Free Pattern Friday – PC538 Tapestry Toys and Cardigan

It’s still Free Pattern Friday!

 

This is Pattern Collecton PC538, Classic Worsted Tapestry Volume 2.  Up until now, it’s never been available digitally, and never for free.  Happy Friday!

Uptown Worsted Tapestry swatch blogWe’ve had several requests for this leaflet, not least because although the original yarn, Classic Worsted Tapestry is gone, the colors in Uptown Worsted Tapestry are perfect matches for it.  You could substitute Uptown Worsted Tapestry 809 Capri Breeze at right for Michele Wilcox’s Mr. Whiskers and the only difference would be that the Uptown feels softer.
CroppedCapeCardi_blogLikewise, Purple Power, Emerald, and Mountain Blues are all available in Uptown Worsted Tapestry if you want to tackle Thanh Nguyen’s Cropped Cape-Cardi in its original color scheme.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this quadruple-dose of free patterns today.

Happy crafting!

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Free Pattern Friday – Exploded Pineapple Halter

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Exploding Lace Halter front_blog

Today, the Exploded Pineapple Halter in Good Earth.

We’re calling this an intermediate project, good practice for crocheters who have never tried reading a crochet chart before to do so. One of our resident experts notes, “Crochet stitches can take on such organic form, that a chart really tells the story of the finished piece. Written instruction for crochet can be very clunky, especially in a large repeat pattern such as the exploded pineapple hem.”

Good Earth (204yds/100g) is an excellent choice for this layering piece.  The cotton/linen blend is quite breathable, so even over another top it won’t leave you sweltering.

The piece is worked seamlessly.  Crochet the hem first, then pick up for the body and continue upward.  It’s easy to customize the length just by adding or subtracting a few rows of the v-stitch mesh.

I love the ribbon at the neck – that’s another bit that would be very easy to alter to your own taste.

We hope you enjoy this summertime project.  Happy crocheting!

Exploding Lace Halter back_blog

Knitspiration – Peter Rabbit

In honor of Beatrix Potter’s birthday, how about a little knitspiration?

Peter Rabbit Colors

 

Helen Beatrix Potter was born 149 years ago today.  She had great success as a scientific illustrator and conservationist, but is best known today for her children’s books.  Everyone has a favorite.  Mine is Peter Rabbit.  It’s such a nice mix of home and hearth – Peter’s mother even knits! – and mischief, as Peter gets himself into one fix after another.

Although I have enjoyed her work as both a child and a parent, I also enjoy her artistic talents.  Her use of color is inspirational.  From soft leafy-greens…

Whisper Lace Mitts
Little Victory Mitts in Whisper Lace

To the bright colors of the farm.

Falling Jewels Tee in Cotton Supreme
Falling Jewels Tee in Cotton Supreme

From fresh pastels of Spring…

Horseshoes and Twists Too Vest in Bamboo Pop
Horseshoes and Twists Too Vest in Bamboo Pop

To warmer tones of a cozy home.

Fireplace Cardigan shoulder blog
Fireplace Cardigan in Amphora

Beatrix said, “There is something delicious about writing the first words of a story. You never quite know where they’ll take you.”  I think we all know the same is true each time we pick up a ball of yarn.  We hope all your crafting adventures are as enthralling as those Beatrix Potter wrote about.

Uptown Favorite Afghans Book 2

Earlier this week we launched our latest ebook, Uptown Favorite Afghans Book 2. This is a sequel to Uptown Worsted Book 1: Favorite Afghans, a popular print book we released several years ago. All of the projects in this latest Uptown book use one of the members of the Uptown family, including Uptown DK, Uptown Worsted, and Uptown Bulky.

2015 Afghans preliminary cover A3_rev

As a person who knits and designs primarily garments and accessories, it was refreshing to do a collection of afghans and throws. Afghans don’t have to fit. They don’t have to be flattering on some certain body type, and they make great gifts! Our Uptown is really the perfect yarn for an afghan. It is made of 100% anti-pilling acrylic, it comes in a ton of colors, and it’s machine washable.

Something I’ve noticed is that when knitters and crocheters see a project in a certain color or combination of colors, that is THE color they want to make their project in. I wanted to try something different for this collection and show the afghans in different colors. For all the projects (with the exception of one), we have a large/adult version, and then a smaller/kid version. For the projects that use multiple colors, there is a “coloring book” page with the pattern that can be printed out for the planning of different color combos.

First up we have Woven Rectangles. If you’re a beginning knitter or are more experienced and need a quick gift, this is the afghan for you.

