Knitting in the Sun: 32 Projects for Warm Weather (a lovely new knitting book by Kristi Porter) arrived in the middle of a Bainbridge Island heatwave (of course if you’re familiar with the Puget Sound area that merely means we turn the fan on, sport a pair of shorts and bask in the sunshine, truly glorious weather).
Taos Convertible Vest by Stefanie Japel
A compilation of designs from 21 contributors, this beautiful collection features warm weather patterns made from lucsious materials including cotton, linen, hemp, bamboo and even soysilk yarns. It also features clever techniques for using traditional cold weather fibers like mohair, wool and alpaca in ways that make them suitable for warmer climates.
Bordeaux Lace Shawl by Janine Le Cras
The patterns in the book are sized to fit women from extra small through plus sizes. They cover a range of difficulty levels. I enjoyed the inclusion of a ‘Skills Used’ section for each pattern. It describes the techniques and/or special tools needed to make the pattern, a useful way to determine if it’s something I can take on with the skills I have.
Santorini Linen Kimono Jacket by Lisa Limber
Subdivided into 6 sections: Accessories, Sleeveless, Short Sleeves, Long Sleeves, Cardigans, and Odds & Ends, the book includes a wide array of flattering designs for all body types. I had to laugh when I saw the Long Sleeves section, my first thought was “Yes, designs for Northwest summers!” I truly had a good chuckle when I turned the page and saw that the first pattern in the section was named “Puget Sound”.
Puget Sound Drop-Stitch Sweater by Kristi Porter
Some multi-contributor books can be disjointed and look like a hodge podge of projects. Most definitely not the case with this book. Kristi Porter has done an outstanding job of pulling together talented designers that complement one another as well as the warm weather theme. Flawless knitting skills and high quality materials used for the samples contribute to the success of the book. It creates a soothing cohesive collection that inspired my knitting bug. The photography is stunning to boot. I could feel the sand between my toes as I carried my needles, yarn and beach chair to the shore.
Haleakala Beach Chair by Heather Broadhurst
Now the giveaway: leave a comment telling me your favorite summer knitting or sewing project. Three lucky winners will receive one of the following: the book, a Manhattan FQ set or a Nantucket FQ set (both from Summer Soiree by Paula Prass). I’ll draw a winners Friday morning (really!).
Happy Summer Making! xo Kathy
My current favorite summer project is a yo-yo quilt as it’s an easy take along project. Ever since I got my knitting needles taken away from me at airport security I’ve traveled with sewing projects instead. They even made me take my project off the needles—@*#* them! But you can see I’m over it, right?
Ohh, this is perfect. I am deep into sewing right now, but I am already starting to think about the knitting I want to do this fall/winter. I would love to make that Puget Sound drop stitch sweater. As for my favorite project, I am probably working on it now, coordinating dresses for my girls’ birthday’s. I am having a lot of fun with two girls.
Summer is a great time for projects that I don’t have time to do during the school year (except this year – I’m teaching summer school!). I usually do small things that I can put in my bag or drag outside. I favor mittens and socks for knitting. Right now I am knitting a pair of Monkey socks (finally) in a silk and wool mix. I live in Idaho and don’t wear socks much in the summer but I look forward to wearing all of these small things once it cools down. I do some sewing as well – I have a quilt on the rack but it hasn’t seen much action lately.
I love knitting shawls on fingering weight yarn in the summer. So quick and oh so light
I love knitting socks in the summer – it’s perfect to stock up for the winter and they aren’t big and wooly on the lap during my subway commute!
During the summer, I turn to knitting things for the home. Right now I am working on some ball band dishcloths because you can never have enough of those!
I am loving the Summer Soire prints in the background! Gorgeous, bright colors. I’m knitting up hats for my boys from Blue Sky cottons and for myself from my own handspun. Even though this is supposedly going to be an El Nino year I hope to wear handknit hats at least some of the time.
I love making summer clothes for my girls. They have enough skirts between them to clothe the entire little girl population of a small country. I just can’t help myself. So many fabrics, so little time.
