KNITTING Articles 3 min read

Warm Days, Cool Knits

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It’s a bit early to be talking about spring with winter just arriving on our doorstep, but now’s the time to think about the knitting for warmer days. Author Corrina Ferguson is the perfect designer to turn to for this kind of knitting. Her book Warm Days, Cool Knits is all about projects knit for sunny times. Whether it’s a winter day in Florida or a summer day in Pacific Northwest.

It was here for a moment, and now it’s gone; Mother Nature gave us a small glimpse of spring, and then she drew her cloudy curtains (at least in Spokane).

I do have faith, friends, that spring will come for real, because it does each and every year. My longing for warmer temperature got me to thinking, though. Is it just another case of “the grass is always greener”? I know I look forward to fall just about as much as I look forward to summer (maybe not quite, but it’s close). I need to live in the moment! So I’m going to try to enjoy these little peaks at spring and savor them this year. The roses are leafing out, the earliest tulips have bloomed, and my favorite fritillaria and allium are filling out. I can’t wait to enjoy their blooms.

Darl Cardigan knitting pattern
Darl Cardigan knitting pattern by Corrina Ferguson

What’s blooming spectacularly in Spokane right now are the trees. This is a city full of trees, and the cherry and apple blossoms are gorgeous. The Hawthorne trees in my yard are about to bloom with their sweet, pink flowers.

I say it’s time to celebrate these beautiful blossoms and what’s to come by casting on a warm-weather garment! I’m smitten with Darl, from Warm Days, Cool Knits by Corrina Ferguson. I love the cable and lace pattern on this cardigan knitting pattern; the diamond shapes are really eye-catching, and the openwork of the lace pattern make this cardigan the perfect layering piece.

I love that lilac color, too! That’s another of the plants in my garden that I’m highly anticipating. The scent of those blooms is ambrosia.

Corrina Ferguson has a great knitting story. Here she is to tell you about knitting in a warm climate and how she developed her wonderful collection of patterns.

Knitting in the Sun

When I moved to Florida over a decade ago, I experienced a bit of culture shock. I had lived in Ohio nearly my entire life, and the subtropical weather and Southern customs were quite foreign to me. To add insult to injury I had given up my career to be a stay-at-home mom, but then my boys promptly started school! I did not know what to do with myself, so I decided to take up knitting. Because you know, it’s such a useful hobby to pursue in Florida. If you’re a knitter and you live up North-or in any climate that has four discernible seasons-it makes sense. You make cozy things for winter. You need woolly hats and mittens and such things. You talk about “sweater weather.” It would have been great to be a knitter while dealing with those Ohio winters.

But if, like me, you live in the South, or other places where snow is a novelty, and the air conditioning runs most of the year, it’s a bit trickier. When you tell people you’re a knitter they look at you funny. The local yarn shops are few and far between. There are only a handful of days of sweater weather each year, and those sweaters are usually worn as coats.

But even in the South we love to knit. And we want to knit pretty wearable things, not just accessories and household decorations. That’s why I created this collection of patterns to showcase the knitted seasons of the South, with projects that are fitting for any climate.

Clockwise from top left: Lochlan Chevron-Stitch Hoodie, Dorthelia Lace-Edged Tank, Temple Cable-Edged Cardigan, Junius Shaped Shawl
Clockwise from top left: Lochlan Chevron-Stitch Hoodie, Dorthelia Lace-Edged Tank, Temple Cable-Edged Cardigan, Junius Shaped Shawl

To keep things a bit cooler, all the yarns used are DK-weight (affiliate link) or lighter, and many of the blends knitted up for spring and summer wear include warm-weather fibers such as cotton and linen. This also makes for more comfortable knitting in warm climes-no bulky wool projects to heat up your lap!

So break out your knitting needles and whip up some cool knits for warm days and all of the days in between. The beautiful yarns used in the book will definitely become some of your new favorites if you don’t know and love them already. And even if summer passes you by in the blink of an eye where you live, you can still find year-round pieces to knit and wear.

—Corrina Ferguson, Warm Days, Cool Knits

Although I love our products here at Interweave, I don’t often adore every single pattern in one publication. I have to say, though, that I love this entire book. There are several projects that I know I’ll knit; the designs are that perfect mix of vintage and modern that work so well with today’s wardrobes.

I highly recommend this book to you! You can download Warm Days, Cool Knits, or order the book.

Happy knitting!
1KCsig


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