Sunday Swatch – Universal Yarn Creative Network

March 29, 2015March 29, 2015

Sunday Swatch – Uptown Worsted Tapestry

Today’s Sunday swatch is in Uptown Worsted Tapestry.

What a pleasure to knit with. We developed Uptown Worsted Tapestry (180yds/100g) in response to many requests from local yarn stores mourning the loss of Classic Worsted Tapestry, a wool/acrylic blend. We took the dozen most popular colors of that yarn and brought them back in our Uptown line.

Uptown Worsted Tapestry has the same soft hand and pleasant feel as Uptown Worsted, and can be used interchangeably for gauge, making it a seamless transition when placing a burst of patterning in a solid background. The free His and Hers Yoke Sweaters shown here are a great example of this.

Because this yarn is such a spot-on color match, we’re re-releasing some favorite patterns originally designed for Classic Worsted Tapestry. Playful Accessories and Throw was formerly a pay collection only available in print. We’ve made it available now as a free download. Any of these would work perfectly in Uptown Worsted Tapestry.

These three designs by Michele Wilcox and one by Amy Gunderson are charming ways to add some whimsy and color to your life. We’ll be releasing more patterns in the weeks to come.

We hope you’ll enjoy this old favorite, given new life.

Happy knitting!

October 26, 2014

Sunday Swatch – Poems Ribbed Stripe Scarf

Today’s Sunday Swatch is in Wisdom Yarns Poems.

The weather has finally turned the corner from summer to Fall here in the South. Coming home from work, I had to smile at the smell of smoke from my neighbor’s fireplace wafting through the neighborhood.

When I was selecting my next project, I couldn’t shake that memory. Even with no fireplace in my own home, I can still knit something that reminds me of cool evenings outdoors.

Wisdom Yarns Poems was the obvious choice. 100% wool in self-shading tones just felt right for the season. The lighter color is 605 Lofoten, a colorway designed by Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton. It reminds me of smoke and ash – and maybe toasted marshmallows, too.

The darker color is 607 Hearth, recently added to the Poems line when we had requests to expand our reds. True to its name, it has overtones of embers and flame.

The scarf itself is a simple 1×1 rib, slipping the first stitch of each row for a neater edge. Make two rows in each color – k1p1 to the end, k1p1 back, then switch colors. Couldn’t be easier. A US 8 (5mm) needle over 32 inches produced a scarf 5 inches wide. One ball of each color made a full length scarf for short me. Casting on 28 or 30 would get more length for a taller person.

The colors are varied but not wild – they’re just perfect to go with the earth tones and browns of Fall. I look forward to wearing this on a stroll up the street tonight. It’ll be my own bit of comfort and warmth.

Happy knitting!

August 10, 2014

Sunday Swatch – Saki Bamboo

Today’s Sunday Swatch is in Saki Bamboo color 101 Crayon Box.

Saki Bamboo is a soft machine washable blend of superwash merino, rayon from bamboo, and a little nylon for extra durability. I love how crisply this yarn stripes up.

I picked this yarn because there’s a project I’ve been wanting to start, and Saki Bamboo seemed like the perfect fit. The Mystik Spiral socks use short rows to create a diagonal band across the foot and leg of a sock, ideal for a strong self-striping yarn. Sure enough, it’s looking pretty great.

I’m delighted with how well the stripes are turning out, and how soft the bamboo content makes these socks. This is definitely going to be the project I keep in my purse on vacation this year.

Happy knitting!

July 13, 2014

Sunday Swatch – Cirrus Cotton

Today’s Sunday Swatch is in Cirrus Cotton.

I know, we just did Free Pattern Friday in Cirrus Cotton (50g/109yds), but I found it inspirational! The multis and the solids in this light and fuzzy yarn coordinate so well that it got me thinking about color work. A baby blanket in a bulky and soft yarn seems like a good combo.

Based on this color selection, I’m thinking about a landscape – a variegated green grass with a blue sky and creamy clouds. Maybe add a yellow sun with an embroidered face for extra charm. Something bright and sunny for the nursery!

Happy crafting!

July 6, 2014

Sunday Swatch – Llamalini

Today’s Sunday Swatch is in Llamalini color 106 Lotus.

Yes, it looked like a smiley face, so I had to take a picture of it like that because I am a big old dork. But I can’t help it, I’m smiling too. I got to knit with Llamalini! This particular swatch is the stitch pattern from this week’s Throwback Thursday, the Zig Zag Lace Scarf. It worked up nicely on US Size 7 (4.5mm) needles and was quite an easy pattern to keep track of.

Llamalini (50g/109yds) is a blend of linen, royal llama, and silk bourette that’s just as decadent as it sounds. The linen gives it a little drape, and the silk bourette provides a tweedy texture for added visual interest. The royal llama is there for extra fabulousness.

Llamalini is featured prominently in our Contrarian Shawls e-book, but I also want to show off a free pattern designed for it. The Diagonals Tee is a popular design with an interesting yoke. The only sewing is stitching up the underarms, which you can see are quite short. Raveler Nytate (real name, Latisha) did a great version of this top (pictured right), and in fact is doing a KAL/class on it at her local shop, Sheep’s Clothing in Kennewick, WA. Nice work!

Have a great weekend, and happy knitting!

June 29, 2014June 29, 2014

Sunday Swatch – Whisper Lace

Today’s Sunday Swatch is in Whisper Lace colors 110 Lemongrass (solid) and 206 Amber Trinket (variegated).

This is one of my favorite yarns in the Fibra Natura family. Whisper Lace is 70% wool/30% silk and soft as a cloud. And at 440 yards per 50 gram ball, it goes a long way.

