It’s Friday, and it’s St. Patrick’s Day! Hopefully you’re wearing green, avoiding pinches, and feeling extra lucky! It’s in this festive spirit that we bring to you this week’s Free Pattern Friday, the Shamrock Dishcloths!
Shamrock Dishcloths in Cotton Supreme
These cute, clover cloths are made primarily with intarsia colorwork, and with a bit of stranded colorwork in the center of the motif. The pattern calls for 2 hanks of Cotton Supreme in colors 502 White, and 612 Emerald. One of each color is enough for you to make both cloths, so make one for yourself and a friend to spread some extra cheer!
Cotton Supreme in color 612 Emerald
Cotton Supreme is a 100% cotton, worsted weight yarn that’s undeniably smooth and soft. It’s wonderful for garments and accessories, but versatile enough for home wares as it’s machine washable and dryable. It comes in 100g/180 yard hanks, and is available in 45 brilliant colors for you to mix and match. You even can pair Cotton Supreme with the recently released Cotton Supreme Speckles for some pops of color, perfect for spring!
Shamrock Dishcloth Green BackgroundShamrock Dishcloth White Background
I hope you enjoy this charming pattern and have fun making it for St. Patrick’s Day. Share your work with us by tagging us on social media, we love sharing the joy of your creations!
If you ever go out a ways from the city lights on a clear night, you will see the sky painted with beautiful, shining stars from millions of miles away. This Free Pattern Friday, you don’t have to travel a million miles to find a shine that will shake up your wardrobe. Absolute Zero, knit in our Universe yarn, is now permanently free for you!
Photo from Felix Mittermeier, found on Pexels.com
Our Solar System and beyond consists of so much that has yet to be discovered, and much like a space explorer, each person that picks up a pair of needles is ready for adventure. Absolute Zero captures this excitement with a simple combination of garter and soothing stockinette stitch patterns. This design includes a front and a back peplum that is knit using garter stitch, and made to your desired length, then joined by knitting in the round. The body of the garment is then knitted upward using stockinette stitch.
This garment is perfect for a summer night, shining in our Universe yarn
Absolute Zero, designed by our Managing Director, Yonca Ozbelli, was created to relieve you of any complicated shaping, making your knitting experience a delight. You can count on this garment to be light and airy, thanks to the blend of linen, cotton, glitter, and polyamide creating Universe. Each knit or crochet project using this yarn is sure to shine, just like Absolute Zero. However, Universe is being discontinued, so make sure to stock up on this yarn before it is out of stock. This weekend, you can save an extra 20% off this yarn that is already 50% off!
Universe was introduced to celebrate 10 years of Universal Yarn!
We hope you have an incredible weekend full of adventure, and if the weather’s nice, who knows, maybe you’ll go stargazing!
Buds are forming on branches, birds are building nests, and the earth is being greeted by more and more sunlight, thawing and reemerging from the cold. Spring is upon us! With every fresh season comes the desire to freshen up our stashes. Here are the yarns you won’t want to miss.
RavelloRiviette Tank
Ravello is one of three yarns making their debut as Web Exclusives on our site with brand-new, lower pricing! This luxurious, Italian yarn is a blend of cotton, extra-fine merino, and cashmere. In keeping with the “new life” theme of the season, it’s fitting to point out that the cashmere content is made from recycled sweaters, lending an eco-friendly characteristic to the lush composition. Beyond its metaphorical qualities, this yarn also has practical reasons to covet it during warmer months. It’s fine weight, and predominantly cotton base make for light, airy garments, like the Riviette Tank – a showstopper for the season!
Cotton Supreme WavesPlayground Hoodie
Cotton Supreme Waves is a soft, high-quality 100% cotton yarn that’s wonderful for garments and accessories. It’s one of our Oeko-Tex certified yarns, which are tested for 350+ harmful substances to keep you and loved ones safe. Available in 18 self-striping colors, this DK weight, self-striping yarn is ready to add splashes of color to your warm weather lineup. Check out some of our adult garments, like the popular Fresh Berries tee, or pieces from our Seaside Supreme collection for inspiration!
