Sun, Yarn, and Coffee: My Summer Crochet Rotation
By Marie | Crochet Wellness · Summer Lifestyle · Crochet for Beginners & Beyond
Can I tell you the exact moment summer officially starts for me? It's not June 21st. It's not the last day of school (though that's close though! No, summer truly starts the moment I sit down somewhere beautiful, yarn in my lap, hook in hand, and absolutely nowhere to be.
As a teacher, summer isn't just a break, it's a full personality reset. From September to May, I am on constant stage, making sure my culinary classes run flawlessly or as flawlessly as possible, let’s be real high school students making chocolate chip cookies for the first time can be a huge success or major flop! :)
So when summer hits? I become a completely different person. A slower, softer, crochet-obsessed person who spends a suspicious amount of time lakeside at my sister's place just down the road. Soaking up outdoor music venues, and enjoying an extra hour or two of sleep in the morning.
And this summer? I have projects. Multiple. Simultaneously. Because if you know me, you know I cannot, will not, finish one thing before starting another. I'm pretty sure my crochet bag is just a yarn graveyard of beautiful intentions. But honestly? Every single time I pick up a hook, I feel better. So the process is the point. The finished object is just a bonus.
☀️ My Summer Crochet and Coffee Essentials (Amazon Picks)
Espresso Machine and Grinder - The absolute cornerstone of my summer aesthetic. It's high-quality, incredibly easy to use, and saves me a million trips to the drive-thru so I can spend more time lakeside.
🌿 Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton Yarn — My go-to for summer projects. Lightweight, breathable, machine washable, and comes in the most gorgeous colors. Perfect for warm-weather crocheting.
👜 Large Project Tote Bag with Pockets — Because my yarn needs a home. This bag fits multiple WIPs (works in progress) AND my iced coffee. Priorities.
🪡 The Woobles Beginner Crochet Kit — If you've been wanting to learn to crochet, this summer is your sign. This kit is genuinely the best starter kit out there — fun, easy, and actually cute when you're done.
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through my links I may earn a small commission at no cost to you — which helps me keep buying yarn I don't technically need. Thank you!
The Lakeside Office Setup (Rent-Free, Zero Commute)
My sister has a place on the lake about five minutes from my house, and I am absolutely, shamelessly taking advantage of that all summer long. I am parked in a chair with the best view in Wisconsin, a cold drink sweating in the cup holder, and yarn happening in my lap.
There is something genuinely magical about crocheting next to water. The sounds, the light, the breeze. It's like the lake knows I need to decompress from nine months of high schoolers and is personally providing therapy. It works. Highly recommend.
My Summer WIP Pile (Organized Chaos)
Let me paint you a picture of my current crochet bag situation. Inside, right now, there are at least three started projects, a yarn skein that has been fully tangled since May, four crochet hooks (one of which I thought I lost forever), and a half-eaten granola bar that I do not remember putting in there.
I have what I lovingly refer to as undiagnosed ADHD energy, which means the moment a project stops being exciting and starts feeling like homework, my hands are already reaching for new yarn. It's a feature, not a bug. Here's what's currently in rotation:
A summer tote bag in a soft sage green cotton — I've been working on this one for three weeks and I am about 40% done and deeply committed to finishing it before fall. Probably.
A little sun hat for no specific person — I just saw the pattern and my hands started doing it before my brain had a say in the matter.
A granny square something — I don't know what it's going to be yet. The squares are just vibing in a pile. We'll see.
Will I finish all of these? Unclear. Do I care? Not really. Because the moment I sit down with hook and yarn in hand, something in my nervous system goes ahhhh. That's the whole point. The finished objects are proof I made something, but the making itself is the actual gift.
Why Summer Is THE Season for Crochet (Teacher Edition)
During the school year, I crochet in stolen moments. Ten minutes before bed. The fifteen-minute window between when I get home and when dinner needs to happen. It's crochet as a survival tactic.
But summer? Summer is crochet as a lifestyle.
I genuinely believe that crochet is one of the best tools for a summer mental reset. The repetitive stitch motion is almost meditative — it gives your hands something to do so your brain can actually slow down. After a school year of constant mental output, my brain needs a different kind of activity. Something that's creative and engaging but doesn't require a lesson plan or a rubric.
Crochet is it. Turns out the grandma hobby I picked up is actually just wellness with yarn. Who knew.
The Iced Coffee Is Non-Negotiable
I feel like I should address this because it's in the title and I take it very seriously. Summer crocheting requires an iced coffee. This is not optional. It is load-bearing.
My current go-to is a big glass of cold brew with oat milk and a little vanilla syrup, made at home because I have an iced coffee habit that would bankrupt a smaller woman. I bring it everywhere. It goes with me to the lake. It goes to the porch. It has been photographed next to more yarn skeins than I can count.
Some people have a summer aesthetic built around linen and sandals. Mine is built around cold brew and chunky cotton yarn. I think we're all winning.
Wisconsin Summers Are Criminally Underrated
Can we talk about Wisconsin in June for a second? Because people sleep on this. The lake is sparkling. The air actually smells like something. The sunsets are absurd — like, genuinely offensive how beautiful they are. And because I spent nine months convincing children that reading is important, I feel like I have earned every single second of it.
There is something about crocheting outdoors in real Wisconsin summer weather that just hits differently. The light is golden. The bugs are manageable (at least until 7pm). My boys are fifty feet away catching things that live in the water, which is their idea of paradise. And I am sitting there, stitching away, thinking that this is exactly the kind of slow, soft summer life I want.
No lesson plans. No parent emails. Just sun, yarn, iced coffee, and boys who smell like fish asking when dinner is.
It's perfect.
If You've Been Wanting to Try Crochet, This Summer Is Your Sign
Summer is genuinely the best time to learn to crochet. You have more time. The pace is slower. And there is nothing more satisfying than starting a new skill during a season that already feels like a fresh start.
I started crocheting thinking it was a grandma hobby (it is) (I am a grandma now) and it has become one of my favorite things about my life. It's portable. It's inexpensive once you have the basics. It's something you can do while watching TV, sitting on a porch, or parked lakeside pretending you're not going to start another project before you finish the first one.
If you want to start, the Woobles beginner kit is genuinely the best first step — I always recommend it for anyone who wants to learn without getting overwhelmed. And a good set of ergonomic hooks will make the whole experience a lot more comfortable.
Start small. Start badly. Start anyway. That's the whole secret.
Tell me — are you a "finish one thing before starting another" crocheter, or are you out here living your best WIP-pile life like me? Drop it in the comments. I need to know my people. 🧶☀️
And if you're crocheting this summer, share what you're working on — I love seeing what everyone's making. Tag me @polkadot_fox_crochet so I can cheer you on.
— Marie