Pattern – Page 15 – Universal Yarn Creative Network

September 13, 2018

A Free Pattern – and a thank you.

Friends, we’re deeply touched by everybody who has contacted us to be sure we’re okay. Why wouldn’t we be okay, you may ask?

Right now it’s beautiful outside, but it’s going to be a long weekend. On the work front, we’re preparing early – there WILL be a Free Pattern Friday (and it’s gorgeous) – and we’re battening down all the hatches. On the home front, it’s time to get ready:

pick up anything outdoors that can turn into a missile

stock up on non-perishable food (our power company estimates 1-3 million Carolinians will be without electricity)

have a plan for pets

brush up on safety tips

DO NOT drive through standing water

All of that said, Charlotte is in as good a shape as it’s possible to be. We’ve had a bit to prepare. Our water system is very reliable, our local breweries are stocking up (on water, people!), and we’ve got plenty of emergency personnel on standby. Our office plans to stay open for regular business, but if things look dicey, we’ll put staff safety first. And a memo was sent this morning to clean out the office fridge, just in case!

And again, we are moved by everyone who has checked in. So, here’s a thank you.

Go to the pattern page on Ravelry (here’s a link), and enter coupon code NAVIGATE by using the “use a coupon code” links that appear during purchase.

This pattern is part of Beach House, a collection of five designs to knit in Cotton Supreme and Cotton Supreme Batik. Amy Gunderson cleverly used self-striping Cotton Supreme Batik to create the rays coming from the center along the garter stitch portion.

This is a good three-season project, and the name.. well, the name is just perfect, as we navigate this storm.

An important crafter’s tip for those of us who may be without electricity for a while – print anything you want to work on now, while you can!

We leave you with our current live webcam addiction – the Ocean Cam on Frying Pan Tower, located off the coast.

We hope that flag keeps flying. Stay safe and dry, everyone!

September 5, 2018

Still Summer – Cotton Supreme

Look, I know it’s September, but here in the South we still have hot and humid days where the great outdoors looks like a melting Dali painting. True story: I once saw my cousin get stuck in an overheated parking lot when her high heels sank into liquefying asphalt, like a very fashionable mastodon caught in a tar pit. For this reason, I’m not giving up on summertime projects yet. Luckily, we have a really great selection of cottons, and some fabulous free patterns!

First up: The Little Sailor Pullover (pattern link here).

This cute top is sized from 1-10 years, and features a solid Cotton Supreme body with Cotton Supreme Batik for the stripes and the anchors on the sleeves.

The original black and white Cotton Supreme Batik has been retired, but there are some nice options available. What about this in a different shade of blue, with 41 Navy Salute (below) for the detailing?

Actually, since Cotton Supreme and Cotton Supreme Batik have exactly the same gauge, you could choose to go solid for both, or striped for both – there are a lot of options here!

Next, the All-Star Pullover (pattern link here).

This one’s quite similar to the Little Sailor – the differences are, a smaller needle for the ribbing (my edges tend to flare if I don’t do this!), and a different design on the sleeve. I like these two interpretations of what is essentially the same pattern because it shows what a difference the details make!

You can see how this could also become a fantastic superhero costume if you shifted that star onto the chest and made the design in red, white, and blue. Who wouldn’t want a tiny Captain America pullover?

Don’t get me wrong, we’re gearing up for Fall and winter. There are some great designs in the works. But as long as we’ve got some cute things to make, maybe it’s not so bad for summer to hang around a little longer.

August 22, 2018June 23, 2023

Free Pattern – Fleurette Lace Pullover

Summertime can be a tough time for a needlecrafter. It’s hot, and a big project can weigh heavy in your lap, but you don’t want to put down the yarn. Fortunately, there’s always cotton!

To beat the heat, try the Fleurette Lace Pullover in Cotton Supreme DK (pattern link here).

