Last year, I wove a scarf utilizing the variegated effects of Bamboo Pop. You can find that post and all of my warping and weaving photos here.
This is the first version of the color pool scarf.
For my second go at this scarf, I decided to try one of our tonal multis in Bamboo Pop. I chose 205 Brilliant Blues + 120 Graphite for the warp. I wove with Whisper Lace 104 Fog as weft. This project takes just one ball of each color for a substantially sized scarf.
So soothing.
This blue-gray version is a more understated look than the original. I was hoping to show that this fun technique can be used to achieve more or less impact – it’s all about contrast.
I love the twisted fringe finish with hemstitching. It’s so tidy!
You can see both scarves in person at Stitches United next month. Stitches United is a new kind of multi-craft stitches. In addition to knit, crochet, and yarn, there will also be sewing, weaving, beading, and a lot more! If you’re in the Hartford, CT area at the end of April, you should definitely check it out.
See you next time here on the blog with more fun weaving!
It’s a simple formula: sparkly yarn+ crochet = gorgeous.
The three row body repeat creates a striking fabric in our 10th anniversary yarn Universe (246yds/50g), a blend of cotton, linen, and glitter wrapped in a polyamide thread for greater durability.
Ooh… aah…
Worked on a size C-2 (2.75mm) hook, this design features a pineapple edging with picots, adding to the elegance of the stole.
Delicate and divine.
We hope you enjoy this gorgeous crochet lace piece.
One of the nice things about going to crafting shows is that we get to see in person how generous our crafting community can be. We were reminded of this again with the Halos for Hope booth at StitchesWest.
Halos of Hope partners with LYSes and local guilds to collect and distribute chemo caps. These caps are practical, and also serve as a personal reminder to a person going through a difficult time that yes, they are cared for.
We were moved to design new patterns for our Cotton Supreme family, which is a great choice for chemo caps. It’s incredibly soft and won’t irritate chemo patients’ scalps, which are often more tender than usual.
Amy says she thinks of this as a knitted representation of rays of radiation zapping cancer away. Such a lovely idea – meaningful, but still very pretty in its own right. We hope someone wearing this will feel the strength and energy Amy has put into this design.
This pattern has a bit of personal significance to me. It was released on the 9th anniversary of the day my mother was declared free of ovarian cancer. Mom has had no recurrence – she’s still energetic enough to run rings around me. She’d be the first to tell you to know the signs, and to go see your doctor if you have any concerns. I, for one, am very glad that she took early action.
Universal Yarn is headquartered in Harrisburg, NC, just outside of Charlotte. It was a balmy 72 degrees here yesterday. Let’s take a look at the forecast for the rest of the week, shall we?
Dress in layers. Lots of layers.
So tell us: is it Spring? Is it winter? What’s a crafter supposed to do with this??
I think what we’ll choose to do this week is hit the LYS for any wool we need to finish cold weather projects, but also pick up some cotton because warm weather is coming, no matter what.
Enter the Sunday Cardigan in Radiant Cotton (203yds/100g). It’s a classic knitted lace sweater, perfect for the warmer weather we know is just around the corner.
This pattern is written and charted, and contains a schematic. It has the classic construction – knitted flat and seamed. Right twists give the Tight Braid pattern extra interest. This is a great everyday piece, or one that works to dress up a plain outfit on the weekends, as the name suggests.
I love this in the pale pastel of 807 First Bloom, but I can’t help but wonder what it would be like if you turned up the saturation a little bit, maybe with color 806 Calypso.
It’s going to be hard to go wrong with this design.
No matter what the weather is doing in your neck of the woods, we hope you enjoy this charming free pattern.
You’ve got to love the ones that are easier than they look.
This slip-stitch knit pattern is worked in two colors of our bulky Major acrylic. Because this yarn comes in big 200g/328yd skeins, you only need one skein of each color. Even though it’s a wide scarf, it’s made on a size 10 1/2 (6.5mm) needle so it goes pretty quickly.
It’s always gratifying to see the next color come up in a pattern with self-shading yarn, isn’t it? The travelling slipped stitches mean the color carries up into the next row, even though each section only uses one color of yarn at a time. Knit it lengthwise, add the fringe, and voila! A lovely accessory.
Depending on where you are, either it’s warm enough for Spring projects, or you’re dreaming that it’s warm enough. It’s time to get a little headstart with this beautiful lace wrap.
Knit on US Size 7 (4.5mm) needles in Radiant Cotton (203yds/100g), it’s a generous 84″ (seven feet!) as shown. It would be easy to lengthen or shorten – just add or remove a repeat or two from the central section. The crocheted picot edging is applied after finishing the piece.
This lovely sampler also comes in a narrower scarf version at about half the width.
There are some really bright Spring colors in Radiant cotton that would look lovely with this. Maybe 819 Sky Blue?
Or maybe something lighter and more delicate, like 807 First Bloom.
