What We're Knitting While It's 100 Degrees Outside

Peruse all our Heat Dome picks here.

We get a lot of people just walking into the shop who are curious about how a passion like knitting can survive year-round, in the South, and, even more so, in the Southern heat that we deal with every (quite extended) summer season. It is true that no one walks in asking to make a Bulky wool blanket in July.

We assure them - and now you - that even if what we're knitting changes, it never stops.

With the whole country currently experiencing "the summer of the heat dome," we think we may have particular insight into how to pivot your knitting life when it gets this hot out. 

The greatest change we see our knitters making this time of year: the smaller the project, the better.

Socks are the obvious answer. Often made with just one or two skeins of yarn, and made with short, quick-moving rows, socks are a small project that won't get heavy in your lap. You can also have a lot of fun with bright, summery yarn. We love Urth Uneek Yarn for stripy socks or Copper Corgi Savannah Sock for the perfect twist.

If socks don't thrill you, other small accessories might for a lot of the same reasons.

A few of our favorites shawlettes and neck scarves:

Star Jasmine Mini Scarf (use Ito Sensai held with Kinu)

We've seen a lot of people making the Pressed Flowers Kerchief with a gradient yarn like Junction Fiber Mill (pair with a solid like 29 Bridges Non Superwash DK)

Bonnie and Clyde (use Juniper Moon Zooey)

Which brings us to our next tip: we always pay closer attention to fiber content in the summer. Not only do we reach for lighter weight yarn (like Lace, Fingering, and DK), but we also look for cotton, linen, and silk when shopping. All of which are fibers that happen to be naturally cooling.

We keep our animal-free cabinet full in the summer. Avoiding wool can make a lot of sense in the heat, though a wool/natural fiber blend can be a great option for when you want the benefits of both. 

Our favorite animal-free fibers right now: Zooey (as we mentioned earlier, 60% Cotton, 40% Linen), Copper Corgi Shoreline Silk (100% Silk noil), Kelbourne Woolens Skipper (100% Cotton), Ito Kinu (100% Silk)

Blends we love: 29 Bridges Linen Wool Singles (10% Linen), Gusto Wool & Cool (20% Linen), Sweet Georgia SeaSilk Lace (65% Silk, 35% SeaSell), Farmer's Daughter Foxy Lady (30% Silk), Cocoon (70% Silk)

All great options for if you want to make a summer garment that you can actually wear before October. Melissa is currently making Sunday Swirl Tank with the Shoreline Silk, a great summer tank, and Cadence has gotten so much year-round wear out of her Hakuji that she's making a second in another color of SeaSilk.

Which brings us to our final suggestion: changing your mindset to view the summer as a great time to work on projects of all kinds with the pressure off. 

Knowing that you may not get to wear what you're making for a few months can be really freeing; all of us on the Fuzzy Goat team are currently working on something "out of season." Melissa is casting on her 2026 Holiday Sweater, Nordic Snowflake (kits coming soon for this), and Madelyn is making a cabled Book Club Cardigan. Cadence also just finished a long-sleeved sweater (Flora made with Cocoon).

Doing the opposite of what feels like "summer knitting" means there's no immediate deadline, you can turn on the air conditioning, work at a slower pace, and put your WIP aside for something smaller when it gets too hot. 

And if you feel you're losing the battle against the heat, our AC is always on & our lodge always has a seat for you to knit in where it's cool, no matter what you choose to make.