chapel House, which gives its name to this design, is an...
Knitting: Cowl
The Orbits Cowl features the same colourwork pattern as the Orbits sweater, which was the fourth design in my Einaudi Collection – knitwear patterns inspired by pieces of music written by Ludovico Einaudi. The patterns capture the mysterious, repetitive yet delicate essence of the piece of music called “Orbits”.
Knitting: Pullover
Whispering Fields is the third design of my Ffrench Collection: a series of designs inspired by the music of Alexis Ffrench.
Knitting: Pullover
Aquilegia is a top-down, yoked sweater featuring stranded colourwork patterns inspired by the characterful Aquilegia flower. It is the sixth design in my Organics Collection, a series of designs inspired by the natural world and by other artists whose works are inspired by nature.
Knitting: Pullover
Exhale is the second design in my Ffrench Collection, a series of knitwear designs inspired by the music of Alexis Ffrench. The music of Exhale is delicate and flowing, with repeated motifs that grow in complexity to the climax of the piece.
Knitting: Cardigan
Knotty But Nice is the second design of my Macramé Collection, a series of knitwear designs inspired by the shapes and textures of macramé.
Knitting: Tee
Why Knot? is the first design in my Macramé Collection, a series of lightweight, warmer-weather designs inspired by the shapes and textures of macramé art.
Knitting: Shawl / Wrap
Fenwick takes inspiration from shell artist Linda Fenwick and specifically two murals that she created to decorate a pair of garden pavilions in the grounds of Newby Hall in North Yorkshire. Linda Fenwick uses shells that she has foraged or that are waste products from the food industry to create beautiful pieces of art.
Knitting: Pullover
Sculpt is the fifth design in my Organics Collection, a series of designs inspired by the natural world and by other artists whose own work explores nature. Sculpt takes inspiration from the Instagram account “Sculpt the World” by artist Jon Foreman, who creates land art and sculpture in outdoor locations using natural materials. I wanted to cr...
Knitting: Cowl
This tubular cowl features delicate colourwork inspired by the concentric pressed flower art by Jennie Ashmore. The colourwork pattern is similar, although not identical to, that found on the Ashmore sweater design. This design is part of my Organic Collection, a series of designs that are inspired by shapes found in the natural world and by ar...
Knitting: Pullover
Petricor is the fifth design of my Einaudi Collection, a series of knitwear designs inspired by pieces of music by the composer Ludovico Einaudi. The music of Petricor is minimalist yet atmospheric, with simple repeated musical patterns that combine and grow in intensity as the piece progresses to its climax before fading away. In the same way,...
Knitting: Pullover
Arrival of the Birds is a top-down, yoked colourwork sweater. It is the third design in my Organics Collection, a series of knitwear designs inspired by the natural world and by other artists whose work is inspired by the natural world.
Knitting: Pullover
Blum is the second design in my Organics Collection – a series of designs that take inspiration from shapes found in the natural world and from other artists whose own work is inspired by nature. The stranded colourwork patterns of Blum are inspired by the work a French tattoo artist of the same name, who creates beautifully delicate designs ba...
Knitting: Pullover
Often my inspiration for designs comes from external sources, such as music, art and the natural world. In this instance, however, the inspiration for Baroque Nouveau came directly from the yarn. I saw these two colours by Beehive Yarns at Yorkshire Yarn Fest and immediately felt that they belonged together. I wanted to create a colourwork swea...
Knitting: Pullover
Ashmore features delicate colourwork inspired by the concentric pressed flower art by Jennie Ashmore. This design is the first in the Organic Collection, a series of colourwork designs that are inspired by shapes found in the natural world and by artists who explore and celebrate nature in their own work.
Knitting: Pullover
Orbits is the fourth design in my Einaudi Collection – a collection of knitwear patterns inspired by pieces of music written by Ludovico Einaudi. Orbits features stranded colourwork through the majority of the yoke and into the upper body and sleeves, with patterns that capture the mysterious, repetitive yet delicate essence of the music.
Knitting: Beanie, Toque
Cellarium is a cabled hat design inspired by the Cellarium at Fountains Abbey. The hat features overlapping, arching cables that converge at the crown to form a beautiful, star-like pattern.
Knitting: Pullover
Ola’s Tundra is a top-down yoked colourwork sweater inspired by a piece of music called Tundra by Ola Gjeilo. The music of Tundra is Gjeilo’s homage to the Hardangervidda mountain plateau from his homeland Norway.
Knitting: Cowl
This colourwork cowl is inspired by a piece of music called Tundra by Ola Gjeilo. The music of Tundra is Gjeilo’s homage to the Hardangervidda mountain plateau from his homeland Norway.
