Tag: shawls

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Still Life – Six Painterly Projects to Knit

Today I’d like to highlight one of our more recent pattern collections, Still Life (link). It’s always fun to put together a pattern collection. This one is especially close to my heart because this is the last collaborative collection between our former creative director, the amazing Amy Gunderson, and myself. That means this collection has also been a long time in the making. Originally, these patterns were developed for another yarn, but sometimes things just don’t work out the way you originally planned. When we had to say goodbye to the intended yarn, we didn’t want to say goodbye to this collection. How could we? The pieces are all so beautiful. That’s why we reimagined them in our Deluxe Worsted Superwash and Deluxe Worsted Tweed. Today I’m going to share each of these projects with you and I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

The first pattern in the collection is a contribution by Amy Gunderson. The show-stopping Chiaroscuro (pattern link). This seamless, top-down pattern features a bold slip-stitch colorwork motif across the circular yoke. I’ve always been a fan of mock-neck and turtle neck sweaters. As someone who is perpetually chilly, they maximize my comfort during the winter months. So, the high, ribbed neckband of Chiaroscuro is perfect for me. I also love the contrast color rolled stockinette trim that decorates the hem and sleeve cuffs. This is a casual piece that is begging to be knit. Our sample uses Deluxe Worsted Tweed which gives it a rustic appeal. However, if tweedy nubs aren’t your thing, simply use Deluxe Worsted Superwash instead – the yarns are totally interchangeable!

Chiaroscuro by Amy Gunderson in Deluxe Worsted Tweed

Next, we have Delft (pattern link), knit in Deluxe Worsted Superwash. This is my design, and while I don’t mean to boast, I have to say I just love it! I’ve worn the original sample of this design so much! It’s the perfect layering piece. The raglan shaping ensures a great fit. Twisted ribbing pops along with the hem and button bands, but what I love most are the horizontal bars created by using slipped stitches. Delft is another seamless pattern and is knit from the bottom up. You work the body and sleeves separately and join them at the underarms and complete the sweater in one piece.

Delft by Rachel Brockman in Deluxe Worsted Superwash

Those who love a good sampler project will enjoy Leyster (pattern link), designed by Amy Gunderson. This lengthy scarf is perfect for wrapping around your shoulders during the cool months of autumn and winter. The design is loaded with textural motifs that are a blast to knit, and you won’t get bored because the motifs alternate frequently. Leyster is an excellent project for a beginner knitter ready to tackle something more interesting than garter stitch.

Leyster by Amy Gunderson in Deluxe Worsted Superwash

Another project that uses Deluxe Worsted Superwash is the cozy shawl, Pointillé (pattern link). Like all of the designs in this collection, Pointillé is richly textured. It features three lovely colors. I love the crescent-shape of this shawl and find that it drapes around the neck and shoulders so easily. The stitch patterns are easily memorized and addictive to knit. The finishing touch is a crocheted picot trim – admittedly a design feature I can’t get enough of!

Pointillé by Rachel Brockman in Deluxe Worsted Superwash

Although I always say I favor knitting sweaters and hats, shawls are also high on the list of my favorite things to knit. They come in all shapes and sizes with varied construction methods. I’ve never really been bored with a shawl. Angular, asymmetrical triangles are a popular shawl shape, likely because of their modern design appeal. Verdigris (pattern link) falls into the asymmetrical triangle category, but with a twist. Stitches are actually increased on two sides of a cable panel, breaking this pattern up into beautiful and interesting sections.

Verdigris by Amy Gunderson in Deluxe Worsted Tweed

The final piece in the collection is another pullover: Vermillion (pattern link) in Deluxe Worsted Tweed. This pullover features bracelet length sleeves, slip stitches, cables, and a sweet split hem on the front. I designed the hem so that the ribbing shifts neatly into the center panels. I’m pretty sure this piece is going to be a favorite of mine to wear during the transitional seasons!

Vermillion by Rachel Brockman in Deluxe Worsted Tweed

I hope you’ve enjoyed taking a look at the patterns in the Still Life collection! We’re so happy with how this collection turned out. Which projects do you plan to put on your knitting needles? Do you have a favorite piece in the collection? We’d love to know in the comments!

Happy crafting!

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Be Mine Revisited

Fibra Natura Papyrus
In what feels like no time at all, January has nearly passed and February is already upon us. With that in mind, and with freezing temperatures outside, we’d like to warm your heart with something special.
Fibra Natura Papyrus
Remember the Be Mine Shawl? It was our 2018 Valentine’s Day project (link to blog post here). We’re excited to share that it has been knit up in a fresh combination of colors – one that reminds us of the transition from the icy winter to first signs of spring peeking through the snow.
Fibra Natura Papyrus
Fibra Natura Papyrus has become a well-loved yarn, and for good reason! It’s a luxurious blend of ultra-soft cotton and silk. The muted palette is perfect for delicate projects, and we particularly enjoy using it for lace, twisted stitches, and textured patterns. The new sample features Cloud as the main color, Lily Pad and Ether for the contrasting heart repeats, and Tempest for a pop between each lace repeat.
Be Mine Shawl
Just look at that lovely drape!
Although I design with pink, it’s not actually one of my favorite colors. Don’t get me wrong, it is a fine color, but it’s earth tones and autumnal colors that I’m most drawn to. In any case, I love this crisp, new color combination. It’s a nice change. Plus, I love seeing our designs knit in different colors. Sometimes knitters are tempted to stick to the original sample – but with all the possible color combinations, I have to ask why?
Fibra Natura Papyrus
Swatching is an excellent way to play with color.
Play with different colors when you’re visiting your local yarn shop. Put them side by side – add a color, subtract a color, try something unexpected – you never know what lovely combinations you might create. Even if your yarn shop doesn’t carry the color you’re looking for, they’re usually very happy to order a color for you. Visit our website (link) if you want to plan your color combinations before paying a visit to your LYS. Whatever colors you come up with, we hope you’ll share images of your beautiful shawls with us!
Fibra Natura Papyrus
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Be Mine: Free Pattern and Tutorial

Whether you love it or hate it, Valentine’s Day will be here in about a week. What better way to prepare than by knitting yourself (or someone else who is sweet) a shawl? We’ve got you covered – to celebrate Valentine’s Day, we’re offering the Be Mine Shawl for free!

