Vacation Knitting: Summer 2018

Yesterday someone came into the shop with a familiar request: I’m going on vacation tomorrow and a simple project to take with me.  Honestly, I feel like I just wrote that blog, but I guess that was a year ago.  So, I suppose it’s time for a new version with some fresh ideas.  It’s time for a vacation everyone, and your knitting project should reflect that!  I’ve come up with some leisurely knitting projects that will accompany you as your mind wanders or as you carry on conversations after long, meandering dinners with family and friends.  

I’m working on a project that would be super for vacation knitting: Swan’s Twist from Knit One Crochet Too.  This pattern (by Melissa Leapman) is written for Daisy (their new linen blend yarn) but we decided to knit up a sample in Cozette, a fingering weight blend of silk, cotton and nylon.  Swan’s Twist is a roomy and stylish sweater with a twisted front.  It’s an easy layering piece that you can throw on over anything from yoga pants to a straight skirt.  It’s also totally simple to knit.   It’s essentially a quartet of rectangles of different sizes that are seamed together.  I’m making serious progress on this while making my way through Dark (an ominous sci-fi series on Netflix).  The show is super intense: I can’t even look at my knitting, but I’m still getting far because this project is so darn easy.  There’s a little bit of lace on each sleeve (a nice flourish) which will probably require 30 minutes of alone time at the most!

Another wonderfully simple project from KOCT is the Liz Cardi.  This project and Swan’s Twist have been promoted a lot by us at W&G, can you tell we like them?  The Liz Cardi is knit up in Ty-Dy Cotton.  It is also lots of simple stockinette, with your piece strategically divided and then seamed to make a cardigan out of it.  This simple project allows the beautiful yarn to do all the work, with graphic pooling of the colors of this awesome yarn.  

Shibui reliably brings us vacation-worthy knitting projects, making the most out of their luxurious and unique fibers with simple shapes and patterns.  Oasis is a new pattern from Spring’s collection (and it happens to be free with purchase of yarn).  It’s knit up with two colors of Fern, Shibui’s beautiful new cotton.  This simple bias scarf has thin stripes of a contrast color throughout, and a simple french knot to boot.  

Spectrum is a stunner that cannot be overlooked.  It’s a simple rectangle knit up using a combination of Rain and Silk Cloud.  Translucent stripes are worked by dropping one of the yarns, but since that strand of Rain is picked up after working two rows, you just carry your yarn up.  There are no annoying ends to weave in.  We’ve seen our knitters make this using Silk Cloud coupled with any number of other yarns, from Dune (now discontinued) to Pebble.  I do love the combo of Rain and Silk Cloud best, as Rain gives it dramatic drape that makes it particularly stunning.  For easy handling of these two yarns, I suggest putting each skein in a plastic Ziploc baggy, which will keep the two yarns from twisting around each other while you work with them.  This little step makes this effortless project that much more so.

The Tapered Cowl from Churchmouse is another simple piece that has been on my radar for a while.  This roomy cowl is worked with a wide base that can easily slip over the shoulders and is narrowed toward its top.  I can’t imagine anything easier than working in a tube with endless knitting.  The pattern is written for Blue Sky’s Baby Alpaca, which is soft and irresistible to knit.  Most of the fun is working with this soft and cozy wool.  Hopefully wearing it will be a treat and a reminder of a wonderful vacation!

My pick for vacation knitting for summer of 2018 is Rivage.  This comes on the heels of having finished Ives, a Brooklyn Tweed pattern using Loft.  I’m obsessed with this yarn, with is weightlessness and its depth of color.  Rivage is a gorgeous striped wrap in three colors.  A simple edging makes for curl-free edges.  It’s written as a generously sized wrap (but there’s a scarf version also) and is like a chic blanket you can take everywhere with you.  Adult blankie? Yes, I want it.  

What I love from all of these projects is that they are extremely forgiving.  If you make a mistake and forget to change colors or work a decrease, it’s no big deal.  All of these projects can overcome absent minded mistakes by simply ignoring them.  I think we can all use a little of that while we’re on vacation.