Some might say that crochet in the summer is a terrible idea. I say it all depends on the yarn choice and the fabric you are creating.
Hot take, we were conditioned to like summer because it was the longest we were out of school.
As a sort of adult, summer has taken on a new meaning. Not only is summer bringing the HEAT but it signals the end of my in house sweaters. Luckily, I can still wear most of my long sleeve tops. So there is some comfort to be had in summer.
To be fair to summer, there are some wonderful things to enjoy during this season. But excessive heat and bugs aren’t one of them. Not knocking your interests if they lie with entomology, its just not for me.
While the season does mean adjusting my emotional support garment choices, there is till joy to be found in how i style my crochet in summer.
Crochet in Summer
I’m not saying that you have to wear crochet all year round, but if you are willing and able, there are some great outfits we can put together to boost our mood. Through trial and error I’ve discovered that fiber and yarn thickness really make or break a Summer garment. Of course what we consider wearable can vary greatly among us but I definitely stick “summer fibers’
Summer yarns
For me the perfect summer garment is made by pairing a fingering weight cotton blend yarn with a 3.5 or 4mm crochet hook. One of my go to’s is a 90% cotton/10%cashmere blend (aff link). I also really like Granville from Valley yarns. Of course when talking about fingering weight yarns I also love using a 75/25 Merino Nylon blend for crop tops of looser fitting garments.
As you will see from some of my summer styling, these aren’t hard and fast rules by any means, more like my summer wearing guidelines.
How i style my crochet in summer
I love pairing bralettes or crop tops with high waist pants.
Linen or linen blend pants from a woven type fabric make long pants rather comfortable to wear in the height of summer. Although the above high waist pants are Rayon, the fabric is quite thin which makes it a comfortable wear for a lil shopping trip to the grocery store. Side note: you will take highwaist pants from my cold dead hands.
- Top – Bff Bralette from Moa of Honsedesign
- Hook size – 3mm and a 2.5 mm for the back
- Yarn – Pineapple Yarns – https://pineappleyarn.com/ – this is a 75/25 wool nylon blend, and although it’s paired with a small hook for gauge, the top itself is quite comfortable to wear in summer.
Heavier weight yarns in summer?
While I mentioned that fingering weight is usually my go to, there are exceptions for sport and dk weight yarns. I’m about to mention a non crochet pattern but the Love Magick sweater knit with Coboo is honestly a summer go to !
While some might consider the high neckline to be un-summery, the bamboo fiber stretches the neckline quite a bit. Not only is the neckline stretchier because of the bamboo but it’s also soft and breathable.
While you can of course use Coboo for crochet, I think the LB collection bamboo cotton and Premier Bamboo yarn are slightly thinner and have slightly more drape. Either way these yarns all create soft breathable fabrics that I feel are perfect for summer.
Too really lean into the relaxed vibes from the Love Magick Sweater I paired the top with these relaxed cinch-waist Levi jeans. (aff link) These jeans are my go to for a summer evening outing. They are light weight and wide enough at the leg to allow for air flow.
I completed the outfit with some chunky huggie hoops, gold bangles and a gold ring.
For extra badassery I wore this outfit with my brown oxford doc’s, the ones worn in the picture below. Technically it was summer in FL when I wore this outfit in NYC.
Crochet with shorts: essential
If long pants in the summer just feel overstimulating, shorts are 100% crochet summer essentials as well. Although wearing a Cardigan in this heat is just a no, I do still love these green olive shorts with the Askew Top.
To make it summer wearable I would of course remove the Cardigan. Then I would complete the outfit with some cream platform espadrilles for an effortless summer outing vibe.
- Yarn – Dilly Dally from wecrochet (aff link)
- Shorts – Muji Broadcloth cotton shorts – I think these gingham ones (aff link) would pair really well with a free flowing crop top.
- Jewelry – gold hoops, thin chain with a quartz pendant, labradorite stretchy bracelet
Speaking of pairing shorts with crochet, I highly recommend getting a pair of linen shorts. Linen is truly a perfect summer fiber. It’s breathable, dries quickly and softens the more you wear it. The only caveat, sometimes it’s best to size down. Depending on the waist band style they can get loser as the day goes on.
- Pattern – Granny No5 Top
- Shorts – white/cream gingham 100% linen shorts sourced from Marshalls
- Yarn – Cerulean Blue – Autumn Winds by Lotus Yarns, Pops of yellow are Salvage from we crochet (discontinued) and the brown ins a 75/25 wool sock yarn.
- Jewelry – trusty 40mm gold hoop and my gold bangles.
Linen yarns is also a marvelous for creating a light, flowy garment. My favorite was Lindy Chain from WEcrochet. Sadly, it’s been discontinued.
All in all the main difference between how I style my crochet in summer and other seasons is the lack of layers.
When it some to wearing your handmade in any season, forget trends. Trends come and go, the important part is how you feel wearing your crochet. Let’s say an empathic YES to wearing the outfits that spark joy.
