Month: April 2024

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Free Pattern Friday – Whirligig Cardigan

A woman is posed on the left side, facing backwards showing the rear of a knit cardigan. the center of the image reads "Free Pattern Friday, Whirligig Cardigan knit in Cotton Supreme and Cotton Supreme Speckles." The left side of the image shows the woman facing forward and showing a different angle of the knit cardigan.

Happy Friday, Friends!

This week we are releasing the Whirligig Cardigan, designed by Afifa Sayeed, which captures all of the whimsy and colors of spring! Two bold shades of Cotton Supreme collide with two punchy colors of Cotton Supreme Speckles to create swirly pinwheels all over.

Cotton Supreme is a ridiculously soft, worsted-weight, 100% cotton yarn. It’s available in a whopping 45 colors and is a dream to work with and wear, but its versatility is the real kicker. It’s suitable for homewares like baby blankets, washcloths, stuffed toys, and more. However, Cotton Supreme truly is most popular for garments and accessories worn close to the skin. It’s an approved yarn for sensitive skin types, and is used by many for chemo caps, like the Hope Hat.

Cotton Supreme Speckles is the variegated counterpart to Cotton Supreme. It has the same 100% cotton base and weight, and comes in 6 zippy colors, which can pair with their solid sisters in fun and exciting ways. The Whirligig Cardigan, and the Below blanket show off these complimenting abilities beautifully. If you’re unsure of which colors to pair up, rest assured that Cotton Supreme Speckles looks fabulous as a stand-alone-stunner. Check out the free Wildflower Tee pattern for inspiration!

We love all of the ways you can pair these yarns, and are so excited to feature them in this week’s Free Pattern Friday. The Whirligig Cardigan is an Easy pattern, suitable for adventurous beginners. It’s constructed of 52 individual squares that are knit on the bias. Once completed, they are sewn together based on a schematic, and finished with picked up stitches for sleeve hems and edging. I personally love projects that assemble from smaller pieces – they are so transportable! This is a great cardigan to make on-the-go.

So, what do you think you’ll make with Cotton Supreme or Cotton Supreme Speckles? Get both for your stash with our weekend sale! Today through Sunday 4/21 both of these yarns are 20% off on our website. Share your projects with us here in the comments, or send photos on social media – we love to see what you’re working on!

That’s all for now, happy stitching!
Ashley Jane

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Spring Yarns For Your Stash

Spring has sprung, and we’re thrilled to share some of our favorite yarns for the season with you! There are many things to look out for when searching for the perfect yarn for spring, including fiber content, weight, and color palette. If you haven’t heard of the yarns below, let today be the day you try something new! Let’s go ahead and get started with the newest addition to the Uptown Family of Yarns!

Photo of three colors of Uptown Bamboo DK
Uptown Bamboo DK
Photo of a person wearing the Subtle Shells Ruana
Subtle Shell Ruana

Uptown Bamboo DK is a fiber blend of 80% anti-pilling acrylic and 20% bamboo in a DK weight. Each 100g skein has 284 yards of yarn, with 38 different colors to select from. Bamboo fibers are highly breathable and moisture-wicking, allowing you to keep cool in warmer weather. Uptown Bamboo DK is machine-washable, making it an excellent option for wearable pieces and baby projects. The color palette of this yarn includes plenty of beautiful hues for spring, like 515 Wisteria and 528 Breeze.

Photo of Cotton Supreme Speckles in two different colorways
Cotton Supreme Speckles
Photo of a person wearing the WIldflower Tee
Wildflower Tee

Cotton Supreme Speckles is the newest member of the Cotton Supreme Family, and it’s already receiving so much love! This yarn is made up of 100% cotton fibers in a worsted weight, just like Cotton Supreme, but with speckles! Cotton is a plant-based fiber that is excellent for spring and almost any project you can think of. Due to the durability of cotton, Cotton Supreme Speckles is phenomenal for homewares, like the Seedling Washcloths. Additionally, this yarn makes for beautiful wearable pieces, like the pictured Wildflower Tee.

