Hot or Not?
June 8th, 2008
There is nothing quite like sitting on your sticky leather couch in only your underwear (you swore you’d never buy a leather couch for just this reason, and look what’s in your living room), knitting and unknitting and reknitting rows of your Baby Surprise Jacket when it’s 30 degrees Celsius/86 degrees Fahrenheit outside and about one degree cooler inside, and you’re waiting until it’s cool enough outside–ha!–to go out and take apart and try to repair your possibly dead air conditioner. Yes, the one that died at 1:45 this morning and brought down half the powered items upstairs along with it.
Unfortunately, it is an experience that I cannot recommend.
I’m not a great summer knitter, even when the A/C is working. It just doesn’t feel…necessary, the way that it does once the leaves start to turn. (Then, all of a sudden, it feels urgent! Like, where’s that knitting? Why am I not knitting? Get me that knitting now!) However, I am bound and determined to finish the BSJ, or die trying. And that may yet come to pass.
I’ve finished the paired decreases and am now on the paired increases, and was wondering–as I knitted, unknitted and reknitted, the little drops of sweat falling onto the insides of my glasses, obscuring my vision–why once again my math had deserted me. I counted…checked the chart. Recounted…checked the chart. I knitted a row…checked the chart. Unknitted the row…checked the (pardon my language) bloody bastardly goddammed motherfucking chart.
Surprise. I was reading the chart wrong. Let’s not talk about what I thought I was seeing when I was reading the chart, that would be too humiliating–it’s enough to know that I was reading the chart wrong. Now I know what I’m doing (or so I think), and now I can continue on.
Since my last question–about where people buy their yarn–was such a hit, I thought I’d ask another. Do you knit and/or crochet and/or carry on with any other fibre arts during the summer months, or do you pack it in till the fall and take up another craft/non-craft activity? Inquiring minds are wanting to know.
By the way–Summer=Pride and Pride=Dancing:
39 Comments Add your own
1. Maria Margenot | June 8th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
I live in Florida. I have a house in Ft. Lauderdale and one in Celebration (near Orlando). Neither one of these is north enough. It is always hot. So if I waited for cool weather to knit, I would have a weekend in January.
2. merel | June 8th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
I actually knit more in summer than I do in winter! I can’t bring my sewing machine with me to the park, so all the crafting time goes to knitting. No mohair, though!
3. Ali | June 8th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
What Maria said, only I’m in Australia. And if I want nice woolly cardigans to wear in winter, I have to knit them during summer, because winter isn’t long enough to finish and wear a cardigan.
4. Peter | June 8th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
I know that last summer I spent a bulk of my knitting time working on lace. It’s lightweight, yet keeps you interested and you still feel like you accomplished something. (Although, for a dude, it’s pretty much functionless…) Of course, last summer was my first summer knitting and that lace shawl was my first ever project, so it took most of the summer to finish half of it.
5. Susan | June 8th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
I crochet and knit through the summer but I adopt the “No More Afghans” rule until fall and limit it to smallish projects usually knit with cotton yarn - like dishcloths. Love those dishcloths for the summer knitting. Let’s face it, I am so addicted I can barely go a day without knitting or crocheting - let alone three months.
6. christie | June 8th, 2008 at 10:23 pm
I’m knitting a lot of dishcloths right now. I have a difficult time with idle hands (as in, it’s quite hard to watch a movie without knitting), but I can’t seem to get motivated to pick up a project that requires any stamina right now.
My first grown-up knitting project, several years ago, was a merino cardigan that I started in February and finished in August. So I’ve done the summer knitting thing, but evidently I’m not doing it this year.
7. Swapna | June 8th, 2008 at 10:35 pm
30 degrees is too hot to knit? Then I’d never knit except when I went visiting the far north of my country, and then too only in the dead of winter! Perhaps you also have a lot of humidity?
Isn’t it funny how everything is relative? I suppose 30 is too hot because you also have very cold weather and that makes it quite extreme.
8. Sam | June 8th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
My number of knitting projects hasn’t slowed down, because there are still people that would like knitted things from me. Items like stuffed animals and cozies for random small things aren’t hot enough to keep me from knitting, especially since I choose cotton nowadays. Though I guess that doesn’t apply to the silk and wool cowl that I haven’t been able to stop myself from planning.
9. Kim | June 9th, 2008 at 1:41 am
Hi, David!
So sorry to hear about your A/C. I hope you get that straightened out ASAP. That sucks.
I have to admit that I feel very uninspired to knit when it’s almost 90 degrees outside. I have been trying to knit one of the “Three Tams” since February but with my anxiety, my sick cat, and reading the charts wrong it just hasn’t happened. This hasn’t stopped me from buying yarn, though.
Hope you are well. Try to stay cool–a good excuse to have (several) tall cold ones.
