It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Rainbow Brick Shawl in Deluxe Worsted Superwash and Classic Shades Frenzy (pattern link here).
Our design team named this pattern after the famous Italian sweets. When I heard this, I asked, “The what? What’s Rainbow Brick dessert?” Gasps of horror floated out of the design studio.
Credit: Ari Laing at wellseasonedstudio.com
Oh! Yes! I know those! I love those! No wonder this sweet design is named after such a tasty treat.
This slip-stitch shawl starts at the point, increasing as you go. Change colors every two rows, and twist them together at the end so you don’t have to cut the yarn and weave in a million ends.
Self-shading Classic Shades Frenzy is bordered by solid Deluxe Worsted Superwash to create little capsules of color in this fun accessory.
Do you think I can convince the design team to make me some Rainbow Brick cookies? I predict they’ll do what crafters often do when someone asks them to knit something: “here are the instructions, try it yourself!”
Happy crafting!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, Verbena in Angora Lace (free pattern link).
This pattern puts the Lace in Angora Lace.
This asymmetrical shawl is worked flat from the bottom up, beginning at the widest edge.
First, the lace section is worked even, then stitches are gradually decreased to the point.
The angora in Angora Lace gives this a delightful soft halo, supported by a bit of nylon for extra strength. When you make something this beautiful, you want it to last.
All together, it creates a lovely lightweight, versatile shawl.
Angora Lace 203 MerlotAngora Lace 206 Rose
As written, the pattern calls for 2 balls of 207 Ballerina, a lovely light pink. I’m wondering, though, how it would look with a dark color for the lace and a lighter one for the body. Maybe something Valentine-y like red and a darker pink? Hmm…
Mmm… dreamy.
We hope you have a fantastic weekend.
Happy crafting!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Flourish Scarf in Uptown Super Bulky (pattern link here).
This pattern is proof that you can have both lace and instant gratification.
Knit on US size 13 (9mm) needles, this beautiful scarf is only 21 stitches across.
Make it as long or as short as you like – it’ll go quick in Uptown Super Bulky.
There are plenty of color options – you can stick with the 423 Mint Green in the model or branch out!
We hope you have a great new year, and continue to flourish and grow.
Happy crafting!
This is part 10 in a 12 part series highlighting designs from our 12 Days of Winter, Series 3 Edition.
It’s Day 10 of the 12 Days of Winter Kit Collection. Today, the Snowdrift cowl designed by Adrienne Larsen. This design combines cables, twisted stitches, and eyelets to create a show-stopping winter accessory. It’s knit up in Fibra Natura Dona – one of our favorite yarns for knitting cables because of its superior stitch definition. Did we mention that it’s incredibly soft, too? For today’s post, we’ve asked Adrienne to share her passion for cable design with us. Here is what she had to say:
“I love cables. I love how they look and I love thinking about how they work. When creating a new cable pattern, I always break into two main elements: the ground and the squiggle.
The ground is pretty self-explanatory. The ground is what the cable is sitting on: the background. It is usually reverse stockinette stitch because it’s simple and doesn’t pull focus from the main event: the squiggle. If you want to add a little zing, the ground could be seed stitch or garter stitch. If you prefer a really smooth look, it can even be stockinette.
The squiggle is where you can really get creative. You can do a simple cable, which sits in place, and just crosses over itself, like in a 2×2 Right Cross. The squiggle can also move back and forth over the ground as a traveling cable. The stitches in the squiggle usually stay together and move on top of the ground. It can also move under or over other squiggles.
The stitches in a squiggle are classically groups of knit stitches. In this pattern, I decided to change things up by adding some twisted stitches and purls to some of the squiggles. If you look, the twisted stitch squiggles and the plain squiggles always stay that way, even when they move under or over each other.
I also added yarn-overs to some of the stationary squiggles. I didn’t like that you could see the underlapping stitches in the cables in the yarn-over squiggles, so I only placed them when they were stationary. I also only changed from twisted/purl combination squiggles to yarn-over squiggles after during an underlap, when possible where it could be hidden.
That’s just a few things that are considered when cable patterns are designed!”
-Adrienne
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning a bit more about Adrienne’s approach to cable design. We think it’s fascinating and feel so lucky to have her designs in this kit collection. Remember, you can find the Snowdrift kit and the rest of the 12 Days of Winter kits at your local yarn store.
This is part 1 in a 12 part series highlighting designs from our 12 Days of Winter, Series 3 Edition.
