 |
|
| A beautiful collection of summery stuff. |
|
|
|
Ah, summer. It's really here now, with the heat, the shorts and tank tops, the Popsicles, and the summer knitting.
| |
 |
|
Ribbed Halter
|
| |
|
|
Wedding Top
|
|
|
|
|
I knit all year-round, but in the summer, I change my knitting habits drastically. I dive into my stash for silks, linens, hemps, and cottons. Hello, beautiful summer yarns, what would you like to become?
I will occasionally knit with wool, but that knitting happens with the fan blowing directly on me! I don't have air-conditioning (it's not common in this part of the country, so don't feel too sorry for me), but I do have a suite of fans in the house, one in almost every room. I think it's funny that one of my summer knitting supplies is a fan!
Summery knitting patterns are wonderful for a couple of reasons. First because they usually call for a light summer yarn, and second because many are quick knits that can be worn in the same season they're knit.
Designer Michele Rose Orne's book Inspired to Knit is arranged by season, and I just love what she has to say about summer knitting. Here she is.
Inspired by Summer
In summer, we want to slow down, relax, and take pleasure in this long-awaited season of respite. Yet
we also try hard to enjoy every moment of sunlight and outdoor fun in the
all-too-short weeks between the end of one school year and the beginning of the
next. It's a time for weddings, reunions, and vacations.
Not surprisingly,
knitting tends to slip closer to the bottom of our to-do lists as other activities take over.
For the most part, my summer designs are simple enough to
work on at the beach or a baseball game. This is the time I reach for shimmery
hand-dyed silk, nubby raw silk, natural linen, and lightweight summer cotton
yarns in crisp colors.
In June, field grasses inspire a ribbed texture and tiny spiraling periwinkle
shells look like bobbles against a rib. Carefree July days inspire palettes of refreshing shades of red, white, and
blue: Red raspberries, clouds in a summer sky, and bowls of blueberries. The bounty of summer culminates in August, with color palettes of warm
neutrals. Beachcombing excursions garner bowls brimming with this season's
collection of beach treasures—dried sea urchins, special pebbles, shells, and
sea-glass jewels.
—Michele Rose Orne, from Inspired to Knit
Inspired to Knit is available as an eBook, so download yours now and get started knitting summery patterns right away!
Cheers,
P.S. What are your summer knitting habits? Share them with us below in the comments!