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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Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns!

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil.

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn.

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point.

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up.

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.

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