I’ve been trolling on the line lately — well, really just Ravelry, finding things that would be great to knit in the spring (and maybe teach at my local yarn shop The Spinning Room).  [By the way, “on the line” is my favorite mis-phrase from the movie The Internship with Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn.  So funny, and I use that phrase all. the. time.] It’s the time of year that I’m done with the cold weather and the snow — even though here in upstate New York it seems like all of winter happened just in the last week and a half — and I start looking for light and airy things to knit.  I have found 5 patterns that would be great.

1) Socks are always a good bet for knitting in the warmer weather.  Maybe you won’t wear wool socks in the coming months, but they are great to knit because they are small — don’t heat up your lap — and use lightweight yarn.  So my newest can’t-wait-to-knit socks are Vintage Fairy Lights by Helen Stewart.

I love her patterns and I also listen to her podcast called Curious Handmade.

2) Shawls are also great for spring — to knit and to wear. How about this Tangled Shawl?

Full disclosure, I do not love the yellow, and that turned me off a bit. But then I saw the beautiful green one Kathy at The Spinning Room made and I knew I had to make one.  Mine is a pretty blue and just barely started:

I’m also teaching it as a class in the spring!  This would be a great item to wear on a chilly spring day.

3) Another small and light item to make in the spring are cowls in fingering weight yarn. Sping is still a good time of year to wear them as accessories inside, but also when it’s a little chilly under your lighter coats. I found this great Checks, Please! cowl by Debbi Stone:

It’s got a pretty pattern and I love the idea of using a gradient yarn.  Maybe I’ll use my Anne with an E yarn from Knitcircus:

4) Another great cowl pattern is the Knitting is my Yoga cowl by Elizabeth Sullivan:

Because who doesn’t like a (FREE!) easy pattern to knit while you are sitting outside in the spring having a picnic and relaxing?  This pattern was designed with relaxation in mind.  And it’s FREE.

5) Finally, a hat project with heavier yarn (worsted) but still small so you won’t pass out from heat exhaustion.  This Double Cable Ponytail / Messy Bun Hat by Lena Mathisson is perfect:

And so practical! Buttons go up the back so you can change where your ponytail comes out.  Very clever.  This is on my list to make and teach in a class too.

There you go.  Five suggestions for springtime knitting, all of which are in my Ravelry queue and waiting for me to start! Let me know if you like them and if you will try them. (By the way, if you do the Pinterest thing, click on the side bar and you can follow me there.  I pin things I want to knit someday as well as lots of other stuff.)