Free Pattern Friday – Denim Tee

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

denims tunic 1 blogToday, the Denim Tee in Fibra Natura denims.

denims tunic quarter sleeve blogA bit of a tee, a bit of a tunic with its split hem, this A-line top is a lovely piece.  The sleeves are stockinette, and the lace pattern covers both front and back.

One of the things I love about this piece is that even though it’s sized from Small to 3X, the largest size only takes 10 balls because it’s knit on size 10 1/2 (6.5mm) needles.  Since denims (109yds/100g) is a tape yarn, it’s not going to puff up and add a lot of bulk – a consideration for those of us with larger frames who like to knit with thick yarns.

There’s nothing more all-American than denim, so this may need to go into my queue for Labor Day knitting.  We hope you have a safe and festive holiday.

Happy crafting!

denims tunic 4 three quarter blog

 

Bamboo Bloom Handpaints- Limited Edition 323 Hashi

 

Hashi 323 blog

One of the best things about my job is coming in in the morning to a brand new batch of yarn, fresh from the mill.  This is an absolutely beautiful example.  Bamboo Bloom Handpaints in color 323 Hashi.

Hashi means “bridge” in Japanese, and this colorway represents two meanings of the word.  It’s evocative of a passage from one place to another – a bridge that we walk across step by step.

Misty fieldIt’s also meaningful as a passage from one time to another, a bridge that we cross simply by living our lives.  The muted buttery yellows and oranges of Autumn are there, along with an oaky brown.  But they’re connected by shining strands of cream and silver, a nod to winter frost, fallen leaves, and a sun that has to work a little bit harder to warm us.
Bamboo Bloom color 323 Hashi is here as a limited edition.  When it’s gone, it’s gone.  And that, too, is fitting for the passing of the seasons.  The season to come will be just a little bit different than every one before.

VK Fall 2015 Llamalini Bamboo Bloom Stripes Raglan PulloverBamboo Bloom is a popular yarn for its thick/thin quality and shiny/matte blend, and because of the many easy accessory patterns out there.  Designers enjoy it as well.  Take, for example, Vanessa Putt’s Striped Raglan Pullover in the Fall 2015 Vogue Knitting.  It combines lightly heathered Llamalini (royal llama/linen/silk bourette) 101 Birchbark with coordinating Bamboo Bloom Handpaints 309 Nagano for an aesthetically pleasing blend of color and texture, perfect for this top-down loose-fitting bohemian pullover.

Llamalini and Bamboo Bloom for sweater blogLooking at our new colorway 323 Hashi, I couldn’t help but think that it would be a great match for Llamalini color 107 Porpoise.  The two together are a great earthy blend.

I’m currently making myself a one-ball cowl in Hashi.  Since it’s a limited edition I couldn’t resist grabbing a hank while we still had some.  When it’s all done, I’ll share it on our Facebook page.

Here’s hoping you enjoy the changing seasons, and find some inspiration in the world around you.

Happy crafting!

Free Pattern Friday – Happy Magic Scarf

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Chevron Scarf 1 blogToday, the Happy Magic Scarf in Wisdom Yarns Pix.

Chevron Scarf 2 blogThis one has a special place in my heart, mainly because I designed it myself.  It was my carry-along knitting everywhere, and it got compliments while still in progress at quite a few coffeehouses.

Chevrons are everywhere in knitting, and with good reason.  It’s an easy way to give a lot of visual interest without memorizing a complicated stitch pattern.  When I saw samples of our new Pix yarn, the lighbulb went off.   The colorful print is a great choice for a pattern that zigs and zags.

Chevron Scarf 5 detail blogIt’s true that with 75% superwash wool and 25% nylon, Pix is a bright and durable choice for socks, but there’s no reason to stop with just socks (although how great would this look as a pair of Jaywalkers?).  This pattern is a very simple two-row repeat that shows off the somewhat “Fake Isle” printed quality of the stripes.  I love that the color bands aren’t solid – a bit of other colors are mixed in to give the finished scarf a Bohemian quality.
This scarf only used 85 grams of a 100 gram ball.  You could certainly lengthen or widen the scarf with no worries.  Or keep thinking outside the box – I’m visualizing some chic sideways chevron wrist cuffs, maybe even with a tiny pocket to hold a key.

Hmm… where’d I put the rest of my Pix?

Happy knitting!

Chevron Scarf wide 2 blog

 

 

Free Pattern Friday – Fun Fringe Scarf

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Bamboo Pop Flower Fringe Scarf 2_blogToday, the Fun Fringe Scarf in Bamboo Pop.

