When you are on the road, waiting at the airport, or even relaxing in your own backyard, is your knitting within arms reach? Summer days are meant to be relaxing. Your project should be of the type that you can pick up and put down easily, keep your attention yet not require intense focus. As you pack up for your summer vacation or even just grab a cool drink and sit outside, don’t forget to bring along a project in your favorite Green Mountain Spinnery yarn!
The weather may be warm but you can still knit with wool. Why not start now and make new hats for everyone in your family? You will be happy you did when the cold returns! If you have wondered about cabling, crochet or colorwork, hats are a great opportunity for experimentation. The Ascutney Aran hat and Lauren’s Hat are each warm with a beautiful cabled band. Pick your two favorite colors and give crochet a try with the Happenin’ Hat. Last fall we blogged about customizing the Icebreaker Hat to show your support for your favorite team, maybe you know a fan that would like a special custom hat!
Shawls are another great choice. Frequently they can be made with one or two skeins of Sock Art or Simply Fine and you will find yourself enjoying the repetitive rhythm of the stitches. The Catalina Wrap is a crescent-shaped crochet shawl and Gillette is knit with a touch of lace and interesting edging.You may find yourself reaching for the Summer Breeze Shawl as soon as it is complete to ward off the chill from air conditioning!
These are just a sample of the great projects our friends have shared in our Ravelry group – we’d love for you to join us there too! Pambill’s Meves vest using Sylvan Spirit is perfect across several seasons. Malone’s Peanut is also knit with Sylvan Spirit with a cuff-to-cuff construction. Hitchhiker is a very popular pattern on Ravelry for variegated yarns. Persimmontree’s Columbine version used her Green Mountain Spinnery handpaint (but you could use our handpainted sock yarns) for a striking effect. And of course, socks are highly portable with interesting pattern and construction; these are Stefaniegrrr’s Jelly Beans. What are you working on this summer?