Do you crochet in Summer? When it is SUPER HOT?
That’s where we are right now here in Australia. It is the peak of the Summer heat for us here in Queensland with temperatures of over 30C each day – that’s over 86 for my Fahrenheit friends. The days are sunny and steamy with sometimes a storm in the evening to break the heat – if we are lucky!
I haven’t picked up my crochet for a couple of weeks but I’m missing it. I’d really love to get my Cocoon Cardigan finished one day. So it got me thinking about ways that I could beat the heat and still crochet even when the weather is unbearably hot.
4 Ways to Crochet in the Heat
Choose your Moment
Some days we wake to lovely cool breezes in the morning. Other days we get a storm in the afternoon which cools things down, or it is just naturally cooler after the sun goes down.
These are great times to grab your crochet. It can be a lovely treat to look forward to all day or a creative way to start before the crazy “getting ready for school” time starts in the morning.
Find the Cool Places
I don’t mean the cool new cafe that just opened downtown – although that might work! – but I’m thinking of the cool places that you might go and sit awhile.
Perhaps your local library has comfy chairs in their air-conditioned space. Or maybe your local shopping centre has some seats where you could sit for half an hour before you do the grocery shop.
Some of us are lucky enough to have air conditioning at home but even a fan or a spot on the deck or porch can be your cooler space to work. Seek out the cool spots.
Switch your Yarn
In my mind, I love to crochet with yarn. But while can be warm and cosy on a Winter’s evening, it can be hot and heavy in Summer leading to sweaty hands and hooks!
Last year I did a hexagon project with cotton instead of wool or acrylic and it was SO LOVELY to work with. It would be much cooler for to work with so consider switching to cotton for Summer crochet and back to heavier yarn for Winter time.
In case you’re curious, I used this cotton from Bendigo Woolen Mills but you could also check out this – love the brilliant Blue! – or this – so many beautiful colours to choose from or this from my new favourite store, American Yarns.
Get Smaller
Another option is to switch to smaller projects during the Summer heat. A full-size blanket draped over your knees while you work on it will become very warm very quickly. But smaller granny squares or amigurumi toys are much more manageable when it is hot. There is no shame in putting aside a project to come back to it later when the weather cools down.
Find the pattern for Wynne the Bunny here on Etsy.
There you have it. Some inspiration for braving the Summer heat and still getting some crochet projects done.
What would you add to my list? How do you cope with the heat and your crochet?
More Crochet:
Thanks for the awesome hints. Here the cellars nice and cool, just don’t like being alone in a dreary cellar! So yeah, great tips!!