All of the sudden, summer has arrived. It is absolutely beautiful, with warm skies and soft breezes. And it is a Bank Holiday weekend. After many years in England I had become convinced that it was against the laws of nature (or perhaps just king and country) to have a sunny Bank Holiday weekend. Yet here it is. Three days of relaxing outside with nothing to do but knit, read, knit, barbeque, knit…you get the point. If only one had a summery project on the go to accompany the weather.

Good thing, then, that I have just the thing on my needles. I bought four balls of Knitting for Olive cotton merino in Clover Green while in Helsinki a few weeks ago. The green is so cheerful; just looking at it makes me happy. The pattern is the Silfurberg tee by Joji Locatelli, shown below.

I spent some time trying to find just the perfect pattern for this yarn. I wanted something chic and summery, and also wanted something that had just a bit of a challenge to it. A touch of lace fit the bill. Even then, I overlooked this pattern at first. I think it is because the pattern photo uses a variegated yarn, which is not to my taste. The pattern really pops with this yarn, however, and it is fun to knit.

The yarn is 70% cotton and 30% wool and is a light fingering weight. It has a beautiful hand. I always hold my breath with cotton because you can never really tell how it will behave until you have washed it and worn it a time or two. Cotton has a tendency to lose its shape, and I am hoping that the wool in this will give it a bit of memory. So far, so good.

This long weekend we also have something to celebrate – Emma is here, and it is her birthday! So sunshine all around.