On The Road to Stitches West!

Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton and Amy Gunderson
Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton and Amy Gunderson at Stitches East 2013

We’re packed and ready to fly out to Stitches West 2014, happening this weekend Feb 23-24!

Suzy the CuddlebunnyThis is a fun show that we always look forward to.  It’s a great opportunity to connect with our customers and fellow knitters – and to pick up some delicious new yarn.

We’ll be offering kits for some of our popular patterns, like Suzy the Cuddlebunny in Wicked Fur.  Suzy will be at the show, supervising us in booth 609.   Stop by and give her a hug!

On Sunday at noon, Cornelia Tuttle Hamilton will be in the booth signing copies of her latest book Poems: Windfall and answering questions about texture and color.  Cornelia’s a fantastic resource and very generous with her time and talent.  It’s a great opportunity to meet a legendary designer.

Bring along this coupon for discounted admission.  We hope to see you there!

Stitches West 2014 Coupon

Sunday Swatch – Poems in Chevron

For today’s Sunday Swatch, I couldn’t resist showing off our beautiful snow before it all melted to slush.  The cold weather certainly inspired this week’s choice – Poems 100% wool.  Colorway 592 Embers made me think warm thoughts.

Poems in Chevron Stitch

This chevron section is an easy two-row repeat, worked on a multiple of 14+2:

Row 1: Purl

Row 2: K1 *KFB, K4, SSK, K2tog, K4, KFB; rep from * to last stitch, K1

This example is worked over 30 stitches on US size 8 (5mm) needles and comes out to 5½ – 6″ wide.  One ball of Poems would make this swatch 24″ long, making this pattern well-suited for a little two ball scarf in Poems.

Spectrum ThrowI can think of many uses for this chevron pattern.  What about a chevron strip stitched at the side to another strip knitted in the opposite direction?  Put a few together and you’ve got a cute throw.  A similar strips-sewn-together technique was used in the vibrant Spectrum Throw from Poems Book 2: Colors in Design.

What would you do?

Free Pattern – Heart Pouch

Stopping by woods

We’re snowed in here at Universal Yarn.

Well – we’re not snowed in at Universal Yarn.  Once the statewide winter storm warning was issued, we were all sensibly sent home.  It’s been a day of playing in the snow, then coming inside to warm up under a cozy blanket with crafty projects.

Watching my teenager play in the snow has been a treat.  Today, all the cares of school have been stripped away.  Worries about grades, about not measuring up to her peers, about whether she’s meeting the expectations that are placed on young women, they all vanish into the basic joy of dodging snowballs.

I wish that this wild child could find her way to the surface more often and remind herself that she is beautiful and strong and smart.

We all have someone in our lives whom we love.  Someone who makes us laugh.  Someone who makes us shake our head with how wonderful they are.  Someone who sometimes doesn’t see in themselves the wonderful things that we see.  They might be a child or a relative or a trusted friend.  But they make our lives better.

Heart Pouchin Uptown DKToday I am making a little gift for my daughter.  A small Valentine’s Day pouch in Uptown DK, sized just right for a compact mirror.  And with it, I’ll include a rhyme:

If I had one wish

Just for you

You’d see yourself

The way I do.

We’re making the pattern and chart available for free (click here) in case you want to try something similar on this snowy day – or any day.

 

My Felted Valentine

Felted ValentinesSometimes the simplest project can make you the happiest. These basic hearts make us grin. They’re made as a rectangular swatch (ours are in Poems 100% wool), then felted, cut into a heart shape, and blanket stitched around the edge make a cute home decor project. Glue or needle-felt on whatever phrase moves you.

So, crafty valentine, what’s your needleart of choice?

Sunday Swatch – Merino XF Superwash

Merino XF Superwash

Universal has a project in the works that has the knitters in the office wanting to brush up our skills a little, so today seemed like a good day to practice Fair Isle.

Today’s Sunday Swatch is in Merino XF Superwash on US Size 7 (4.5mm) needles. Amy Gunderson whipped up a little heart chart for Valentine’s Day and we just couldn’t resist giving it a try. Cute!

Fancy Heart Chart

Free Pattern Friday – Cross the Night Sky Vest

Cross the Night Sky Vest - detail

It’s Free Pattern Friday, and we have a new design in Poems!

Cross the Night Sky Vest in Poems FacebookThe Cross the Night Sky Vest by Sandy Huff is worked in one piece from side to side, with stitches picked up for the arms, hem, and neck. The garter stitch tie that threads neatly through the crossed stitches is a nice accent.

Side to side construction creates flattering vertical stripes in self-shading Poems 100% wool – a great use of variegated yarn.

 

Free Pattern Friday – Little Bird

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

You know, I love show season, don’t get me wrong. Stitches, TNNA, VKLive, they’re all great opportunities to show our stuff and to reconnect with other knitters and crocheters. But man, do they take a lot of work! I guess this is my way of saying I apologize for missing the last couple of Free Pattern Friday posts. Now that show season has waned a bit, things should get back to normal here. To make up for it, let’s do two free patterns for baby today!

Little Dreamer Pullover

First, the Little Dreamer Pullover. It’s a charming baby sweater knit from the bottom up. The raglan sleeves are easy, and anybody who has ever tried to dress a baby will appreciate a v-neck that slips easily over a little squirmer’s head. The slipped stitches in solid Little Bird (344yds/100g) give a lot of interest along the stripes where the color changes. It’s an easy technique that looks great – one of our favorite tricks. We’ll bet this would look great in Little Bird Multi (284yds/100g), too!

Little Bird Lace Sampler Baby BlanketNext up, the Lace Sampler Baby Blanket by Amy Gunderson. Knitted in the round from the center out, it combines several different lace patterns into a lacy heirloom. This design is also in Little Bird solids. Little Bird is a soft and smooth 100% acrylic yarn that is machine washable. It’s a great choice for a project you want to stand the test of time.

How about you? What’s your favorite kind of knit or crochet for baby?