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Giveaway: Warm Days, Cool Knits

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warm days cool knits

Stefanie is the winner!

After a really wet beginning to the summer where I live, it finally really feels like summer, with baking hot days and not-very-cool nights. This is the south, after all, and like other southerners I sometimes find it hard to find the will to knit — or to wear something knit — in the heat of summer.

Corrina Ferguson is a knitter in Florida who actually didn’t start knitting until she moved south. She’s had to come up with ways to still knit and wear knits in a climate that is not in need of bulky wool, and some of the results can be found in her fun book Warm Days, Cool Knits.

The book is broken down by season, starting with winter, which offers a couple of long-sleeved sweaters, a hat and a pair of lacy socks. Moving through the seasons, sleeves disappear and more lace is added, but there are also shawls to warm those shoulders in the evenings (or in too-cool rooms).

These projects are pretty and sure to delight knitters in all sorts of climates. You should know that they all use pretty lightweight yarns, but the designs mostly aren’t too challenging and you certainly shouldn’t let skinny yarn stop you.

If you’d like to win a copy of this book (it will be a print edition if you live in the United States, or a PDF if you live elsewhere), leave a comment on this post before the end of the day Sunday, July 27. I’d love to know where you live and what the temperature is today.

Thanks for visiting, commenting and sharing, and good luck!

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Comments

  4. It is in the low 80’s today in N.Y. with very little humidity. For four months each year I live in Florida so I need warm weather clothing all year around.

  5. I’ve got the best of both worlds. Oregon in the summer and Florida in the winter. This book sounds perfect!

  6. Live in the midwest where it’s in the upper 80s and humid. Spend time in FL throughout the year. Thanks for the chance to have a copy of your book!

  7. the title is really deceptive based on the yarns used – many years in San Antonio & Virginia – the chosen yarns would be fine in the winter, definitely not for warm days except in an air conditioned building.

  9. Thanks for sharing this book. It looks amazing!!! It has been quite warm in eastern PA! I want to start making these projects to wear now!!

Have you read?

Stitch Your Favorite Fruit on a Sweater

The other day I saw a post from Pinterest about trends for summer and it said one of them was “cultivating whimsy.” 

Well, I don’t know where Pinterest has been all this time, but we’ve been cultivating whimsy here at Craft Gossip for a long time. I love sharing projects that are a little different, things that make you smile when you see them, and will make you smile when you knit them and wear them or use them. 

Such it is with the Tutti Frutti tee knitting pattern from Bea Creative Knits. 

This cute little baby tee is worked top down in the round with contiguous shoulder construction to shape the sleeve caps. There are short rows for the neckline and folded hems with picot edging at the hemline, neckline and edges of the sleeves. 

All of this would be great on its own, but then there’s the addition of a super cute fruit icon, which is added with duplicate stitch. There are a lot of options, including strawberry, banana, orange, cherries, watermelon, lemon, blueberries, kiwi, peach, dragon fruit, apple and pear, so it’s likely you can add on your favorite fruit. 

It is offered in eight sizes, to fit a bust measurement ranging from 28-30 inches (71-76 cm) to 56-58 inches (142-147 cm). The design is meant to be worn with around 6.3 inches/16 cm of negative ease, but you can choose the fit you prefer. There’s also optional bust and waist shaping included in the pattern if you want to make it even curvier.

This is considered an advanced beginner or intermediate project because of all the skills involved, but it’s sure to be a lot of fun even if some of these techniques are new to you.

Grab a copy of the pattern for yourself form Bea Creative Knits on Etsy. 

[Photo: Bea Creative Knits]