Bamboo Pop Flower Fringe Scarf fringe_blogLast week we featured Bamboo Pop knit, so this week we’re showing it in crochet.  The scarf features double mesh crochet, a two-row repeat, for the length of the scarf.  The finishing really makes the difference, though – the fun flowery fringe is just too adorable.

Bamboo Pop cotton/bamboo blend makes this a great warm weather piece.

We hope you enjoy this fun, kicky crochet piece.

Happy crafting!

Bamboo Pop Flower Fringe Scarf 1_blog

 

Free Pattern Friday – Easy Baby Cardi

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Bamboo Baby flowery blog

Today, the Easy Baby Cardi in Bamboo Pop.

Bamboo Pop ballIs it just me, or is everybody having babies at once?  I have two friends in their third trimester (hi, Cristi and Casey!) and several more whose baby bumps and adoption processes are well underway.  So yes, this is a perfect moment to introduce a basic but beautiful garter stitch baby sweater.  The fact that it uses machine-washable Bamboo Pop (292yds/100g) is icing on the cake.

It’s a good basic design that would work well for boys or girls and would be easy to personalize with some fun buttons.

I’d like to offer a word of advice as a parent.  When you’re considering baby shower gifts, it may be tempting to want to make the smallest size and be done in a hurry.  Consider making the next size up, or even the one beyond that.  Babies grow fast, and you want your recipient to be able to enjoy your gift longer than a week.  Since this pattern takes just two balls for all sizes, there’s no additional cost (besides your time) involved in making the 12-month size and having a gift that the baby will be wearing after all the other presents have been outgrown.

Happy knitting!

Free Pattern Friday – Wandering Lace Tee

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Wandering Lace Tee_blog

Today, the Wandering Lace Tee in Infusion Handpaints.

Infusion Handpaints Tones colorsMmmm.  Lovely lace.  Sometimes that can be hard to do in a variegated yarn.  Who wants all their hard work to be lost in a sea of color?  Fortunately, the tonal offerings in Infusion Handpaints are a little more subtle than some.  We think this design would look great in any of these six “shade on shade” colors.

The design itself is smooth sailing.  Knit the ribbing on smaller needles, then switch to US size 6/4mm needles (or whatever gets you gauge) and work up from hem to neckline.  Do the same for back as you did for the front, then block, seam, and you’re ready to go.

This is a tee, but with a couple of tiny mods to the neck this would be a great vest to go over a button-down.  Hmm… should I think of summer for this piece, or look ahead to Fall?  Decisions, decisions…

Happy knitting!

 

Free Pattern Friday – PC538 Tapestry Toys and Cardigan

It’s still Free Pattern Friday!

 

This is Pattern Collecton PC538, Classic Worsted Tapestry Volume 2.  Up until now, it’s never been available digitally, and never for free.  Happy Friday!

Uptown Worsted Tapestry swatch blogWe’ve had several requests for this leaflet, not least because although the original yarn, Classic Worsted Tapestry is gone, the colors in Uptown Worsted Tapestry are perfect matches for it.  You could substitute Uptown Worsted Tapestry 809 Capri Breeze at right for Michele Wilcox’s Mr. Whiskers and the only difference would be that the Uptown feels softer.
CroppedCapeCardi_blogLikewise, Purple Power, Emerald, and Mountain Blues are all available in Uptown Worsted Tapestry if you want to tackle Thanh Nguyen’s Cropped Cape-Cardi in its original color scheme.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this quadruple-dose of free patterns today.

Happy crafting!

MrWhiskers_front_blog

 

 

 

 

 

Free Pattern Friday – Exploded Pineapple Halter

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Exploding Lace Halter front_blog

Today, the Exploded Pineapple Halter in Good Earth.

We’re calling this an intermediate project, good practice for crocheters who have never tried reading a crochet chart before to do so. One of our resident experts notes, “Crochet stitches can take on such organic form, that a chart really tells the story of the finished piece. Written instruction for crochet can be very clunky, especially in a large repeat pattern such as the exploded pineapple hem.”

Good Earth (204yds/100g) is an excellent choice for this layering piece.  The cotton/linen blend is quite breathable, so even over another top it won’t leave you sweltering.

The piece is worked seamlessly.  Crochet the hem first, then pick up for the body and continue upward.  It’s easy to customize the length just by adding or subtracting a few rows of the v-stitch mesh.

I love the ribbon at the neck – that’s another bit that would be very easy to alter to your own taste.

We hope you enjoy this summertime project.  Happy crocheting!