Photo of three different colors of Bamboo Pop
Bamboo Pop
Photo of a person wearing the Sabal poncho
Sabal

Naturally, we wanted to include one of our staple yarns, so say hello to Bamboo Pop! We already talked through the benefits of bamboo and cotton fibers, and guess what? Bamboo Pop is a blend of both! With that being the case, this yarn is breathable, soft, and exceptional for any project. One of our favorite things about Bamboo Pop is the versatile color palette. Both solids and multis are available, and many pair faultlessly with each other! Try a fun accessory with this staple, with the pictured Sabal poncho. Plus, if you love to make baby projects, you will want to add Bamboo Pop to your stash; it’s a customer favorite for such patterns!

Photo of Rico Design Baby Dream DK and Rico Design Baby Dream DK Uni
Rico Design Baby Dream DK
Photo of the Besties cardigan
Besties

Speaking of baby projects, Rico Design’s Baby Dream DK is next on deck! With a fiber blend of 50% polyacrylic and 50% polyamide, Rico Design Baby Dream DK is incredibly soft and easy to care for. Solids and multis are available in this yarn, with a range of gorgeous colors, especially pastels. The polyacrylic and polyamide fibers mean that Baby Dream DK is machine-washable, so it’s ideal for your little one. We love the idea of a baby blanket or cardigan, like the pictured Besties pattern!

Photo of Rico Design Creative Fluffily DK in two colors
Rico Design Creative Fluffily DK
Photo of a person wearing the top from Pattern 1016 Top and Shawl - Rico Design
Pattern 1016 Top and Shawl

You may have never heard of Rico Design’s Creative Fluffily DK, but we’re thrilled to introduce you! With a fiber blend of cotton, polyester, acrylic, and wool, Creative Fluffily DK is sensationally soft, machine-washable, and includes a subtle sparkle! Each 150g cake of this yarn contains 459 yards of yarn, making it great for larger projects like pullovers and shawls. There are 14 shades to choose from, and we can’t wait to see what you will make with Creative Fluffily DK!

Which one of these yarns would you work with first? Let us know in the comments! We can’t wait to hear your response.

Thanks for stopping by!

Robert

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Free Pattern Friday – Ravishing Set

Happy Free Pattern Friday everyone! Today we are very excited to release the Ravishing Set perfect for your next day out on the town.

Designed by Afifa Sayeed, the Ravishing Set is knit using Rico Design Fashion Alpaca Superfine Heavens. This bulky-weight blend of alpaca and polyamide has a brushed, fluffy texture that is light, airy, and soft as a cloud. The six colorways of this stunning yarn feature self-shading hues that gently change from one to the next. Yarns like this are some of my absolute favorites to work with, they are such a treat!

The Ravishing Set is an on-trend beret and shrug duo. You’ll love the effortlessly chic results this pattern produces; it’s so easy to throw on over any outfit!

The Ravishing Set would be a great choice for beginner knitters looking to advance skills! Although you’ll be primarily working in simple stockinette stitch, both the beret and shrug feature a crochet provisional cast-on, shaping to create the silhouettes, and I-Cord bind offs for a polished finish. These skills can be applied to SO many knitting patterns.

I love a matching accessory set, don’t you? The shrug can also be styled more like a cowl if that is your preferred way to wear it. I think I’d choose color 005 Sundown if I were to knit this set for myself. Let us know which color you’d choose in the comments!

Happy Crafting,

Aubrey

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Universal Yarn Publication Highlight – April 2024

We love seeing Universal Yarn featured in the spotlight! Three designs using your favorite yarns from our brand are available and we’re so excited to show them off. The Coral Canopy Cardigan (right), designed by Nazanin S Ford, using Uni Merino, the Sunny Bloom Blanket (middle), designed by Willow Crochet, using Uptown Worsted, and the Lattice Cloche Hat, designed by Sheila Pfeiffer, using Bamboo Pop. Let’s learn more about these gorgeous patterns!

Featured in “I Like Crochet” Magazine’s April 2024 issue, the Coral Canopy Cardigan is stunning! This piece is perfect for spring, with a breathtaking leaves pattern, a v-neckline, and three-quarter length sleeves. The soft, superwash merino wool and nylon blend of Uni Merino will make this cardigan a summer staple, whether you’re at the beach or relaxing at home!

