Free Pattern Friday – Lilypad Afghan

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

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Today, the Lilypad Afghan in Major.

Did you enjoy Thanksgiving?  Ready to snuggle up under a warm blanket?  We’ve got you covered (no pun intended).

lilypad-afghan-detail-blogThe Lilypad Afghan is composed of strips of join-as-you-go hexagons in four colors of big, beautiful Major (328yds/200g).  On a US Size J/10 (6 mm) hook, it zips along fairly quickly.

The pattern is written, charted, and contains a schematic showing just how it all comes together.  A satisfying and cozy project!

We hope you’re having a great holiday, and that you remember to show your LYS some love on Small Business Saturday.

Have a great weekend!

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Free Pattern – Woven Sky Throw

Our Week of Major Patterns continues!

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Today, the Woven Sky Throw in Major.

Entrelac is one of those techniques that seems tailor made for self-striping yarn like Major.  Here’s it’s taken one step further by using two complementary colors.

Variegated gray yarn swatch
Major 117 Graphite
Variegated gray and blue yarn swatch
Major 104 Pebbles

The gray tones blend beautifully, making the blue a subtle contrast against the background.  Is this a cloudy sky, or a clear night with the first bit of blue beginning to show?  That’s for the viewer to decide.

There are a lot of ways you could go with this.  Instead of gray and blue, how about gray and green for more of a stones-in-grass feel?

Variegated gray and green yarn swatch
Major 101 Verdant

It’s all up to you.  Happy crafting!

Closeup of light blue and gray entrelac Woven Sky Throw fabric.

Free Pattern Friday – Window Paint Throw

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

adore-squares-blanket-main-square-blogToday, the Window Paint Throw in Adore and Adore Colors.

Cute, right?  I love this creative use of self-striping yarn.  You start each square at the center, then work your way out to the edge.   It ensures that each square will coordinate, but still be different than its neighbor. Despite being a larger piece, this is a great carry-along knit because each square is worked separately and then pieced together.

The pattern calls for two of our newest yarns, Adore and its companion Adore Colors (273yds/100g), a DK-weight blend of soft superwash merino and acrylic that’s perfect for projects like this, that you’ll probably find yourself tossing in the washing machine sometime.

Beachcomber Blanket in Adore ColorsAlso on my list to try in Adore Colors: the Beachcomber Blanket pictured at right.  It makes such clever use of individual panels stitched together, to be sure those color repeats stay nice and long, rather than thinning out of the width of a blanket.

No matter your plans for the weekend, we hope you take some time to make something beautiful, just for you.

Happy knitting!

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Free Pattern Friday – Corner to Corner Throw

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Classic Shades Corner to Corner Throw 1 hi-res

Today, the Corner to Corner Throw in Classic Shades.

We are so, so lucky to work with so many amazing LYSes.  Case in point:  we can enjoy the talents of  Alice Gossette and Kat Koeller of The Thankful Ewe in New Bremen, Ohio.  This dynamic duo have appeared here before, with the free Summer Shawl in Bamboo Pop.  They’ve graciously shared this design with us as well.

Classic Shades Corner to Corner Throw detail blogIt’s called the Corner to Corner Throw because it’s crocheted… wait for it… corner to corner!  We love how they coordinated Classic Shades 731 Natural Glow with solid Uptown Worsted in 328 Dijon for the fringe.  It’s a great choice that takes the throw up a notch.

Working corner to corner means that the bands of color change height as the rows lengthen and shorten, an excellent use of self-striping yarn.  It’s a simple way to give even more interest to an already striking pattern.

We hope you find time to work on something beautiful this weekend, either for yourself or for someone you love.

Happy crafting!

Classic Shades Corner to Corner Throw flat blog

Free Pattern Friday – Stitch Sampler Cloths

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Java Washcloth Set social media

Today, Stitch Sampler Cloths in Java.

We’re very excited about Fibra Natura Java (219yds/100g), our new 100% hemp yarn.  This is a perfect application for it too – it works great for home decor projects.
This is the first Free Pattern Friday we’ve done in this yarn, although we do have a few free patterns in Java that haven’t yet been highlighted.  Have you seen the Crochet Baskets at right?  Love ’em!

Java Washcloth 104 Pistachio squareThese cloths are designed to be basic samplers for those who are just getting their feet wet (no pun intended).  The cloth in color 104 Pistachio, right, uses increases and decreases, but the other four are strictly knit and purl.

All are written and charted, so they do double duty for those who want to try out reading charts without the risk of losing a stitch in a big lace project.  My reason for knitting them is simpler: the cloths are just plain pretty!

We hope you have a safe and happy Independence Day holiday.

Happy knitting!

