Knitting

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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!

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?

Knit a Classic Aran Cardigan with this Free Knitting Pattern

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time. 

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring. 

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn. 

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row. 

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves. 

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body. 

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy. 

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn. 

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]