Knit a Summer Sweater with Very Shannon

It started a few days ago, but the Summer Sweater Knitalong at Very Shannon still has a long way to go if you want to jump in and stitch a sweater this season.

The knitalong kicked off July 31 and runs through Step. 10. Its aim is to get knitters to make sweaters, whether that be a sweater you can wear while it’s still warm or something to help you transition into cooler weather.

You can even work on a sweater you’ve already started, and you don’t technically have to finish your sweater by the deadline to be eligible for prizes.

Wait, prizes? Yup. She’s got some great sponsors, including Brooklyn Tweed, Fringe Supply, Pompom magazine and We Are Knitters, among others, who will be doling out goodies to participants.

This is a super fun way to get a jump on fall knitting or to make that sweater you’ve always been too intimidated to take on.

Are you taking part in the knitalong? I’d love to know what you’re making!

[Photo: Very Shannon.]

Fall will be here before we know it, and that means there are holidays coming right behind where we might be entertaining at home. It’s always fun to have a hand knit touch in your home for other people to see, and if you’re going to be in the kitchen all day you might as well have some nice knit dish cloths to use.

I love this little plaid hand towel from Darling Jadore. Use a little bit of leftover cotton yarn from another project for the plaid portion. It looks like the horizontal stripes are worked as you knit and the vertical stripes are done with duplicate stitch, making this a quick and easy project even newer knitters can make.

Combine garter stitch and an easy eyelet pattern worked sideways to make the Annette Dish Towel from Cluck Cluck Boots, which is meant to be reminiscent of flour sack towels. It calls for DK weight yarn and you can work it in one color or two (or even three!).

Add a little more texture with this set of kitchen towels from Whileberry Creative. They’re mostly worked in garter stitch with borders in easy knit/purl patterns, and you can work them in sport or worsted weight yarn.

Two of Wands Shop has another cute allover knit and purl pattern they call the Seersucker Textured Tea Towel. It’s an easy repeating pattern worked in worsted weight yarn, and there’s a chart in the pattern you can use, but don’t have to, if you want to practice knitting from a chart.

The Classic Cloth dish towel from Handmade Home by Connie is another one that can use a little leftover yarn in a contrasting color, or you could color block it our use stripes throughout the pattern. This one uses worsted weight yarn and another easy repeating knit purl stitch pattern.

If you like to hang your towel on the oven handle or elsewhere but it’s always falling off, try the Stay Put kitchen towel from Fancy Step Knits. This project is worked in garter stitch and includes a hole partway through so you can pull the towel through itself over a rod or handle. Stripes are optional but a nice addition.

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