Summer knitting made simple

Written By Sophie

Let’s face it: summer is not the best time to be a knitter. I live in the central-south of the UK and the increasingly hot, humid weather makes working with wool – let alone mohair! – unpleasant at best and a sticky mess at worst. Thankfully, though, there are plenty of great, warm-weather friendly yarns available on the market to suit a range of budgets and preferences.

In this blog, I’m going to talk you through some of my favourite types of summer fibres with reference to specific yarns I’ve enjoyed using over the past couple of years. I’ll also give examples of the types of projects these yarns would be suited to, with links to patterns I like (some my own, some not).

We’re going to be discussing cotton, silk, linen & linen blends, merino wool, and finally rounding things off with plant- & animal-fibre blends. You’ll note that I’m not mentioning bamboo yarns here because, to be totally honest, they’re not my cup of tea when it comes to hand knitting.

Brace yourself; this is quite a long blog of 5k words as I Iike to get into the knitty gritty when it comes to yarn! Let’s get into it!

Cotton

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Cotton 〰️

I used to go hard for cotton yarns. If you’re a long-time TKPG reader, you might remember that I named We Are Knitters The Pima Cotton as one of my favourite ever yarns back in the day. Whilst I no longer use WAK yarns for a variety of reasons (some of which I discuss here) and I am more likely to reach for a cotton-blend these days (see more below), I will say that I do miss working with their cotton yarn.

There are a few reasons for this. A good cotton yarn will glide through your fingers and produce even, well-defined stitches. These yarns tend to be quite affordable compared to other similar fibres, and they’re suitable for all age groups from babies through to adults. Cotton takes dye nicely, so you can expect a good range of vibrant colours, and it is available in a very wide range of weights, from fingering- to super chunky-weight yarns. I’d also add that cotton is a really nice option when you’re getting into designing your own patterns, as it frogs easily should you need to rip your work back.

In my experience, fabrics knit in cotton yarn are hard wearing and do indeed help to keep you cool in very hot weather, although I personally get on better with finer-weight cottons than anything too chunky. As I mention above, I used to really enjoy WAK The Pima Cotton but never really liked Wool and the Gang Shiny Happy Cotton in the same way, despite the fact that both yarns were 100% pima cotton (more on which below). The difference was in the weight of the two yarns. The WAK yarn was what I would call a heavy DK-weight yarn suitable for 3.5-5 mm [US 4-8] needles whereas the WATG yarn was a true aran-weight yarn better on 5.5-6.5 mm [US 9-10.5] needles. For me, the extra weight of the yarn negated a lot of the cooling properties of the fibre.

Which brings me to the fact that not all cottons are the same. There are plenty of different types of cotton yarns on the market. The first broad distinction is mercerised versus non-mercerised cotton. Mercerisation is a process in which the fibres are treated to make them ‘smoother, more lustrous, stronger, and less prone to shrinking than untreated cotton’, in the wise words of Vogue Knitting (p. 15). You’ll notice that mercerised cottons feel silky to the touch and are a bit shiny. If you look through the photos of this Hobbii cotton yarn or Drops Muskat, you’ll see what I mean about the shine. Whether you like this or not will be personal preference; personally, I’m not really a fan and, as such, I’ll spend the rest of our time on cotton talking about the un-mercerised stuff.

The next big distinction between types of cotton is origin/variety. Sometimes this isn’t specified (e.g., the Hobbii yarn linked in the paragraph above, or Drops Paris, or Sandnes Mandarin Petit), but often yarn producers specify if their product is Egyptian (e.g., Drops Safran or We Are Knitters The Egyptian Cotton) or pima cotton (e.g., the WAK and WATG cotton yarns I mention above) To my mind, this is a short hand for stating that they’re offering a good quality yarn for hand knitting. Both of these varieties of cotton have long fibre staples – i.e., the individual fibres within the yarn are relatively long – which yield a smooth finish, amongst other benefits. With this also comes a slightly higher price tag. Personally, I think the weight of the yarn has a bigger impact on the resulting fabric than the variety when you’re working with cotton but it’s worth trying to find different types of cotton in shops to see which you prefer.

