Tips for Knitters: What To Knit During Spring/Summer

Part 1: Clothes and Accessories

During spring and summer, I often get knitter's block. Without the chilly weather to inspire me to knit hats and headbands, I tend to knit less. This year, I've come up with a simple list of things to knit that I can wear all spring and summer.

1) Knit Tank Top 

This lovely tank top only took me a day to knit! Not only can this tank top be dressed up, but it can also be used as a swimsuit cover up! 

You can find out how I knit this here: Lexalex: Knit Tank Top

2) Light Knit Slouchy Hat

I don't know about you, but I enjoy wearing hats all year round! Summon your inner hipster and knit some summery hats! 

You can find a summer slouchy hat pattern here: http://rubysubmarine.blogspot.com

3) Light Knit Shirt

I knit this light shirt last year and wore it on warm days. Though this may be a longer project, it will be worth it in the end!

You can find a shirt pattern similar to this here: http://fojfana.tumblr.com

4) Knit Bracelets 

These knit bracelets are so easy and will complete any summer/spring outfit! I knit a bunch in lovely pastel colors and added some fun buttons!

You can see more picture of these bracelets I knit here: Lexalex: Knit Bracelets

You can find the inspiration for my knit bracelets here: http://www.designsponge.com

5) Light Knit Shawl

I knit this shawl last year for a spring formal and it was perfect! Knit shawls are great for summer/spring since you can wear them to weddings and other formal events.

You can check out more pictures of this shawl here: Lexalex: Knit Shawl

You can find a knit shawl pattern here: http://www.classiceliteyarns.com/

6) Knit Flower Headband

This cute headband was super easy to make and can be worn all spring and summer. For the flower, I just knit a circle with left over yarn and added a button.

You can find a summery headband pattern here: http://www.craftleftovers.com

You can fin a knit flower pattern here: http://www.headhuggers.org

and here: http://www.creatinglaura.com/

7) Light Knit Scarf

I loves scarves and during spring I often knit light scarves in pastel colors. I also like to pair my scarves with floral patterns to make them feel more summery!

You can find a light knit scarf pattern here: http://knitty.com

You can find inspiring scarf pictures here: http://pinterest.com

Though some of you may not like wearing scarves after winter, I hope these links will inspire you!

8) Knit Bow Headband

This headband is similar to the one before, except it has a bow rather than a flower. This headband would make a great gift for Easter and would look lovely with a spring dress.

You can find a bow headband pattern here: http://racheliufer.blogspot.com/

You can find another bow headband pattern here: http://www.cattymakingout.com

  
 9) Knit Hair Bows
 Who doesn't love wearing pretty hair bows? These little bows are so easy to knit and they look great in your hair all through spring and summer. 

You can find a bow pattern here: http://untangling-knots.com/tag/hair-clips/
You can find inspiring hair bow ideas here: http://pinterest.com/joaniemom/knit-bows/
If you like sock buns, then you should check out this cool pattern: http://www.laylock.org

10) Knit Purse

I recently knit this rainbow cross-body purse with some left over yarn I had. I used some simple acrylic yarn to knit this and it worked great. I want to knit a bigger one for the beach!

You can find a knit purse pattern here: http://cookalotje.blogspot.com

You can find another pattern here: http://karolekurnow.com/blog

I hope these ideas inspired you to knit some lovely spring/summer clothes and accessories!

Tips For Knitters: The Best Yarn Deals

"Life is too short to knit with cheap yarn." 

 Do you love to knit with good quality yarn but don't have the money to waste on ridiculous prices? Since I have a knitting business and am buying yarn all the the time, I don't want to waste my money on bad deals. Lately I've made it my mission to find out the best yarn deals so I could share them with you. Here are some tips on saving your money while getting the best yarn deals.

1) Order overstocked or discontinued yarn online 

About a month ago I found an online yarn store called DBNY. They have deals where you can buy what they call "bags of yarn." You can get 5 balls of yarn for $5 or 10 balls of yarn for $10.

You can find this website here: http://www.discontinuedbrandnameyarn.com/shop/

2) Always check the sale section of online yarn stores 

Though the sale section doesn't always have what I want at the moment, I sometimes stock up on yarn I might need in the future. This can save lots of money. Knit Outta the Box currently has yarn on sale for  50 cents! (needless to say I bought ten! haha)

You can find this $.50 yarn here: www.knitouttathebox.com


3) Sign up online for emails and updates from multiple yarn stores 

By signing up for emails, you'll be reminded whenever the yarn store has a sale. Sometimes you can even get codes for certain percentages off! This can save loads of money while yarn shopping. I've signed up for emails from KnitPicks.com. They often have great sales during the holidays.

You can see this store and sign up for emails here: www.knitpicks.com

4) Use coupons

I don't know if you guys are addicted to Hobby Lobby like I am, but I go there for yarn often. I never go to Hobby Lobby without taking their 40% coupon that you can print anytime. Whenever I'm near to Hobby Lobby, I stop by and just buy one ball of expensive yarn with the coupon. This can save lots of money!

You can print the HobbyLobby coupon here: http://www.hobbylobby.com/weekly/coupon.cfm


5) Always check the clearance section at yarn/craft stores

Hobby Lobby also has a section where they keep clearance yarn. Sometimes they don't have much but other times they have really nice yarn half-price. Whenever I go, I get some yarn on clearance and save it to use when I need it. (just don't buy yarn you don't think you'll use.)

6) Look for yarn on Etsy 

When I first decided to look for yarn on Etsy, I was a little skeptical. Though I knew that Etsy would have some very high quality yarn, I thought the prices might be ridiculous. If you type in "Yarn Sale" on Etsy, you can sometimes find great deals though! Change the page so that the lowest prices show up first and then scroll through till you find some yarn you like. I also love being able to help out small businesses like mine.

Here's an Etsy store with awesome yarn and great sales: http://www.etsy.com/shop/brokemarys

7) Become friends with other yarn obsessed people 

There are many perks of being friends with people who love yarn as much as you do. You can trade yarn, sell leftover yarn to each other, borrow knitting needles, etc. I don't have a particular friend I do this with, but many of my friends know I love yarn so they buy it for me as gifts. People occasionally give me their unused yarn as well (It feels like Christmas!).

Hope these tips were helpful!