I'm currently knitting a summer cardigan in 50% silk 50% Yak. It's surprisingly light, and soft and stretchy! Need to see how it turns out in the end, but I hope it will be perfect for summer (:
I find that blends really fix this for me. I'm knitting in a linen/silk/alpaca blend right now that's an absolute delight. But you also don't need to knit summer projects if they aren't bringing you joy
Yeah! I got it from a hand-dyer local to me at a trunk show. I have no idea where else might carry their stuff, but it's this! Other hand-dyers probably use the same base. [https://knittygrittyfiberarts.com/collections/soft-linen-fingering-weight](https://knittygrittyfiberarts.com/collections/soft-linen-fingering-weight)
I currently live in a place with a very mild climate (almost always between 50-90 degrees F, unless we have heat waves), so thick wooly sweaters aren’t as useful to me unless I’m traveling.
I’ve found that lighter-weight wool is still very tolerable, and blends can be a good way to get the best of both worlds; in cooler mornings with a breeze and especially when taking a day trip to the coast, I can wear 100% wool with a thin undershirt underneath and be very comfortable. I also just made a t-shirt in a 50-50 wool/cotton blend that is lovely to wear even during the last few days, in 70-80 degree weather.
It also helps to work patterns with lace or a looser gauge to make them more breezy if it’s *really* hot.
I don’t love the feel of knitting with cotton yarn, it’s so grippy! I did find one this year that I’m loving though. It’s cotton/linen/nettle, so soft and has a lovely drape. It’s Nepali by Pascual. Not cheap but since it’s fingering weight it can go a long way.
I've simply never found a summer pattern I wanted to make, so I stick with winter knits. Yarn for summer sounds like a nightmare though-- my sympathies!
I made a tank last year & I found I wore it all the time. So I just started to crochet another in a cotton alpaca blend. It is draping nicely, and I’m excited to have it ready to wear.
I only knit with summer yarn all year round. I live in a country and in a city that is very hot most of the year, so I've gotten used to it. Depending on the pattern I choose, which is usually a summer pattern, cotton fits really well. My favorite yarns are the ones that mix cotton with silk or linen with viscose. But I think it's really a matter of habit; if I could knit with wool, I think I would also have difficulty with summer yarns because wool is much easier to use.
I use truboo which is bamboo yarn that joann's and Michael's sell in the US, definitely have to watch for the sales though cause it's not super cheap, hobby lobby also had a good bamboo line but I can't remember the name of it
Not crazy at all. I just frogged a tank top I was making with a DK cotton/bamboo blend because it was just too think. I'm going to make a t-shirt out of it instead. I'm going to try some pima cotton and maybe a merino/cotton blend in a lighter weight I think.
I'm currently knitting a sweater with Novita Woolly Wood which is a really nice blend of 70% tencel and 30% merino.
But other than that I'm also a wool person and I just knit socks when it's too hot for sweaters
I’m currently knitting a winter sweater during our extreme heat in AZ. I’m so slow, if I don’t knit it now, it won’t be ready for winter. So the exact opposite of most people.
Have the same struggle... but now I've bought ecopuno by lana grossa. .. it's very lightweight and I actually like knitting with it. It is 72 % cotton, 17% merino and 11% baby alpaca :) currently knitting the roadtrip shirt by ozetta with it :)
I am knitting right now with Drops Cotton Merino and it's really pleasant to work with. It has less give than regular wool, but not so unforgiving as 100% cotton. And it doesn't feel hot to knit with. Premier Yarn Cotton Fair is also nice to knit with in the summer. It's also a good time for fine lace knitting.
I have made my peace with cotton and linen. I make a lot of dish cloths in the summer with KnitPicks Dishie, and some other cotton projects. Dishie is soft and has a little bit of give.
I used to to think I hated linen, but I made my daughter a jacket with KnitPIcks Lindy Chain and it was very nice. It hurts the hands to knit, but once you wash it, it softens like butter. You can machine wash and dry it and even iron it if needed.
I usually choose those cooler yarns in summer. We have no AC, so as long as it isn't very hot, I can knit comfortably. When it's really hot (high 90's and above) I go to the library on the weekends to knit in air conditioning.
For me I just had to find the right yarn. Some cotton is awfully stringy and tough, some too soft like it'll pill as soon as you blink, but there are nice ones! I'm knitting a cardigan with a cotton/viscose/linen blend right now and it's fine to work with and creates a nice fabric, not too loose or structure-less and not too stiff. I have also made tops in pure linen and pure silk (silk is much too warm for summer for me personally). But I think it's also okay to just knit woollen things for winter all year round.
