Happy Valentine’s Day!
This year, I wanted to take a look at some of the patterns we have for the little ones in our lives – whether they’re your children, family, or friends, it’s always a joy to knit for little ones. I mean, who doesn’t love a quick-knit sweater? For those of you interested in joining the Bamboo Pop-Along, how about the Big Heart Dress? This adorable design combines a customer favorite yarn using multis and solids for an adorable effect. Amy Gunderson has designed some adorable patterns for children, and several of them are perfect for the holiday. First up, we have the Sweetheart Sweater worked in anti-pilling Uptown DK – a favorite for children’s projects because it’s so versatile and easy to care for. Speaking of how versatile Uptown DK is, how about a little pouch to fill with Valentine’s candy? We love the Valentine Pouch designed by social media-er extraordinaire, Heather Hill. Another perfect project is Love Patches – a darling pullover worked up in Little Bird with the cutest heart patches on the sleeves. This would look adorable in Bamboo Pop, too! Finally, we have Firefly. There isn’t any red or pink in our sample, but this kid’s cowl features motifs that will warm your little one’s heart (and neck!). Worked up in Bella Cash, this cowl is luxurious but super easy to care for. It’s a perfect yarn for children’s projects.
If you’re looking for more, please feel free to take a look at the patterns offered on our website. There are plenty of Valentine-friendly projects such as the Be Mine Shawl, Valentina, and the Lovey Dovey Earflap Hat for adults, too. You can find the link to all of our patterns here (link).
We hope you have a wonderful holiday. Enjoy some candy alongside the company of your loved ones!
Free Pattern – Warmth Stole
- It’s on size 10 1/2 (6.5mm) needles, to help this mammoth stole go quickly
- The lace is a simple 10-row 10-stitch repeat that you’ll quickly get the hang of
- The pattern is written and charted
- It only takes ONE WHEEL of Revolutions.
Bamboo Pop-Along!
Free Pattern Friday – Alpine Wrap
It’s Free Pattern Friday!https://universalyarn.com/products/alpine-wrap
Today, the Alpine Wrap crocheted in Deluxe Bulky Superwash (pattern link here).
Normally this would be where I’d make some joke about it being cold, but at this point, the weather’s a bit beyond that. Anytime people are being advised “avoid taking deep breaths, and minimise talking” while outside, that’s serious.
So maybe it’s time to hunker down, stay in, and make something bulky out of wool.
The Alpine Wrap is a great mix of lace and big yarn – thick enough to wrap around and bundle up in, or to wear loose as a beautiful accessory.
This gorgeous wrap is more than 6 feet long, but it goes by quickly – and it’s much easier than you might think!
The lace is varied, but it’s composed of basic stitches. If you can single and double crochet, you can make this.
Work the middle widthwise in rows. Then make the three color border in rounds, along all sides of the center. And because you’re using Deluxe Bulky Superwash wool on a US Size M/N (9 mm) hook, it’s going to grow quickly.
Designer Rachel Brockman chose to go with neutrals accented by 925 Adobe, a muted take on the 2019 Color of the Year that works well in this substantial piece.
However, while you could easily make this with four colors as shown, you could also use just one, or any number you wish. I’m a big fan of cool tones, so maybe Honeydew, Pulp, and Petrol Blue?
Everybody, please have a safe, warm, cozy weekend.
Happy crafting!
Monday Motivation – Mod Tiles Cardi
Holiday Crafting – Don’t Panic!
How’s everybody doing? All caught up on your handmade gifts?
If you are, then good for you! If you’re not… join the club! Fortunately, there are still some quick, good-looking projects that you (and I) can make at the last minute. And if you still can’t quite finish, well… we have some options at the end of this post.
When I’m in a pinch, I go big! Take a look at the Coffee Beans and Sugar Cubes hats.
What I like about them:
- Knit in Uptown Super Bulky on size 11 needles, they go really fast.
- They’re designed to take one ball each of two colors – and you can get two hats out of those two skeins!
- Did I mention they were really fast?
I’ve made more than a few of these, and they’ve always been popular. My most recent set were super bright for two friends, who loved them.
These are also available as a kit from your LYS.
Are you a crocheter? How about the Racing Cowl?
This takes just one skein of self-striping Uptown Super Bulky Amplify on a size N-15 (10mm) hook.
If you want to knit something bulky but not super-bulky, try the Latta Park Hat and Mittens from e-book Colorful Commute.
I made one of these myself, and it was fun and easy. The Classic Shades Frenzy is a smart choice because it lends visual interest without extra work – always a consideration when you’re on a deadline.
As a little holiday gift, we’re running a giveaway of the Latta Park Hat and Mittens. (Also, consider signing up for our newsletter. Subscribers already heard about this!)
You can enter this coupon code by going to the Latta Park Hat and Mittens page on Ravelry, and entering FRENZY at the “use a coupon code” link that appears during purchase. Use it by 12/23.
Finally, if you’re just not gonna make it, we still have some options. How about a card to let your giftee know that their gift is on the way? We made a few printable options for you.
