Easy Tops to Knit for Summer

The weather is officially warm here in Arkansas, and all I want to do is knit summery tops. So I decided to hit up Ravelry for some easy, quick projects that those of us who are already feeling the warm can knit now and have off the needles pretty quickly, while those in cooler climates can start working on soon and have done in plenty of time to enjoy for as long as their warm season is.

One that has been on my to-knit list for so long I bought the pattern booklet and the yarn back when it was first released and now the pattern is free is Flow by Norah Gaughan. This simple tank top looks like something I would live in all summer, and this may just be the year I finally get it knit.

Stefanie Japel’s Bad Penny is another little top I’ve meant to make forever. (It’s from a 2004 Knitty.) It’s a top-down tee with contrasting edgings that’s super cute and casual.

I’ve also had Sarah Wilson’s Blue Hawaii tank on my mind for a few years. I like the lacy top and that it’s something that can carry you from beach to dinner, as if I ever do that, but stil.

Sunkist by Kristin Kapur is a super-cute, easy, top-down raglan V-neck originally worked with 3/4 sleeves, but you could make them shorter if you don’t need so much chill-chasing (I always need an extra layer to protect against air conditioning).

The original version of Rosa’s Sleeveless Cardi-Jumper by Emma Fassio was worked in a bulky alpaca blend, but choose cotton yarn linen or another lighter-weight blend for a great summer piece.

Another great Knitty project is Askew, a bias-knit tank worked in lovely Noro Silk Garden; it’s a great layering piece you can use in many seasons.

More tanks: a simple tank top from Patons, the Sarah Tank Top (yes, please!) from Domestic Dutchess, the Top Knitted in Moss Stitch by DROPS Design, the Simple Knit Top from Crafty Queens, Summer in Luxembourg by Totally Stricken, Elaine Phillips’ Vine Lace Tank Top with I-cord, the seamless Summer Breeze by Dana Berry and Scarlet Taylor’s Lace Up Tank Top.

Looking for more patterns? Check out these Summer Knit books on Amazon

And short-sleeved tops: Paloma by Kyoko Nakayoshi (which is worked on the top in Garter Stitch and has buttons along one side), the Drop Stitch Top from Patons, the Summer Lace Panel T-Shirt from Cascade Yarns, Rebecca Airmet’s Top-Down Tee, the Easy Side-t0-Side Summer Top by Claudia Olson and the Summer Top with Lace Pattern from DROPS Design.

That ought to keep you going for a while. If you have a favorite summer top pattern you’ve knit before, I’d love to hear about it!

Next Pattern:

Using your yarn stash is important to me throughout the year, but as I start to feel the end of the year coming on I get more excited about using things I already have in the house. Maybe that’s because I don’t want to go to a store in the thick of holiday shopping times, or I like the idea of having a little space in my stash when the new year rolls around.

It’s super satisfying to use up all the little odd balls you’ve made over the year (or years), and I have several stash busting blankets I work on when it’s cold and will maybe finish someday.

If you’d like to start a stash busting project that’s perfect for using up odd balls, check out the Soukish pattern from Neisha Abdulla. This pattern is made for fingering weight/sock yarn, and it’s worked in a tube with allover color work.

This is great for a couple of reasons. You don’t really have to weave in your ends when you can hide them in a tube (this is one time you might even get by just tying a knot when you change colors!) and you can change colors whenever you run out of yarn and it will look good.

Of course the pattern is made with blocks where the designer changed colors, but you can change yours more or less often as you need to make it work for your stash. You can use blank charts to design your own color combinations, or even your own stitch patterns if you like. You can also adjust the length of the scarf as needed or turn it into a cowl based on the amount of yarn you have.

This project looks like a lot of fun and would be a great thing to have on hand to stitch up and then to wear during the cold, gloomy months.

You can get a copy of the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Neisha Abdulla]

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