Next, we’ll look at Willow Crochet’s beautiful Sunny Bloom Blanket! Using stash staple Uptown Worsted, this homeware is full of color and is as soft as can be with 100% anti-pilling acrylic fibers. This graphgan uses seven hues of Uptown Worsted, so you can practice transitioning colors like never before. To get this pattern for free, visit Knitty!

The Lattice Cloche Hat is available on Ravelry using customer-favorite Bamboo Pop! An engaging slip-stitch technique creates a lovely lattice overlay effect that will have you receiving compliments left and right. Bamboo Pop’s color palette is vast, so you can choose the hues that best match your personality and make a hat for you and a friend!

We hope you enjoyed hearing about these exciting designs! We invite you to share all of your projects with us by tagging us @universal_yarn on Instagram. Stay tuned for next month’s publication spotlight!

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Free Pattern Friday – Spring Forward Scarflette

With April now upon us (where did time go?), we’re excited for the warm weather on the horizon! Today, we’re showing off a one-skein-wonder featuring silky smooth Magnolia. The Spring Forward Scarflette, designed by Afifa Sayeed, is this week’s Free Pattern Friday, and we can’t wait to share with you all there is to love about this piece!

With satisfyingly simple stockinette stitch used throughout, you can shift your focus to the nupp detailed edges worked on both sides. Plus, tassels adorn each end to give your scarf a fun addition. This piece is truly perfect for spring and summer, thanks to Magnolia’s light and airy fiber blend of modal and cashmere!

If you’re not a fan of green, don’t worry; Magnolia has 15 hues to choose from! Try the Spring Forward Scarflette in 109 Brunch to give you an accessory that reminds us of the blue skies of summer. Or, use 104 Dreamsicle and bring a tropical vacation straight to your wardrobe!

Why should you use Magnolia for this project? Well, aside from its lovely drape and stunningly smooth texture, it’s 20% off! Imagine the spring and summer creations you could make with this yarn! We especially love Magnolia for patterns using lace and colorwork, just check out our Sunkissed Summer collection for proof (also 20% off this weekend)!

Thanks for stopping by!

Robert

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Tutorial – Downloading Paid Patterns

If you have been having problems finding or downloading paid patterns from Rico Design, Yarn Vibes, and Universal Yarn E-Books immediately after purchase, this blog post is for you!

Dervla Colorwork Sweater
Pop Art E-Book

We have made a picture-based tutorial to help guide you and make sure you download the pattern you paid for. If you are mainly purchasing patterns on your desktop, pay attention to the screenshots below. If you are purchasing patterns on your iPhone or Android, please scroll to the bottom to see video tutorials for each device.

Step 1 – After your pattern purchase, an order confirmation page will appear. Once on this page, click the blue “Download Now” button shown beneath the name of the pattern you just purchased. Please note – it may take a few seconds for this button to appear.

Step 2 – Depending on your computer, you will either see a popup to save your purchased pattern (right image), or you will have to click the three dots in the top right corner of your internet browser window (we are showing this using Google Chrome), and then click “Downloads” (left image).

Step 3 – After downloading your pattern, another way to view the PDF is via files. For Windows, this will be “File Explorer” application and for Mac, this will be the “Finder” application. Once you have this open, simply select the downloads folder.

Step 4 – Within the downloads folder, you will see a PDF document for your purchased pattern. Upon clicking this document, your PDF will open and you can start stitching!

Important Note – After your purchase of any paid pattern, you will also receive an email confirmation of purchase that contains a download link. You can also click this link to access your pattern.

Keep in mind, files can be downloaded a maximum of three times. This does not mean you can only open the PDF three times, rather, you will only see the pattern download on your first three attempts of clicking the download button. Check your downloads folder after your first download attempt to avoid reaching the maximum number of downloads.

ANDROID USERS

IPHONE USERS

We hope this tutorial answers any questions you may have, however, if you still have questions, please email us at patterns@universalyarn.com and we will be happy to assist.