It’s that time again – the holidays are just around the corner. Unbelievably, we’re just over halfway through November. For most of us, that means we’re knee-deep in crafty gift-making for loved ones. Here at Universal Yarn headquarters, we’ve been working hard to keep the 12 Days of Winter tradition alive with a beautiful third installment. We’re so excited to share these projects with you. Whether you are looking for a gift for a special yarn-loving person in your life, or for the perfect gift to make, we’ve got you covered.
This year we’re kicking off the collection with a scarf designed by the talented Adrienne Larsen. Aspen is one of those perfect, squishy scarves that’s just the right length. It’s beautiful – any worthy recipient would be thrilled to wrap this around their neck.
The elaborate cable motif is simpler to work than one might expect, and by the time the scarf is complete, you’ll likely have it memorized. Inspired by quaking aspen trees, each cable in this scarf grows out of another. The result is an interlocking pattern that is sure to turn heads.
Knit up in Deluxe Worsted, a 100% wool yarn, we’ve selected a neutral color that allows the stitchwork to shine. It’s perfect for men and women alike and is sure to work well with any item in your winter-weather wardrobe. Surprisingly, this pattern takes just two skeins, which are included in the kit along with the pattern. Surely you can finish this one in time for the holidays.
We hope you’ll love the Aspen scarf as much as we do, and that you’re equally excited for the other patterns we have coming. Remember, you can find the 12 Days of Winter Kits at your local yarn shop.
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, Ribbon Mitts crocheted in Kingston Tweed (pattern link here).
This design comes to us from Arica, the creative mind behind Skeinsnsticks Designs.
These lightweight mitts are worked continuously in the round with no slip stitch.
The pattern calls for 2 skeins of Kingston Tweed. Its fiber blend features wool and alpaca, for a tweedy depth of color and a touch of fuzz for halo. The color palette is inspired by nature. Perfect for this time of year.
Skeinsnsticks Designs included a charming detail – this little window featuring a crocheted “bow” detail. It elevates an already lovely pattern.
We hope you have a delightful weekend, full of beauty and warmth.
Happy crafting!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Succulent Scarf in Classic Shades (pattern link here).
One of our favorite ways to use yarns with slow color shifts is in long repeats. Here, a 74″ (not quite two meters) long row in Classic Shades creates a beautiful striping effect.
For this scarf, we alternated two coordinating colors, 735 Smoky Denim and 747 Spring.
The crocheted spikes carry the colors over into adjacent rows, for a striking look.
Beautiful and warm. What could be better?
Have a wonderful weekend, and happy crafting!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Splatter Lace Cowl in Fibra Natura Dona (pattern link here).
This beauty comes in two sizes, with the long calling for four balls and the short needing just two.
Perfect for a little pop of color.
Dona’s extra fine superwash merino gives excellent stitch definition to this pattern. It’s a simple repeat to memorize, with the star-shaped “splatter” given form by 5-in-1 decreases and 1-in-5 increases!
It may sound daunting, but you’ll pick it up faster than you think. And it’s worth it for the beautiful texture that shines through in a saturated solid color yarn.
Have a fantastic weekend, friends! Happy crafting!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today Elation in Poems Sock (pattern link here).
We’ve had fun highlighting sock yarns the last few weeks, and we wanted to get one more in before turning to bigger projects.
Poems Sock is a superwash wool/nylon single with long color repeats – as you can see!
This whole thing takes just one skein – Color 969 Cabin Fever is shown. The shawl is knit side to side.
The fringe is created by unraveling one garter edge back down to the cast on edge.
The result is a simple, colorful, fun shawl. And when you drop those edge stitches and see the fringe form, you’ll understand why it’s called Elation!
Next week: something satisfying in crochet. We hope you have a fantastic weekend.
Happy crafting!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Rutherford Beret in Deluxe Chunky (pattern link here).
This month we’re taking a look back at some favorite patterns in our Deluxe yarns. This one’s a favorite of mine, based on personal experience. Will you permit me a selfie?
Amy Gunderson’s Rutherford Beret was originally released as part of the amazing Deluxe Cable Collection. It’s a mammoth e-book of cabled knit patterns, including this little one-skein beauty in Deluxe Chunky 100% wool. We even did an office knitalong with it – super fun!
I say “one skein” but mine only took 3/4 of a skein, max. On US size 10 (6mm) needles, with only single-crosses for the cables, this is the definition of “instant gratification knit.” Deluxe Chunky has over 120 colors, so I’m thinking about making another one, maybe in a heathered color this time.
Deluxe Chunky 91905 Rust HeatherDeluxe Chunky 91908 Woodsy HeatherDeluxe Chunky 91909 Mulberry Heather
“Too many pretty colors” is a good problem to have!
We hope you have a fantastic weekend. Happy crafting!