I am sewing the Heather Ross Simple Sundress in one of her Mendocino fabrics (pink w/ Seahorses)
Wow, I love the beach chair in the book! That’s pretty darn cool! My summer project so far has been to knit tons of baby hats. I’m destashing in a big way, so I’ve been knitting lots of baby hats to donate to charities. Right now I’m knitting a hooded baby blanket that will also go to charity. The book you are giving away looks amazing and would give me an excuse to re-stash! lol!
My favorite summer sewing project is making an outfit for my daughter, usually a hat and a dress. So much fun!
Knitting or sewing project? Well, I gotta go with the sewing. Knitting in Phoenix = 110+ degree weather with a lap full of yarn. Just can’t get into that no matter how much I love knitting.
So, favorite sewing project is any dress/skirt made of light weight cotton. Have some cotton lawn and a Japanese dress/tunic pattern on the cutting table now.
My favorite summer knitting projects fit into two categories:
1) Small and mindless enough to take to baseball games
2) Light and airy enough to keep me from stabbing myself with my needles in a heat-induced rage.
My favorite summer sewing projects are anything that, by design and fabric choice, quells my insatiable summer wanderlust.
I have been loving making baby leggings and hats.
Love this book! I have to say, I have been a prolific Mini Mail Sack sewer this summer. I think my daughter is being invited to birthday parties just so I’ll make the little girl a Mail Sack. Really!
I love summer! I love sewing summer dresses for my little one. With all the gorgeous fabrics around, the possibilities are endless.
I love both knitting and sewing. My fav knitting project is usually children’s sweaters, many times for my grandkids Christmas. And sewing is usually a super cute summer capri outfit for my granddaughter! The book and fabric sound great!
OH so kind of you to host a give away!
My current favorite sewing project is the Children’s Play Tent from the book SEWING IN NO TIME… I’m making 2 as a surprise for my little people… they’ve been making tents with blankets just about every day all summer on the patio and I stumbled on this pattern and it couldn’t be more perfect… I’ll be posting the finished pieces to my blog in about a week.
As for summer knitting, I’m enjoying finishing some FETCHING fingerless mitts for my husband… the mitts are only a few months late… or maybe they’re just early!!
I have only started and finished one knitting project, a small afghan for my niece nearly 5 years ago. It took a few months to make, but I was so happy with the end result.
My favorite summer sewing projects are dresses and skirts for my daughter (6) and for myself. I love to make them and she’s proud to wear them!
I usually look for something portable for summer and socks fill the bill. But this summer I have a new great-nephew being born soon so I am hard at work on booties. Just the thing for instant gratification and relief of those “granny wishes”.
My favorite summer sewing project so far was to make bunting to decorate my front porch for the Fourth of July. It looked so awesome on the open railings, that I wonder why it took me six years to finish it.
Summer means lace shrugs, bags, etc! And also getting a head start on winter knitting.
I’m a quilting girl it’s true – but right now, I have a serious yen to make dresses. I look at my stash and instead of seeing all the possiblities for quilts it affords, I see sheath dresses, trapeze dresses, kitschy retro dresses, elegant tea length dresses, cheongsams – I sewed up a summer frock in coral pink last night (and made a matching quilted belt) and today have been eyeing a red linen I bought “specifically* for a quilt and have been thinking… “That vintage Vogue dress would look amazing in that red linen”.
So apparently, my summer sew (right now, anyway) is anything “dress”. Like “The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins “.
Only, dresses.
My knitting always slows down in the summer as it becomes too hot in my house (no a/c). I’ve been trying to knit with more cotton and linen yarns as they are not as “sticky” as wool and feel cooler to the touch. I just finished a yoga mat bag in cotton and I’m gearing up to knit the Leela sweater (http://www.berroco.com/270.275/270/270_leela_pv.html) in linen next.
Interesting book! We do have a/c, and to get the upper floor tolerable, the main floor has to be cooler than it would be otherwise… which means I bring out the wool lace shawl and work on that.
Kathy – you are so kind. Since summer is the weather all year round (minus the rainy days), at the moment quilting is my favourite sewing projects.
Totes bags, mainly. We can’t seem to ever have enough around here with all the summer travels.
My favourite project for summer are easy clothes for my kids: shorts, little tank dresses and hats to match!
