How To Knit a Wild Bikini

I'm on vacation this week which should mean lots of knitting by the sea. What it really means is taking my big pile of work with me to a different location. While last year I was lucky enough to go to Hawaii, this year the (financial) climate is a little, uh... different. And so I'm in Galveston (oh Galveston). Which is actually just lovely-- the weather's great, I'm working in at least a little bit of knitting with this awesome super deep purple yarn, and the dog's are digging early morning walks along the water.

This being an island in summer, scantily is how a lot of folk are clad. Which got me thinking about knit bikinis. Would I ever make one? Maybe. Would I ever wear one? Not unless there was a really big pile of cash riding on a dare. Still, I went surfing (the only surfing I know how to do-- on the net) to see what was out there as far as free bikini patterns. You know-- just for fun. I found a pattern for the Water Sprite Swimsuit, pictured above. Granted, it's not a bikini, but it is rad-retro, vintage 1948, something I actually might wear if I could make it elastic enough.

And Austin's own Vickie Howell, host of DIY's Knitty Gritty had an episode dedicated to knitting bikinis.

Then there was this one, over at Knitty.com -- The White Trash Black Swimsuit. Again, not a bikini but something you could lounge in poolside.

Plus, don't forget, you can always spring for a copy of Naughty Needles, written by former Austinite Nikol Lohr and knit that lovely two-piecer on the cover.