The final distinction I want to raise is whether or not the cotton is organic. Proponents of organic cotton production will tell you that it uses significantly less water than conventional, non-organic cotton, and that it also produces fewer emissions. I have also read online that it isn’t actually that straightforward and, in some cases, companies cite their use of organic cotton in an attempt at greenwashing. Although I’m by no means an expert on this subject and, as such, would not want to overstate the benefits of organic farming as it relates to textile production, I’m willing to err on the side of caution and I do buy organic cotton where possible. It can be more expensive than non-organic cotton, but not by very much. Even if it’s only slightly better for the environment, I think it’s a worthwhile trade-off. I really like the Krea Deluxe Organic Cotton, which is available in a beautiful range of sophisticated shades, and I’ve also got some Søstrene Grene 100% Organic Cotton 8/4 in my stash waiting to be used. Another great options is from Anchor, who offer some brighter colours in a lovely 4-ply weight.

Whilst there is a lot to love about cotton yarns, there are also distinct drawbacks. Cotton is quite a heavy fibre, especially as the yarn gets chunkier, and projects knit in cotton are prone to stretching with wash and wear. It is very hard to predict if and/or how this will happen, as you won’t be able to simulate this potential growth in a swatch. Depending on the pattern, you may wish to size down or modify the pattern to sit a bit closer to the body in order to mitigate this. Where possible, and I realise this might sound silly, I’d recommend using cotton yarn for patterns that have been designed to be knit in cotton. Animal fibres behave quite differently to plant fibres, and good patterns will account for the different ways these fibres behave.

Cotton yarns will work really nicely in patterns that require good stitch definition. Anything with a bit of texture or lace would be ideal. I’ve got a selection linked below, should you want to take a look.

Please note that these links, and the links in other sections of this blog, go to Ravelry. If you are unable to use Ravelry, let me know and I’ll try to find alternative platforms where these patterns can be purchased for you. Please also note that I have not knit nor do I necessarily endorse all of the patterns I am recommending; I’ve chosen them because I think they’re a starting point for ideas and show off the positive aspects of each fibre. I’ve tried to find size inclusive patterns where possible but, unfortunately, not all of the patterns linked here are fully size inclusive. In those instances, I’m using them more as an example of how different fibres behave when knitted up than anything else.

Silk

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Silk 〰️

If you’re looking for a touch of luxury, you’ll want to consider knitting with silk this summer. Knitted silk fabrics have this beautiful weight and drape to them that is hard to reproduce with other materials. I first used silk in my knitting in spring/summer 2021, I think, and I haven’t looked back. Indeed, it has largely replaced cotton within my stash as I prefer the experience of knitting with silk than with cotton, even though I find that the resulting fabrics are pretty similar. Silk fabric just feels a bit more refined and, well, special.

As with cotton yarns, there is some distinction between different types of silk yarns. These largely relate to the texture of the silk. Products like Knitting for Olive Pure Silk or Rosários4 Madragoa have a matte finish that feels slightly rough to the touch. This can be off-putting, and I remember being disappointed the first time I worked with Knitting for Olive Pure Silk because it wasn’t what I imagined a silk yarn to feel like. But I needn’t have worried; these fibres produce a fabric that gets softer with wear and which develops a delicate sheen with wash and wear. It’s all very “quiet luxury”, as the TikTokers would say!

If that’s not your jam, though, and you want something that’s a bit more, well, “loud luxury”, there are also silk yarns that are much shinier and which have a lot of glow. Although I have less experience with these, I would point you in the direction of Lana Gatto Silky… But, alas, I think it’s been discontinued, so that’s not especially helpful! Jaipur Silk Fino Solids looks to be a similar product, though, so I’ll point you there instead.

The best of both worlds can be found in Einrum Pure Silk, which still has a nice texture like the first group I mentioned but which maintains more of a beautiful glow. I am yet to knit with this yarn, but I’ve seen it swatched up in a few shops and it is stunning.

