Topping the shortlist of my favorite of our yarns is Dona, a DK weight housed in the Fibra Natura line of natural fiber yarns. Dona is 100% extrafine merino and soft as butter. And machine washable to boot!
I’d like to introduce you to a few of my favorites from ebook Dona 2.0 which was released this fall:
Oversized boxy shapeCan you tell we like asymmetry?Super duper cozy!
There are 9 more projects for a total of 13 garment and accessory patterns in this collection. You can see them all on our website here. All patterns are available for download via Ravelry – individually or together in the full ebook. I hope you love Dona as much as I do!
There’s a lot to love about this easy pullover. The way the stripes look in reverse stockinette, the comfy fit, the interest provided by two colors of self-shading yarn… we could go on.
This is a good, basic sweater pattern that goes fairly quickly on US size 10 (6mm) needles. Knit it in pieces, then seam. If you’ve been a little leery of trying a sweater, this would be a good one to start on.
The sweater uses Major in two colors – 126 Honeydew and 117 Graphite (shown). You could go wild with color combinations, or keep it grounded by sticking with monochrome 117 Graphite for one of your shades. There are a lot of possibilities here.
Little Acorn comes to us from Anita Closic, proprietor of A Garden of Yarn in Chadds Ford, Pa. Like so many LYS folks, Anita’s a sweetheart – she also gifted our customer service team (Katie and Angie) with scarves, which they haven’t stopped raving about. Nobody appreciates crafting like crafters! Thanks, Anita!
Little Acorn is a reference to the seed from which mighty oaks grow. It’s a lovely topper that’s sized from baby through adult, with just one skein of Adore (100g/273yds) required for any size.
The hat is worked from the scalloped brim up, in the round on US size 6 (4mm) needles, or whatever gets you gauge. Accent it with coordinating buttons for a special touch.
We hope you enjoy this pattern – and if you’re ever in southeastern Pennsylvania, stop in at A Garden of Yarn and say hi to Anita!
Don’t you love it when a yarn does half the work for you? Self-striping Major makes this knitting project super colorful.
This collar cowl is perfect as an extra layer just beneath your coat during blustery winter days. The cowl is worked in the round from the bottom-up with shaping intended to perfectly hug the neck and shoulders. The result is an especially warm accessory.
Worked in bulky-weight Major, this cowl is also a quick knit. Since one skein is enough for two cowls, why not make one for yourself and another as a gift for someone special?
We hope you have a fantastic weekend. Happy knitting!
First things first: how’s everybody doing? Currently, the projected path of Hurricane Irma is moving west of us, so it looks like Universal Yarn here in NC will miss the worst of it. But we’re worried about all of you, in the midst of fire and flood. Please stay safe.
For those wanting to take their mind off things, we offer this crochet shawl in Little Bird (100g/346yds), a lightweight acrylic that’s cottony soft. Pipping is a sweet crochet confection – a bit of normalcy that we all could use right about now.
This asymmetric shawl starts on its longest edge and decreases along one edge. Cut the ends after each color change, and work them in as you go to save time in finishing.
This is an easy pattern to customize with your own colors – you’re not locked in to just three. Use as few or as many as you want. The pattern is both written and charted for your convenience.
We hope you have a safe and restful weekend. We’re thinking of all of you.
It’s been a while since we’ve shared something for the home. These baskets are a quick and easy knitting project.
Worked from the center to edge, judicious placement of “wrap and turn” every few rows forms a curved edge. 100% raffia Yashi (solid) or Yashi Iro (multi) give a nice texture to the finished bowl.
We hope you enjoy this tasteful and decorative project.
Sometimes simple is good. That’s what we have here, a simple, boxy pullover, perfect over a tank top. The asymmetrical placement of the neck causes the hem to hang lower in the back than the front.
As shown, it uses Garden 10 mercerized Egyptian Giza cotton thread, loosely knitted on a US size 4 (3.5mm) needle. We think this piece would also look great in Flax Lace. Plant fibers provide a breathability and drape that work well with this sideways-knit top.
The body is knitted as a big rectangle, using intarsia for the color changes. Seam together the edges of the color blocks to create armholes. Easy work that’s good for knitting while chatting, but those color changes help keep things from getting dull.
This would be a great top to personalize with your own color choices. Black and blue? Peaches and cream? The sky’s the limit.
Fugu is the Japanese word for pufferfish. One minute it’s sleek and streamlined…
Hi there!
The next minute it’s quite a bit bulkier!
HI THERE!!
So it is with Bamboo Bloom Handpaints, transitioning from smooth and silky to fluffy puffs and back again. And given the cool blue ocean tones of this color, we thought it was appropriate.
When I got my hands on this, my immediate thought was, “this would make a beautiful Hanasaku Cowl.” It led to a lot of joy, sorting through our stock of Poems to see what would pair well. In the end it came down to two choices.
I liked the darkness and overall violet-blue of Poems in Arles 601, and am pleased with how this turned out.
I still may go back and make one in the other combo. Honestly, these slip-stitch cowls are fun and quick to make. It’s a great go-to project for something colorful and impressive-looking.
The Hanasaku Cowl is available for sale on Ravelry – but if you hit your local yarn shop, they can download it for free for you. You might want to grab a skein of Fugu while you can, too.
There’s actually not much hidden about today’s pattern. There is, however, a lot to treasure. This poncho uses self-striping Major, which comes in ginormous 200g balls. Here’s a picture – Amy Gunderson for scale.
This yarn is a favorite because it’s easy to get a substantial project out of very few balls. Today’s design, for instance, calls for just three.
On size 10½ (6.5mm) needles, make two rectangles, then seam at the shoulders. Pick up and knit around for the ribbed collar, and you’re done. The stitch pattern is both written and charted, and doesn’t require a cable needle.
