Heather – Page 4 – Universal Yarn Creative Network

April 8, 2022April 8, 2022

Free Pattern Friday – Lunaria Socks

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

For our Easter special, we present Lunaria in Bamboo Pop Sock Solids (pattern link here).

We were thrilled to work with designer Allison Lutes, fieldwonderful on Instagram, to bring you these special spring socks!

Allison writes, “For style inspiration, the Lunaria Socks draw on the floral dresses and ruffled cotton socks I wore to childhood Easter celebrations, updated with tiny bobbles and microstripes.”

Written for four teen/adult sizes, these top-down socks feature a picot edge and a heel flap and gusset. There are also two versions of the chart included, one with the light color as contrast (as shown) and one with the dark color contrasting, so you can pick which look you prefer.

Since they’re designed for spring, these cute ankle socks call for Bamboo Pop Sock Solids, a wool-free yarn that won’t leave you overheated.

We added a little PBT to its bamboo/cotton blend, which gives extra elasticity for a beautiful fit. Together, these fibers make a great warm weather yarn, good for socks, accessories, and garments of all kinds!

What a fun, festive, floral way to usher in the season! We love these socks, and we think you will too.

Happy crafting!

-Heather Hill

April 1, 2022April 1, 2022

Free Pattern Friday – Lyrist Shawl

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today, the Lyrist Shawl knitted in Wool Pop (pattern link here).

So beautiful. Soooo beautiful. And I love that it has enough techniques to keep you focused, and to maybe learn something, too!

There’s slip stitch colorwork for the body of this asymmetrical shawl. Designer Rachel Brockman chose Wool Pop in color 621 Dijon (4 skeins) for the main color, and color 627 Empress (2 skeins) for the contrast. They’re both very vibrant tones, but pairing the lighter color with a dark makes this truly striking.

The diamond lace edging uses right and left twists to create a lovely texture. You’ll knit the slip stitch portion, then use intarsia to join it to the panel in the same row. Decreases will occur along one edge in the body portion of the shawl.

Rachel chose our popular Wool Pop for this design. Its blend of bamboo, wool, and polyamide create the perfect fabric for this shawl, with just the right mix of drape and resilience.

Wool Pop’s different fibers take the dye in different ways, creating a saturated, multi-hued look with a beautiful sheen.

This is not so much a mindless knit as a mindful one. It rewards the maker with a stunning garment they’ll reach for again and again.

We wish you a wonderful weekend, full of beauty and light.

Happy crafting!

-Heather Hill

March 25, 2022March 25, 2022

Flash Pattern Friday – Savannah

It’s Flash Pattern Friday!

On the last Friday of the month, we take a beautiful paid pattern and set it free for a limited time through Ravelry. Today it’s Savannah crocheted in Universal Yarn Cotton Supreme Waves (Ravelry link here).

That handsome blue top in back is Aubrey Busek’s Wylie Tee in our Cotton Supreme.

This lightweight poncho is so stylish and simple! You’ll be making two rectangles of the same size, then joining them together and adding fringe.

The magic here is partly in the yarn! DK-weight Cotton Supreme Waves is 100% cotton that stripes up beautifully.

We love Cotton Supreme Waves for any pattern where you want soft, breathable fabric with gorgeous bands of color.

Cover image of Seaside Supreme collection of patterns to knit and crochet

We’re adding Savannah to our recent Seaside Supreme collection of patterns to knit and crochet in our Cotton Supreme yarns. With Savannah’s addition, there are now 13 total designs in this collection, for just $35. It’s an incredible deal on these beautiful warm-weather patterns, designed for a wide range of body types.

If you’d like to start with just a sample, though, Savannah is free through Sunday, March 27th!

To get Savannah free, use the buy it now or add to cart links on the Ravelry pattern page. Then enter coupon code FLASH where you see the “use a coupon code” links that appear during purchase. Not a Ravelry user? Drop us a line by the end of Sunday 3/27 and we’ll get you taken care of.

