October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It’s a moment to recognize the toll that this disease has taken, and continues to take. According to cancer.org, about 1 in 8 U.S. women and about 1 in 833 men will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of their lifetimes.
This means most of us know someone who has been affected. For me, it was my friend Pat. She was a fellow crafter, and a beautiful person. She had an easy smile and big laugh. I still miss her.
But while I miss my friend, I still take hope. She passed a long time ago, and survival rates for women over 50 have steadily increased every year since 2000. The increase is partly due to advances in treatment, and to greater awareness leading to early detection. We’d like to do our part to raise awareness by sharing this new design.
Rachel chose Cotton Supreme for this stunning stranded hat. Along with Cotton Supreme DK, it’s an approved yarn for chemo caps, because it’s very soft on sensitive scalps. Its machine washability also makes it a great choice, because if you’re dealing with cancer, or caring for someone affected, you may not want to spend your time and energy handwashing. We love Rachel’s choice of three harmonious shades of pink: 628 Super Pink (A), 510 Magenta (B), and 512 Hot Pink (C). They work very well together!
Because there have been so many advances in the field of breast cancer care, the guidelines for screening can be difficult to keep up with. Personally, I take this as a hopeful sign that we continue to improve our understanding day by day. To help you make your best decision, here is a pdf that the Centers for Disease Control has put together, sharing screening recommendations from six well-respected organizations, to help you decide what’s right for you.
Women of different ethnicities have different considerations as well. For instance, Black women have higher rates of breast cancer mortality in the USA, so a desire for earlier screening may play a role in your health care decisions. The bottom line is, we all need to stay educated, and to take control of our health.
Happy crafting, friends. We wish you good health for many years to come.
Hello crafters! As we’re entering the autumn season, all of us at Universal Yarn are thinking about cool weather projects, and the cozy yarns we want to make them in. We recently brought in Creative Melange Chunky from German brand Rico Design, and I thought today was a great opportunity to give a bit of a spotlight to this new and colorful yarn.
Creative Melange Chunky is a plump yarn packed full of stunning color that self-shades as you knit, crochet, or weave. Comprised of virgin wool and acrylic, this yarn is incredibly soft thanks to the springy wool and plush single-ply construction. Quite pleasant to work with, it is well suited to both complex and simple stitch patterns, and makes for unique garments and accessories you’ll treasure for years to come.
This yarn comes in 50g skeins priced at $8.00 each on our web store, making it a great choice for smaller projects like hats and cowls in addition to adding variety for colorwork projects! I must admit, I fell in love with this yarn when I first saw it. The possibilities are virtually endless; there are so many different ways to incorporate a self-shading yarn into a design and create very unique projects! In fact, I am already planning a design of my own for Creative Melange!
Sweater 952 – free pattern from Rico Design
For a free pattern option, we have this downloadable PDF for Sweater 952 (shown above)- a ribbed stitch pullover with balloon style sleeves. Although Rico Design may not have the most *creative* names for their patterns, they always make fashion-forward designs that still feel extremely wearable. I love how this sweater’s shape shows off the yarn’s ability to retain structure, but still look soft and cuddly. Since the yarn self-shades as you work, a simple design like this is often the best way to enhance the yarn’s naural beauty.
Triangular Shawl 768
For accessory knitters, this paid pattern for Triangular Shawl 768 is stunning. The textural stitch pattern really shows off the stripes the yarn makes as you knit. A wide, triangle-style shawl like this is perfect for styling in many different ways. This shawl is quite wide (about 90″), so it is a perfect design for wrapping around your neck and snuggling up on cold days, and since Creative Melange is chunky weight, it works up quickly!
Jacket 781
The last of our new pattern options for Creative Melange Chunky is Jacket 781. This outerwear design is perfect for layering, and the cables on the sleeves show off the incredible stitch definition that this yarn has. You can also see from this pattern to the previous ones just how broad the available color range is! We currently have 20 colors in stock, everything from a grayscale to bright options like this one pictured (#058) featuring green and blue shades. Although I love bright colors and typically fall for pinks and reds, some of the more dark and earthy tones we have (see below photo) really catch my eye. They are beautiful in a different way than the brighter colors, but would also pair quite easily with other autumn and winter wardrobe staples.
The other amazing news is that Creative Melange Chunky is a fabulous substitute yarn for our now discontinued Classic Shades Frenzy! For favorite patterns like the Abari Pullover, simply substitute Creative Melange where Classic Shades Frenzy is called for. Do be mindful when substituting that Frenzy came in 100g skeins, while Creative Melange comes in 50g skeins, so you’ll need to adjust the required amount of yarn for the difference.
