Universal Yarn Creative Network
Inspiration By Design
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, Macaron Cloths in Cottonwood (pattern link here).
Why macarons? Well…
These are sweet little knitting confections. Made in organic Cottonwood, they’re small projects that are satisfying on-the-go knitting, or great quick gifts.
It’s warm here today, so it seems like a good day to highlight the most popular design from our summer collection Desert Dreams.
As the cover says, this is a collection of six knit and crochet projects in wool/linen/cotton/bamboo blend Unity and its self-shading sister Unity Beyond.
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Little Hoodie in Bella Cash (pattern link).
We love a classic with a twist. This hoodie is constructed traditionally, in pieces and seamed, but two things make it special: one, the balanced panels on front and back – the ssk and k2tog on right and left panels add a nice symmetry – and two, the yarn.
We’re big fans of Bella Cash (230yds/50g). Its softness and machine washability make it perfect not just for baby garments, but also for adult projects and accessories. (In fact, in a bit of a coincidence, we released our newest pattern collection today – Small Pleasures, featuring 7 knit accessories in Bella Cash.)
We’ll be talking more about these beauties in the days to come. For now, back to today’s free pattern!
We’ve sized this from 0-10 years, so you might choose to go with the classic pastels…
or something a little bolder.
Whatever you choose to do, we hope you have a great time knitting this fun hoodie.
Happy crafting!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Double Square Pillow in Uptown DK Magix (pattern link here).
Many of our LYSes feature an extended family of crafts. We love seeing the embroidery, weaving, and quilting that’s going on out there. And it was with quilting in mind that we created the mitered square Double Square Pillow.
Self-patterning Uptown DK Magix adds a modern look with the splash of color changes, while the strong diagonal line of the centered double decreases look like crosshatch quilted lines. You can try planning the color changes specifically to correspond with each mitered square, but we think it’s more fun to just let the colors land where they will. In the sample shown, no care was given to color placement of the Magix color changes.
Solid Uptown DK in stockinette backs the pillow, fastened with buttons for easy removal. A lovely, easy-care home decor project.
We hope you have an excellent and relaxing weekend.
Happy crafting!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Oasis Blanket crocheted in Adore (pattern link here).
The Oasis Blanket gets its name from the bursts of color set into the gray background.
Each one is an oasis.
Worked in Adore (273yds/100g), a soft blend of superwash merino and anti-pilling acrylic, it’s a great piece that’s soft enough for babies but sturdy enough to stand up to the washing machine.
Each motif is worked separately, making this a very portable project. It also makes it easy to adjust the size on this 31″ x 31″ blanket as you wish – add another row of squares or take one away as needed.
We hope you have a pleasant weekend.
Happy crafting!
Happy Independence Day, y’all!
We came in to the office today feeling patriotic and decided to share the love! From now until the end of July 5th, get a free Little Patriot top from Ravelry with code HAPPY4TH with no spaces. (Pattern link here)
Enter the code where you see the 
“use a coupon code” links that appear during purchase.
This is such a cute Bamboo Pop pattern, isn’t it? Sized 1-12 years, it works for both the little and not-so-little patriot in your life.
You know what makes it even cuter? It’s from an e-book of Bamboo Pop Kid designs… with a matching FREE e-book of doll designs!
Sized to fit 18″ dolls, these are quick tops in Bamboo Pop to use up your odds and ends after knitting the kid projects.
Matching kid and doll? Too cute!
We’ll be closed for the 4th of July on Wednesday. Have a safe and happy Independence Day.
Happy crafting!
What are you wearing for Independence Day?
How about a brand new free pattern?
The Independence Tank in Flax (pattern link here).
Cool and light, 100% linen Flax is a great choice for summer projects.
Red, White, and Blue for Independence Day.
Knit front and back pieces from side to side, then join.
Add a few stockinette rows for a rolled edge. Presto, a lightweight top perfect for a day out, or a night watching fireworks. This would look awfully cute any other day of the year, too, in whatever colors you like.
We hope you have a fantastic Independence Day. And if you’re going to spend it outdoors, don’t forget your sunscreen – and a hat!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Tidal Shawl in Little Bird and Little Bird Colors (pattern link).
Shawl knitting in the summertime? Yes, please.
We hate to give up an entire category of projects, just because the temperature’s risen a little. That’s what makes Little Bird and Little Bird Colors great for this project. They’re 100% microfiber acrylic, so you won’t overheat with the project in your lap while knitting.
The Tidal Shawl uses one solid color and one self-striping, for a nicely coordinated feel. A textured stitch is combined with little eyelets for a texture that lets individual stitches of the solids and stripes show through each other – a nice blending of colors.
Work it top-down, and finish with a neat i-cord bind-off. Presto. A gorgeous shawl you can wear year-round.
I love the blues that give the Tidal Shawl its name, but you might like something different. Maybe a Sunshine Shawl?
Or a Blues and Berries Shawl?
There are boundless possibilities.
Happy crafting!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Mars Top crocheted in Cotton Supreme DK Seaspray (pattern link).
How’s your summer going? Are you still looking for that perfect project that will be satisfying to make but not stifle you in the heat?
Voila! Amy Gunderson’s Mars Tee! Crocheted in the round from the bottom up, this beauty is sized from XS to 4X, with shaping that starts out a little bigger at the base, for those of us with a bigger… um… base. The point is, this is comfortable and cool.
Double-crocheting three together makes cute little eyelets without making the fabric too lacey-loose.
From personal experience, I can tell you that the Cotton Supreme family is easy on the hands to use. Go with either the called-for Cotton Supreme DK Seaspray, or try solid Cotton Supreme DK. How cute would this look striped?
We hope you have a great weekend, with lots of time for you to take care of yourself.
Happy crafting!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, Malawi Earrings in Yashi and Yashi Iro (pattern link here).
Hot enough for ya? It is here, so we’re looking with delight at some of the great designs in Yashi and Yashi Iro 100% raffia that are out there. We saw Gwen Buttke McGannon’s First Light Rug in the Summer 18 issue of Interweave Crochet and thought, “yes. that’s what we need.”
Something cool and light. And as always, designer Rachel Brockman does not disappoint.
These fun summer accessories don’t take much work, but they look great.
All the notions you need are some jewelry findings, and a crochet hook to pull your favorite colors of Yashi into a loop.
If you can make fringe, you can make this jewelry.
A few beads to finish them off, and you’re set.
We hope you have a fantastic weekend, and that you stay cool.
Happy crafting!