A Weightless Sweater to Knit for Summer

I know it can be hard to think of sweaters as being a summer knitting project, whether just knitting them or actually wearing them. But it is possible to make a sweater that’s perfect for wearing when the weather is hot.

The Islet Raglan by Leila Raven does it by being worked in light fingering weight yarn on a larger than expected needle and including a lace pattern. All of this combines to make for a very lightweight garment that’s great to slip on over tank tops or summer dresses.

The boat neck top is worked in the round from the top down and features raglan shaping on the sleeves. You can make the sleeves short, three-quarter or full length as you like.

The pattern is meant to be worked with two different kinds of yarn, a smoother yarn contrasted with a fuzzier one. The fuzzy yarn is used to work solid stripes, while the smoother yarn is used to make the lace pattern. You can also use different colors for the different kinds of yarn or use the same color for more subtle contrast.

This is a time when swatching can give you a lot of good information because you can play with different yarns, colors and textures to see what combination you like best for your sweater.

There are 10 sizes available, with an actual chest measurement ranging from 33 to 73 inches, or 84 to 185.5 cm. It’s intended to be worn with 3 to 6 inches/7.5 to 15 cm of positive ease.

This pattern can be purchased individually or there is an option to buy both this one and the Islet Drop, which is sort of the opposite pattern, worked from the bottom up with a dropped sleeve for a more relaxed look and fit.

You can learn more about both patterns on Ravelry.

[Photo: Leila Raven]

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Why should the fireplace get all the fun? Instead of knitting stockings this year, why not whip up a pair of Christmas themed socks? These Christmas sock knitting patterns are lots of fun to make and you can wear them to holiday gatherings for years to come.

For our friends in the southern part of the world, there are the Christmas in July socks from the Kiwi Lodge – Kylie (Ravelry link). These shorty socks are covered in Christmas trees and have bright pink heels and toes for a tropical feel. There’s also an option to make a longer sock if you celebrate somewhere it’s colder.

Twin Stitches Designs (Ravelry) has a fun pattern with mix and match colorwork motifs you can use to build your own cozy Christmas socks. From the sample socks I see Christmas puddings, trucks hauling trees, Santa belts, ornaments and a couple of different borders. There may be more patterns included but the listing doesn’t say. Make a pair that matches or use different motifs on each foot for extra holiday cheer.

If you want to stick to Christmas puddings on your holiday socks, check out this cute pattern from Stone Knits. These lovely socks feature a band of puddings around the leg and a bit of holly by the toes.

These vintage holiday light socks from Grey Owl Knits by Sarah are classic looking and lots of fun at the same time. I love this color combination but of course you can make your lights and stripes whatever colors you like or have on hand. They’re worked using stranded knitting.

And if you’d like even more of a mix of patterns for your socks, try Barbara Ceglédi’s Christmas Chaos socks, a free pattern on Ravelry. The pattern includes 25 little motifs you can choose from, ranging from snowflakes and Christmas trees to elf hats, reindeer and hearts.

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