Closeup image of the Abari Pullover, where Creative Melange could be substituted for discontinued Frenzy
Do you like self-shading yarns like Creative Melange Chunky? Tell me what you’d make with it for the coming winter season!
Have you seen our recently published free pattern, the extra special Pebbled Pathways in Cobblestone? Well, today we’re going to give it some well-deserved spotlight!
Pebbled Pathways (pattern link) has been in the works since late Spring, and I am so excited to finally be able to reveal this unique, gorgeous pattern! It is designed by Gabi van Tassel, who is known for her stunning pin loom designs. Her work has been published regularly in weaving publications, includingLittle Looms andHandwovenmagazines. We touch base on a semi-regular basis, and she always has wonderful things to say about our yarns and is such an enthusiastic fiber artist. As soon as we received Cobblestone, I knew I wanted to partner with her for a truly special project. I essentially sent her yarn, asked for some kind of wrap, and this colorful stole is the result! But, in addition to asking her to create this design, I asked her to write a guest post for our blog. So enough of what I have to say…let’s hear from Gabi herself!
From Gabi:
“It was a thrill when I received a small package from Universal Yarn a few months ago, with some brand-new Fibra Natura yarn and the question “Would you like to weave something with this?” I sure would!
Cobblestone in #102 Precious Jewels
But let me quickly share with you how we got here: Among other crafts, I like to weave hexagons on pin looms. My first design using Universal Yarn was a Grape Table Topper, published in Easy Weaving with Little Looms 2018. I used Universal Yarn Classic Shades [now discontinued, but Colorburst is a great substitute] at the time, which provided the perfect color run to express grapes.
Back to the package that I received: The yarn was a sample of the new Cobblestone yarn, which hit me like a rocket with inspiration. The name reminded me of the old streets in Germany, where I grew up. I always loved the calming geometry of those streets, and I often thought about how each of these stones was carefully put in place by skillful crafty hands. I wanted to capture that meditative thought in a shawl with the new yarn.
In case you are not familiar with pin loom weaving, it is a form of weaving where the crafter uses a small handheld loom to create shaped fabric pieces. Traditionally, pin looms wove 4” squares, but today there are many shapes, including rectangles, triangles, diamonds, and hexagons, in multiple sizes.
Just because these looms are small, doesn’t mean that you can’t craft serious projects. Pin loom weaving is modular weaving. Join the smaller woven units to make any item that you can imagine … for example, Pebbled Pathways!
Hexagon Pin Loom
The shawl is designed to make the best use of two balls of Cobblestone. The put-up is a generous 200-gram ball boasting 612 yards of 2-ply, 100% merino wool. The project requires one ball each of colors 103 Mardi Gras and 104 Tulip, with about 1 oz of each left over in the end. You can choose any other two colors of course. I recommend that you pick colors with contrast, to maintain the cobblestone characteristics in the design.
Weaving is easy. All of the hexagons are plain weave, worked on the Original TURTLE Loom™ in “F-fine sett”. The vivid color changes of the variegated yarn make each hexagon unique. The colors are well-curated and distributed in a way that the hexagons blend in with each other to make a smooth fabric.
The yarn is a delight to weave. It is soft and glides well while pin loom weaving. It has just the right amount of elasticity, not stiff and not too stretchy. The light twist is perfect to gently bloom into a nice, soft fabric with a good drape.
Crafters sometimes hesitate the task of joining pin loom woven shapes. However, hexagons are actually easy to join because they have smooth edgings. The sides are short enough to hold by hand: just match up two hexagons by their sides and sew them together with about 10-12 whip stitches.
If you would like some help with joining hexagons, check out the video “Joining 101: Sewing Two Hexagons Together” (https://youtu.be/PuD2wv1DdIo). Or, if you are interested in the mattress stitch, see the joining part of “Making an Elf Basket”.
If you don’t feel like weaving through two whole balls of Cobblestone, let the modular character of pin loom weaving come to the rescue! You can make a slimmer wrap by weaving only four rows instead of six (blue marks).
You can shorten or extend the length of the shawl by easily adding or subtracting a repeat of three hexagon columns (green marks).
Or – if you wish to make a small project at first – you can make a cowl, two rows high and nine hexagons in the round (yellow marks). Now, if you decide to make a cowl … and you like it … make another one for a friend … make a few as holiday gifts … Did I mention that there is a rabbit hole here?
Sparkle Windows woven scarf by Amy Gunderson
Many of Universal’s yarns are well-suited for weaving, and the Pebbled Pathways wrap just might be the beginning of more “oh, look what you can make” weaving projects. There is already Amy Gunderson’s beautiful Sparkle Windows shawl in Universe.
Next, Bamboo Pop is a popular yarn in the rigid heddle looms community because of its ease to weave, the lovely drape, and the stunning color effects. Then, there is also Ravello for a project with a touch of luxurious cashmere. Or, you could try the very practical Rico Design Creative Bubble that inspires pin loom woven kitchen and bath accessories.