Sized Small to 3X, this raglan-sleeved pullover features waist shaping, and is knitted from the bottom up in pieces. It’s quite stylish with a contrasting tank underneath. This is a nice three season piece.

The lace pattern is both written and charted, and covers front and back. It calls for Cotton Supreme DK, the lighterweight version of our popular Cotton Supreme DK. It’s very pretty as shown in a natural 702 Ecru, but there are a lot of ways to go with this one. Maybe a pretty pastel?

Or go dark, with something light showing through beneath?

We hope you stay cool, and keep on crafting. Have a great day!

August 19, 2018

Small Pleasures – Blue Oak Shawl

A couple of weeks ago, I very briefly mentioned our new e-book, Small Pleasures. It’s a set of designs using what is fast becoming a favorite, Bella Cash.

This collection is perfect for me, because I am all about the accessories. I like instant gratification, and I’m always paranoid that I’m going to get to the end of a sweater and I will have miscalculated somewhere and it won’t fit. Not that this has ever happened to me. Ahem.

But let us not dwell on the failures of the past, let us move on to newer and more beautiful things – namely, my new shawl obsession, Blue Oak.

I asked designer Rachel Brockman about this, and she kindly shared her original swatch and concept.

“It all started with my playing with slip stitches and stripes, but wanting it to have a little something special. I’m a sucker for triangular shawls, too. They are easy to wear and soothing to knit. It was never my plan to make this in pink and white, as shown in my swatch – but I think it gets my design through quite well and I was thrilled about the final results.”

Rachel’s concept for the edge lace was inspired by the Blue Oak tree. The triangular shape of the shawl itself mirrors that.

Soothing indeed.

It sits nicely on the shoulders worn loose to the front…

…and is long enough to wrap for other styling options as well.

The grain pattern in this top-down piece is just a 4-row 2-stitch repeat. I cast on for this yesterday and knitted a bit, and it only took about five rows after the garter tab before I didn’t have to think about it any more.

Peach and dark purple balls of Bella Cash yarn and knitted slip stitch swatch — Colors: 122 Amethyst and 119 Apricot.

The pattern is broken up by a band of contrasting color in the middle and in the ending lace. Everything in the pattern is written and charted, except the grain pattern, which needs no chart.

Rachel offers some Bella Cash color suggestions:

“My choices for a personal project would have to be 126 Forest combined with 106 Oat or 116 Sage, as used in the sample. Of course, there is always 121 Cabernet and 124 Mustard (shown) if you’re feeling the Gryffindor love!”

Well, now I’m not sure whether to keep going with what I’ve got, or maybe go Ravenclaw blue. Decisions, decisions.

The Blue Oak Shawl is available on Ravelry as a single pattern, or as part of e-book Small Pleasures. This won’t be the last time we talk about this e-book. I’m a sock fiend, and there’s a pair in there I’m dying to cast on for.

Happy crafting!

August 13, 2018August 10, 2018

Vibrance in Lace – Flow Cardi

This summer, I’ve been looking for just the right piece to wear over a tank or short sleeves, to go with a kicky spring-toned skirt that I bought on impulse. I didn’t have to look far – Rachel Brockman delivered the perfect design in the Flow Cardi.

The design is part of our new Vibrance in Lace e-book of patterns for new yarn Finn. For me, this works perfectly because it’s loose and airy, and if I’m going to wear a skirt (rare for me!) then I definitely want to be comfortable.

The six-row lace repeat isn’t hard to keep track of. Worked flat in pieces from the bottom up, you’ll be making the sleeves at the same time as the body, casting on and binding off to create the dolman sleeve shape.

The model here is wearing a Medium/Large, which gives her a generous 20″ of ease. The pattern is sized from XS to 4X.

Looks great open, or fastened with a pin or closure. I like the use of Finn for this pattern – its alpaca content provides a soft halo, which gives a touch of blur to the edges of the lace and softens the look even further.

I’ve made my swatch. I can’t wait to cast on.