Bamboo Pop SockExhilarate Revisited
Bamboo Pop Sock, and Bamboo Pop Sock Solids are classic, warm-weather options. With a combined total of 46 colors, you have endless combinations to choose from! This super fine yarn is a blend of 55% bamboo, 37% cotton, and 8% PBT for a bit of stretch. The blend is intended for socks, as the name implies, but we adore using this yarn for garments like the vibrant Crimson Tee, or soothing accessories, like the Edisto Shawl.
TruvaYasha tank top
One last luxurious item that you absolutely don’t want to miss is the 50/50 cotton and cashmere, Truva. Available in a sophisticated palette of 8 color options, this yarn makes even the simplest of stitch patterns shine with an exquisite finesse. Dive into the 5 polished patterns of our On The Line collection, or explore free patterns like the Spearmint Tee, to craft yourself something magnificent to embrace the new warmth of the year.
Rico Design yarn selections for spring.
In addition to our own wonderful yarns, Rico Design has a beautiful variety, which we distribute here in the US. Nestled amongst them are a few perfect choices for this time of year. Baby Dream DK , made of 50% polyacrylic and 50% polyamide, is an excellent choice when making projects for little ones. It’s incredibly soft, easy to care for, and comes in 15 dreamy multi-colored shades. Pair it with the 21 complimentary solids of Baby Dream DK Uni for even more options!
Creative Lazy Hazy Summer Cotton DK is an exciting yarn to add to your stash! Each base color is spun with a vibrant variegated ply to add depth and dimension to each make. Select from 18 colors that span from deep earth tones, to rich jewel tones and even dusty pastels. This blend of 49% cotton, 46% acrylic and 5% polyester is versatile and wears well, ensuring your makes will last for years to come.
Fashion Cotton Light and Long Tweed DK captures the quintessential pastel shades of spring in its palette of 16 colors. The subtle color shifts blend like water color paintings with dashes of tweed adding a dose of refinement. It’s made of 47% cotton, 43% acrylic, 7% polyamide and 3% viscose and constructed with a tubular chainette for a lightweight, springy feel.
Last, but not least, Superba Merino Linen Silk, deserves some time to shine from our wide array of Rico Design yarns. Six self-shading colors captured in favored warm-weather fibers makes for a happy crafter, indeed! This yarn is unique and vibrant, like a gorgeous bouquet of spring flowers. It’s designed with socks in mind, but would make fabulous garments or accessories as well!
Share your work with us by tagging us on social media, we love sharing the joy of your creations!
There’s nothing better than seeking creativity in all that you do. As kids, it was imaginary lava floors and adventurous explorations of the woods in our backyard. Now, where do we find our inspiration? Well, hopefully, this Free Pattern Friday can offer you a dose of creativity that will lead to something worth cherishing with the Hopscotch Socks!
Socks are a hot commodity in the knitting and crocheting community, and we want to offer an original touch to this accessory that will have you making room in your sock drawer. The Hopscotch Socks, designed by Heather Hill, use our Zesty Sock yarn in the colorway 101 Cupcake to create an exciting next project for you.
Zips of color jump off the creamy white base of this yarn to give it a three-dimensional look and feel. These socks use calming Stockinette stitch throughout, and then each zip of color uses a purl stitch giving the Hopscotch Socks a textured design.
Constructing these socks begins from the cuff down with a heel flap and gusset, where you will use slip stitches with the yarn held in front to give these socks even more durability. The combination of stockinette and purl stitches makes this project great for someone looking to grow their knitting skillset. Socks can be intimidating, but this pattern will walk you through step by step (no pun intended) so that you will have a pair of socks you will wear for years to come!
Now, let’s talk about our featured yarn for the weekend! Zesty Sock is a super-fine weight blend of superwash merino wool and nylon. Each of the six colors of this yarn has a solid base, with pops of zesty color running throughout, creating unique designs you’ve never seen before. Newly introduced for Spring 2023, there is so much you can use our Zesty Sock yarn to craft.
If you’re feeling extra creative, we encourage you to match Zesty Sock with our solids from Uni Merino. Uni Merino is available in mini 25g balls (Uni Merino Mini) which are excellent for contrasting colorwork on small items, or in 100g balls for larger pieces. There are 50 colors to choose from, and its composition is an exact match to vibrant Zesty Sock, making them the perfect pairing for your next project.