Got a loom? Let’s weave! “
Me again (Rachel)! I’m so glad Gabi was able to share not only this beautiful design, but her thoughts on the inspiration, our new Cobblestone yarn, and even more yarns to explore weaving with! We have a small, square pin loom here in the office, and I am pretty tempted to start playing with it. The idea of a fringed scarf or cute cowl is awfully tempting!
I hope you love Pebbled Pathways as much as we do. Have you woven before, or are you now inspired to? Let us know in the comments!
Aubrey looking spectacular in the new Autumn Oak Hat!
It’s September, which means the official end of summer is mere weeks away and the season of all things woolly is upon us. For me, that means hats, hats, and more hats! I’m sure I’ve said this before, but hats are one of my favorite things to design and knit. I love everything about the process – they’re an excellent playground for a variety of techniques, quick to work up, and make wonderful gifts. That’s why I’m thrilled to share my latest design with you: the Autumn Oak Hat (pattern link).
The large leaf motif nods to the rounded lobes of White Oak leaves.
Autumn Oak is knit using plush and cozy Posh Alpaca, a blend of wool, superfine alpaca, and acrylic. This single-ply yarn is a super bulky weight but feels surprisingly light and springy. The palette is full of gorgeous neutrals and autumnal hues, and the colorway that simply sings to my heart is #112 Carotene, used in the Autumn Oak Hat. Orange, especially burnt orange, is perhaps my most favorite color, so I knew I needed to design something with it. This autumnal orange immediately conjured images of brilliant fall foliage, especially that of oak trees.
Fiery, red-orange leaves of a White Oak tree.
The Autumn Oak hat features a singular, large leaf motif that simply pops off the background of reverse stockinette stitch. It is complemented by twiggy lace motifs around the rest of the hat. These elements make this an engaging pattern that offers a bit of a challenge in a small package – again, hats are a perfect playground for learning new skills!
The lace motifs flow elegantly into the crown shaping, making this piece look great at every angle. It’s topped with a fluffy pom pom, and let me tell you, Posh Alpaca makes a really plush and fluffy pom pom!
Even though Posh Alpaca only contains 98 yards, it goes a long way. This hat is just a one-ball project, even with the pom pom. It works up fast, so you can knit one for yourself and for your friends and family in no time! It would look gorgeous knit up in any of the other colors, but I’d love to see versions of it using the colors inspired by trees: #101 Birch, #102, Oak, and #111 Hemlock. Whatever color you choose, you simply can’t go wrong!
I hope you love this hat as much as I loved designing it. Let me know which color you’d choose in the comments!
We’re so lucky to have another beautiful crochet design from Edie Eckman!
For this simple, classic design, Edie used Clean Cotton, which is 85% recycled cotton and 15% recycled polyester. It’s Earth-friendly and beautiful!
As well as solids, Clean Cotton is available in multis, for a lovely speckled effect in your projects.
Step one will be to make three individual squares, working in the round from the center out. Then join them at the edges to create the bag’s shape.
After joining, you’ll add a simple edging to the top for stability and a finished look.
Finally, add a handle. For ease, we used a handmade leather strap from Danish company muud, maker of fine leather bags. Here, we used a muud Hudson at 50cm (19.7″) long Hudson strap. You could also use the 70cm (27.5″) Hudson XL for additional length. They’re both available in black and in whisky on our site or from your LYS.
We love these straps because the simple swivel clasps are effortless to add and remove from your bag for easy care. Unclip the strap and toss your bag into the washing machine!
We hope you enjoy this beautiful, timeless crochet project. Have a great weekend – and happy crafting!
Designer Rachel Brockman has once again channeled her love of nature into an inspiring design. This bright, warm-weather shawl took its name from beautiful Edisto Island.
No wonder – this breezy beauty would be the perfect accessory for a walk along a windswept beach.
Wool-free Bamboo Pop Sock is a great choice for this shawl – and just one ball of two colors is all it takes.
We love this shawl so much we made it in two colorways. The combination of 505 Tide Pool and 507 Breeze seen above…
…and the more subdued 502 High Tide and 503 Jetties shown here.
Both are stunning.
This is a lovely pattern, designed to make maximum use of your two balls of Bamboo Pop Sock. You’ll be knitting flat on US5/3.75mm needles (or whatever gets you gauge).
Then you’ll switch to US7 /4.5mm needles for the i-cord bind-off. It’s a tidy edge that adds extra polish to an already exquisite design.
Botany Bay beach at cloudy sunset, Edisto Island, South Carolina, USA. Nickolay Khoroshkov/stock.adobe.com
We hope your weekend is filled with natural beauty.