Craftsy Woven Rectangles both Craftsy Woven Rectangles large Craftsy Woven Rectangles smallThe knit-purl texture gives maximum impact in Uptown Bulky. Tassels on each of the 4 corners are cute and whimsical, and also make it (I think) easier to fold them up to store.

 

Color Shift is knit in Uptown Worsted, but 2 strands are held together throughout making this actually a bulky-weight project. Shown in blues or pinks, this could look fun in contrasting colors too!

Craftsy Color Shift Blue 1 Craftsy Color Shift Pink 2

 

 

Blooming Chorus also comes in two sizes. The smaller size is good for babies or as a lap throw, and the larger size is great for snuggling up under. The whimsical dimensional effects are made more-so by crocheting with Uptown Bulky.

BloomedChorus_large_web BloomedChorus_small_web

 

 

There are 2 versions of pi-shaped circular afghan, Burst. Knit from the center out, the smaller one uses Uptown DK, and the larger uses Uptown Worsted. 5 different lace patterns are both charted and written.

Craftsy Burst big 2 Craftsy Burst small 1

 

 

Our other crochet afghan, Flying V, also comes in 2 color schemes. This is one I could see in any number of colors to match a child’s room or your living room decor. Use the enclosed coloring book page to plan yours!

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Though I feel like we typically see motifs done in crochet, knit motifs can be fun, too! Swirled uses hexagons, knit from the center out and attached in a modular fashion. No seaming! Make yours in a single color or wild with lots of different colors. Or what about using one color for every motif except for a single oddball motif?

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On the Edge is a classic cable and texture throw with a cable running up each edge. The larger version uses Uptown Bulky while the smaller version uses Uptown Worsted. It’s amazing what a difference gauge can make!

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Lastly, there is Beached, the only project done in a single colorway. I can definitely see this working brilliantly in other colors, so there is a coloring book page included for you to plan your own. Each of the three blocks (Polka Dots, Stripes, and Waves) uses a different method of changing colors – simple stripes, intarsia, and fair isle.

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IRL – Lovely Llamalini

I was delighted to return home from work one day recently to find a package from Interweave sitting on my doorstep. I opened it up to find the sample of my Miranda Cardigan from the spring issue of Interweave Knits.  I promptly put it on to shelter against the blast of the A/C and have hardly taken it off since.

July 2015 Amy at desk croppedSometimes I feel like the luckiest person in the world to be able to knit sweaters in Llamalini for Interweave and then have them shipped back to me so I can wear them. If you’ve never worked with this yarn, I have to tell you you’re missing out big time. A member of our Fibra Natura line, it’s comprised of nothing but yumminess. Silk bourette, Royal Llama, and linen come together in a soft but rustic, complex yet refined, 100% gorgeous yarn. The fibers all take the dye a little differently so the finished yarn ends up taking on a little bit of a tweedy look.

If you’re not ready for a garment in Llamalini, check out some of our great accessory projects in this yarn. What are you waiting for?

Llamalini Comestibles

Free Pattern Friday – Summer Leaves Cloths

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Cotton Supreme Washcloths horizontal_blogToday, the Summer Leaves Cloths in Cotton Supreme.

Blue washcloth blogThese patterns come to us by special request from Jackie in Customer Service, who asked if we could add another one-ball project in Cotton Supreme (180yds/100g).

“The yarn is so soft!  When people touch it, they fall in love with it.  If we had another small pattern for it, then when I send kits as little prizes to our stores and customers, they’d get a chance to work with it and love it too.”

Mustard washcloth blogJackie’s wish is our command.  Voila, three lovely washcloths using leaf motifs.  One is an all-over lace pattern, the second is four leaves rising from a central column, and the third is a single leaf in the center of a field of reverse stockinette.  All three leaf lace patterns are charted, and all three cloths can be made from just one hank of Cotton Supreme.

Orchid washcloth blogWhen I look at these cloths, I can’t help but feel that they’d also make great afghan blocks, perhaps in Uptown Worsted or Deluxe Worsted Superwash on slightly larger needles.   There’s nothing wrong with re-envisioning a design for your own purposes.

Thanks for the great suggestion, Jackie.  We can always use another quick-to-knit pattern in our library.

Happy knitting!

 

IRL – Peace Out

All of our IRL features so far have been of our knitting projects. Luckily, Heather has come to the rescue to remind us there are plenty of other things to do with yarn, like weave!

Heather_weaving3

 

Heather is sporting her very first woven piece, made on a 10″ Schacht Cricket rigid heddle loom. She used Garden 3 for the warp, and the under-appreciated Garden 10 Space for weft. I really love the way the Space looks when woven.