But why would you want to work with silk in the first place, I hear you ask? Well, it does not conduct heat so the fabric will stay cool to the touch even in hot weather. You can create beautiful, flowing pieces of knitting with a lot of drape in Stockinette stitch. Equally, though, it lends itself to highly textured knits with a lot of structure. It is also a very hard-wearing fibre. I have a couple of tops that I knit in 2021 which still look brand new, despite actually having been washed and worn many, many times.

It’s not all positive, though. As with cotton, knitted silk fabrics can be prone to stretching and the colour can fade more easily than with other fibres. I would argue that with careful maintenance, however, both of these outcomes can be mitigated and I haven’t experienced either issue at all. And you’ll want to be careful with silk knits because it is pricey compared with some of the other fibre types I’m discussing here. For me, it’s worth every penny as I enjoy both the knitting experience and the resulting fabrics so much, but mileage may vary for you. The last thing to note is that knitted silk fabric isn’t all that breathable because of its insulating properties. This means that whilst it will feel cool to the touch, it might not be the best for very hot and especially humid weather.

It’s also worth noting here that silk is not suitable for vegans, as it is produced from silkworm cocoons. In many cases, this requires that the silkworms be killed. There is a cruelty-free option, Knitting for Olive Pure Silk, which uses a different processing method that does not kill the silkworms. It just so happens that this is also my preferred silk yarn. If you’d rather avoid silk entirely, though, I would say that a 100% linen yarn (e.g., Eco-Stitch Flaxi) is a viable vegan-friendly alternative for the matte-finish silks, as they both have a lovely, imperfect texture. Equally, a 100% bamboo yarn would do for one of the shiny silks (e.g., World of Wool Modern.Alt Yarn 4-Ply). They’re not entirely the same but I think they’d both make good enough substitutions in most patterns. Again, I will say that I’m not a huge fan of bamboo yarns in general, but am happy to receive recommendations to try new ones!

Silk yarns will lend themselves to patterns where drape is key but, because it has good stitch definition, it will also work nicely in more textured knits. In my experience, most silk yarns are fingering weight so look for textured knits with intricate details. I also like silk held double as you can get a nice amount of structure, so silk works well for bolder silhouettes too. In most cases, I think you can substitute silk for cotton and achieve really nice results that feel a bit more luxurious than even the softest cotton.

Linen & linen blends

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Linen & linen blends 〰️

I am a recent convert to linen and linen-blend yarns and, my word, do I wish I had tried them sooner! I love woven linen fabrics in the summer but I always found linen yarn a bit intimidating.

There are good reasons for this. Pure linen, lovely as it is, is not the most user-friendly fibre. It has much less stretch than either cotton or silk (especially vertically), which means that is can be harder on your hands and that it isn’t suitable for all techniques. Lifted leaning increases, for instance, don’t work up so well in linen because the stitches don’t have enough vertical elasticity to compensate for the distortion in the fabric. As with cotton, then, I would recommend sticking with patterns that have been designed in pure linen where possible (although I stand by it being a good vegan substitute for, say, Knitting for Olive Pure Silk).

If you’re up for a bit of a a challenge, though, knitted linen fabrics are absolutely beautiful, with great drape, texture, and cooling properties. It’s also vegan and is relatively environmentally friendly. Knitted linen fabrics have the most beautiful sheen. They have a delicate glow that can almost appear metallic. I don’t think this finish works for all projects but when it works, it really works.

I mentioned it above and I’ll do so again here, but Eco-Stitch Flaxi is a lovely linen yarn available in a wide range of colours. Flaxi sits somewhere between a fingering- and a sport-weight yarn, I’d say. If you’re a fan of hand-dyed yarns, Eco-Stitch also offers a good range of hand-dyed linens made with both plant and regular dyes. If you want something a bit finer, I’d point you in the direction of Isager Hør Organic Linen, which is more of a true lace-/fingering-weight yarn. Again, I’m yet to try this yarn but I’ve got plans to make something in it for next summer having seen it in shops a few times now.

However, you may feel that pure linen is not worth the faff for you and, honestly, I get it! I’m yet to do a full pure linen project myself, although I do now have some design ideas in the works. Luckily, there are some amazing linen-blend yarns on the market that retain a lot of the benefits of linen but which are a bit easier to use.