If you’re wondering about the name of this week’s pattern, “welkin” comes from an old English word meaning the vault of the sky.
It’s an appropriate name for this shawl, with its cirrus-cloud stripes of white against the sky blue.
Graceful wings are formed by increasing from the starting tab on both right and wrong sides of the fabric, another nod to the lighter-than-air feel of this accessory.
And at the widest edge, lovely lace edged with crochet picot puffs resembling tiny clouds in a blue sky
Knitting this shawl in soft, downy Nymph, gives the piece an even more cloudlike quality. Cotton blend Nymph has a chainette construction, with fiber blown through its center for a lighter weight fabric on US 7 (4.5mm) needles. The yarn has a beautiful fuzz that softens the lines of Welkin’s stripes.
It’s a beautiful look for the season. And don’t limit yourself to blues and white – perhaps your Welkin will be a field of violets, or an ocean wave about to break. There are limitless possibilities.
Have you ever had that moment in a yarn store when you find yourself standing before a wall of stunning sock yarn? Solid-color or variegated – the colorful skeins just call your name. As you stand there, you think about the magic of sock yarn. Each skein boasts generous yardage, so a single skein is plenty for shawls, hats, mitts, cowls, and most obviously, socks! I could go on and on about the wonderful sock yarns we offer. We really have something for everyone, but today I wanted to focus on a perfect, potato-chippy, self-patterning yarn: Pix.
Pix in #108 Techno, pictured with the Happy Magic Scarf.
Pix features a classic sock yarn base: a blend of 75% superwash wool and 25% nylon. Both fibers are incredibly durable with just the right amount of bounce and memory. It is a smooth, worsted-spun 4-ply yarn that boasts crisp, well-defined stitches. These characteristics make Pix perfect for hard-wearing accessories. But what really makes this yarn stand out? Well, it’s a self-patterning yarn in a playful array of colors!
Pix Simple Sock shown in #103 Paisley (top sock) and #101 Citrus Slide (bottom sock).
The simplest and most straight-forward way to use Pix is for knitting socks. We prefer a nice vanilla sock because it allows the colorful patterns to shine. Many sock knitters have their own preferences and recipes for plain Stockinette stitch socks, but if you aren’t armed with one, we have you covered. The free Pix Simple Sock (pattern link) is knit in the round from the toe up. It features a classic K2, P2 Ribbed cuff.
Pro-tip: I prefer socks that are sisters and not twins, but if you want your socks to match perfectly you’ll need to wind off the skein so you start the second sock in the same section of the print.
Euphoric in Pix #108 Techno and Whisper Lace #111 Ebony
Socks aren’t the only way to play with this gorgeous yarn. Just take a look at the funky and fun Euphoric scarf (pattern link), designed by Amy Gunderson. This design cleverly pairs Pix with Whisper Lace in #111 Ebony for bold, high-contrast stripes to break up sections of color. The intarsia method is used to create an unexpected, staggered stripe effect. Cute twists of fringe decorate the long edges of this piece. Although it’s pictured with long sleeves above, I think this would be perfect to layer over a simple dress for springtime.
The Happy Magic Scarf in #105 Street Art
The Happy Magic Scarf (pattern link), designed by Heather Hill, magnificently displays how neat the color changes are when you throw in a chevron motif. The stitch pattern is soothing and is easily memorized, making this a great project for unwinding after a long day. This design has been well-loved in the office and by our customers for years now (it was published in 2015!). This one-skein wonder exemplifies just how far 459 yards will take you!
Pix features a palette of 8 fantastic colors – with combinations that include everything from bright and punchy to earthy, soothing, and warm. You’re sure to find a color you’ll love…and I’m sure you won’t stop at one! You can nab some Pix at your local yarn store or on our website. What will you make with it?
Penna is one of our newer yarns. We found it at a mill in Italy and just had to have it.
See that halo? The suri baby alpaca in this yarn gives it the perfect fuzz to soften a silhouette. The extrafine merino keeps it soft and gentle. And the nylon gives it the strength you want in a beautiful finished object.
In Atrium, you can see how soft and romantic it makes this design feel. Designer Edie Eckman played to Penna’s strengths with this asymmetric piece. But then, that’s no surprise. We always feel lucky to have one of her designs in our yarns, like the recent free Piquilla Shawl crocheted in Wool Pop (pattern link here).
But back to Atrium! This may look like a scarf when it’s artfully draped, but it’s really more of a shawl or wrap. It’s 72″ long and 18″ wide at the larger end, for a modern, asymmetrical feel to go with its natural romance. You’ll work this light and lofty accessory flat, from the wider end to the narrower one. Three balls of Penna makes this airy scarf, perfect for a breezy spring day.
