Casual Summer Tee Knitalong 2021

We just finished our most epic sweater knit-along to date: the lacey/cabled/bobbled Atlantica sweater and, phew, it's time for a break. We're ready for a nice, casual knitting project that we can bring with us to the beach or pool or put in a few rows while drinking a glass of rosé or lemonade at the park. Doesn’t that sound nice? If yes, then we would love for you to join us for our first ever, Casual Summer Tee Knit-Along!

What’s so casual about this KAL, you ask? It’s all up to you! We don’t care what pattern or yarn you choose, we just want it to be summery. Think warm weather fiber content like linen, cotton, rayon, or silk, paired with summer garments like sleeveless shells, short-sleeved tees and tanks. Think of things you can wear on a 90 degree day because you’re not about to let a hot day get in the way of showcasing your knitting talent to the world.  

Some of our past favorite summer knitting makes.

The beauty of summer knitting, besides exploring potentially new and exciting fibers, is that the knits themselves tend to be more simple and less time consuming. Summer tees often don’t have sleeves, or only have short sleeves. They don’t usually feature colorwork or cables (although lace is common). For these reasons, many of these knits would be perfect for a beginner knitting or any knitter who just hasn’t yet felt confident enough to take on a garment. Here's what we are thinking of making:

Jaime will be knitting the Anker’s Summer Shirt by PetiteKnit in Coastal, color Copper. She is excited about using this new US made summery yarn, produced by two of our favorite yarn producers, Jeane deCoster and Brooke Sinnes. 

Amber will be knitting the Monday Tee by Pickles in Tussah Tweed, in the mysterious color Rust Aqua. The pattern's simplicity is accented with a bit of exciting ribbed detail in the shoulder and short sleeves.

Sarah will be knitting her first ever(!) garment, Noni by Megan Nodecker in Bio Balance. She’s going to make it color blocked using the four colors Ivory, Taupe, Curry and Limette.

Kim will be knitting Lexa by Hanna Maciejewska in Bio Balance in Taupe, and is looking forward to having a summer tee with a bit of pretty lace work.

Marta will be knitting Ripple Crop Top by Jessie Mae in Tussah Tweed in Anthracite (shown here in Royal Ocean). The tweedy silk is going to look so beautiful in this simple ribbed stitch!
 

We hope you will join us in this relaxing choose-your-own-adventure knit-along! Here are the deets:

Pattern: You choose! In addition to what we’re knitting above, here are some other ideas: (but anything goes!)

So many great options by Jessie Mae

Deren Tee, Rift Tee, Sol from Jacqueline Cieslak

Deschain or Bolan Tee by Leila Raven

As If Tee by Shay Johnson

Whakario Top by Aroha Knits

Odele by Amy Christophers

Blume by Julie Hoover

Deauville Tank by Tina Tse

Top Down Tee  by Loopy Mango

Mojave Collection by Kelbourne Woolens

Yarn: You choose, but must contain some linen, cotton, tencel, rayon, or silk to qualify as “summery”! Check out the "Warm Weather" Yarn section on our website to see our options.

Dates: Tuesday May 18th through Tuesday July 6th

Coupon Code: Use the code "casualsummer" for 15% off your purchase of any yarn in the "Warm Weather" section of our site (good through May 18th).

Knitalong: Virtually knit with us on Zoom on May 18th, June 8th, and July 6th Tuesday nights 6 - 7pm. Sign up for these free events, listed on our class page to receive the zoom link via email. (Link will be sent on the day of, 1 hour before the event.)

Win Prizes: Post your progress and final sweater on Instagram for chances to win (and so we can see your sweater!) Use the hashtags #FancyKAL and tag us @fancytigercrafts for chances to win awesome prizes. We will have two prizes - one for best in-progress shot (show us your pool/park/roadtrip pics!) and one for finished sweater. Your account must be public to be eligible for prizes. Using this hashtag and tagging us means we can re-share your posts on our website and social media. Posts must be made by July 6th and must use a yarn from Fancy Tiger Crafts to qualify.