Summer Knits to Beat the Heat

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Do your knitting habits change in the hot weather? Honestly, my summer knitting is not much different than my non-summer knitting. I’m a sweater knitter, and I don’t stop that in the warm weather. What I do is choose different types of sweaters to knit. I take the construction and yarn into consideration, picking patterns that are pieced so they’re more portable (and I don’t end up with an entire sweater in my lap!), and I like to knit with non-wool fiber, such as bamboo, linen, silk, or cotton.

Maybe you switch to smaller projects, knit with different yarn, or put a hold on knitting altogether. If it’s the latter, I have some project ideas that won’t make you sweat. You can comfortably knit (and wear!) these projects all season!

Trigono Tee

This tee makes for relaxing summer knitting. It’s worked in pieces from the bottom up, so you can knit on a smaller piece and take it on the go. You’ll use your short-row shaping skills on the shoulders and pick up stitches expertly for the armohole and neck bands.

Designer Kate Gagnon Osborn chose a beautiful cotton/linen blend yarn, Kelbourne Woolens Mojave, for this versatile summer piece. Once blocked, the fabric has a lovely drape that’s a perfect foil for the heat.

Lotus Lace Kerchief

Fancy a ride along the coast in a convertible? Don’t forget to grab your Lotus Lace Kerchief. I’m more likely to ride my bike along the Spokane River, but the wind will still be in my hair! A friend took me on a ride in her boat recently, and I’ll tell you, I wished for this kerchief! I don’t even have long hair, but it was whipping around in the wind.

I love this sweet kerchief with its cute tassel and open lace pattern. This knits up quickly, and it’s instantly useful this season!

Kindling Cardigan

I absolutely love Amy Gunderson’s summery cardi. It’s such a great layer to pack along.

The Kindling Cardigan is worked back and forth on the bias in one piece to the neck and then divided for working the right and left sides. So this is one of those projects that I advised against because of the one-piece construction, but what saves it is the yarn choice. Choose a sport-weight pima cotton like Cascade Ultra Pima Fine. (Amy chose Fibra Natura Cotton True Sport for her cardi, which has been discontinued. You may be able to find it, though. But the Ultra Pima Fine is a great substitute, and it’s available in an amazing array of colors.

So, the yarn choice plus the open stitch pattern make it a great summer knitting project. The pattern is made by stacking sections of bias-knit rows—such a cool way to build texture and drape!

One interesting thing to note is that this piece is intended to be worn with quite a bit of negative ease, which means you’ll choose a size that’s smaller than your bust. The model in the photos here is wearing the 20½”, and she has a 33½” bust. So you might think this isn’t available in your size, but we’ve got you!

Related: Better Sweaters: Understanding Ease

Erosion Shawl

I couldn’t leave this fab colorwork shawl out; sometimes, hot days bring cool evenings.

Rachel Bockman’s Erosion Shawl combines striped garter stitch sections with a lace panel in a wonderful summer yarn, Fibra Natura Whisper Lace, in two rich colorways. The way the garter and lace sections go together is just gorgeous. Take this beauty on a long road trip—it’ll keep you busy and happy for miles.

I hope you’ll cast on one of these perfect summer-knitting projects!