New Knitting Books for Summer 2026
- Susanna
- 1 hour ago
- 7 min read
Summer is here and so are new summer knitting books! This quarter's bunch include Shetland knits and one-skein wonders, a head start on holiday knitting, and technical guidance on both knitting in the round and customizing sweater patterns to fit your body.
Accessories and Beyond
First up is a bit of Shetland knitting magic from two colorwork maestros: Mary Jane Mucklestone and Gudrun Johnston. Their collaboration, Grand Shetland Adventure Knits, was first published in hardback in 2023 but will be available in paperback this August.
Discover the magic of Shetland through 14 stunning knitting patterns, perfect for confident knitters looking to expand their colourwork repertoire. Mary Jane and Gudrun's first co-authored book is a love letter to these fascinating islands, their nature, traditions and people. It features 14 inspiring patterns for confident knitters that are perfect for cold weather, or even a trip to Shetland itself: from cozy socks and hats to colourwork sweaters.
The book includes 14 original patterns, 7 from each designer. Among the patterns are 9 accessories — hats, socks, gloves, and cowls, for instance — and 5 garments: vests, cardigans, and pullovers. The majority of the patterns rely on stranded colorwork but there are a few, such as the cover design Virdek Shawl, that feature texture or lace instead.
In addition to the patterns, the book also contains four travel stories that highlight the authors' favorite places to visit on Shetland islands. The paperback version of Grand Shetland Adventure Knits comes out on August 18.
Next up is a book that focuses on one-skein wonder, small accessories that can be knit using a one skein of yarn. Ukrainian-born designer Ksenia Naidyon goes by the handle @lifeiscozy and specializes in colorful accessories in vivid pastels. One Skein Knitting is her first published book.
Every knitter has a skein or two of beautiful yarn they couldn’t resist buying — a hand-dyed treasure picked up while traveling, at a yarn event, or from a local yarn store. These 'souvenir skeins' are often too special to use without the perfect pattern… until now. One Skein Knitting is a curated collection of 18 stylish accessories designed to showcase the beauty of single skeins. From soft socks and stylish shawls to scarves and cowls, each project maximizes the potential of that precious yarn. Created by celebrated designer Ksenia Naidyon (@lifeiscozy), this book offers creative patterns that use a range of yarn weights and fibers. The patterns are ideal for gift knitting, stash busting, or simply treating yourself. With clear instructions and a thoughtful mix of techniques, it’s the ultimate answer to the question, "What can I make with just one skein?"
The book contains 18 brand new accessory patterns ranging for the head (hats and headbands), extremities (socks and mitts), and the neck (scarves, shawls, and cowls). Each pattern is designed to use just a single skein of yarn, fingering weight in most cases. The patterns are graded for just one or two, at most three sizes.
One Skein Knitting: 18 Knitting Patterns for Single Skeins of Yarn is released on August 25.
Knitmas in July
The next two books make a head start on holiday knitting. Designer Julie Ann Lebouthillier's previous book, Knit A Box of Socks, was featured in the Spring 2024 line-up. The sequel focuses also on sock patterns, this time with a Christmas theme.
This joyful collection of 24 knitting patterns for holiday socks features a variety of different designs including stripes, stranded colorwork, cables and texture - perfect for adventurous beginners and beyond. Author Julie Ann Lebouthillier — known as Twin Stitches — brings her signature charm to this collection, pairing easy-to-follow instructions with delightful Christmas themed designs. Inspired by the success of her first book Knit a Box of Socks, Julie Ann’s holiday edition is perfect for creating a box of socks that makes the ultimate handmade gift.
The book includes 24 never-before-seen holiday-themed sock patterns plus a basic sock recipe in five sizes, designed to fit from toddler to large adult. The actual sock patterns don't come in quite as large a size range: they're graded for three or so sizes, often ranging from adult small to adult large, or a kiddie version + two adult sizes. The majority of the patterns feature stranded colorwork but there are also simpler socks with single-color cables, multi-color stripes, or with contrast-colored heels, toes, and cuffs.
Knit a Box of Christmas Socks: 24 Festive Sock Knitting Patterns for the Holidays is set to come out on July 16. Plenty of time to start gift knitting!
Holiday knitting continues on August 20 with All-New Twenty to Make: Christmas Knits by the Japanese-born designer Sachiyo Ishii from Knits by Sachi. This is a small, 64-page collection of Christmas-themed stash-busting toys and decorations.