The 52″ Whirlpool Throw is crocheted with two balls each of two shades of Major (328yds/200g), colors 115 Stonewall and 114 Coastal. Start at the center with an adjustable ring and work out, alternating colors every row.
This is not a difficult pattern, being primarily double crochet, but the results are dramatic. There are quite a few color combos you could choose. I like 101 Verdant and 102 Underwater for a green “fairy ring” kind of feel. It’s hard to go wrong.
As you may have guessed, it’s not a recent picture. However, he’s still got that youthful spirit and twinkle in his eye. He still has a wicked sense of humor. And he’s astonished (in a good way!) that his little tomboy grew up to be such a prolific knitter. What’s better, he appreciates my knitting.
We all know there’s nothing like crafting for someone who truly cherishes what we’ve made. Dad’s great about that. When I made him his first pair, he proclaimed they were “like butter” and that he never knew socks could feel that good. Obviously, this is someone knitworthy.
When we got our first shipment of Allegro, a no-wool sock yarn, I knew this is what I’d be using for his 2017 birthday. It’s so smooth! I chose color 803 Slate Minstrel.
Knitting in the grass in summertime. Bliss.
Although there’s no wool content, Allegro has a bounce to it that makes it perfect for socks. They stay up and keep their shape nicely. Allegro would also be great for any projects where wool allergies are a concern, or for those who simply want to avoid animal products.
Ready to close the second toe!
As you can see, there was plenty in one ball to make a pair, and the striping matched pretty much perfectly. There’s enough left over that I could have extended the cuffs or made a larger size with no worries.
No, these are not my father’s legs.
My go-to pattern is Back to Basic Socks, a free pattern on our website for a cuff-down heel flap sock. It goes fairly quickly and stands up well to wear. It’s also a great starting point for those who want to customize by adding, say, an eye-of-partridge heel or patterning along the leg. For Dad’s socks, though, I kept it basic. Ribbed leg, plain heel, nice and simple. I knew he’d appreciate them just as they were.
Also not a recent picture of my Dad.
Dad’s birthday was at the end of January. Alas, I don’t have a picture of my dad with the socks, so please enjoy this picture of a previous birthday. Once again this year, he was delighted by his hand-knitted socks. And I am once again picking out yarn for his next pair.
We wish you joyful knitting for an appreciative audience.
We loved the way this simple color-changing scarf looked, so we knitted up several options to see how it looked in different colors. It was no hardship. The pattern is easy enough for a beginner and is worked on US size 10 1/2 needles in our Deluxe Bulky Superwash wool.
I’m a sucker for blues and greens, so the five-color version in those tones really speaks to me. Those who want to go bolder might try the six-color version, shown in purple, pink, and green. And those who want something classic and understated can knit the three-color version in shades of white and gray.
We’re not kidding when we say the welting pattern on this is easy. It’s a four row repeat knitted flat which goes: knit a row, purl a row, purl a row, knit a row. Great for beginners, or for those who want a project to knit that doesn’t require their full attention. (I still haven’t gotten to see the latest season of Sherlock; this would be ideal for that!)
As I look at this scarf, I also wonder how it would look with a couple of different colors of a self-shading yarn, like Poems Chunky. I’ve been searching for the perfect project for our newest color.
It might be February, but many of us are still working on projects from last fall’s Deluxe Cable Collection.
As a reminder, this is our ongoing blog series covering projects from the Deluxe Cable Collection. You can learn more about the knitalong by reading previous blog posts here, viewing the collection here, and joining our Ravelry group here.
Our Sales Director Yonca has completed both ponchos from the collection. We don’t have a shot of her Catawba River Poncho which she knit up in Deluxe Chunky 91904 Pomegranate Heather (which might be my most favorite shade of Deluxe). Below is free pattern Valentina worked in this same color.
Free pattern Valentina, worked in Deluxe Chunky Pomegranate Heather
But Heather did manage to catch Yonca the other day as she wore her new Cumberland Poncho in Deluxe Worsted here at the office.
Is she adorable, or what? Yonca made a couple of small changes to the pattern.
First, since she is a rather petite woman, Yonca knit each panel a little bit shorter is called for, which resulted in a bit less circumference in the finished poncho. Her gauge was also a bit tighter than called for in the pattern, but it worked out in her favor, giving the piece a bit less depth, as well.
Second, Yonca added only half the fringe called for in the pattern. Which I adore! A few weeks ago, she had her poncho here in the office to show us how it was coming along. At that point, the entire thing was knit and seamed with half the fringe attached. She put it on to show us, and we convinced her that it looked totally awesome only partially fringed. And she was delighted to hear this, particularly since that is a lot of fringe to attach and she was getting rather burned out of doing it!
I love these changes that get made along the way (especially when they involve less work!)
How about you? Are you still plugging away on a project from this ebook? I’d love to hear about it!