Heather_weaving

 

I am seriously impressed with Heather’s first weaving project. Overall her edges are quite nice, which tends to be the biggest challenge in weaving (for me, anyway!). She told me the experience was very meditative. And she was able to look over her project as she went, making note of the subtle things she was doing differently that made her edges appear consistent. It sounds like it was a great learning experience!

Heather_weaving2

 

Although Heather’s “scarf” turned out a little short to be used as an actual scarf, she’s put it to good use as a headband. Heather says, “Peace out!” Drops mic.

Free Pattern Friday – Knit and Crochet Market Bags

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Good Adorn Both Market Bags blogToday, the Knit and Crochet Market Bags in Good Earth Adorn.

Good Earth Adorn Red Market Bag blogSomething for all of our needlecrafting friends today!  We chose Good Earth Adorn (204yds/100g) because the cotton/linen blend holds up well and isn’t going to felt with repeated rubbing as you carry it around. Each pattern takes just two hanks.

First up, the knitted bag, in 302 Adobe.  It’s a simple four-row repeat for the eyelet mesh, then basic knitting with some k2tog shaping for the edges and handle.

Good Earth Adorn Green Market Bag blogThe crochet bag in color 303 Lettuce uses a very basic double crochet mesh.  You’ll make both sides, sew them together, then add the straps.

There’s actually a little sneak peek hiding in the green bag photographed – two new colors of Good Earth Adorn on the far right, never before seen, that we’ll be adding to the line next season.  We’re very excited at all the new samples coming in and we can’t wait to share them with you.

Happy crafting!

Good Adorn Market Bag with new colors blog

 

 

Jocelyn Re-Launch

Each year, hundreds of new designs are worked up to support our wide variety of yarns. Some of these die out when a yarn is discontinued or the design itself is not fashionable any longer, or for a number of other reasons. But others live on because they are beautiful and timeless.

Jocelyn revised hi-resJocelyn lace panel 2B blog

 

The Jocelyn stole in Flax is just one of those pieces. Flax is such a great choice for a warm weather wrap. Linen breathes and doesn’t feel hot against the skin, and it softens beautifully with wear and wash. Originally released in 2007, this rectangular stole features 4 different lace patterns. The original version of this pattern included written text for the stitch patterns only, and did not contain charts. We also felt it was tough to tell from the single photo in the pattern what the lace stitches actually looked like.

Yonca, our sales director adores this piece. We often find her wrapped up in it here in our too-cool office during summers. She made a sales call to The Speckled Sheep in Pennsylvania last month, where owner Laurel fell in love with the Jocelyn stole as well. Laurel began making a store sample when she ran into some trouble with the pattern. After communicating with Laurel, we discovered that there were no outright errors in the pattern, but the way the text instructions were written was a little confusing.

In this updated version of Jocelyn, you will find three things that are different: 1) The text for each stitch pattern has been clarified and adapted to our current standard method of writing out repeating pattern stitches. 2) Each stitch pattern has been charted. 3) There is a photo in the pattern that clearly shows each stitch pattern, and is marked with the name of each stitch pattern.

We hope you love Jocelyn as much as we do. You can find the updated version of this pattern available for download now on our website.

 

 

IRL – A Happy Accident

Yonca never ceases to amaze me with her take on patterns. She almost never follows a pattern, and instead likes to put her own spin on things. Something else Yonca almost never does is to knit a gauge swatch. (Sorry, Yonca – you’ve been outed!)

But in this instance, Yonca’s excitement to dig in and start her project right away really paid off! Here she is in her version of the Boho Tank, one of the projects in our Bamboo Pop Adult ebook.

Yonca in Lumen Top_crop_blog

 

I can’t tell you how much I love the way this turned out. For her version of the Boho Tank, Yonca used one of our new yarns, Lumen, in color 108 Regatta. This deep blue color has been all over the place this season and I adore it.

Here is the Bamboo Pop Boho Tank, the pattern for which Yonca used as a starting place:

Craftsy Boho1

 

Yonca made a number of changes. Instead of a curved hem, she went with a straight one. Instead of the textured pattern on the body of the tank, she did the body in stockinette and used the texture on just the hem (so it wouldn’t curl) and the yoke panel. She decided to let the yarn shine and opted not to do any embroidery on the yoke panel.

The other big change she made as a result of not swatching was to add side panels. Yonca’s gauge ended up denser than she thought it would, and her top ended up being on the small side. She knitted a triangular shaped “gusset” for each side, and seamed it to the front and back pieces. It’s hard to see from the photo above, but these gussets transform the tank into a trapeze shape and give it structure.

Great work, Yonca!