If you want to retain the beautiful sheen of linen, you have a few options depending on how linen-y you want you yarn to be. If you’re all about the linen feel but just want a bit of extra softness, check out DMC Natura Linen Yarn. This yarn is almost 60% linen and is available in a range of pretty pastels, so it feels very summery indeed. The added cotton gives a little bit more texture than a pure linen and also makes it a bit easier to work with. If you’re less fussed about texture but want all of the sheen, Isager Trio and Trio 2 are both worth a look in. Both contain 50% linen, 30% cotton, and then 20% bamboo or viscose respectively, but the former is a lace-weight yarn and the latter is a sport weight. I haven’t used Trio so can’t vouch for it as such, but I have used Trio 2 in a couple of projects this year held with animal fibres (including my first Peplos Top sample, link to which will be available below when the pattern has been released) and I really love the resulting fabric.

If you aren’t so bothered about the proportion of linen in your linen-blend yarn, then I would strongly recommend taking a look at the Line range by Sandnes Garn. It’s now available in three different weights – Tynn Line (4-ply), Line (DK/light aran), and Tykk Line (heavy aran/light chunky) – so there’s something suitable for almost all projects. I’m going to use the name ‘Line’ to describe all three as, apart from in their weight, they are pretty much identical. It’s also worth noting that Drops Belle is the exact same blend as Sandnes Garn Line (DK/light aran) at a fraction of the cost…

Line is primarily made of cotton (53%), then viscose (33%), and then some linen (14%) is added to round off the blend. I know some knitters who do not like Line for this reason. They argue that there is so little linen in the blend that it may as well not be there, and that naming the yarn after this fibre is a bit disingenuous. Whilst I see their point, I respectfully disagree. I think Line is a great entry-level linen yarn and I really like knitting with it. I’ve used Line in two projects this year (the Farnham Tee and the Crescendo Summer Top, to be specific) and will be looking at Tynn Line next year, I think. I find the fabric to be really cooling on my skin and I enjoy the drape a lot. It’s maybe not the best one for real linen lovers and I agree that the name is a bit cheeky, but it allows you to get a feel for the fibre and how likely you are to enjoy working with a yarn with a higher linen content in the future.

The final yarn I want to discuss might actually be my favourite linen-blend yarn to date: Isager Bomulin. I held this with Isager Alpaca 2 for my second Peplos Top sample and I absolutely adore the finished fabric. As with Line, it’s not super heavy on the linen – it’s a blend of 65% cotton and 35% linen – but, unlike almost all of the other yarns discussed here, it has more of a matte finish that is closer to the subtle sheen of Knitting for Olive Pure Silk. Everything about it, including the colour range, feels very sophisticated. It’s a lace-weight yarn and so it works nicely held with other fibres (more on which below) or, I imagine, held double.

Because linen and even some linen-blend yarns can be a bit fussy to work with, I recommend keeping things simple where possible and opting for projects where the fibre can shine through. I’d stick with Stockinette stitch and bold shapes to show off the texture and drape of the linen.

Merino

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Merino 〰️

Okay, okay. I know. Merino? In the summer..? Really?!

Hear me out. Merino wool has thermoregulating properties which will help to keep you cool in warm weather. If you think about where merino sheep are typically reared (i.e., South America, Australia), this makes a lot of sense. Compared with other types of Sheep’s wool, merino is a lot more breathable and is also soft enough to be worn directly next to the skin for most people. As such, it’s not unusual to find summer patterns – especially camisoles with negative ease – that call for merino wool. That being said, I don’t think it’s the best option for very hot weather. If you live in northern climates, though, it’s well worth considering merino wool in your summer projects.

I won’t go into the specifics of merino wool yarns in the same way as I have the other fibres listed here because, frankly, if you’re a seasoned knitter who already uses merino, there isn’t much you won’t already know. If you’re just getting into knitting, however, the key point to take away is that merino is a soft wool that is easy to work with. As it relates to summer knitting, you’re going to want to look at fingering-weight merino wools that have a good amount of stretch in them. Again, this makes them ideally suited to summer camis and bralettes which sit directly next to the skin, often using negative ease.

