What To Knit In The Summer

A lot of people have told me their knitting slows down in the summer. For some strange reason (I can't figure it out.) people don't want to cover their lap with a half-knitted afghan in July.

Weird.

I guess mine slows down a bit, too. But not because of the heat. You know I like it hot. (90 degrees and 90% humidity. That's for me.) I just tend to get a lot busier from May-December, so I have less time to knit.

I have noticed though, that--even though the heat doesn't bother me, and T likes the house the temperature of a meat locker anyway--most of my summer knitting tends to be small projects. Scarves. Hats. Ornaments. I don't know why that is. Other people have told me the same thing--they knit small things in the summer.

A lot of people knit dishcloths and socks. But I don't do those. Here are my suggestions for things to knit in the summer (besides hats, scarves, and ornaments or dishcloths and socks). None of these, btw, are original ideas. If you look around Ravelry or Pinterest, you'll find hundreds of each of these.

Afghan squares: Make an afghan for yourself or someone else, one square at a time. Pick out a bunch of different afghan square patterns that will knit up to the same size. Pick out some coordinating yarn. Now you're making an afghan, but only knitting a small square at a time. And you save the sewing up until the colder months.

This is how you can use those dishcloth patterns,if you're like me. Afghan squares. There are tons of dishcloth patterns that are really cute. But I don't do dishcloths. So, I knit them as afghan squares.

Afghan strips: Okay, this is kind of like afghan squares, with less sewing up. You make a bunch of scarves, using whatever stitch pattern and whatever color you want. You just have to make sure all the scarves are the same length. Then, when winter comes and you're ready to have a half-finished afghan across your lap, you seam them together along their long sides. You get a striped afghan that you knitted a piece at a time.

Candle jar cozies: Basically, you're making a lace tube wide enough to go around a jar candle. There are plenty of patterns for these, but you don't really need one. Just pick any lace stitch pattern that gives you a tube the circumference of your jar and knit it up on dpns or circulars. Make it just a bit shorter than your jar (no need to create a fire hazard, right?) and slide it on. These are actually really pretty. I think I will make several to give as gifts.

By the way, you don't even need to do this on dpns or circulars. You can knit a piece of lace flat and then seam it onto your jar. You'll, of course, have a seam if you do this, but if you don't mind that or if you're a fantastic finisher, it's fine.

Toys of any kind. For me, that's mostly cat toys. But you could also do toys for non-furry children, if you have that variety.

Jewelry: I love knitted jewelry. Knitting with wire, while somewhat bitchy, will at least not make your hands hot, like yarn. And even if you're knitting with fiber, jewelry pieces are so small you can finish them (usually) before you get bored or hot. Jewelry is also a way you can use your finished knit immediately, unlike a scarf or mittens.

Hm. All this talk of knitting has made me a little anxious to get some done.