10. Steven | June 9th, 2008 at 8:58 am
I don’t think I would knit in the summer if it weren’t for the AC. The yarn just doesn’t flow through your fingers right when they’re hot and sweaty! I agree with some of the other commenters, though — if it weren’t for summer knitting, there wouldn’t be any winter sweater wearing!
I find I knit a bit more in the summer, just because I have more time to. Stay cool if you can, but if you find the yarn is felting as you knit, put the needles down!
11. Marsha | June 9th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
So you’re asking if we stop knitting during the summer? Hmmm. I started to ponder this question, but I got only as far as “stop knitting?” before my brain locked up.
(So my answer is no–I keep right on truckin’ with the yarn!)
12. marjorie | June 9th, 2008 at 3:26 pm
I usually continue knitting in the summer, even though it’s harder to knit with sweaty palms. I knit only small items like socks and dishcloths, and I can’t imagine making something big like an afghan which would hang down onto one’s sweaty legs. That’s about as appealing as letting the dog climb into my lap–ugh! I also paint which is a nice summer change from the knitting. My website is I hope you get your AC fixed soon. I don’t know about you, but I can’t seem to live without it.
13. marjorie | June 9th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Oops–I meant to say my website is:
paintedtomato.ca
14. lisa | June 9th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
It is hot and sticky here too, 90 outside and 81.2 in. Laughed about the idea of being in undies on the leather couch… I do knit in the summer, mostly small projects (hats, mitts, socks). That double thick lopi sweater from dh’s january birthday that I still haven’t finished? Not working on that tonight let me tell ya!
15. Kimberly | June 9th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
Hi David! There is nothing like knitting on the beach!!! It is over 90 degrees here our schools are closed tomorrow (jun 10) due to extreme heat and I am test crocheting one of my designs with wool! I am way to addicted to let a little boob sweat stop me!
I do have messed up tan lines though!
16. vtknitboy | June 9th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
it was 92 degrees here in NW vermont yesterday, and 93 the day before. it’s 80 now–at midnight. only one more day of it then only 80 high and 60s low. i did not knit at all today. too hot. even in the AC. i do knit all summer, and spin too. just lighter things. socks, with merino or merino/nylon sock yarn. no sweaters till later in the fall. i don’t like cotton, so i don’t do any of that. i have a couple of lace things going on, which are still small, so not too hot.
it usually cools off enough in the evenings here, except for tonight.
17. Rosemary in Colorado | June 9th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
I don’t knit so much in the summer, because knitting, as we *all* know, is a sitting while wrapped in a blanket activity, duh. I spin in the summer, because I can’t stand to spin when I am wearing sleeves, so the minute I no longer need to wear a sweater, I grab my spindles and spin all summer long.
18. Larry | June 10th, 2008 at 7:57 am
I’ve never paid much attention to the weather when it comes to my knitting. I just knit whatever I’m interested in at the moment. Maybe this year I’ll pay more attention and see if there’s a difference in the kind of things I made during summer. Working in a knit shop with a/c probably helps me more than I realize when it comes to choosing which fibers I’ll use.
19. Nichole D. | June 10th, 2008 at 8:23 am
I feel the same way as you about summer knitting. It just doesn’t feel necessary. I do, though, keep knitting, and tell myself that this is the perfect time to start Christmas knitting (which, of course, I never start until November). I do a lot more spinning, sewing, and other crafty stuff, and there is definitely a reduction in knitting.
20. Enid | June 10th, 2008 at 10:48 am
hello David,hope it is more comfortable for you now. Interesting question. I don’t conciously increase or decrease my crafting activity due to the seasons. There is always some knitting or crochet work in progress. the yarns used are varied also; I have been known to use lightweight in winter and very chunky in summer. Will be interesting to read the other posts on this topic.
take care
21. Lane | June 10th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
I crochet all year round (haven’t learned to knit yet). In the summer, I house/pet sit a lot for people with cable television and central air conditioning (and pets who need it kept cool), and those gigs are like little crocheting retreats where I work on bigger things. Otherwise, the summers are for working on smaller projects, larger projects that won’t actually be large until I assemble all the pieces, or lacy things.
Right now I’m working on a wall hanging/sculpture thing I want to enter in the state fair (lots of little pieces that will then be sewn together), a lace shawl for my sweetie, and a sweater. I was trying to get the sweater done before we got to the hot part of our summer here, but when I put it all together, it didn’t fit, so it’s back to the beginning. There is usually a scarf or hat in the works, too, (they’re easier to carry around in my bag and work on during meetings or waiting) but I finished two scarves last week and haven’t started any new ones.
22. Laura Sue | June 10th, 2008 at 12:57 pm
Well, I’ve not been knitting but for about 3 years, so am still finding out what my “knitting rhythms” are. However, it’s been 90 degrees here for a week and we have no AC and I can’t get enough of the needles! Not only am I knitting up a storm–on a man’s sweater no less–but I am having tons of ideas and buying lots of yarn (off the internet, if you must know!!!). I don’t know what’s up with that!
