Here in the Pacific Northwest we are inching our way toward Summer — between cloud bursts and sudden clearings with blue sky when the sun actually feels hot!  I have tucked away my wooly knitting for a few months.  Bring on the linen, cotton, silk!  

I really enjoy knitting lace out on my deck on sunny afternoons, singing to myself:  Knit, Knit-2-Together, Knit-2-Together, Yarnover, Knit, Yarnover, Knit….(that is part of the Crest of the Wave song!).

But Summer calls for some simple knitting too — actually, a LOT of simple knitting!  What is called “plain knitting” — a row of knit stitches followed by a row of purl stitches.  No fancy stuff, no counting. Just “knit, knit, knit….”  Simple knitting is for grandkids’ soccer and baseball games, for visiting with friends on the deck with a glass of wine, for poolsides and beaches and campsites — and for the car trips there and back again.  

One of my simple knitting projects is Norah Gaughan’s “Centrale” sweater — a grand field of stockinette that folds cleverly to shape the garment (Norah is the Queen of Clever that way!).  I am using Shibui Knits Reed yarn (100% linen) in a breathtaking shade of aqua.  

My other pretty-much simple knitting is a scarf I call “Glow Worms and Caterpillars” which is Knit 6, Purl 6, Knit 6, Purl 6 … back and forth with a little dance move at the end of each row to shift the pattern.  This is based on Cecelia Campochiaro’s brilliant sequence knitting techniques.  The 2 yarns are from Trilogy Yarns — Baby Suri Alpaca with Silk for the caterpillars and Merino with Silk for the glow worms 🙂

Th simple “Centrale” sweater is also my project of choice during our nightly games of “Wingspan.”  George can spend as much time as he likes calculating and strategizing during his turn — I am getting some knitting done!