If you are looking for some summer knitting projects, may I suggest Joyce Fassbender’s collection of lacy confections in Sunset Over the Cascades? I am thrilled with the variety of styles and yarns that Joyce used in her designs.

Remember that our Knit Picks books are slim and focused. Ideal for toting around with you all summer long.

Let’s start with the Fernow Shawlette. It’s an example of the breadth of projects in Sunset Over the Cascades. The description says that it is a winged triangular shawlette. That means there is a small arch to the finished shawlette making it easy to wrap around your shoulders. And, the Fernow is knit with Capra DK weight yarn. Yep, DK weight. That makes Fernow a luscious cross between a lace accent and a sturdy scarf.

Moving on to a slightly lighter weight yarn, the Gardner Shawl is a larger project knit using  Gloss Fingering weight yarn. This is a square shawl knit in the round from the center. Think of the Shetland Isles traditional shawls. Only this one is accented with beads, but it is up to you whether you want beads or not. Looking at the photos of the Gardner Shawl, I’m reminded how much I love the look of square shawls.

The Glacier Shawl is knit with Sport weight Andean Treasure. This is one of our original yarns so it has a special place in my heart. The 100% alpaca yarn is warm way beyond what you would expect. That means that Joyce’s triangular shawl is ideal for when your shoulders are under attack from air conditioning or cool autumn breezes. I particularly love the scalloped edging detail.

For those of you looking for traditional lace knitting, Joyce has used Shadow Tonal for her Rainier Shawl. The simple lozenge repeats lend themselves to the subtle color variations in the Shadow Tonal yarn. The shawl is a half circle with pie wedge increases.

The El Dorado Wrap is what I think of as a classic lace shawl. It is rectangular shaped, has a very open lace pattern and is knit with Shimmer lace weight yarn. What I love about knitting rectangular shawls is that there are no increases to worry about. You cast on the short end’s worth of stitches and then knit the pattern repeat for about 70-inches. Because of the openness of the lace design, El Dorado has a stunning drape.

It feels like Joyce decided to combine all the fun aspects of lace knitting in her Shuksan. She used our downy soft Aloft. Wrapping the Mohair/Silk blend around your neck feels like you are snuggling with a kitten. The beaded, crescent shaped shawlette just begs to be tucked around your neck as you head out the door on a chilly day. And, I would like to point out how easy it would be to keep this little bit of fluff in the pocket of your coat. Ready to add a layer of quick, comforting warmth.

By now, you can see what I meant about Sunset Over The Cascades being an excellent candidate for your summer knitting companion.  Remember, you can get this stunning collection in either book form or eBook form, or you can get each pattern separately. Enjoy!