23. Kay | June 10th, 2008 at 4:17 pm
I knit in the Texas heat,probably more so than in the winter. We live in AC, too cold at work, too cold at home with the polar bear I habitat with. So I knit, in fact, I am working on Brooklyn Tweed’s Hemlock Ring Blanket in Lion Brand’s Fisherman wool. The brown kind!! I am loving every minute, and it’s 99 degrees outside!! And I can’t sew at the moment, not enough room!!
24. Ted | June 10th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
You mean there are people who set aside their fibre crafts during hot weather?
Wow.
I resort to socks. Or lace. Or spindlespinning.
25. Kathy Sue | June 10th, 2008 at 6:16 pm
I don’t mind knitting when it’s hot, unless I get the sweaty hand thing going on. Then the needles get sticky and the yarn won’t slide and I just get frustrated. But it fixes with a walk through the house waving my hands. I would not like to go three months without knitting. Jealous of three months of warm weather? Ha! I live in Paradise! No snow, either.
26. Karen | June 11th, 2008 at 8:43 am
Yeah, I’m a summer knitter. I do change yarns a bit — I’ve put aside my alpaca sweater for now, and today I’m working on a merino/seacell mix scarf. I also have a cotton top on the needles, and a very light summer lace shawl.
Oh, and I have a leather couch. However, I don’t generally sit on it in my undies. If I can help it, that is.
27. Kit | June 12th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
I entirely understand the leather couch+underwear situation. I sold mine about two months ago for $150
(Because I was moving to somewhere smaller, where the couch wouldn’t fit, but also because I hated that it was cold in winter and sticky in summer) and what’s this about not knitting? Why would I ever do that? I have been doing a little more spinning now that it is warmer (or trying; Vancouver still feels more like October than June (we had three days of summer back in May) but the knitting is definetely more portable than anything else, so it comes with me everywhere. The only thing that will affect it is the humidity. High humidity=yarn drag=less knitting.
28. bstewart23 | June 13th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Being a nonknitter, I’m afraid I can’t answer your question. But I can give you a shout-out for your terrific comment at globeandmail.com regarding the ridiculous new copyright legislation, courtesy Harper, Inc.
29. Enid | June 13th, 2008 at 8:40 pm
why not cover the couch with a cotton sheet, or towels. that should remove any feeling of stickyness
30. Anna | June 14th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
I actually knit more in the summer than the rest of the year, being a student and kept busy with schoolwork most of the time. But I never knit anything huge like sweaters or afghans–I stick to smaller projects, like hats, scarves, lace, toys, etc. Things that appeal to my short attention span.
ps. I love your column in Knitty!
31. Em | June 14th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
I try to knit in the summer, but I really can’t fit it in as much as in the winter/school year. I love to have something in the car thats mindless like simple granny dishcloths, and those are mostly what I work on in the summer. Otherwise, I am too busy sewing, gardening, swimming, etc.
32. Andres P. Nevarez | June 15th, 2008 at 1:38 am
I knit and crochet all year long, I just pick different items, materials for different times. Knitting a hat versus a sweater works better too, lol! San Francisco is one of the coldest cities in the Summertime !
33. =Tamar | June 15th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
I’m far more likely to start something new in cold weather, but if I really want the item, I’ll work on it during the summer. I just made a wool hat because I wanted to test the pattern.
34. angelina in oakland | June 16th, 2008 at 12:23 am
…I live in the San Francisco Bay area, very near the water, so the weather is not necessarily opressive in the summer. In fact, it rarely is, so knitting happens all the time. When it is very toasty, I just knit small stuff - socks…umm….socks….yeah, that’s pretty much it. Nothing that will drape on my lap.
35. Judy | June 16th, 2008 at 9:24 am
Of course I knit in the summer: baby things, dishcloths, even sweaters that may have been started in the colder months. Summer also means road trips and travel, and one must have some take-along knitting otherwise one could go mad.
36. Sewnsew | June 20th, 2008 at 12:58 am
It has been 42 degrees C and I have been knitting…..if it is long enough I toss it over the arm of the settee….if not….I sweat it out…or practise different stitches on cotton face cloths. Like another aussie said….winter here is not long enough!
37. Stephanie | June 21st, 2008 at 2:44 am
I knit during semi-dull events: car and bus rides, children’s activities, writers conferences, parent meetings. Mostly at the latter so I don’t kill anyone: I would have to mess up my mohair/silk mushroom sweater (second one) to strangle some idiot with my circulars, and at 7 stitches an inch on #3 needles, well, murder is not an option. Think of the dropped stitches.
38. david_demchuk | June 21st, 2008 at 9:01 am
Stephanie: Always carry a spare circular if homicide might be on the agenda
39. susan | June 23rd, 2008 at 9:21 am
I knit all year round, I crochet as well. I do have the leather couch and I just throw a throw over the part I am sitting on. Not to difficult to do. I do not crochet or knit afghans. I put a moratorium on those a year ago. Susan Moskowitz
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