Hey fiber friends! If you’re like me, one of your favorite parts of a new season is finding new projects to line up along with new yarn to play with. Last fall, we created Cassatt, and while there is still a chill in the air, it’s the perfect time to try it out!
Cassatt colors clockwise from left: Water Lilies, Luncheon, Impasto.
Made in Italy, Cassatt is a lush blend of 35% baby alpaca, 35% wool, 20% nylon, and 10% viscose. It features a hollow core with fine fibers blown through, creating a halo that is ethereal to look at, and a soft texture that’s a dream to work with. With such enchanting characteristics, it’s no wonder that this yarn’s name is inspired by American Impressionist painter, Mary Cassatt. Furthermore, each of the eight colors are named after famous works of art, from equally impactful artists. You’ll find “Water Lilies” by Claude Monet, and “Haystacks” by Van Gogh, to name a few. Can you identify the other six?
Crochet hat, Wavelength, in the color 604 Water Lilies.
It’s fitting that this yarn carries the theme of “a work of art,” considering anything you make using it will be just that! Whether you knit or crochet, you’ll find your stitches will come to life. They’ll be popping with definition from the plumpness of the yarn, and dancing from the speckles found in the colors. The tweedy nubs make each piece all the more magical, like the small visible brushstrokes of an impressionist painting.
Knit accessory, the Painterly Shawl, in the color 602 Haystacks.
As with any fine art, you will want to treat this yarn with care. With 70% of this special blend being quality fibers, you’ll need to hand wash your work and lay it flat to dry. The effort is well worth the reward, though, as each item made will be a timeless treasure. Take, for instance, the Emma vest (below) by Rachel Brockman. The simple lace stitch pattern and stripes ensure that Cassatt remains the focal point, and the combination comes together to create a layering piece that you’ll celebrate wearing year after year.
Knit garment, the Emma vest, in colors 606 Opera and 603 Dancer.
I hope you have enjoyed this look at our beautiful yarn, Cassatt, and I can’t wait to see all of the inspired pieces that you create with it! What do you think you’ll try out?
There’s nothing quite like Friday, and for this week’s Flash Pattern Friday, we have a fun surprise. Wool combined with classic tweedy nubs makes for the most exciting sweater projects, and today through Sunday, you can download the Chiaroscuro sweater for free on Ravelry!
The Chiaroscuro sweater features beautiful colorwork throughout the yoke.
Designed by Amy Gunderson, Chiaroscuro offers so much to love, but what stands out the most is the colorwork patterns on the yoke of this sweater. Three colors combine, using rhythmic slip stitches to create a design of crosses and left and right slants. Add in a funnel neck design and a bit of added length, and you’ve got a cozy and comfortable sweater you’ll reach for time and time again. This pattern might sound intimidating but don’t worry – it’s perfect for those looking to grow their knitting skills!
The oversized design of this sweater makes it nice and cozy.
The rolled and contrasting color hem, neckline, and sleeve cuffs add another element of excitement to the construction of this garment. Worked in a contrasting color, this added detail is not overbearing, but we know it will make others take notice. This sweater is found in the Still Life pattern collection, which features six garments and accessories in Deluxe Worsted Tweed Superwash and Deluxe Worsted Superwash. Deluxe Worsted Tweed Superwash has 24 different color options, so you can make a sweater that uses your favorite colors. The Chiaroscuro is sized from Small through 5X and is free to download on Ravelry through Sunday!
This graphic will help guide you to get the Chiaroscuro sweater for free.
To get Chiaroscuro for free, head to Ravelry and click “buy it now” or “add to cart” after searching for this pattern. When you reach the checkout, enter the code “FLASH” to get this pattern for free. Not a Ravelry user? Email us at patterns@universalyarn.com by Sunday, February 26th, and we will take care of you when we return to the office next week.
Deluxe Worsted Tweed Superwash is the perfect yarn for any sweater, including the Chiaroscuro. This blend of superwash wool, viscose, and acrylic makes for stylish garments and accessories because of the tweedy nubs. Plus, every project you make will be machine-washable, making your life easier. Your friends and family are sure to know it was hand-knit or crocheted due to the stitch definition found in Deluxe Worsted Tweed projects. Match it with Deluxe Worsted Superwash for even more fun! Check out your local yarn store to see if they have Deluxe Worsted Tweed Superwash in stock, and ask about drop shipping options if they don’t. If they are a Universal Yarn retailer, you can order any quantity of our yarns through your LYS for a flat shipping fee of $11. They’ll benefit from your patronage, and you’ll have the yarn shipped right to your door!