We hope you have a great weekend, full of easy adventure and fun.

Happy crafting!

-Heather

March 18, 2022March 18, 2022

Free Pattern Friday – Café Cable Set

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Woman wearing cabled multicolored hat and scarf knitted in Colorburst yarn

Today, the one-ball Café Cable Set knitted in Colorburst (pattern link here).

In knitting, I am all about the accessories, and I love a classic cabled piece!

Today’s free pattern is right up my alley. Designer Aubrey Busek designed this easy set, with simple lines, in self-shading Colorburst. This would be a great pattern for a beginning cable knitter, or for someone who wants to learn.

It features a 2×2 right cross, worked flat for the scarf and in the round for the hat. A neat 2×2 ribbing edges the hat, and there is garter stitch edging on the scarf to help keep it from curling. I wouldn’t expect less from an Aubrey design, though – she’s all about the little touches that make a pattern perfect.

Speaking of little touches, that pom-pom! I love how many tones it picks up when you make a cute little pom-pom in a multicolored yarn like Colorburst. And can we talk about Colorburst?

With its huge 660 yard ball and long runs of color, Colorburst is the perfect self-shading yarn for colorful projects, without a lot of fiddly ends to weave in. Rich and saturated, there are pastels, neutrals, and bright jeweltones to choose from.

Here, the Café Cable Set is shown in 118 Baltic. The entire set took just one ball! Looove!

We hope you have an awesome weekend, full of fun times and smiles.

Happy crafting!

-Heather Hill

March 11, 2022March 11, 2022

Free Pattern Friday – Aloft Plant Holder

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today, the Aloft Plant Holder in Clean Cotton Multi (pattern link here).

AJ McIntyre created this charming bit of crocheted home decor. I love its boho feel!

It’s eco-friendly, too, in the recycled fiber blend of Clean Cotton Multi.

Clean Cotton Multi, and its solid colored sister Clean Cotton, are 100% reclaimed fiber (85% cotton, 15% polyester). These are the fibers that “fluff” away from the spinning machine during production. We collect them, then spin them again to create a soft but durable “dishcloth” style cotton that reduces waste, and still looks beautiful!

Working in unturned chains from the bottom up, AJ made a perfectly-sized plant holder out of just one 96-yard ball! This is a quick and easy project to make as a housewarming gift, or to bring a bit of color into your home. Personally, I can see it sprucing up a dorm room really easily – maybe even in team colors!

Clean Cotton Multi comes in 15 multi shades (like 212 Aloe shown here), and Clean Cotton has 21 solids. It’s easy to customize this fun project to whatever color scheme you wish!

We hope you have a fantastic weekend.

Happy Crafting!
-Heather Hill

March 4, 2022March 4, 2022

Free Pattern Friday – Gravel

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Woman wearing black and white knitted sweater

Today, Gravel knitted in Cobblestone and Donnina (pattern link here).

Gravel is the perfect pullover for everyday wear. The simple, classic raglan silhouette is already a favorite among knitters, but add the marled, variegated fabric created by our Cobblestone yarn, and you really have something special!

closeup image of texture of Cobblestone yarn balls

Cobblestone is spun with two plies. One ply is variegated, with a variety of harmonious colors, and the second ply is a solid color. In the case of 108 Tuxedo, the black, gray, and white create monochromatic variations, for a fabric with plenty of depth and interest!

Designer Rachel Brockman smartly chose to create the coordinating solid cuffs, collar, and hem in 100% superwash fine merino Donnina. The saturated deep black is a great tonal compliment to the body of this pullover, and Donnina’s stitch definition really makes that twisted rib stand out!

The result is a comfortable, timeless top that works in any casual situation, no matter what colors you choose.

We hope you have a fantastic weekend.

Happy crafting!

-Heather Hill

February 25, 2022February 25, 2022

Flash Pattern Friday – Bijou

It‘s Flash Pattern Friday!