Knitting: Shawl / Wrap
Labyrinthian is available with a 20% discount until the end of 11th October 2021 - use the code MAZE at checkout.
Knitting: Pullover
Available with 20% introductory discount until the end of 27th Sept 2021 with the code BRIDGERTON.
Knitting: Pullover
Waterfalls is a top-down, colourwork sweater featuring delicate cascades inspired by the movement of water and the composition Waterfalls by Alexis Ffrench.
Knitting: Shawl / Wrap
The One is a long, rectangular wrap. It features sections of linen stitch texture and sections of mosaic colourwork; each section is separated by a Latvian Braid.
Knitting: Pullover
Outcrop is a yoked sweater with all-over colourwork featuring geometric patterns inspired by the shapes, angles and textures found on rock outcrops, particularly those found on the cliff faces of the Irish Atlantic Way. The centre front panel represents a deep crevice running vertically through a rock face and the colourwork patterns repeated a...
Knitting: Pullover
Primavera is the third design of my Einaudi Collection and is inspired by an Einaudi composition of the same name. The pattern of stranded colourwork around the yoke reflects the structure of the music: a simple melody that builds in complexity, with different elements combining and intertwining until they reach a climax of cascading scales. Fo...
Knitting: Pullover
The Waves is a top-down sweater featuring eye-catching stranded colourwork above the waistband and a panel of cabled texture running from the shoulder and down the outside of the sleeve. The garment is worked top down, allowing the knitter to customise the garment as they work to suit personal preference. The fit of the body is oversized, with ...
Knitting: Shawl / Wrap
Runestones is a textured wrap inspired by the shapes of Runestones. Textures of Twisted Rib and cables are worked to create geometric patterns, separated by borders of Stockinette Ridges.
Knitting: Pullover
Transcend is a beautifully lightweight, voluminous sweater. Knit up with a single strand of Alpaca Suri Silk yarn, this garment offers an airy yet cosy garment with an all-over eyelet lace pattern. On a darker colourway, as in the sample, the eyelet lace creates a subtle texture, whilst on a lighter colourway the lacework is more obvious.
Knitting: Pullover
Burning is the second design of the Einaudi Collection, a series of garments that take inspiration from the music of Ludovico Einaudi. The composition ‘Burning’ starts with a minimalist three-note melody that gradually develops and builds in complexity, a structure that is reflected through the use of texture and colourwork in this design. You ...
Knitting: Cowl
Rewild is a tubular cowl, worked in the round to create a long, thin tube, featuring stranded colourwork throughout the length. A colourwork pattern is repeated up to 14 times to create an eye-catching accessory that wraps cosily around the neck either once or twice, according to personal preference.
Knitting: Pullover
Undulated is a minimalist wardrobe staple with a simple all-over texture and delicate faux raglan seams. The sweater is worked top-down and in the round, making it easy to customise as you work to achieve your ideal fit. The pattern instructions are for a cropped body length, but additional length can easily be added to suit your preference.
Knitting: Shawl / Wrap
Dark Moon is a long, thin wrap, with a construction akin to a crescent shawl. The design combines sections of texture with mosaic colourwork to create a beautiful, draped wrap, perfect for keeping warm in cooler times.
Knitting: Pullover
Nightbook was inspired by a piece of music of the same name, by composer Ludovico Einaudi. It’s music full of drama, tension and movement, and the intention behind this design was to capture the essence of Nightbook through the medium of stranded colourwork. The shapes and patterns used throughout this garment were all inspired by the shapes, t...
Knitting: Tee
Pattern updated as of March 2022
Knitting: Tee
Knitting: Pullover
The pattern for Wavebreak was originally published (under the name “Daybreak”) by Life in the Long Grass, in their Summer Mists, River Swim publication. Kits for the design can be found on the LITLG website.
Knitting: Cowl
The Arte Nuova Cowl is a celebration of colourwork in the form of a cosy, luxurious Winter warmer. The colourwork design takes light inspiration from Art Deco architecture, featuring geometric, interlaced lines and shapes. The cowl is gently shaped to optimise fit and has sufficient depth to allow it to drape beautifully around the neck whilst ...
Knitting: Pullover
Intersecting is a top-down, yoked tee that features eye-catching colourwork around the shoulders, creating a geometric pattern that is later echoed above the sleeve cuffs and waistband. Short row shaping is incorporated into the yoke and upper body, and this, combined with the fingering weight yarn and positive ease, ensures a comfortable, drap...