Deluxe Worsted Tweed is great for garments and accessories.
When temperatures keep dropping, you need a local yarn shop with woolly fibers to keep you warm! These stores are the foundation of our industry, and we can’t thank them enough for the community they provide and the joy they bring to everyday life. Continuing our Meet a Local Yarn Shop series, we’re virtually heading north to Chagrin Falls, Ohio, to interview Tiffany Perry, owner of The Artful Yarn.
Front of The Artful Yarn building, you’ll see it covered in snow most of the winter season…
When you open the doors of The Artful Yarn, you can expect to be met by a host of fiber friends ready to help and encourage you. In addition to Tiffany, The Artful Yarn’s new shop owner, the store has five shop assistants that work throughout the week. This shop offers plenty of classes to help grow your skills in knitting and crocheting, and the shop has a very supportive environment – there is always someone to help with your yarn or project-related questions!
Tiffany showing off her beautiful shawl made with Cotton Supreme!
We weren’t too surprised to hear that some of our woolly yarns, like Colorburst, are popular at a shop that is located in Ohio. Cold, snowy winters mean you need colorful and cozy yarns to work with. This yarn is perfect for colorful garments and accessories, like the Café Cable Set. While wool-based yarns are very popular at most stores, we have some other fibers to talk about too!
Favorites like Bamboo Pop Sock (pictured below) and Uptown Worsted are also available at The Artful Yarn! Many of Tiffany’s customers like to make shawls and blankets, and who can blame them? If you want to add even more creativity to your project, try out Major, stocked on the shelves of this magnificent store. This multi-colored yarn is made of 100% acrylic fibers and is popular for projects like blankets and accessories.
A WIP with our Bamboo Pop Sock yarn!
Tiffany may be new to owning The Artful Yarn, but her transition into the ownership role has been a smooth one thanks to the experience of previously working in the shop and having the continued support of Cathy (not pictured), the prior owner. The store has taken advantage of our drop ship program, which allows customers to support their local yarn shop, all while getting the product of their choice from our inventory.
The inside of The Artful Yarn, here is where you can sit and chat while working on your project!
The Artful Yarn’s Instagram page is a great place to stay updated on everything new happening at this yarn shop. The store participates in many local fiber arts events hosted by many cities in the Northeast Ohio area. Chagrin Falls, Ohio, is a small town with just over 4,000 residents. Being in a place that isn’t densely populated, it’s no surprise that the community is so close-knit (Do you see what I did there). This town has many fun events for crafters, including the Yarn Discovery Tour. In 2022, we were able to create some exclusive patterns in Colorburst for this wonderful event! If you happen to be stopping by The Artful Yarn, be sure to ask about these kits!
It was a great honor to talk to Tiffany and learn more about her store. While she is new to ownership, her store has seen great success thanks to the support of the Chagrin Falls community. We encourage you to check out their website and follow them on social media! You can always order drop shipping from their store and get your favorite Universal Yarn products while supporting The Artful Yarn.
Another Friday, another incredible free pattern just for you! This week, Marina is permanently free! This previously paid for pattern is from our Spring Capsule collection, featuring our Radiant Cotton yarn.
This sweater is perfect for the upcoming spring season
There’s so much about the Marina sweater that makes you want to pick up your needles and get started. The first thing that sticks out is the beautiful sheen seen in the 100% Egyptian Giza cotton yarn, known as Radiant Cotton. Aside from the yarn, we know you will love the overall construction of this garment, so let’s take a look at those details!
The Marina pullover uses Radiant Cotton color 809 Atlantic
This sweater is worked flat in pieces and seamed. Seams add structure to the finished garment, enhancing the lifespan of your hand knits. A split hemline and saddle shoulders are additional details that add sophistication to the Marina pullover. Although this sweater may be long-sleeved, Radiant Cotton is a light and breathable yarn, so you can wear it comfortably throughout the coming year. Now that you’ve heard a little more about the construction of this sweater: let’s go ahead and look at our Radiant Cotton yarn!