Exploding Lace Halter back_blog

Uptown Favorite Afghans Book 2

Earlier this week we launched our latest ebook, Uptown Favorite Afghans Book 2. This is a sequel to Uptown Worsted Book 1: Favorite Afghans, a popular print book we released several years ago. All of the projects in this latest Uptown book use one of the members of the Uptown family, including Uptown DK, Uptown Worsted, and Uptown Bulky.

2015 Afghans preliminary cover A3_rev

As a person who knits and designs primarily garments and accessories, it was refreshing to do a collection of afghans and throws. Afghans don’t have to fit. They don’t have to be flattering on some certain body type, and they make great gifts! Our Uptown is really the perfect yarn for an afghan. It is made of 100% anti-pilling acrylic, it comes in a ton of colors, and it’s machine washable.

Something I’ve noticed is that when knitters and crocheters see a project in a certain color or combination of colors, that is THE color they want to make their project in. I wanted to try something different for this collection and show the afghans in different colors. For all the projects (with the exception of one), we have a large/adult version, and then a smaller/kid version. For the projects that use multiple colors, there is a “coloring book” page with the pattern that can be printed out for the planning of different color combos.

First up we have Woven Rectangles. If you’re a beginning knitter or are more experienced and need a quick gift, this is the afghan for you.

Craftsy Woven Rectangles both Craftsy Woven Rectangles large Craftsy Woven Rectangles smallThe knit-purl texture gives maximum impact in Uptown Bulky. Tassels on each of the 4 corners are cute and whimsical, and also make it (I think) easier to fold them up to store.

 

Color Shift is knit in Uptown Worsted, but 2 strands are held together throughout making this actually a bulky-weight project. Shown in blues or pinks, this could look fun in contrasting colors too!

Craftsy Color Shift Blue 1 Craftsy Color Shift Pink 2

 

 

Blooming Chorus also comes in two sizes. The smaller size is good for babies or as a lap throw, and the larger size is great for snuggling up under. The whimsical dimensional effects are made more-so by crocheting with Uptown Bulky.

BloomedChorus_large_web BloomedChorus_small_web

 

 

There are 2 versions of pi-shaped circular afghan, Burst. Knit from the center out, the smaller one uses Uptown DK, and the larger uses Uptown Worsted. 5 different lace patterns are both charted and written.

Craftsy Burst big 2 Craftsy Burst small 1

 

 

Our other crochet afghan, Flying V, also comes in 2 color schemes. This is one I could see in any number of colors to match a child’s room or your living room decor. Use the enclosed coloring book page to plan yours!

DSC_3352_retone_nocords DSC_3170_retone

 

 

Though I feel like we typically see motifs done in crochet, knit motifs can be fun, too! Swirled uses hexagons, knit from the center out and attached in a modular fashion. No seaming! Make yours in a single color or wild with lots of different colors. Or what about using one color for every motif except for a single oddball motif?

DSC_3316_retone DSC_3149_retone

 

 

On the Edge is a classic cable and texture throw with a cable running up each edge. The larger version uses Uptown Bulky while the smaller version uses Uptown Worsted. It’s amazing what a difference gauge can make!

DSC_3252_retone DSC_3265_retone DSC_3272_retone

 

 

Lastly, there is Beached, the only project done in a single colorway. I can definitely see this working brilliantly in other colors, so there is a coloring book page included for you to plan your own. Each of the three blocks (Polka Dots, Stripes, and Waves) uses a different method of changing colors – simple stripes, intarsia, and fair isle.

DSC_3236_retone

 

 

Free Pattern Friday – Knit and Crochet Market Bags

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Good Adorn Both Market Bags blogToday, the Knit and Crochet Market Bags in Good Earth Adorn.

Good Earth Adorn Red Market Bag blogSomething for all of our needlecrafting friends today!  We chose Good Earth Adorn (204yds/100g) because the cotton/linen blend holds up well and isn’t going to felt with repeated rubbing as you carry it around. Each pattern takes just two hanks.

First up, the knitted bag, in 302 Adobe.  It’s a simple four-row repeat for the eyelet mesh, then basic knitting with some k2tog shaping for the edges and handle.

Good Earth Adorn Green Market Bag blogThe crochet bag in color 303 Lettuce uses a very basic double crochet mesh.  You’ll make both sides, sew them together, then add the straps.

There’s actually a little sneak peek hiding in the green bag photographed – two new colors of Good Earth Adorn on the far right, never before seen, that we’ll be adding to the line next season.  We’re very excited at all the new samples coming in and we can’t wait to share them with you.

Happy crafting!

Good Adorn Market Bag with new colors blog