It’s almost the end of May. Time just keeps rolling along; one minute there’s snow on the ground and the next minute the flowers are overflowing in their containers. We are coming into my favorite season, Summer. Summer knitting – keep it simple for best results.
I love working on long afghans but if you will be out and about at the beach or poolside on vacation, you won’t want such a large project keeping you warm on a hot day. I love knitting up small things, dishcloths, a summer shawl, a colorful tote bag or a lacy scarf. These are all things you can knit anywhere.
Do you travel by train, bus or ferry to work? I used to ride the Staten Island Ferry to lower Manhattan and there was always someone sitting there knitting contentedly. Not to mention the many pairs of eyes that would watch that knitter work her magic, wishing they could do the same.
Want to learn how to knit?
Start right here. I have some GREAT information on books you can buy, websites to see and a fabulous infographic to give you the best ideas for knitting. Be sure to check it out.
In the meantime . . .
Here are some summertime knitting ideas that will keep you knitting all through the warmer months.
Patriotic Americana Kitchen Set
Aren’t these just the cutest! I found these in an old edition of Creative Knitting magazine. They are from July 2010. The magazine can be found here.
I used Sugar ‘n Cream yarn for these.
As an alternative to the Sugar ‘n Cream yarn, there is also Village Yarn Craft Cotton. It comes in a variety of colors and if you follow this link you can have all you want.
As for the pattern, there is one on Ravelry. Just input the search term “americana kitchen set”. There are many types of small projects like this that you can knit. You can always use them throughout your own home or give them away as gifts. You won’t see someone else giving the same gift as you, you can bet on it!
Cotton Knitting Tote
Isn’t this the cutest tote you’ve ever seen? They are SO easy to knit up, you can have one done in a few evenings or a weekend.
You will be making 2 panels and you can use one color or two (like you see here) or a multi-color or anything you choose. I used Sugar ‘n Cream yarn in blue and white.
Make 2 panels. Cast on 55 stitches.
For the first 2-1/2″ I used a Seed stitch:
Row 1: *K1, p1; rep from *, end k1.
Row 2: *K1, p1; rep from *, end k1.
Then continue in this seed stitch pattern for 2-1/2″.
SWITCH to a Garter Stitch Check pattern:
Rows 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11: Knit.
Rows 2, 4, and 6: K5, *p5, k5; rep from *.
Rows 8, 10, and 12: P5, *k5, p5; rep from *.
Continue in this pattern for 2-1/2″
Alternate the Seed stitch pattern and the Garter Stitch pattern for desired length. I made mine approx. 12″ long.
Be sure to knit TWO rows, then bind off. Sew up the sides and the bottom of the two panels, right sides together.
For handles use any type of simple stitch such as a rice stitch, double seed stitch, sand stitch or dot stitch. You can buy handles but knitting up two handles is easy and takes 30 minutes or so. I made mine by casting on about 20 stitches and knit for a length of 16″. Then bind off.
Just attach the handles on the insides of your tote. And there you have it.
Can you imagine all of the summer places you’ll take this tote along for the ride? Nothing like knitting a bunch of these for your next craft fair!
The Susan Shawl
Isn’t this pretty? I have had this pattern for years and this is where you will find the link. It’s called the Susan Shawl and I’ve made this in white, blue and now pink. You can use cotton yarn or acrylic yarn, it’s all up to you.
For this shawl, I substituted a stitch called Arrowhead Lace instead of what you see on the Susan Shawl initially. You can do the same or use other pattern stitches. Just Google ‘Arrowhead Lace knitting stitch’ and you’ll find all you need. And don’t forget to look for video’s of knitting stitches, too — they are a BIG help.
So, there you have it . . .
Three Summer knitting patterns that hopefully will give you some ideas for the next three months when you’re out and about in the sun. These are fun to knit and some of my most popular items.
Just some more ways to
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