August 6, 2018January 8, 2020

Free Pattern – Halfway Home Shawl

When we launch a new yarn, as we did this year with Finn, we also publish free patterns made in that yarn so that crafters can have instant inspiration. Halfway Home was one of several published this Spring that never got their day on the blog. Time to fix that!

This is Amy Gunderson’s Halfway Home Shawl in Finn (pattern link).

It’s lovely worn, but I also had to take a picture of it here in the studio just to show its striking shape.

The corner that the model is holding is the starting point for this slightly oblong shawl. It begins with just 7 stitches. Five Herringbone Lace Columns grow out of the left side of the shawl and are continued up to the top edge.

Increases occur only at the left side of the piece, creating a right triangle shape. The lace pattern is an easy-to-memorize 4-row repeat.

We use Finn, a blend of acrylic, superwash merino, and enough alpaca to give it a bit of a halo. It’s a nice touch of luxury.

It’s easy to customize size in this shawl, as most of the body is maintained in garter stitch. Just be sure to reserve enough yarn for the final 10 rows of garter stitch and you’re good!

Have a great week – and happy crafting!

August 1, 2018August 2, 2018

Light & Shadow: Design Highlights

Perhaps my favorite collection we’ve released for fall so far is Light & Shadow. It’s a collection of gorgeous, incredibly wearable patterns knit in anti-pilling Uptown DK.

A lot goes into planning our pattern collections, and it’s always so exciting to see designs develop. Amy and I begin with a mood board. Then we move on to creating rough sketches. You can see a few of mine from our recent collections below:

From left to right: Small Pleasures using Bella Cash, Vibrance in Lace using Finn, and Light and Shadow using Uptown DK.

Naturally not every sketch makes the final collection. Amy and I work on numerous ideas separately, then we meet to share our ideas, select the designs that will be a part of the collection, and choose colors. Then we get hard to work on making these ideas a reality.

So, which designs made the final cut for Light & Shadow?

I have three designs in the collection. First up: Crossroads.

If I had to choose a favorite, this might be it. This design started with a bold cable from Norah Gaughan’s Knitted Cable Sourcebook. I didn’t want to just slap the pattern onto a sweater. I opted for a relaxed, cozy fit with drop shoulders, garter ridges, a split hem, and understated bishop sleeves.

The sleeves sit at bracelet length on our fantastic model, Jarin, however; it’s super simple to lengthen them as the shaping occurs just before the cuff.

Next, we have Northbound.

I wanted to create the perfect, infinitely wearable turtleneck. I know not everyone loves turtlenecks, but I sure do! Northbound was initially imagined as a proposal for a print magazine before I started working at Universal. I loved it, so I held onto the idea – the Light and Shadow collection seemed to be a perfect match.

Northbound has some of my favorite design elements: set-in sleeves, saddle shoulders, seed stitch, and cables. If you love a simple design with thoughtful details, this pattern is for you.

My final design is perhaps the most unique: Topography.

Topography features sculptural welts that move diagonally across the sleeves. The effect is simpler to construct than you might expect.

The sleeves feature traveling twisted stitches that are used as a guide to creating the welts. After you’ve knit the sleeves, stitches are picked up stitches along the legs of the twisted stitches. Then you simply knit and graft. Easy-peasy. Not a fan of the welts? Just stick with the twisted stitches and you have a simple wardrobe staple.

July 30, 2018June 23, 2023

Free Pattern – Coastline Scarf

A free pattern was released this Spring, but it never got its day in the sun. Time to change that!

This is the Coastline Scarf in Unity and Unity Beyond (pattern link).

Continue reading “Free Pattern – Coastline Scarf”

July 25, 2018August 2, 2018

Desert Dreams – Karakum Kimono

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.

Continue reading “Desert Dreams – Karakum Kimono”

July 20, 2018

Free Pattern Friday – Little Hoodie

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!