Book Review: Knits for Summer

Summer isn’t really known as prime knitting season, but the truth is there are a lot of great things you can knit — and wear — when the weather is warm.

Knits for Summer by Kristi Simpson is a booklet with 10 ideas for knit accessories you can use in the summertime. The projects include:

barefoot sandals
seaside coasters
lacy cape
rose headband
scoop neck top
anchor pillow
striped tote bag
long vest with eyelets (my favorite!)
allover eyelet tunic
lace wrap with fringe

You can check out all the patterns on the Leisure Arts website.

This is a fun little booklet for those who live in warmer climates or like to have something fun and seasonally appropriate to knit in the summer. All the patterns are rated easy, which makes it a good choice for newer knitters who want to venture into a little bit of lace, colorwork or simple garments.

About the book: 32 pages, paperback, 10 projects. Published 2017 by Leisure Arts, suggested retail price $9.99.

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I’ve shared a lot of Christmas stocking knitting patterns over the years (see posts 1, 2, 3 for example) but what if you want to knit a stocking for a non-human member of your family. If you’re looking for Christmas stocking knitting patterns for your cats or dogs, this is the post for you.

These large paw print stockings are perfect for either dogs or cats, so they’re great to knit if you have both. They are worked in the round using DK weight yarn, and the stocking measures about 17 inches/43 cm from the top to the heel. You can get the pattern from nicolaluke.

The K4 Project has a super cute Kitty Christmas stocking pattern, which is worked in worsted weight yarn. They also have a dog version, or you can buy both and get a discount if you have both dogs and cats to knit for. Both projects have two patterns, showing how to work the stockings flat or in the round.

Put your dog into a Christmas scene with this stocking pattern from ifanhourChild. It shows a dog in a dog house in the snow, and has room for the dog’s name at the top. It’s worked flat using worsted weight yarn and the pattern includes charts for many small and medium dog breeds (there’s a separate listing for bigger dogs) so you can stitch a dog that looks like yours.

Annie’s Woolens has both dog and cat stocking knitting patterns that are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round. You can change up the colors to suit your pet if you want, and they come with an alphabet chart for personalization. Or you can stick with holiday colors and buy a kit to make the dog or cat stocking.

Waiting for Santa Paws is a pattern from Kate Agner on Ravelry that would be cute for a dog or a cat. It looks like a leg with a paw print on the bottom part of the foot and more paw prints running around the top of the leg. This is a great option if you don’t want to mess with a heel turn because it doesn’t have a heel, because dogs and cats don’t have heels so why would their stockings?

Book Review – 20 to Knit: Tiny Christmas Toys to Knit

Book Review – Knit Christmas Stockings

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