How clever is this? I love the way designer Ashley Jane McIntyre used the self-striping nature of Deluxe Stripes to create little accents between the shells, breaking up the fields of color with complementary tones.
Deluxe Stripes a great yarn for this project. The stripes change crisply, and the 75% wool/25% nylon content means this blankie is machine washable and will last a long time. Deluxe Stripes is also Oeko-Tex 100 Product Class 1 certified, for the safety of the ones you love!
Sunny Shells is worked flat, from the bottom up. After finishing the body, you’ll go back and apply that lovely border in joined, unturned rounds.
Tip: As shown, this project took almost every bit of seven skeins of Deluxe Stripes. You might want to get another skein, just as insurance.
We hope you have a wonderful weekend, full of brightness and joy.
Tori Gurbisz designed Aoyagi for our Bloom in Color collection of designs in Bamboo Bloom Handpaints. There are plenty of colorful designs in this collection – how could there not be, with Bamboo Bloom Handpaints? – but as you can see, Aoyagi made the cover!
Aoyagi combines two favorite yarns, Bamboo Bloom Handpaints and Deluxe Worsted. While the original color of Deluxe Worsted used in the shawl is now retired, we recommend two others: 12188 Heather or 14007 Indigo. We’ve put them side by side with Bamboo Bloom Handpaints 318 Emperor above, and you can see how well they blend. Of course, with 90 shades in Deluxe Worsted, it’s not going to be hard to find a combination that works for you!
To get Aoyagi free, use the buy it now or add to cart links on the Ravelry pattern page linked here. Then enter coupon code FLASH where you see the “use a coupon code” links that appear during purchase, and click “apply.”
Not a Ravelry user? Drop us a line by the end of Sunday 7/31 and we’ll get you taken care of.
We hope you have a wonderful weekend, full of color that’s every bit as vibrant as you are!
Talk about summertime style! Aubrey Busek’s versatile textured beauty features contrast-colored accents, a cozy fit, and easily doubles as a tank.
As is standard with our designs, Tincture is size-inclusive, running from XS to 5X. It uses my favorite construction: bottom up, in the round. And that texture!
It’s an eight row repeat that’s very rhythmic and easy to get into, and it makes such a beautiful fabric! And the choice of yarn for this really makes that fabric glow.
Vireo is made of 80% plant-based Tencel and 20% wool. The Tencel helps it stays cool in the summer, and gives it fabulous drape and stitch definition. The wool gives it a touch of springiness that’s just right for this piece.
I love this in the original 113 Macaron and 114 Jade Necklace. Just looking at the colors cools me down.
clockwise from top: 109 Featherlight, 107 Apricot Tart, 108 Marmelade
But Vireo has a lot of possibilities. A combination of any of these tones, Vireo colors 107 through 109, would look great. It reminds me of summertime peaches!
No matter what you choose for your Tincture, we know you’ll have a great time knitting it.
As knitters and crocheters, we sometimes overlook the summer stitching season or wish away the heat in favor of sweater weather. Of course, that’s understandable considering we all spend so much time lovingly making sweaters, hats, shawls, and other cozy projects. But we don’t need to wish away the long, sunny days. We can beat the sweltering heat by choosing yarns perfect for the height of summer. So, although back-to-school is around the corner and fall will come in the blink of an eye, I still want to celebrate our staff picks for our favorite summer yarns.
Aubrey
“My favorite summer yarn is going to be a classic: Cotton Supreme. 100% cotton that is buttery soft means that anything you make is going to be comfortable to wear when the days are hot. And we all know how hot it gets here in the south! The matte look of this yarn makes it perfect for any project, dress it up or dress it down, and the extensive color palette offers so many options. I’ve wanted to design a knit dress, and this could be the perfect summer option.“
Ashley Jane (AJ)
“My favorite summer yarn is Truva. The marled and heathered look is so unique and its cotton/cashmere blend is soft and lightweight to work with. I love the idea that even a simple summer garment, like a tank, will undoubtedly turn out looking and feeling luxurious. I also can’t get over the colors! There may only be eight to choose from, but I still can’t pin down a favorite. Each one has a little something special to it that keeps me falling in love over and over again.”
Heather
“This may be an obvious choice since *everybody* loves this yarn, but I think my favorite warm weather yarn is Bamboo Pop. It’s so cool and smooth! Of the projects that I’ve made in this yarn, my personal favorite is the Maya Scarf. I’m friends with designer Amy Gunderson, and she was kind enough to help me pick out some good cool tones. It was an easy pattern to get into the rhythm of, and the yarn was so refreshing to knit with. I love the drape of the plant fibers and the sheen that the bamboo gives my projects! It’s easy to see why Bamboo Pop is so popular.”
Yonca
“Mine is Flax. With the perfect color palette from brights to pastels – Flax gives me lots of color options. I love the crisp sense of it while I am working with it and love the fact that it will get softer over time. It is perfect for keeping me cool during hot Carolina summers while still looking sharp. I am hoping to knit another summer top with it this summer. “
Rachel
One of my favorite things about Universal Yarn is the strong lineup of summer options. We honestly have such an amazing range of yarns perfect for warmer climates in a variety of fabulous fibers. It’s so challenging to choose a favorite – but since I asked everyone else to choose, I must also choose! My favorite summer yarn has to be Magnolia. This blend of modal and cashmere is one of the loveliest yarns I’ve had the pleasure of working with. It’s silky smooth, lightweight, and has perhaps the best drape of any yarn out there. I really mean that! The color palette is so juicy and fresh – with excellent options for neutrals. For a splash of color, don’t miss our gorgeous Sunkissed Summer collection!