Java Washcloth 101 Parchment square   Java Washcloth 102 Hazelwood square

Java Washcloth 103 Walnut square   Java Washcloth 105 Horizon Pink square

Free Pattern Friday – Sugar Drops Blanket

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Little Bird Sugar Drops Blanket blog

Today, the Sugar Drops Blanket in Little Bird.

Sugar Drops indeed – what a sweet pattern!  Just one color per row in machine washable Little Bird (344yds/100g), knitted flat (obviously).  A blend of left and right crosses plus dropped stitches create an interesting texture that’s not too technically taxing.  Pick up stitches along the long edges and add the garter stitch border.

Little Bird Sugar Drops Blanket detail blog

Enjoy the weekend – and if you can, make something beautiful!

Happy knitting!

Free Pattern Friday – Quilt

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

CS Metallic Quilt Throw blog

Today, the Quilt in Classic Shades Metallic.

Today, we have a great use of color in a very simple design.  Two complementary colors of Classic Shades Metallic (100g/175yds) are used in this basic but colorful quilt.

CS Metallic Quilt Throw detail blogEach square is knit individually, then stitched together in an eye-pleasing way.  A diagram is provided in the pattern for easy assembly.

It’s unusual to find a four foot long  blanket that’s such perfect on-the-go knitting, but the small size of the individual squares (4 1/2″ along each side) makes it easy to knock out a piece of the quilt wherever you are.

This could also be a fun group project that could include all levels of knitter – get together with your friends for a quilting bee to gab and knit individual squares, and sew them together.  Begin at one corner of the square, increase to the middle, switch colors, then decrease and bind off in the opposite corner.  Toss your square on the pile, take a sip of wine, and start up another one.

Other great choices of yarn for this would be self-shading Poems wool and regular Classic Shades.  There are nearly limitless color combinations.

Happy knitting!

CS Metallic Quilt Throw center square

Free Pattern Friday – Holly Jolly Socks or Stockings

It’s Free Pattern Friday!Holly Jolly socks or stockings 1_blog

Today, Holly Jolly Socks or Stockings in Uptown Worsted Tapestry.

Ho ho ho!  Have you been very good?  A little bit good?  Well, Knitting Santa says you’ve been good enough, so we offer this holiday sock/stocking pattern as a gift!

Uptown Worsted Tapestry (180yds/100g) is a machine washable favorite for babies and adults, but there are a couple of colors that really stand out for the holidays.

Official uniform of Santa’s workshop.

812 Yule Time, with its classic red, white, and green color scheme, is used in the popular free Elfkin set for sizes 6 months to 6 years at right.  We’re also partial to color 806 Emerald, which has a lovely blue spruce feel to it that fits right in under the tree.

These socks are worsted weight, knitted on US size 6(4mm) double-pointed needles.  As you can see, they’re small enough to fit as socks great for sliding across the floor to see what Santa left you.  They also include a small crochet loop so you’re free to hang them as stockings if you wish.  We use size 6 needles for a tight fabric so no little gifts fall through the holes.

Holly Jolly socks or stockings 3_blogKnitted toe-up with a Turkish heel, one ball of Tapestry and one ball of Uptown Worsted 302 White Glow for the heels and toes ought to do it for small sizes.  If your feet are longer than 9″, consider grabbing an extra ball of Tapestry.  This handy guide to foot sizes from the Craft Yarn Council may be helpful in estimating, although I wear a US women’s size 8 1/2 or 9 with 9 1/2″ long feet and these socks fit me just fine.

We hope you have a great weekend of crafting and good times.

Happy knitting!

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Free Pattern Friday – Grandmother’s Log Cabin

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

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Today, Grandmother’s Log Cabin in Uptown Worsted.

After our recent spate of lace, we thought we’d go back to basics… almost.  The Log Cabin is a classic design for a reason.  It’s great for those who like simplicity in their knitting, and the finished result always looks good.  But here, Amy Gunderson has given the Log Cabin a little twist.

By using wider and narrower strips of color, the squares move off-center for an updated look.  Uptown Worsted (180yds/100g) features 55 colors from earth tones to neons so you can tailor the finished throw to the decor surrounding it.  The colors Amy’s chosen here are:

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5 skeins acorn #335 (G)
3 skeins sage #313 (E)
2 skeins hunter green #315 (B)
2 skeins Dijon #328 (C)
1 skein hot magenta #340 (A)
1 skein cranberry #325 (D)
1 skein steel grey #323 (F)

Personally, I love that little pop of magenta at the heart of each square.

This design was originally featured in the October 2013 Creative Knitting Magazine All Seasons Throws special issue.  We’re delighted to make this pattern available now as a free download from our site.

We hope you find something (or someone) warm to snuggle up with this weekend.

Happy knitting!