Knitting: Cowl
This is a straight-forward, beginner-friendly cowl that allows anyone to produce a stylish Winter-wardrobe staple. The cowl is worked in the round – which, for a new knitter, provides a great opportunity to develop and refine knitting tension – and then seamed once your desired length is reached. The cowl can be worked in one strand of Aran-wei...
Knitting: Tee
This pattern has been updated as of January 2022.
Knitting: Pullover
Inspiration for this design came from a desire to own a sweater that is incredibly comfortable and comforting to wear, whilst at the same time looking and feeling fabulously luxurious. Hug is designed to be the perfect sweater for throwing on when you’re feeling a bit chilly, under the weather or in need of a snuggle, without sacrificing style ...
Knitting: Pullover
Blossoming is a top down, yoked sweater, featuring half-length sleeves and a cropped waist. Short row shaping is incorporated to ensure an optimal fit and the yoke, body and sleeve lengths are customisable to your own preferences. It features delicate stranded colourwork around the upper yoke, lower body and lower sleeves that combine tradition...
Knitting: Pullover
Knitting: Cardigan
Knitting: Cowl
Focus is a tubular cowl, featuring stranded colourwork throughout, with an intricate, geometric pattern. The colourwork repeats are rotated around the cowl’s circumference, creating variety and interest. A provisional cast on to begin and a kitchener stitch graft to finish ensure a beautiful and high-quality finish. Focus is a cosy and stylish ...
Knitting: Pullover
Wiggle is a top-down, yoked sweater featuring a simple but eye-catching design. It can be worked in anything from 1 to 7 main colours, with 1 contrast colour of wavy stripes interspersed throughout the garment.
Knitting: Pullover
The Shapeshift sweater is a beautiful, eye-catching Winter warmer, featuring geometric colourwork dispersed throughout the middle of the body and sleeves. It’s a seamless, top-down, yoked garment that is as enjoyable to knit as it is to wear: the frequent and varied sections of colourwork ensure the knitting is motivating and engaging and the s...
Knitting: Pullover
The Fineline sweater is a modern twist on the classic Breton striped top, a versatile wardrobe staple for many. The sweater features the expected horizontal stripes of colour throughout, but here the stripes fade in and out randomly, creating an eye-catching yet minimalist aesthetic. The neckline is elegantly scooped and the length is cropped t...
Knitting: Cardigan
Who says knitting is only for Winter? This draped, open-front coverup is perfect for warmer weather, with its linen-blend yarn and airy design. A woven texture is formed through a simple slip stitch pattern, creating a relaxed, boho-inspired aesthetic; this, combined with the mosaic colourwork dispersed throughout, ensures an interesting, motiv...
Knitting: Pullover
The Lost City is a top-down colourwork sweater that takes inspiration from the beautiful ruins of Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire, UK.
Knitting: Cowl
This minimalist design offers a classic style with a beautiful repeating spiral motif, creating an elegant and versatile cowl that would suit many occasions and wearers. It features a provisional cast on to enable the knitter to join the ends seamlessly, and the spiral pattern is surprisingly straightforward to create. An addictive and rewardin...
Knitting: Beanie, Toque
The Spiral Slouch beanie pattern is a quick and easy knit that yields a stylish, versatile hat. It features a tubular cast on to ensure maximum comfort and stretch around the headband, plus a spiral pattern that is far more simple than it looks and hides the decreases neatly within it. Minimum effort, maximum results!
Knitting: Cowl
This eye-catching cowl features a bold colour work design inspired by tribal patterns. The repeating motifs are easy to follow but provide an interesting and addictive knit with an attractive finished design.
Knitting: Beanie, Toque
This eye-catching beanie features a bold colour work design inspired by tribal patterns. The repeating motifs are easy to follow, but provide an interesting and addictive knit with an attractive finished design.
Knitting: Scarf, Beanie, Toque
The Onwards and Upwards hat is designed to have a relaxed, oversized fit, with a beautiful decreasing cable stretching up to the crown. Knitted in the round with super chunky yarn, this is a quick project producing a cosy and stylish winter warmer.
Knitting: Cowl
The Chunky Chain Cowl is a perfect project for a beginner knitter. If you can cast on, knit, purl and bind off then this is for you! It’s a quick and easy knit, but with a stylish finish, and with a few options to personalise the cowl to your own style. The pattern used is also reversible, so the cowl looks equally fabulous on both sides.
Knitting: Beanie, Toque
Leopard print is one of my favourite patterns to wear and it’s no coincidence that this also happens to be one of my favourite hats. The inclusion of mohair gives the hat a beautiful fuzziness, helping to soften and blur the leopard print pattern, whilst also creating a feeling of cosy luxury. Two style options are available to you here: the sn...