Radiant Cotton has beautiful, bright color options
There is so much to love about our Radiant Cotton yarn. The 100% Egyptian Giza cotton fibers have a long staple length, giving it an unmatched luxurious feel, strength, and a gorgeous sheen that makes any of the 32 color options stand out. This yarn is an excellent choice for sophisticated and polished garment and accessory projects and looks beautiful in both knit and crochet stitch patterns. Now is the time to shop Radiant Cotton as it is 20% off its 50% off sale price this weekend only!
As always, thank you for reading! Stay up to date with us on social media and by joining our newsletter. You’ll be the first to know about all of our sales and new releases, plus you’ll get a 10% off welcome coupon for signing up!
It’s Friday, so you know what that means – it’s time for a free pattern! This week, we have the Broomstick Lace Scarf, an elegant crochet scarf with eye-catching Broomstick Lace detailing.
Broomstick Lace Scarf using Noelle in the color 304 Calypso
Broomstick Lace is a unique type of lace that requires a large crochet hook, which you pull loops of yarn onto across an entire row, with the use of your smaller hook. These loops are gently pulled off the large hook in sets, then single crochet is worked through them to go back across the row again. These single crochet stitches twist the loops so they lay flat, creating the swirled effect of the lace. It’s a technique that seems intimidating at first, but is actually quite simple, and even repetitive, once you get the hang of it. The resulting pattern is stunning and well worth the effort!
Close-up view of the Broomstick Lace detailing in the scarf.
The lace and simple half double crochet fabric in this week’s pattern accentuates the glistening properties of the yarn, Noelle. This DK weight, Italian yarn features a shimmering hollow core with fibers blown through, creating an ethereal effect. It is available in 50g skeins, in four bespoke colors, and is composed of baby alpaca, merino wool, polyester, and nylon. To make sure your shimmering stitches last, hand wash your work in cold water and lay it flat to dry.
Noelle Yarn, color 304 Calypso
I hope you feel inclined to make the enchanting Broomstick Lace Scarf, or to stock your stash with beautiful Noelle. If crochet isn’t for you, you might find other inspiration browsing the Subtle Glow collection, featuring 5 scintillating patterns to knit or crochet. Share your work with us by tagging us on social media, we love sharing the joy of your creations!
Picture this: you’re at a baseball game, and you pass by the Cotton Candy cart. This isn’t a treat you get to have often, so the memory of seeing the fun colors and the sugary sweet taste stays with you for years to come. Believe it or not, things like this can often serve as inspiration for design, and that is exactly what inspired today’s Free Pattern.
Photo from MINDSTEEL on Pixabay
Sometimes our sugar rush leads us to look for a new pattern, and today, you’re in luck. The Cotton Candy Shawl is now permanently free to download. This beautiful asymmetric shawl uses our soft and woolly Donnina yarn to create an accessory that you will want to wear all year long.
The Cotton Candy Shawl is the perfect accessory for this upcoming spring season!
The Cotton Candy Shawl is knit with a modular construction, starting with a mitered square. Simple garter stitch is worked throughout so that you can focus on the construction of this pattern. Watch this shawl come to life as you knit one color at a time, resulting in a color-blocked appearance that shows off our bold Donnina yarn. The colors 224 Navy, 210 Sweet Pea, and 201 Vanilla are used in this project. As an added bonus, Donnina is a sport-weight yarn, meaning you can wear this shawl year-round.
The Cotton Candy Shawl can be styled in many different ways
Sumptuous and smooth Donnina is the perfect complement to the Cotton Candy Shawl. Each 50g skein contains 180 yards of yarn that will leave you in awe. Donnina has 25 available colors, and you are more than welcome to substitute colors to create your own personalized Cotton Candy Shawl. It’s the perfect time to shop this yarn, as it recently went on sale for 40% off, and with this weekend’s sale, you can purchase Donnina for an extra 20% off. There are so many great patterns in this yarn, which you can see at this link.
Donnina is 100% superwash extra fine merino
I hope you enjoyed reading more about the Cotton Candy Shawl and our woolly Donnina yarn, and who knows, maybe you’re inspired to head to the grocery store for some Cotton Candy (no shame in that). We encourage you to share all your finished Universal Yarn projects with us at #universalyarn on Instagram.