Great book!! That beach chair is scrumptious……8-)
Let’s see……for sewing I’m having fun making some “English Paper Pieced” pincushions by hand; and trying to work up the courage (and find JUST THE RIGHT PATTERN) for the Far Far Away Fat Quarter Bundle I bought from you. I really, really love that fabric.
As for knitting, I made my BIL a great knit hat and my DS a cool shawl while my daughter and I were on a road trip from San Diego to SE Oklahoma to see them. Also trying to finish the million other projects I have started..8-). Oh, and if you’ve never visited Sedona, AZ, you HAVE TO GO! It is so gorgeous. As my daughter said, “it lives up to all the hype about it” Have a great summer crafting season everyone.
I like knitting toys during the summer. Or baby gifts. I’m always knitting baby gifts.
I’m a fairly new knitter. I love to knit anything. I have started my Christmas crafting and hope to make bed covers for three of my five kids…and postage stamp quilts for the other two. Dang! Now that I have that written here, I feel like I may have bitten off more than I can chew!~
I love to collect knitting books! I would love to own this one, too!
Happy crafting!
As a newish sewer and knitter…my favorite summer project has actually been socks. Small enough to not get hot sitting in my lap, but I can still use stretchy forgiving wool
Looks like a great book!
My summer knitting project was only a top with many holes in it.
Thanks for the giveaway.
I usually stick to small knitting projects like socks and hats (yes, wool ones — we need them for our outdoor adventures much of the year even in the mild PNW) but this year I’ve added in baby projects, since I — and a good friend! — are both expecting babies around Christmas!
Right now I’m making Roman shades for our living room and dining area. It’s quite a lot of work but I love the feeling of making something practical for our home that we will get to use often and for a long time. It’s not just a fun bag I’m making for myself, but something that will make it bearable for us to be indoors at the same time as it “spices” up our house.
My #1 project this summer will be sewing cushions in the fabulous handprinted linnen with gingko leaves from the lovely ladies of Ink&Spindle (go have a look, they print such gorgeous designs! http://www.inkandspindle.com.au)
And probably knitting a light shawl for this rather windy summer weather, something lacey and drapey perhaps?
Have a great summer!
How I wish it was time for a summer project – it’s an unusually cold, wet & wintry day in Sydney. But when it is, I love something super bright, with lots of white & light-weight to hand quilt.
My summer projects seem to be embroidery pieces for various weddings – I’m slowly knitting a vest for myself, but it’s the thing that always gets put aside for me to work on something else!
I love to sew felt. It is so much fun!
thanks a lot!
I love making cute skirts in the summer.
I have made some really cute baby blankets in the summer. But I have to say my favorite thing ti knit in the Summer or whenever is the koigu Charlotte’s Web Shawl. The yarn colors I pick bring out the liveliness of the season.
I’ve discovered that enjoy making baby quilts for friends/family. Much easier and quicker to do than a full-sized quilt!
I like making baby booties in the summer because I can take the work with me con5459(at)gmail(dot)com
I have to say that my favorite summer projects are anything quick and easy. I don’t have a very long attention span in summer. So, I like making small Christmas ornaments, light weight scarves, etc.
rsgrandinettti@yahoo(dot)com
Scarves to give friends at Christmas! Thanks for the lovely giveaway~
smickelson1993 at yahoo dot com
Teaching my 6 year old granddaughter to knit. She is doing amazingly well. We are making a scarf for mommy for Xmas, look out world a new knitter!!
I like sewing summer tops!
Trenda
tren73 at gmail dot com
Summer is the time of year I get ready for fall/winter. I’m currently knitting a bed jacket and a shrug. I like to have more than one project going at the same time. In this way I don’t get bored with one project {and end up either making mistakes or setting the project aside and it not getting done.} After these two projects are finished I plan to make some knitted dish cloths to have on hand for hostess gifts come the Christmas holidays.
My favorite sewing is mindless strip piecing or crazy quilt piecing. Something that doesn’t take a lot of concentration or getting up and down to press. Thank you for offering this wonderful give-away. I would love either of the FQ packs. Paula’s new fabric is gorgeous. Take care and God bless, Cory
My favorite summertime sewing project is definitely the beachbag…a girl can never have too many and it is lovely to coordinate with your swimming suits/coverups!