Holla Knits Summer Knit-along
The heat in Southeast Texas has taken an ugly turn this week. I know I sound like old people saying it, but I have never felt a summer this hot. Usually, I can adapt. By August, that is never an issue. But something’s different. Two days ago I went for a run in the evening. Well, it was going to be a walk, but I saw a chatty neighbor and started running so they wouldn’t want to talk for half an hour. (Just being honest. I know that’s kind of crummy of me, but I only had 30 minutes to get outside and taking care of myself by getting outdoors, eating three squares a day, and sleeping all night is my new “thing”, right? ) Anyway, I then felt guilty slowing to a walk when turning the corner so I continued running. It shouldn’t be a big deal, I run all the time. But it was still 98 degrees outside and I definitely got my payback for not being friendly. It was like running four miles in a snuggle. I spent the next couple of hours trying not to throw up.
Maybe it’s the dry, cracked ground radiating the heat back up at me, I don’t know, but lately I need motivation to get outside. Enter the Holla Knits Summer KAL, for which I started two new projects yesterday. Beach House is a great mesh lace top by Teresa Gregorio that can be worn over any multitude of things. It’s from the newest Summer 2015 collection. I decided to try Willow Yarns’ Feather yarn (a linen/cotton blend) for this one. This will be a quick knit, I can tell. The only thing is those short rows in mesh lace were a bit tricky for me. I somehow ended up with a stitch or two less than I should’ve after finishing them. I’m not sure how that happened but it looks fine, so I’m going to run with it as is. I actually liked the challenge of lace short rows. I don’t think I’ve ever done that before.
Isn’t this Splendid Sunbird colorway a great summer color? I bought a black maxi dress in Seamly’s summer sale to go with it. So how will starting even more knitting projects motivate me to enter the heat haze? Well, I’ll have something cute to wear in it. Stuff is always the answer.
And then there’s Laura McDougal‘s Bowdoin Hat from the most recent Holla Knits Accessories issue. Here’s my mini swatch. Yes, I only swatched a few inches, but at least I did it. I even washed and blocked it. That means I impatiently tossed it in the sink then stretched the heck out of it to see if I’d have my usual large gauge problems. I can tell I’m going to love the tilted block pattern.
I’m using a skein of Tosh Sock in Jade for it. It makes me think of the ferns and ivy growing all around my house. Somehow, they haven’t all burned up yet.
(ravelry, kollabora, instagram, and flickr)
I don’t think I’ve ever knit a fingering weight hat before. I guess this is considered summery in other parts of the world, but here it would be a winter hat. Only, it would be a hat I wouldn’t have to immediately shed once I stepped indoors.
The KAL just started, so there’s plenty of time to join up. We’re on both the Holla Knits Forum, with a different thread for each project, and instagram as #hkkalsummer. Join me as I hide from the heat to make something I can wear out into the heat.
