I realized I knit in the summer nearly as much as I knit the rest of the year. I think I live in hope that this will be the summer that I finish the latest fall sweater or that I get a jump on holiday knitting. Since I live in a moderate climate I don’t have a problem with high humidity, but depending on where you live knitting in the summer is not as fun as knitting when it is colder. When the temperature reaches the 80’s with high humidity your yarn may actually start to felt (felting combines the fibers in wool and mats them together in such a way as to make it very difficult to rip stitches out or to see stitch definition). Knitting in the summer is often more enjoyable if the project does not sit on your lap and is therefore smaller. I, of course, equate smaller with a higher chance of completion.

Lace is often a great summer project. Lace is light and airy. Lace is the type of project that requires concentration and it is nice to have the vacation time in the summer to be able concentrate on a lace project. Vacation time also generally means relaxation so lace may not be the answer for you.

Other projects that are small such as, socks, hats, gloves, scarves, purses or hold-alls make good summer projects. For small projects, keep the yarn, needles, pattern and any other supplies you may need in a container, sack, or ziplock bag. When you are ready to work on a project or want something to do while you are waiting just grab one of your small project bags and you are ready to knit. Ziplock bags are especially nice for small projects because you can see what is in the bag and it makes it easy to grab and go.

Projects made out of linen, cotton or micro-fiber are nice to work on in the summer since they don’t have the heat generating properties of wool, alpaca, qiviut, angora, or mohair. Plus these projects are fun to work on since they also work best on summery light weight garments.

One of the projects I have had great luck with in the past is to make dish cloths to practice pattern stitches. I use the Learn to Knit Afghan Book by Barbara G. Walker. The squares for the afghan must be uniform in size, but if you are using the patterns to practice and make dish cloths the size isn’t as important. The cloths are best made out of cotton and then the dish cloths can then be given away as gifts now or saved for later, shower favors, or actually used as dish cloths. The book offers 63 square choices and the each square is approximately 7 inches square. When blocked the squares are very lovely. The best part of this project is that you will have learned many different techniques and if you don’t use cotton, but instead use wool, you can combine them into a beautiful afghan. In the meantime though you have a project that is completed a square at a time and is therefore very portable and not too hot to work on in the summer. Another dishcloth pattern that I’m going to try this summer is from Mason Dixon Knitting-The Curious Knitters Guide it is fun looking and has gotten great reviews from other knitters.

Knitting in the summer is a wonderful way to relax and enjoy the craft of knitting. It offers many choices and when you are done you often have an item that can be worn, given away as a gift, be used to keep you warm in the winter and is often passed on from one person to another. Don’t stop knitting just because it is summer and warm, knit something light and small, but keep on knitting.