And there you have it, folks, our favorite summer yarns! I hope you’ve enjoyed hearing a little bit about what makes each of these yarns special to us, and why we love working with them. What are your favorite summer yarns? Let us know in the comments!
Summer means kids in constant motion! And today’s free pattern is perfect for keeping young ones comfortable as they play.
I’ll sit down, but I’m not tired!
Aubrey Busek’s Playground Hoodie is sized for kids two to twelve. It’s shown here in the four-year-old size. We’re happy to report that it met with the model’s seal of approval.
Okay, playtime again!
Perfect for warm and cool weather alike, the practical hood and kangaroo pocket will allow your little one to ward off any breeze in the air. Machine washable 100% Cotton Supreme Waves creates a breathable fabric that’s practical spring through fall.
So many colors!
Color 910 Equator is used in the hoodie. It stripes up solidly, but there are also options that stripe up with a more speckled, variegated effect, like 916 Ice Cream that’s facing forward in the group of future WIPs above.
Did someone say ice cream?
Pro tip: Cotton Supreme Waves is a self-striping yarn. To ensure your project looks as close to the sample as possible, when breaking and rejoining yarn, be sure to visually match the point at which you’re rejoining. You might need to wind off some yarn. We promise the results are worth the effort!
Do I hear the ice cream truck over there?
The Playground Hoodie is a sunshiney, practical kid project that looks good, feels good, and is fun to knit. What a perfect summertime treat!
We hope you have a fantastic weekend, full of imagination and fun times.
It’s just the right time for this lightweight, breezy accessory in Bamboo Pop, and Rachel Brockman has outdone herself on the design! She’s created a knitted version, shown above…
…and a crocheted version, shown here! Both feature elongated stitches against a simple background, ornamented with eyelets…
…and both use just two balls of Bamboo Pop, our 50/50 cotton/bamboo blend. Rachel chose speckled color 305 Ocean Dots, but there are also solid and variegated selections, to match whatever your taste may be.
From left: 209 Jungle Life, 205 Brilliant Blues, and 210 Orchid Smash
For msyelf, I might pick one of the variegated colors shown here. I’m a sucker for those bluish tones.
We hope you enjoy this sweet little warm-weather accessory, no matter which craft speaks to you most. Have a wonderful weekend.
Serafina was designed by Rachel Brockman as part of the Perennial Knits collection, showcasing five timeless patterns in Ravello. We love this design so much we put it on the cover!
And what’s not to love? There’s a delicate, lacy hem with a touch of stranded colorwork…
…bordering a simple stockinette body, with raglan sleeves and constrating edging. All together, Serafina is graceful, polished, and beautiful.
The gorgeous stitch definition and depth of color come from the yarn, Ravello. This 50% cotton/50% cashmere blend feels like a dream and works up smoothly and easily. This is one of my favorites from our Italian mill, because it is so versatile in warm weather, and because of the faint haze that the cashmere gives to the cotton. True luxury.
With its inclusive sizing and seamless construction, this pattern will appeal to a range of knitters. It certainly appeals to me. My queue continues to grow!
To get Serafina free, use the buy it now or add to cart links on the Ravelry pattern page linked here. Then enter coupon code FLASH where you see the “use a coupon code” links that appear during purchase. Not a Ravelry user? Drop us a line by the end of Sunday 6/26 and we’ll get you taken care of.
Lightweight, lacy, and perfect for summer, Delilah is a linen luxury that’s tailor-made for warm weather.
This design comes to us from Aubrey Busek. If you know her work, it’s easy to see her creative touches: she always brings a certain flair to her designs, as with the bohemian tassels adorning this asymmetrical triangular shawl.
Aubrey chose Flax 100% linen yarn for this design, and no wonder: when it comes to summer fashion and comfort, you really can’t go wrong with linen.
Delilah is a perfect topper to any outfit you choose. We’ve paired it with a long summer dress here, but it’s simple to style any number of ways. Its 50″ length looks great wrapped over the bodice, draped loosely at your neck, or artfully thrown over one shoulder.
Delilah’s lace repeat is easy to memorize, and a great match for its soothing stockinette center. This shawl is just as fun to work up as it is to wear.
This is definitely a design to bump to the top of the queue.
The “Revisited” in this pattern’s name is because it is a re-imagining of an existing sock yarn shawl, Exhilarate. We loved the way it used panels of varying widths in self-striping yarn to create different lengths of stripes. It led us to think, “hmmm… this would look great in Bamboo Pop Sock!”
(L-R) Bamboo Pop Sock colors 506 Rip Tide and 503 Jetties
Perfect for a confident beginner, Exhilarate Revisited uses garter stitch and lets the color do the work. Looking to build your skills? We’ve implemented a touch of intarsia for a colorful effect sure to turn heads. The tidy edge is created by an i-cord bind-off. It’s a handy tool to have in your knitter’s bag of tricks!
This shawl is worked modularly in 4 sections. A diagram is included to help you visualize the construction. You’ll create the stripes, then pick up stitches to add the solid border along the two shorter sides.
This accessory is so lightweight and drapey in wool-free Bamboo Pop Sock – it’s perfect for summer.