My personal favourites are Sandnes Garn Sunday and Knitting for Olive Merino. In the UK, at least, the latter is slightly more expensive but these two yarns can be used more-or-less interchangeably. They’re both non-superwash [hereafter NSW] with a delicate matte finish and they knit up beautifully. I like both held single on a 3-mm [US 2.5] needle. They’re nice and stretchy so they put very little strain on your hands and the resulting fabric is dreamy. I prefer the Sandnes for brighter shades and the Knitting for Olive for muted shades but, between the two of them, I think there is something for practically all colour preferences.

I’ve gone on record before saying that I’m not a huge fan of superwash merino. It’s not out of any yarn snobbery (although I do think there’s an interesting essay to be written on the apparent cultural preference for NSW wool in Europe and SW wool in North America); it’s more that I don’t usually need my knitted garments to be able to go through a washing machine cycle and prefer to avoid the additional processing where possible. That being said, I think there absolutely is a place for superwash merino in a summer yarn stash. Again, if we think about the intended end use of these yarns (namely garments worn directly next to the skin), they’re going to have to be able to stand up to a lot of washing should things get, for want of a more delicate way of putting it, sweaty.

My favourite superwash merino is Along Avec Anna Merino. I find that some superwash-treated yarns can feel quite squeaky, to the extent that it can be hard to tell that you are, in fact, working with an animal fibre. That is not the case at all with Anna’s Merino. The yarn has a slight sheen to it that is characteristic of the superwash process but, apart from that, I wouldn’t be able to tell that it wasn’t NSW. I made a cami from it earlier this year which I have washed four times now, and it still looks remarkably fresh.

As for the drawbacks of merino wool for summer knits, let’s first address the elephant in the room. Merino is not going to be appropriate in very hot weather. It just isn’t. I would say it’s suitable up-to temperatures of about 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) as long as it isn’t too humid. In milder heats, though, merino can feel really comfortable. I really like wearing a camisole knitted in merino wool under a linen shirt with shorts in such weather, for instance.

There are also the usual negatives of working with natural fibres that you need to consider as you would for autumn/winter knits. Knitted merino fabric is very soft and therefore prone to pilling around areas of your body where more friction occurs. If it’s NSW, it will need to be washed by hand. I personally think it is best suited to summer projects with negative ease and this won’t be everybody’s jam. But, if you can overlook these issues, you can make some really beautiful and stylish pieces that also double up as useful layers when the weather cools off in the autumn.

I primarily recommend using merino wool in knitted camisoles and light t-shirts. Because these fibres tend to be quite stretchy anyway, they work well in rib stitches and in projects with negative ease. They’re also great for lace work since they have the elasticity for more complicated stitches.

Plant- & animal-fibre blends

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Plant- & animal-fibre blends 〰️

To round things out, let’s consider some plant- & animal-blend yarns. These really are the best of both worlds. Want the cooling properties of cotton or linen with the elasticity and softness of wool? Sorted. I started knitting with these yarns last year and have continued to use them in my 2023 summer knits. I find that they’re quite hard-wearing, and are very comfortable indeed. I’ll discuss this further at the end of the blog, but I also find that these yarns work really nicely held with other fibres to create really interesting effects.

First up, I think it’s important to once again note that these yarns might not be suitable for the very hottest climates. I find them to be comfortable most of the time during British summers but, again, I can see these being less appropriate in very hot, humid weather. Some of these yarns contain more of the plant fibres, others more into the animal fibres. You’ll also find blends of all different sorts of fibres. Here, for instance, I’m going to talk about cotton, linen, merino, alpaca, and lambswool blends in various combinations, but I think that probably just scratches the surface.

I think the most common example of this kind of yarn are cotton-merino blends. There are several lovely examples of this on the market, but my personal favourite is Knitting for Olive Cotton Merino. This is a fingering-weight blend of 70% cotton, 30% merino that feels incredibly soft next to the skin. I used it held double to make my first Crescendo Summer Top sample this year, and then I used it held with a strand of Knitting for Olive Pure Silk (see above) to make my first Farnham Tee sample. I really enjoy both combinations. I can imagine that it is equally lovely held single for any of the merino patterns listed above. CaMaRose Økologisk Sommeruld is a very similar yarn with the same blend of fibres, but it uses organic fibres and has a different colour palette.

