I love being a special education teacher and knitting keeps me sane during the busy school year. Luckily, as a teacher, I get about 6 weeks “off” during the summer; really it is time that is owed to me…but I digress… Over the summer I have time to sleep-in without feeling guilty, catch up on my favorite TV shows, and knit. Boy, do I knit.
I have been out of school for two weeks now and I have finished two projects. I am almost done with a third.
Sometimes people ask me how I can stand to knit during the summer, especially in Tucson, where it is 100 degrees or more on a regular basis. My answer is that I can’t imagine a scenario where I would not knit. I do have several strategies when it comes to knitting in the heat.
Knit smaller projects. My current project is a scarf pattern which isn’t very wide or very long. My next project will be a pair of socks for my husband.
Knit lighter/airy projects. I am talking about lace. If I do knit a larger project it is usually a lace pattern made from a light weight yarn.
Get creative with fiber. In the summer I like to knit with cotton or linen. Both of these fibers soften over time and they create a breathable fabric; perfect for warmer climates.
Find some air conditioning. Our air conditioning runs almost non-stop in Tucson over the summer. If I stay inside all day sometimes I do get a little chilled and knitting a shawl doesn’t feel uncomfortable. I also make regular trips to the yarn shop to knit with friends where, of course, there is air conditioning. If you don’t have air conditioning your local yarn shop probably does.
Knit after a nice swim. I am so thankful that I have a pool literally steps from my back door. The water temperature right now is around 85 degrees which feels cool when it is 105 degrees outside. The water helps bring your body temperature down and there is nothing better after a nice swim then settling down with a glass of cold water and knitting needles.
Keep in mind, knitting over the summer is really just getting ready for the fall and winter. It is too HOT to wear anything knitted in Tucson for about 6 months of the year so when I knit over the summer I am really knitting for those cool mornings and evenings that come in the fall and the much more bearable and cooler weather of the southwestern winter. I also do a lot of gift knitting over the summer because I know that I am not going to have time to knit that gift for Christmas once school starts back up again.
For me, summer is knitting season. I have no pesky job to get in the way and as much time to knit as I could hope for.
Dove Call Knits 