Universal Yarn Creative Network
Inspiration By Design
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Briar Rose Capelet in Deluxe Bulky Superwash.
You’re familiar with the story of Briar Rose, right? She’s the girl who was pricked by a spindle and fell asleep for a hundred years. I’m sure many of us who have been bitten by the crafting bug and lost countless hours to projects can relate. Fortunately, this project goes more quickly than Briar Rose’s sleep.
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the One Side Cowl in Bamboo Bloom Handpaints.
Recently, we sent some stitching work to a talented local knitter and teacher, Sandy Harris. (Side note about Sandy – she’s also a creator of the knitting game Last Knitter Standing. If you haven’t tried it, you should – it’s a hoot.) When we got Sandy’s project back, we were delighted to also receive this – a new one-skein pattern in Bamboo Bloom Handpaints! She had picked up a skein of the yarn and been inspired. It’s not hard to see why – Steven Be’s custom colorways certainly fire the imagination.
Sandy has created a moebius cowl with judiciously spaced yarn overs for additional pizzazz. This cowl-with-a-twist uses a moebius cast-on, which may be a new technique for some of you. It certainly is for me! With that in mind, our newest designer, Tori Gurbisz, volunteered her hands to show us how it’s done. These photos cover Row 1 of the moebius cast-on in the pattern.
You’re going to wind up with a loop within a loop. Don’t worry, it’s supposed to be kind of “tied” to itself like that. This technique will put a half-twist in your finished cowl.
We hope you get the chance to try something new this weekend. And if you’ve got questions, let us know – we love to help!
Happy knitting!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Special Twist Vest in Classic Shades Frenzy.
The nice thing about having a sales manager who also knits and crochets is that a) she knows what crafters want, and b) sometimes she turns up at the office with amazing designs that we can convince her to share. Here’s Yonca in one of her latest, The Special Twist Vest. It’s another great example of letting the yarn do the colorwork. Classic Shades Frenzy (158yds/100g) has enough variation that the piece shows soft stripes, not rigid ones.
When I saw this from afar, I thought it might be crochet, but it is in fact knitted. Even better, it’s knitted in one big piece! Start at one edge and work sideways, then bind off for the armholes. On the next row, cast on across the bound-off stitches and keep knitting in pattern until you reach the next armhole. After you’re done, go back and pick up the armhole stitches to add the seed stitch border. Then fringe it! A dramatic garment, particularly considering it’s essentially a big rectangle. Well done, Yonca!
We hope you have a fabulous weekend. Happy knitting!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Sizzle Scarf in Uptown DK.
We love this! So bright and summery. Two balls of Uptown DK (273yds/100g) in 139 Bright Salmon makes this long crescent-shaped scarf. As fun as this is in one color, can you imagine it in two? It’s knit from the bottom up, so how about switching to a second shade after working the leaf lace?
We hope you have a great weekend, and make every pattern you touch your own.
Happy knitting!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Florin Scarf in Cotton Gold.
Crocheted in Rozetti Yarns sparkling sequined Cotton Gold (200yds/25g), this scarf is named Florin after the golden coins you might find in a dragon’s hoard.
Wait, wrong hoard. Although I do want that hoard.
There we go. The glittering gold sequins catch the light in dramatic fashion. Having worked with this yarn personally, I can tell you that those sequins are really on there – I’ve never had one come loose.
Cotton Gold works great paired with another yarn to add some bling (Crinkle Cowl, anyone?), or on its own as in this one-ball scarf.
The body of the Florin Scarf is worked in two directions. First, the main scarf body is worked to one end, and the End Section is crocheted. Then the other End Section is crocheted into the beginning chain of the other side of the scarf body. Finally, a border is worked around the entire outer edge of the scarf. Lastly, put on your glittering masterpiece and feel like the fabulous person you are.
We hope you have an amazing weekend of crocheting and enjoying your yarn hoard!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Reversa-Lace Scarf in Cotton Supreme Batik.
Self-striping yarn can be a blessing or a curse. It looks so pretty, but sometimes when you actually knit it up it does unexpected things… and not in a good way. That’s one reason Cotton Supreme Batik is a great choice for this pattern. The striping repeats are very predictable, and they don’t overpower the lace pattern.
This two-ball scarf in color 37 Mint Flower uses k2tog and yo to create its eyelets, making this a good basic lace pattern for beginners. It’s more sophisticated than a simple netting, but there’s nothing too fiddly to deal with.
I love the way the striping matches up on both sides, and the way the lace shows rather than the yarn. If you’re going to bother with a pattern, you want your work to show!
We hope you have a great weekend, with plenty of time to enjoy this beautiful May weather.
Happy knitting!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Poppy Stole in Cotton True Sport.
Last week we featured the simplest possible pattern, so we thought it was time to share something more complex. Gorgeous, right? And in Cotton True Sport (100% Pima cotton; 50g/197 yds) it’s seasonally appropriate.
This scarf is a 20 row repeat, charted across all 93 stitches. Increase over the first half of the repeat and decrease for the second to create the diamond border. The panels in between are simple yarn overs combined with k2tog to create an airy eyelet.
We hope you enjoy this lovely free pattern from Amy Gunderson.
Happy knitting!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Paprika Seed Cowl in Uptown DK Colors.
This one is actually my design, and it started as an experiment. I was curious to see how the stripes in Uptown DK Colors (273yds/100g) would work in a really long row. The answer – great!
This could not be easier. There are actually two possible ways of knitting this one-skein cowl.
One is as written in the pattern: cast on an even number (192), place a marker, join for knitting in the round, and then alternate rounds of *k1, p1* and *p1, k1*. Bind off after 5″, or whatever width floats your boat.
The other, which you may find even simpler, is to cast on an odd number (191), join for knitting in the round, and then just *k1, p1* continuously around until the piece is as wide as you want it to be.
I had enough yarn left over to do a few more color repeats, had I chosen to keep going. This would be a great project for a beginner, or for anyone who wants something they can pick up and set down without worrying about where they are in the pattern.
We hope you have a relaxing weekend, with plenty of time to work on the project of your choice.
Happy knitting!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Starry Road Scarf in Universe.
Breathtaking, isn’t it? Universe (246yds/50g) is the yarn we created specifically for our tenth anniversary, and it’s unlike anything else out there. A cotton/linen blend held with a metallic strand, wrapped in polyamide for greater strength, it’s perfect for lacy shawls and scarves like the Starry Road Scarf.