Get Your Summer Knitting Started with this Fun Top

I decided last fall that I actually have enough knit sweaters. Maybe even a few too many if we’re being honest with how rarely I wear some of them.

Of course I don’t want to stop knitting garments, so I’ve added more vests and socks to my rotation. I’ve started crocheting more (though only one sweater so far!) and throwing in other crafts instead of being all knitting all the time.

And of course there are summer tops. I don’t wear them as much as I should but they’re a great way to get some knit garments in my life without knitting a whole sweater.

If you’re new to knitting clothes, starting with a summer top is a great entry point, especially if there are no sleeves involved.

Gudrun Johnston’s Simmer Dim Top is definitely going on my list of makes for the warmer weather to come. It’s worked in lace weight yarn, making it super light and comfortable for warm weather. It’s sleeveless and seamless, worked from the bottom up with a-line shaping, in the round to the armholes.

The textured stitch on front and back is worked flat one piece at a time, and finished with an I-cord edging that becomes the straps. The armholes are finished by picking up stitches and then binding them off.

Darts are used to shape the a-line of the body, and faux side seams are used on the body. It’s identical front to back.

The pattern comes in 10 sizes, with chest measurements ranging from 31 to 60 inches, or 79 to 152.5 cm. It’s meant to be worn with 0 to 2 inches/5 cm of positive ease. In the photos it looks a little shorter than my preference (since I have a long torso) but working from the bottom up makes it easy to adjust because you can just knit as long as you like to the armholes.

You can find this pattern (and a bunch of pretty versions other people have made) on Ravelry.

[Photo: Gundrun Johnston]

As we get into the part of the year with a lot of food-forward holidays, it might be time to start thinking about knitting some new things for your table. While a few of these are more fall/Thanksgiving focused, just changing up the colors would make others work for Christmas, or keep it neutral and use them all year long.

What got me started thinking about this was the lovely and simple Fresh Bread Dishtowel, a free pattern from Purl Soho. Worked in a lovely cotton and linen blend, the towel is mostly stockinette stitch with a bit of texture on the borders.

You could use this same kind of pattern to make anything from placemats to a table runner, but let’s look at some specific patterns for those kinds of projects as well.

The easy moss stitch table runner from Glass Bird Knits is beginner friendly can can easily be modified to fit your table (or, again, to make placemats instead of or in addition to a runner). This version is worked in macrame cord, but you could also use bulky yarn.

Emielle Design has a garter stitch runner pattern that’s made with braided cotton cord for a lot of texture without a lot of work. But be sure to take a lot of breaks when knitting with cord because it can be rough on your hands!

I also love the diamond pattern on the Hamilton Table Runner from Wyndlestraw Designs. It calls for a DK weight cotton and linen blend yarn and comes in three sizes with different widths and lengths. The pattern has both written and charted instructions.

Amy Marie’s Table Pumpkins (on Ravelry) is a fun mosaic knitting pattern that would be great to use as a table runner through the fall and for Thanksgiving. It uses a worsted weight cotton yarn in two colors, and you can make it as long as you like for your table.

The no cable knit placemats from Yarn Culture Studio have a fun faux cable look that would be great for the table through the fall and winter.

Or here’s another pattern from Wyndlestraw Designs, this time for an easy knit and purl stitch placemat pattern that looks different but still good on both sides. It calls for worsted weight cotton and comes in two sizes for placemats, but also has instructions for coasters, a hot pad and a table pad all using the same stitch.

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