You could ask anyone in the office and they would probably tell you that I have an unrelenting sweet tooth. It is just so difficult for me to turn down sugary sweet snacks. What does this have to do with our Valentine’s freebie? Well, the inspiration for the Be Mine Shawl came from conversation heart candies. (In case you were wondering, I prefer the white, wintergreen flavored hearts.)

Be Mine is a triangular shawl comprised mostly of garter stitch. It is knit in Fibra Natura Papyrus, a yarn with a luxurious blend of cotton and silk. This yarn is velvety soft and creates a beautifully drapey fabric.

After working the body of the shawl, three bold stripes featuring a lace heart motif are worked to create a lovely border. Small, brightly colored stripes break up the lace sections. Finally, the shawl is finished with a delicate crochet-picot edging. (By the way, back in December Amy posted a tutorial on a Crochet Picot Edging here, but please note that instead of entirely skipping a stitch between picots as directed in the tutorial, you will instead work a slip stitch in the stitch between picots.)

You can find this gorgeous shawl pin by Jul Designs here.


Because Be Mine uses garter stitch, it’s nice to have a beautiful, elastic bind off. As a bit of a tight knitter, I like to use the Suspended Bind-off whenever I want a neat, elastic edge. I highly recommend this technique for this shawl design, and I call for it in the pattern. The method is nearly as simple as your standard bind off. It really just involves holding onto a stitch just a moment longer. If that sounds confusing, don’t worry, because I’ll show you exactly what I mean.

Begin as you would when using a standard bind off by knitting the first two stitches.

Step 1: Slip the first stitch you knit onto the left-hand handle.

Step 2: Do not drop this stitch. Instead, pass this stitch over the second stitch on the right-hand needle as you normally would when binding off, except keep that first stitch “suspended” on your left-hand needle.

Step 3: Next, knit the second stitch on the left-hand needle (note: leave the stitch from the previous step suspended). 

Step 4: Now you will slide the stitch you’ve just knit into and the suspended stitch (outlined above) off of the left-hand needle.

Repeat Steps 1-4 until you have two stitches remaining on your right-hand needles. Finish by binding off these stitches as usual.

Ta-da! You now have a neat, elastic bound-off edge.

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Let’s Get Happy

Perhaps our most fun pattern collection from this fall is Happy Sock Shawls, featuring 6 super colorful accessories using some of our sock yarns. We photographed this collection in hipster neighborhood Noda here in Charlotte, on a sunny morning this past summer. With such a beautiful smiling model, brightly painted buildings, and vibrant shades, the name “Happy Sock Shawls” was the only title that fit. It’s hard not to feel happy when looking at these images!

Rachel Brockman, our new designer here at Universal Yarn also happens to be an amateur photographer. I think she did an excellent job of capturing this knitwear in all of it’s glory.

The name of each project is a synonym of the word “happy”, all beginning with the letter “E.” I am now kicking myself for this plan of naming because I’m now having a hard time keeping them all straight!

Here’s a little overview of the 6 projects in the collection:

Ecstatic is a crescent/triangle shape, knit from the top down. Instead of having 4 increases every right side row like most triangular shawls, this one has 6, which gives it more of a “swoopy” shape. I like this shape because it sits on the shoulders a little easier than a plain triangle.

Ecstatic is mostly knit in self-shading Poems Sock, with accent rows of Pix. I just love the interest that those Pix stripes create.

 

Energize is a circular shawl knit from the center out. It begins with Pi shaping, and then progresses to having increases that are worked into the lace pattern. It ends with a knit-on border.

I love the way the Poems Sock stripes look in the round, and then sideways on the edging.

 

Exhilarate is a modern and asymmetric take on a traditional log cabin quilt. It’s worked modularly in 4 sections, all worked off the sides of preceding sections. There’s a handy diagram in the pattern to show how it all fits together.

The yarns used are Stanza (one of our striping sock yarns) plus solid colored Whisper Lace.

 

Next up we have another Stanza / Whisper Lace Combo, the Enthuse Shawl. This shawl is knit sideways, and uses the intarsia method to change colors.

I love the color-block effect of this piece. I’m also a fan of the shape – we found at least 5 ways to style it during our photo shoot.

 

Euphoric is perhaps the happiest shawl of them all (okay – it’s a scarf, not a shawl). Worked in easily the most exuberant (hey – another “e” happy word) colorway of Pix, if this scarf doesn’t make you smile, nothing will.

This scarf is knit widthwise with bound-off lace holes, intarsia, and some fun fringey bits at the sides.

 

Last but not least is Elation, using just one ball of shading Poems Sock. This small shawl is knit sideways showing off vertical striping of the yarn. A few stitches are dropped along one side just before binding off to form the loopy fringe.

You can view the full collection on our website here, or on Ravelry here. Let’s get happy!