I've said it before and I'll say it again... I don't like summertime. Throw me on a mountaintop in a snowstorm, or under a cold rain without an umbrella and I'm a lot happier than if you left me in a field with the sun beating down, the humidity making me drip with sweat and the oppression of the summer heat weighing me down. The Washington, DC summers are brutal. They last from May until October, more or less half of the year!
As Americans, it's alarming how accustomed we've become to faux summer. I won't get on my Global Warming soapbox today, but stores that pump out arctic air conditioning yet leave their doors wide open to let it all escape into the ether, supermarkets that you can practically see your breath in and shopping malls that require you to wear a sweater in August are fine examples of how we've embraced faux summer. In Europe, air conditioning is a luxury, not an expectation. They accept summertime (for better or for worse) and don't have a fit if a store doesn't have subzero temps pumping through their vents. I find movie theaters to be the best example of faux summer with their consistently frigid temperatures.
Even though I count down the days until autumn will be upon us, I've learned to be prepared in the summer. It feels odd to pack a scarf or shawl when the mercury is approaching 100 degrees, but the facts are, these days you need to.
Let me introduce you to the Lacy Scarf.
Knit in Cascade's new supersoft hand painted Pima cotton (part of the Ultra Pima family, which includes Ultra Pima, Ultra Pima Quatro and Ultra Pima Fine), Ultra Pima Hand Paints, these generous 220 yard hanks are perfect for summer knitting with a great price point that many hand painted yarns don't have. I love knitting with cotton in the summer because after all, who wants a lap full of wool when the sun is beating down on you? And hand painted cotton? Yes, please! A big plus to this yarn is it can be washed in the machine, then thrown in the dryer. Summer knits can get sweaty when you transition from the 35 degree movie theater into the 108 degree air to walk to your car. With a dozen hand painted colorways to choose from (I adore the Mossy Mix), you can knit a few that you can smugly hand out to your fellow movie going friends as their teeth begin to chatter. The simple lace pattern knits up quickly and the scarf takes less than 1 hank. Some cottons can be tough on your hands, but not this one. Beach knitting, here we come!
Going to the movies is one of my favorite things. Alone, with a friend or in a large group, I have and always will be a big movie goer. So while I love the cold and I love movies, I don't like to be cold at the movies. I'm keeping this Lacy Scarf in my bag at all times (and when it starts to smell like popcorn, I'll be able to wash it with ease).
Download the free Lacy Scarf pattern here.