Knit 20 stash-busting festive projects, perfect for stocking-fillers, decorations and gifts. Choose from sweet decorations including a bauble, wreath and heart; fun festive characters including a gnome, elf, reindeer and, of course, Santa Claus; or perhaps the Christmas star, an adorable robin or a frosty snowman. Create heirloom toys, decorations and accessories that you’ll be excited to use year after year or give as meaningful gifts.
In addition to the 20 adorable patterns, the book also contains short sections on materials and tools, and techniques used in the book, such as the embroidery stitches with which to decorate the objects.
Getting Technical
Saving the geeky for last: the next two books focus on the technicalities of knitting. First up, Kate Atherley's latest title is a deep dive into knitting in the round.
Circular Knitting for Beginners and Beyond explores the benefits of circular knitting and why lots of knitters prefer knitting in the round – no more purl stitches anyone?! Discover all the circular knitting techniques and the tools you'll need to get started including different sizes of circular needles; flexible trios and DPNs. Ever wondered what the difference is between an interchangeable circular and a small circumference circular needle? Then look no further, this guide explains it all. There is also a section about potential pitfalls and troubleshooting so you can correct your mistakes and keep going. So, if you've always wanted to try knitting socks or a hat, or perhaps that seamless sweater pattern you’ve been admiring, grab this guide and start your circular knitting journey!
Covering every detail of knitting in the round, the book is divided into five chapters: Getting Started, Working in the Round, Core Techniques, Special Techniques, and Projects.
The first chapter, Getting Started, introduces you to the needles required and the basic process used in circular knitting. Working in the Round covers how to cast on stitches, hold your work so that you're not knitting inside out, and prevent twisting when working either in full circumference (such as a sweater body on a long circular needle) or in small circumference (e.g., socks or sweater sleeves with magic loop or double pointed needles).
The chapter titled Core Techniques discusses essential things to know when knitting in the round: edges, laddering, grafting, blocking, weaving in ends, and yes, even swatching in the round. Special Techniques focuses on more advanced aspects of circular knitting: stranded colorwork, helical knitting, jogless jogs, seamless knitting, two-at-a-time (TAAT) knitting, and even center-out knitting.
In the Projects chapter are 10 original accessory patterns designed for practicing your newly-learned circular-knitting skills. They include two cowls, two socks, three mitts or mittens, and three hats. Some feature full-circumference circular knitting, like the Audrey Cowl above, while others are designed for small-circumference knitting in mind. The techniques used in the practice projects range from single-color knitting to stranded colorwork and even helical stripes.
Get ready to level up your in-the-round knitting with Circular Knitting For Beginners & Beyond: A Practical Guide to Knitting in the Round on July 28.
If you've been following by design journey, you might have noticed that I'm a fan of Kim McBrien Evans' representative size charts and her take on size-inclusivity in knitting patterns. Now she's written The Knitter's Sweater Fitting Bible, a book that focuses on knitting sweaters that are custom-tailored to fit your body and your measurements.
The Knitter's Sweater Fitting Bible is the essential guide for knitters who want to create garments that fit beautifully and feel amazing. Whether you're tired of sweaters that ride up, sag, or just don't sit right, this book will walk you through every step of understanding, adjusting, and designing for the perfect fit. Learn how to take accurate body measurements and decode the language of "fit" in Measuring Matters. Demystify shaping and silhouette in Understanding Ease, and get to grips with smart yarn choices and essential swatching techniques in the Yarn and Fabric chapter. Build a solid knowledge of sweater construction and then dive into Fixing Fit – a reference-packed chapter full of easy-to-follow, section-by-section pattern alterations for busts, shoulders, sleeves, necklines, and more. When you're ready to go beyond tweaking existing patterns, turn to The Sweater Style Templates and Design Profiles which explain how to use your measurements to build a personalised sweater using the yarn of your choice.
The book walks you through all the steps of knitting a well-fitting sweater from taking accurate measurements, understanding ease, and how to combined those two things into stitch counts and shaping rates. It discusses different sleeve constructions (such as compound raglans) and body shapes, and provides formulas for achieving those shapes in sweater knitting.
Unlike the other books in this quarter's line-up, The Knitter's Sweater Fitting Bible doesn't include ready-made patterns you can follow from start to finish. Instead, it has something better: modular sweater templates. With these templates your can build your own custom sweater pattern mix-and-match style out of five elements: upper body, body, sleeve, neckline, and trim. The templates are designed to work with any yarn and any gauge, and allow you to create your own perfect sweater allowing for personal preferences and idiosyncrasies.
This is surely a reference book to hold onto! The Knitter's Sweater Fitting Bible: The Complete Practical Guide to Making Sweaters That Fit Every Body hits the bookshelves on August 13.
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