Brooklyn Tweed Says Summer isn’t Just for Cotton

I know there are people who toil away through the hot summer months in homes without air conditioning, the poor things. But for those of us with that modern convenience, or those who live places with relatively mild summers (or those who find themselves at this time of year experiencing winter instead of summer) now is a fine time to be knitting with wool or any other fiber that you want.

To celebrate the knitters who love to work with wool even in summer, Brooklyn Tweed recently released its third volume of Wool People. This collection includes pieces from designers such as Veronik Avery, Hannah Fettig and Mercedes Tarasovich-Clark to name a few. In all there are 17 designs created with the notion of clear, airy layering pieces in mind and an emphasis on the heathery tonals found in the company’s yarns.

I took a look through the look book and a few patterns stood out to me, including Avery’s Edge Hoodie, which has classic hooded sweatshirt styling combined with lace chevrons down the sides and an asymmetrical hem; the Ferrous Wrap from Grace Anna Farrow, which has an allover eyelet pattern yet still somehow manages to feel weighty; and Mari Tobita’s Haru-Gasumi Tunic, mostly solid color stockinette trimmed with a bit of color and textural embellishment at the cuffs and hem.

Patterns can be purchased individually and run $5.50 or $6.50 each.

[Photo by Brooklyn Tweed.]

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As I’m writing this the United States is about to celebrate a pretty big birthday, and while some of us have complicated feelings about that country right now, I think most of us would agree both that it’s a place worth fighting for and that it’s a good time to remember what got us into this nation in the first place. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some patriotic knitting patterns.

I thought there might be more knitting patterns produced specific to America’s big celebration this year, but I only found one (so far, there are probably more as you read this). The Semiquincentennial Scarf by Kristen Rettig is a bias knit scarf using DK weight yarn. It has one solid blue side and one red and white striped side. The pattern is available for free on Ravelry.

Sara’s Patriotic Shawl by Mitsziko is another great project for the Fourth of July or whenever else you want to show some patriotic pride. This one has a wide lace border, stripes and a blue section that includes white bobbles to imply stars. It’s worked in DK weight yarn. You can find this one on Ravelry.

If there were prizes for the punniest pattern names, Stars & Socks Forever from Katie Franceschi would definitely win something. These socks feature stripes on the body and stars at the top of the leg and the toe, as well as on the heel. The pattern comes in three widths and you can knit to your desired length. This pattern uses a chart for the stars and you can find it on Ravelry.

This little patriotic doll from Nadia Perepelitsa is styled like a boy, but you could give it longer hair if you like. It uses fingering weight yarn and is worked on two straight needles in such a way that you’ll only have to sew side seams when it’s done. So cute! You can find it on Ravelry.

This American flag sweater knitting pattern from SC Pattern is giving big Ralph Lauren vibes. It’s a drop shoulder crewneck with unisex styling that comes in five sizes. The flag is worked in intarsia, so the pieces are worked flat and seamed.

The Patriotic Tam from Judy Lamb is a little more subtle, though it does have red, white and blue colorwork, and a bunch of golden eagles around the base of the tam. It’s worked in worsted weight yarn from the bottom up and the colorwork is charted. This pattern is available on Ravelry.

If you’re looking for a big project to work for the fourth that you can use all summer every summer and you’ll want to, because it’s a big project) check out the American flag blanket pattern from Dr. Josie’s Joys. This is a vintage pattern, so the yarn doesn’t exist anymore, but it would still be lots of sun to make. It is worked with the stripes and block of blue, and the stars are added with duplicate stitch.

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