Giveaway: Warm Days, Cool Knits

July 20, 2015 by Sarah White 59 Comments

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

Kimberley Kabb says
July 23, 2015 at 3:14 pm
Milwaukee and 85 degrees today. Can’t wait for winter!
craftyone says
July 23, 2015 at 4:13 pm
Living in the south, there are usually more warm days. This book would be great.
Sara says
July 23, 2015 at 6:19 pm
I live next to Letchworth state park, NY. Today’s temp is76*.
ann samanowitz says
July 23, 2015 at 7:46 pm
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.
joan s says
July 24, 2015 at 11:34 am
I’ve got the best of both worlds. Oregon in the summer and Florida in the winter. This book sounds perfect!
Catherine says
July 25, 2015 at 12:34 pm
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!
Charlotte says
July 25, 2015 at 3:32 pm
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.
Sheryl says
July 26, 2015 at 7:53 pm
l would love to win a copy of the book.
Katelyn M says
August 10, 2015 at 6:18 pm
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!!

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Book Review: Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit & Crochet Blankets

Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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