3KCBWDAY4 - A Knitter For All Seasons

Do I change what I knit for the seasons?
Well yes I do.
Living in a country such as Australia means some rather hot weather so knitting woolies in the warmer months is just not going to happen.  I still knit but I use lighter yarns such as bamboo, linen, silk and cotton. The items also tend to be smaller as I don't like having large projects sitting on me as I knit.

I knitted this hat so I would have a lightweight hat for those cool spring mornings. The pattern is Paper Moon by Beth Hahn. It works really well for those warmer 'bad hair days' as the yarn is a cotton and silk blend. Just lovely to wear.

A silk and cotton blend

This shawl was knit for a Spring Fair at my daughters school.  I felt the lovely apple green and the soft bamboo yarn really said 'Spring is here'. The pattern is 'Girl's Best Friend' and is a very easy, quick knit. Perfect for those changeable spring days.

A lovely, light bamboo shawl.

This scarf was knitted as a Christmas present for my daughters teacher and I was working on it during the heat of summer. The pattern is really simple and effective when worn double as in the image below. The pattern 'Casu Cowl' is written for 10ply yarn but I worked it in a 5ply cotton which resulted in a lovely soft, summer cowl. So often the season will prompt me to modify and pattern so that it's right for the season I'm in.

Cotton light weight infinity-scarf

As soon as the weather turns cool I start knitting jumpers, wrist-warmers and hats. The weather here can turn very quickly with a lovely warm sunny day on a Monday and a freezing, 'put the heater on kind' of day on a Tuesday. Often the cold weather also makes me realise that I or my daughter need some new knitwear.  Things tend to get finished faster in winter as I just want to get them on and stay warm.

This jumper had been put aside for quite some time as I had found it was just too thick and wooly to knit when it was warmer.  I started it at the end of winter thinking it would make a good spring piece but it got warm really quickly so I put it aside.  I finally finished it and it's now my go to, autumn jumper. The pattern is November10 and can be found on Ravelry.

November for Autumn

I love knitting fingerless mitts in winter as they are quick and easy and give almost instant warmth. These are some of my favorites.

These mitts use the fantastic 'Deathflake' chart from 'Art Fiend'.

Gloves and mitts are also a wonderful way of using up all those left-over bits of sock yarn.  I just love these convertible mitts/gloves I made for my daughter a few years ago. The pattern is 'Podster Gloves' by Glenna C and it's free!

These have to be my all time favorite mitts.  The yarn, the pattern, the feel, everything about them.  The pattern is reversible and required me to learn a few new techniques. The pattern is 'Boscage Mitts' by Ritsuka Nashi

 

Of course you can't have mitts without wonderful cowls and scarfs to go with them. The Boscage Cowl is my most worn item during winter. The yarn is soft and the colour rich and wintery.

Winter of course wouldn't be complete without a nice warm hat. Again due to our very changeable weather I need hats that can bridge the gap between cool, and really cold. 

This is the pattern I go to most often, Felicity Light. Using sock yarn makes it nice and light but still warm enough to keep the chill off. 

As you can see I've made a few. 

Winter is also the time when I knit larger projects such as cardigans and jumpers.  I think I do it because it helps keep me warm.  

I love this pattern and I know lots of people have made it but I just had to have one for myself. The good old 'Shalom Caridgan' by Meghan McFarlane. Once again a wonderful free pattern.  I tried to give mine a new twist by using Possum yarn and some interesting colour combinations. 

So yes, I am a knitter for all seasons.  I have to be, it keeps me sane, keeps me busy and stills my mind when things are just too hectic.
I have to knit and create, it's just part of who I am.