On the last Friday of the month, we take a beautiful paid pattern and set it free for a limited time through Ravelry. Today it’s Bijou in Universal Yarn Penna (Ravelry link here).

What a stunner! Aubrey Busek’s Bijou is light, lacy, and loaded with details.

The lace center panel graces both front and back, a fitting accent to the puffed cuffs, and the ruffles where the shoulders meet the sleeves.

The fabric made by Penna is the perfect backdrop for this design. Although the yarn is laceweight, the suri alpaca content creates a halo that fills in the stitches, for a soft, delicate look and feel. It also lets you work this up on US 6 (4mm) needles and still get a very lightweight garment!

To get Bijou free, use the buy it now or add to cart links on the Ravelry pattern page. Then enter coupon code FLASH where you see the “use a coupon code” links that appear during purchase. Not a Ravelry user? Drop us a line by the end of Sunday 2/27 and we’ll get you taken care of.

We hope you have a delightful weekend.

Happy crafting!

-Heather

February 18, 2022February 18, 2022

Free Pattern Friday – Talya

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Seated young woman wearing gray knitted vest

Today, Talya knitted in Posh Alpaca (pattern link here).

The Talya vest is named after the young lady in the photos, who is moving north to colder climes. She’s a part of the Universal Yarn family (you can see her blog post about Father’s Day here) and we’ll miss her very much!

The designer is her mother, Yonca Ozbelli, our managing director here at Universal Yarn. She wanted to send her little girl off with something warm and cozy, so she made Talya this vest. Awwww.

For the yarn, Yonca picked Posh Alpaca. It’s thick, lush, and warm. The beautiful blend of wool, acrylic, and superfine alpaca makes it luxuriously soft, and gives a lovely heathered effect. It’s the perfect way to wrap a loved one up in a warm handmade hug.

The Talya vest features a modern silhouette that is complemented by all-over box stitch, making this minimalist piece a must-have in your wardrobe.

This slouchy, relaxed popover vest is the perfect three-season layering piece and a great first garment.

It’s a beautiful knitted piece, in a beautiful yarn, for a beautiful young lady. Come back and visit us soon, Talya!

Happy crafting, everyone!

-Heather Hill

February 11, 2022February 11, 2022

Free Pattern Friday – Buttercream Scarf

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Young woman wearing knitted striped scarf

Today, the Buttercream Scarf knitted in Donnina (pattern link here).

I love this scarf – it’s so bright and happy!

It’s long enough to wear loose, or to wrap, for extra versatility in styling.

It’s also worked in the round as a tube, for a double thickness of fabric. And there’s a secret weapon for the excellent texture and color on this scarf…

Fibra Natura Donnina! Those saturated colors are just to die for. And because this 100% extrafine superwash merino is so smooth, with such a high twist, stitches really pop. The very simple patterning in this easy-to-knit scarf really stands out!

Donnina is a delight to work with, making this scarf a treat to knit and to wear.

We hope you have a great weekend, full of fun and laughter.

Happy crafting!

February 4, 2022February 4, 2022

Free Pattern Friday – Peanut Butter and Jelly!

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today, meet Peanut Butter and Jelly, crocheted in Bella Chenille with a shirt in Deluxe Worsted Stripes (pattern link here).

Best bear buds! Peanut Butter and Jelly are crocheted in soft, snuggly Bella Chenille. They’re a full 12″ (30cm) tall – the perfect size for hugs!

Jelly has chosen to model his favorite top today, because it’s National Sweater Day, and Jelly is all about style.

The removable top is crocheted in colorful Deluxe Stripes, a worsted weight self-striping version of our popular Deluxe line. The sleeves are worked in the round, while the body is made flat and them seamed.

Peanut Butter, on the other hand, is going with bear arms today (get it?). Peanut Butter loves to joke around. In fact, here’s Peanut Butter’s favorite joke:

Q:What did the teddy bear say after dinner?
A: I’m stuffed!