Christie C. “Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn’t hurt the untroubled spirit either.” — Elizabeth Zimmermann
Summer equals Knitting
Occasionally—if not often—one becomes a troubled spirit and seeks absolution from the suffering. Time and time again, knitting becomes my happy place, as I become lost in the rhythms of counting and petting wool.
Ironically, summer is my favorite season for knitting. I have the most down time and I get to knock out a few pieces just in time to be worn during the fall and winter months. I have a few pieces that I’ve had on my needles for over a year now. Hopefully I can get most of them done during the summer. Here’s what’s still on my needles:
Works in Progress
Littlewoods Aran Hack: Cropped Cardigan
I am excited to say that this one is nearly complete! I am at the cusp of finishing the sleeves. After that, I only have to complete the button band, weave in the loose ends, and block and shape.
For this cardigan, I “discovered” a game changing strategy for tackling sweaters: knitting the sleeves and front panels at the same time. Even though my favorite items to knit are sweaters and cardigans, I get apprehensive about knitting the sleeves and front panels. My brain tricks me into thinking that they’re extra work.
I truly have to push myself to knit the other sleeve and panel. Sometimes I procrastinate the process for months, and forget my initial knitting flow, making it harder for me to remember what I’m doing. Since I knit mainly using vintage patterns with strange instructions, forgetting my interpretation of the pattern can throw a wrench in the process, leading to mistakes and frogging.
So, I tried something new by knitting the sleeves together on the same needle, and doing the same to the panels. You do this by casting each sleeve/panel on separately with its own ball of yarn, then knit according to the pattern instructions. Think of it as having two separate projects on the same needle. I finished the sleeves soon than expected.
Patons DK Weight Cardigan
This cardigan has been a rough one. I’m starting to lose track of the number of years this one is taking me, but I believe I am up to year three. This is not a difficult piece at all—the problem is my attention span. This is a straight stockinette stitch cardigan knit with DK weight yarn in black.
I actually adore how it is turning out. The pattern is just monotonous to knit. There isn’t any variation or interest in the fabric other than ribbing for the cuffs and hems, and decreases for shaping. However, I live to be done with this piece for the bottoms alone. These amazing buttons are hand casted pewter from an Etsy shop called Center of the Circle. This is going to be my machine washable sweater that I can easily throw on and off during the academic term,
I am dreading having to knit the sleeves, however. Something tells me that I won’t finish in time for winter.
Scrap Yarn Cardigan
Honestly, I don’t plan on finishing this one anytime soon because it will depend on yarn availability. I mention my Scrap Yarn Cardigan in my No Buy Season post. This piece was inspired by a post I saw on the blog Flashback Summer. Author Emileigh knitted a vintage 1940s cardigan using scrap yarn, but in a specific pattern so as not to create a mishmash of color—not that this is inherently or particularly bad, but adding each and every varying scrap of color to a sweater is just not for me. There’s also the question of yarn weight and fiber content. I prefer the yarns to be made of the same if not very similar fibers.
I’m not using the same pattern Emileigh is using since it is no longer available, so I’m using my Littlewoods Aran 2015 Pattern from Shadows Patterns. This isn’t a vintage 1940s pattern—it is 1980s; I’m just using the pattern as a guide, but matching Emileigh’s similar striping principal.
The sweater will be worked on as I continue collecting scraps from the same color families. So far, I’ve managed to knit the entire back.
Possible Planned Projects
I am anticipating the next group of projects. 2025 has been my slower crafting year mainly because I’ve been more intentional about what to make. The exciting part about this habit, however, is that I am truly feeling the vibes of my projects this year. They are far more wearable, cater more to my style, and crafted better. I haven’t decided which ones to tackle yet, but this is my list so far:
Halloweenie Beanie by Noemi Zimmer
I’ve been eyeing this pattern for a couple of years now. This beanie by Noemi Zimmer is a colorwork piece that creates the cutest skull pattern. This pattern is supposed to be for children, but apparently runs large and can fit an adult, according to the reviews.
It’s been twenty years since I started wearing skulls in high school, and I still haven’t outgrown them—so, they’re here to stay!
I like subtle edgy elements, and I see this fun beanie being a mainstay in my casual wardrobe.
RohanMade Slouchy Hat Knitting Pattern
I’ve been eyeing the pattern for Rohan Made’s Slouchy Hat. Even though I can probably figure out how to make it on my own, I am probably going to purchase the pattern so that I can get it as close to the original as possible. Plus, I get to support a small artist along the way.
This is a great opportunity for me to use up some scrap fabric and stray beads. There’s a cat ear version of it, but I decided to go with the safer option to make sure that I actually like to wear cat hats.
I haven’t chosen a colorway yet, but I do want to use a yarn that’s already in my stash.
Colorblock Aran Littlewoods Aran Pattern Hack
This is clearly an AI image, but I’m very drawn to the color combination. Those buttons look ridiculous.
I started liking colorblock patterns after making my Chunky Cardigan from the Blue Bird Pine Shop. I’m taking a long break from making chunky knits (they take up too much closet space), but I still like the idea of a worsted weight cardigan that plays on neutral and warm colors. I can pattern hack the Littlewoods Aran to get the initial shape, and fill in the rest by eye.
Even though I actually own most of the colors already, I am probably going to have to purchase a few more skeins because I prefer my yarns to be made with the same exact fiber content. This makes it easier for me to wash and care for the garment, and I don’t want a weird situation where the sleeves are acrylic while the body is wool.
Classic Garter Jumper by Kat and Leni
I thought this would be the perfect garment to make using some yarn that was supposed to be for a different project, but didn’t work out. I actually hate knitting garter stitch for long stretches of fabric, but I do like how it looks. Depending on how I swatch the yarn, it may or may not make the cut this year.
The point of this garment is to have a machine washable pullover that can be worn with almost anything. However, the green yarn planned for it is giving Oscar the Grouch, so we’ll see!
Fleur Cami by Woolbird
I’ve always wanted a knit camisole to wear during the warmer months, but it is difficult for me to find a warm weather pattern that I actually like.
The Fleur Cami by Woolbird looks like it isn’t too thick, and would work up quickly enough for me to finish before the season is over.
I do not typically like lace camisoles in different colors, so this one will be made with a cream colored cotton yarn.
Patons 5144 Aran Style
Lastly, I am completely in love with this Aran cardigan—I just have to resist knitting it in all cream. I already own a cream knit lace cardigan, a cream raglan fisherman’s sweater, and I’m almost finished knitting a cream cropped cardigan, so I feel like knitting this in cream would be overkill.
I see this knitting up nicely using Lion Brand’s Fishermen’s Wool in Birch Tweed or Oatmeal, or using Tahki Yarns Donegal Tweed in Light Grey.
It could make for a stunning jacket-style cardigan, and I have a pile of mirror-like pewter buttons from Colonial Williamsburg to elevate the knit texture.