Since these types of yarns also tend to be good for children’s clothing, you’ll also find lots of cotton-merino blends made with superwash-treated merino, such as Filcolana Merci (50% pima cotton, 50% superwash merino wool). I’ve never actually tried this particular yarn but I hear nothing but good things and, as discussed above, I can see this being a great option for garments worn close to the skin in very warm weather.

Another cotton-merino option is Sandnes Garn Duo. This is is a thicker yarn than the Knitting for Olive Cotton Merino and it has a much higher wool content. It’s closer to a DK weight, and it’s composed of 55% merino wool and 45% cotton. This yarn is definitely suited for cooler summers, as it is warmer than some of the other yarns discussed here, but it’s lovely and soft. I used it for my Duo Top pattern last year and really enjoyed knitting with it. I have found that it is somewhat prone to pilling and shedding, but it’s nothing that a wool comb can’t handle. It looks much more like a traditional cotton yarn than, say, BC Garn Bio Balance GOTS and Big Bio Balance GOTS – a 4-ply and an aran weight respectively – which looks much more like a ‘woolly’ yarn despite being the same blend (although the BC Garn yarns do not use merino wool). Depending on your preferences, this might be a positive or a negative. I found Duo’s cotton-like quite useful because it makes a good visual substitute for We Are Knitters The Pima Cotton which, as I mention above, I no longer use.

If you want to venture away from merino wools, Holst Garn Coast is a lovely option made with 55% lambswool and 45% cotton. It is loftier than any of the merino or merino-blend yarns I’ve mentioned so far and has a bit more texture to it. And if you’d rather avoid sheep altogether, Illîmani Sabri is a blend of 85% cotton and 15% alpaca that is delightfully soft to the touch. It feels nice and cooling, but it retains the beautiful, heavy drape of alpaca fibre. Both of these are fingering-weight yarns with incredible yardage; the former runs to 350 m [383 yds] per ball, and the latter to 400 m [437 yds] per hank. If you’re based in the US, Purl Soho Sweetgrass appears to be a very similar option to Sabri, but with a 65% cotton, 35% camelid/alpaca blend of fibres.

Equally, if you’re not so into cotton, there are great linen blends on the market, too. Isager Merilin is a blend of 80% wool and 20% linen. I haven’t tried this yarn, but I can imagine it being really nice for light sweaters and cardigans on summer evenings. Linen takes dye differently to animal fibres, so you can get really beautiful marled yarns within this blend profile. Kokon Merino Linen (90% merino wool, 10% linen) is another option. If you want something with a higher percentage of linen in the mix, Eco-Stitch Alpalini is a 50:50 blend that I’m yet to try but which looks beautiful.

When it comes to patterns, I’d recommend looking for lightweight t-shirts where drape is important. I would also say that plant- & animal-fibre blends lend themselves to open lacework really nicely, as they have the elasticity needed for more complicated stitches, especially in comparison with 100% plant-based fibres.

And, 4.8 k words later, that’s it! Phew!

I hope that this guide has been helpful. It’s been a lot of fun to write and research. I would like to end by saying that within this list are really lovely yarn combinations that you could also consider. As I mention above, I really enjoyed pairing Knitting for Olive Pure Silk and Cotton Merino for my first Farnham Tee sample. The fabric was nice and elastic, which made the short rows easier to work, whilst also having a beautiful weight and drape to it with great stitch definition. I’m also currently using Knitting for Olive Pure Silk together with Sandnes Garn Sunday for a PetiteKnit June Top, and have Pure Silk ready to go with John Arbon Alpaca Supreme Heavy Laceweight, too (I told you I really like Pure Silk!).

Knitting should be fun, first and foremost, and having an understanding of what each of these different fibres can offer you can help you to have more fun in your knitting and to take on new projects with more confidence.

If there are any yarns you think I’ve missed out or that I should try, let me know!

Happy knitting,

Sophie
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