One thing that I like about Whisper Lace is how well the solid and the variegated tones match. They look great paired as in the lace sample above, or in Adrienne Ku’s Pescadito shawl shown at right. Colors 104 Fog and 208 Orchid Dream make a great barely-there contrast that doesn’t obscure the lace pattern – light and breezy and gorgeous.

What’s to become of today’s Sunday Swatch? It’s already been claimed by a young person in my house – apparently it will look just fabulous on some lucky doll.

Happy knitting!

June 15, 2014June 15, 2014

Sunday Swatch – Bamboo Pop

Today’s Sunday Swatch is in Bamboo Pop colors 108 Lime Green, 208 Pink Joy, and 102 Cream.

Today’s swatch started as an experiment to see just how thick various i-cords were in Bamboo Pop. Bamboo Pop is one of our most popular yarns, a lightweight blend of 50% cotton and 50% bamboo.

The entire flower was knit on size 4 needles. The petals of the flower are one long 4-stitch i-cord, the stem is a 3-stitch i-cord, and the center is a 2-stitch i-cord curled around itself.

I took a picture of the back side so you can see how it’s assembled. I had hoped to put a chenille stem (pipe cleaner, for those of my generation) into the center for stability, but the i-cord was just a little too narrow to fit the jumbo-sized chenille stem that I had on hand, so instead I used some very thick floral wire for stability. The extra wire extending from the bottom lets it stand upright without causing the i-cord to push up on itself and wrinkle.

The leaves were a last-minute addition, but they’re a nice touch. Here’s the leaf pattern, done on size 4 needles:

CO 4

Row 1: k1, (kfb) twice, k1. (6 sts total)

Row 2: purl

Row 3: k2, (kfb) twice, k2 (8 sts total)

Row 4: purl

Row 5: k3, (kfb) twice, k3 (10 sts total)

Row 6: purl

Row 7: k1, k2tog, k4, ssk, k1 (8 sts total)

Row 8: purl

Row 9: k1, k2tog, k2, ssk, k1 (6 sts total)

Row 10: purl

Row 9: k1, k2tog, ssk, k1 (4 sts total)

Row 10: purl

Row 9: k2tog, ssk,(2 sts total)

Row 10: purl 2 tog (1 st total)

Pull yarn through remaining stitch to bind off.

I have some bits of Bamboo Pop in other colors, so I’m considering making an entire bouquet for an empty flowerpot. It would be a nice maintenance-free addition to the front porch.

Happy knitting – and gardening!

June 8, 2014June 8, 2014

Sunday Swatch – Garden 3

Today’s Sunday Swatch is in Garden 3.

This crochet swatch in Garden 3 is actually a WIP by a member of our sales team. It’s a piece that she’s made the front of already, and is now making the matching back for. I’ve seen it in person, and it’s beautiful!

Garden 3 is excellent quality 100% mercerized Egyptian Giza cotton, smooth with a bit of a sheen. Garden is part of our popular Nazli Gelin line and is available in both 50 gram balls and 500 gram cones perfect for larger projects.

Our diligent salesperson is using a US E/4 (3.5mm) hook and it’s working out beautifully, as you can see above. Another of my favorite Garden 3 designs, Sarah Read’s Love Ewe Nesting Dolls to the right, works up on smaller hooks. It’s available as a free download (yay!) with website signup from CrochetMe.com. Here’s the link.

Happy crafting!

June 1, 2014June 1, 2014

Sunday Swatch – Bella Chenille

Today’s Sunday Swatch is in Bella Chenille colors 109 Blueberry and 111 Clover.

Bella Chenille is a superbulky supersoft chenille. I dare you to pick up a skein and not squeeze it. It’s also available in a multi version with sweet pastel tones.

We love this yarn for baby knits. Not only is it very soft, but it’s also machine washable. The swatch shown above ran through my front-loader before being laid out to dry, and as you can see it came through with flying (vibrant!) colors.

The pattern above was originally meant to be a circle, although unblocked it came out more of a soft flower shape – it almost reminds me of a poppy. It’s based on instructions in the Alyoops! blog post linked here, although this swatch used two size 10 1/2 (6.5mm) circular needles rather than double-points. Wouldn’t this make a great throw or baby blanket? I can even see sewing a few ribbons on the edges to make a “wooby” for a toddler to carry around.

There are more free ideas for kid projects on our website, like the Lil’ Lightning Baby Blanket in Bella Chenille and Bella Chenille Multi at right.

We wish you soft, sweet, pretty things in your life. Happy crafting!

May 25, 2014May 25, 2014

Sunday Swatch – Bamboo Bloom Handpaints

Today’s Sunday Swatch is in Bamboo Bloom Handpaints color 310 Fuji.

The word of the day is “simplicity.” A very simple garter stitch swatch on size 9 needles. Knit every row and voila. A beautiful textured scarf that would look great with blue jeans and equally great dressed up. Add to your simplicity by kicking off your shoes and enjoying the great outdoors while you’re at it. Bamboo Bloom Handpaints has thick, soft wool sections interspersed with thin, shiny stretches of rayon from bamboo. It won’t weigh you down on a gorgeous summer day like today. There are beautifully coordinating solids in Bamboo Bloom, as well.

Our most popular free pattern for this yarn is Michael del Vecchio’s one ball Persephone Handpaints Cowl, pictured at right. It’s a simple knit on size 10 needles that really lets the texture of the yarn shine through.

We hope you are able to find some time today to appreciate the simple things in life – and to knit!