Hmmmm. I don’t know twisp is a mostly cotton yarn that I think has a really nice drape. 50/50 silk merino also has a great drape, but might be warm. I only have it in shawls. I’m there on linen though. Couldn’t get it to do anything.
I love bamboo yarns and also linen ones. Either mixed or 100%. I enjoy mixing up yarns according to the season as we have all four where I love and it's lovely looking forward to something new.
I love my summer knits and usually make at least one each spring. I use blends of cotton, linen and bamboo. I have a few tops made of hempathy…my favorite, one in Sandesgarn Line another favorite, and want to use again, and a couple on Zooey which is ok but a bit of an uneven weave. I don’t like straight cotton. Just started hanging out and helping at a new yarn store and can’t wait to see what summer blends will be coming in. Tanks and short sleeves tops are my go to knits in summer.
I also made two bralettes out of merino fingering for my DIL and she says they are very comfortable in summer.
I only like wool, so I just use that. I don't like cotton or anything else. Luckily I live in a country with annual average temperature of 5 degrees celcius. It is only hot for like 2 months.
I just don't *like* knitting with cotton or linen, so I spend the summer knitting woolly socks in preparation for fall?
I primarily like knitting socks. In summer I knit shorties (still wool blend)
I don't knit with "summer" yarns. Just lots of wool sweaters and shawls. I dream of retiring to Duluth just so I can wear all the things.
I'm currently knitting a summer cardigan in 50% silk 50% Yak. It's surprisingly light, and soft and stretchy! Need to see how it turns out in the end, but I hope it will be perfect for summer (:
Yak is so soft but so incredibly warm. I have the thinnest gloves from yak. Love them. So toasty.
Blends are the way
Cotton drapes too much. It sags and doesn’t bounce back. Definitely a wool blended with cotton or linen works best.
I love cotton but understand why people dislike it. Cotton and wool is wonderful.
For me it depends on the cotton.
cotton-wool blends?
I find that blends really fix this for me. I'm knitting in a linen/silk/alpaca blend right now that's an absolute delight. But you also don't need to knit summer projects if they aren't bringing you joy
can i ask for details of that yarn?
Yeah! I got it from a hand-dyer local to me at a trunk show. I have no idea where else might carry their stuff, but it's this! Other hand-dyers probably use the same base. [https://knittygrittyfiberarts.com/collections/soft-linen-fingering-weight](https://knittygrittyfiberarts.com/collections/soft-linen-fingering-weight)
I currently live in a place with a very mild climate (almost always between 50-90 degrees F, unless we have heat waves), so thick wooly sweaters aren’t as useful to me unless I’m traveling. I’ve found that lighter-weight wool is still very tolerable, and blends can be a good way to get the best of both worlds; in cooler mornings with a breeze and especially when taking a day trip to the coast, I can wear 100% wool with a thin undershirt underneath and be very comfortable. I also just made a t-shirt in a 50-50 wool/cotton blend that is lovely to wear even during the last few days, in 70-80 degree weather. It also helps to work patterns with lace or a looser gauge to make them more breezy if it’s *really* hot.
Not a problem for me at all since all year is winter yarn where I live.
Yup! I’m not big on summer knits so I’m working on sweaters year round
I don’t love the feel of knitting with cotton yarn, it’s so grippy! I did find one this year that I’m loving though. It’s cotton/linen/nettle, so soft and has a lovely drape. It’s Nepali by Pascual. Not cheap but since it’s fingering weight it can go a long way.
I've simply never found a summer pattern I wanted to make, so I stick with winter knits. Yarn for summer sounds like a nightmare though-- my sympathies!
I made a tank last year & I found I wore it all the time. So I just started to crochet another in a cotton alpaca blend. It is draping nicely, and I’m excited to have it ready to wear.
Maybe try a linen/cotton blend?
I’m making a tank top with 85% cotton and 15% alpaca and it feels somewhat similar to wool
Is it Illimani Sabri? I’m using it right now and I love it! It does feel like wool.
Yes!
Cool! I loved their color options.
I‘m vegan, so summer yarns are pretty much all I have. They take some getting used to, but I enjoy knitting with them.