Regardless of how your holiday gifting turns out, we hope you’ll be able to make time to slow down and enjoy the season as best you can.
Happy crafting!
Carolina Holly: Our Holiday Gift to You
Seasons Greetings from the Universal Yarn Team! Today, we’re pleased to share a special free pattern with you for the Christmas season: the Carolina Holly hat (pattern link)! Holly – like poinsettias, mistletoe, and ivy – conjures images of the holidays. The spiky plant is evergreen and beautiful, and it was the inspiration for the Carolina Holly hat.
This free pattern is a load of fun to knit. It takes three skeins of Deluxe Worsted – and that’s enough to make two hats. Of our line of yarns, Deluxe Worsted might just be my favorite. It’s excellent for every type of project, creates long-wearing fabric, and perfectly balances softness with the crunch of pure wool that I love. Plus, there are so many colors to choose from. For this hat I chose Sangria, City Turf, and Slate, but there are so many shades of red, green, and grey in the palette. I encourage you to find the combination that leaves you feeling inspired! Prefer superwash wool? You’re in luck – our machine-washable Deluxe Worsted Superwash would work perfectly as a substitute.
I wanted to give this hat some special touches. A double-thick brim ensures a warm and comfortable fit. A row of mini-bobbles knit in a rich red create little holly berries, and a large red pom-pom balances out the pop of red. Finally, to incorporate the grey used in the brim, the same color is used to add speckles to the pom-pom. The speckled pom-pom idea was not my own. I was inspired by designer Kiyomi Burgin, who has used this technique in her own work. You can find her post on speckled pom-poms here (link).
For your convenience, I’ve also created a tutorial. I hope you find it to be helpful! You’ll need to make your pom-pom before starting. If you haven’t done this before, don’t worry! You can find Amy’s tutorial on how to make pom-poms here (link).
Free Pattern: Hanukkah Throw
It’s Free Pattern…Wednesday? What?
Today, to mark the halfway point of the 8-day celebration that is Hanukkah, we’d like to present the Hanukkah Throw (pattern link), crocheted in machine washable Adore.
Though I am not of the Jewish faith, I have many friends who are. When I was tasked with developing a project to celebrate Hanukkah, I wanted to be sure to come up with something that was pretty, respectful, and ultimately useful.
Even I know that the Star of David motif is an important symbol to Judaism (among other religions). This six-pointed star is actually formed by two triangles laid on top of one another. The Star of David (aka “Shield” of David) is named after King David, the second king of Israel. It is a symbol that has many meanings to different groups of people. This symbol was painfully used by the Nazis to mark Jews for persecution. Today, it can be found on the flag of Israel.
When I started looking around for knit or crochet patterns with this motif, I wasn’t coming up with much. But I knew that it could be well suited to crochet, I just wasn’t sure exactly how I wanted to accomplish it. I took an afternoon with my yarn and hook, played around, and came up with the motif you see here.
The base layer is crocheted first, and then an overlay of blue post stitches is worked onto the base layer. The motif is both written and charted. In addition to a throw as seen here, I could easily see this motif used in a table runner using 10-weight crochet thread (like our Garden 10), any weight of yarn for a single ornament, gift toppers, and much more!
Happy Hanukkah!
Thy Neighbor: A Pattern for Giving Back
Giving back: it’s something everyone seems to think more about this time of year, and something we could all probably think about a bit more. That’s why we have created the new pattern, Thy Neighbor (pattern link).
Thy Neighbor – A pattern to benefit the Refugee Support Services center in Charlotte.
We recently began donating some of our time and resources to the RSS: Refugee Support Services here in Charlotte, the city Universal Yarn calls home. This organization is doing amazing things, and we want to support them in every way we can.
Each Thursday, a group of wonderful women and volunteers meet at the center for English lessons, knitting, community-building, and to take advantage of the many resources the facility has to offer.
Many of the women make hats on round knitting looms. Loom knitting is really accessible. Anyone can pick it up in just a few minutes, which might be why it’s a popular knitting method at the center. Although we had never knit using looms before, we wanted to meet participants where they are. So we got some looms to practice and will now contribute our own knowledge of knitting. Volunteers at the center help the women distribute their handcrafted goods to earn extra income and develop financial literacy. As a way to give back and support their efforts, we designed this Fair Isle hat. We’ll be teaching the participants this technique to spice up their loom-knitting activities. All proceeds from the sale of this pattern will be donated back to RSS.
As I said before, we want to do as much as we can for this organization. It brought us so much joy to sit in a room filled with the chatter of people from all over the world, offering a helping hand, and exchanging kindness with one another. It’s truly special. When you purchase Thy Neighbor, 100% of the proceeds will be donated to RSS. Financial contributions to the organization help make their peer support, educational, legal, and social programs possible. We sincerely hope you’ll join us in helping, and encourage you to explore the RSS website (link) to deepen your understanding of their work.
Thank you so much for joining us in our support of RSS! We hope you have a wonderful week!