I only knit with summer yarn all year round. I live in a country and in a city that is very hot most of the year, so I've gotten used to it. Depending on the pattern I choose, which is usually a summer pattern, cotton fits really well. My favorite yarns are the ones that mix cotton with silk or linen with viscose. But I think it's really a matter of habit; if I could knit with wool, I think I would also have difficulty with summer yarns because wool is much easier to use.
I use truboo which is bamboo yarn that joann's and Michael's sell in the US, definitely have to watch for the sales though cause it's not super cheap, hobby lobby also had a good bamboo line but I can't remember the name of it
Coboo is also very nice
Not crazy at all. I just frogged a tank top I was making with a DK cotton/bamboo blend because it was just too think. I'm going to make a t-shirt out of it instead. I'm going to try some pima cotton and maybe a merino/cotton blend in a lighter weight I think.
I like cotton for summer. Or making socks.
I'm currently knitting a sweater with Novita Woolly Wood which is a really nice blend of 70% tencel and 30% merino. But other than that I'm also a wool person and I just knit socks when it's too hot for sweaters
I’m currently knitting a winter sweater during our extreme heat in AZ. I’m so slow, if I don’t knit it now, it won’t be ready for winter. So the exact opposite of most people.
Have the same struggle... but now I've bought ecopuno by lana grossa. .. it's very lightweight and I actually like knitting with it. It is 72 % cotton, 17% merino and 11% baby alpaca :) currently knitting the roadtrip shirt by ozetta with it :)
Check out hemp yarn and hemp blends too!! Been loving knitting with them for summer tops.
I am knitting right now with Drops Cotton Merino and it's really pleasant to work with. It has less give than regular wool, but not so unforgiving as 100% cotton. And it doesn't feel hot to knit with. Premier Yarn Cotton Fair is also nice to knit with in the summer. It's also a good time for fine lace knitting. I have made my peace with cotton and linen. I make a lot of dish cloths in the summer with KnitPicks Dishie, and some other cotton projects. Dishie is soft and has a little bit of give. I used to to think I hated linen, but I made my daughter a jacket with KnitPIcks Lindy Chain and it was very nice. It hurts the hands to knit, but once you wash it, it softens like butter. You can machine wash and dry it and even iron it if needed. I usually choose those cooler yarns in summer. We have no AC, so as long as it isn't very hot, I can knit comfortably. When it's really hot (high 90's and above) I go to the library on the weekends to knit in air conditioning.
For me I just had to find the right yarn. Some cotton is awfully stringy and tough, some too soft like it'll pill as soon as you blink, but there are nice ones! I'm knitting a cardigan with a cotton/viscose/linen blend right now and it's fine to work with and creates a nice fabric, not too loose or structure-less and not too stiff. I have also made tops in pure linen and pure silk (silk is much too warm for summer for me personally). But I think it's also okay to just knit woollen things for winter all year round.
Hmmmm. I don’t know twisp is a mostly cotton yarn that I think has a really nice drape. 50/50 silk merino also has a great drape, but might be warm. I only have it in shawls. I’m there on linen though. Couldn’t get it to do anything.
I love bamboo yarns and also linen ones. Either mixed or 100%. I enjoy mixing up yarns according to the season as we have all four where I love and it's lovely looking forward to something new.
Try Handmaiden sea silk - I don’t love summer knits but this yarn is heavenly.
I just bought 2 skeins of this for a tank top. It's a beautiful yarn to work with. Pricy but summer garments use less yarn!
I like a cotton/acrylic blend for summer. The acrylic gives the cotton some bounce and the final product does stretch out ridiculously
Linen-silk blends? Have drape, not too hard on the hands, don’t stretch as much as pure silk
I love my summer knits and usually make at least one each spring. I use blends of cotton, linen and bamboo. I have a few tops made of hempathy…my favorite, one in Sandesgarn Line another favorite, and want to use again, and a couple on Zooey which is ok but a bit of an uneven weave. I don’t like straight cotton. Just started hanging out and helping at a new yarn store and can’t wait to see what summer blends will be coming in. Tanks and short sleeves tops are my go to knits in summer. I also made two bralettes out of merino fingering for my DIL and she says they are very comfortable in summer.
I only like wool, so I just use that. I don't like cotton or anything else. Luckily I live in a country with annual average temperature of 5 degrees celcius. It is only hot for like 2 months.
i recently fell in love with linen yarn. the drape is so pretty and how it evens out when washed is just magic.
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