Free Pattern Friday – Cozy Cardi

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

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Today, the Cozy Cardi in Major.

We’ve had a lot of fun with Major this week…

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Bad Amy! Bad!

…but our week of Major is drawing to a close.  Don’t worry, though – we’ve already got more designs in the works.  There’s a poncho that I’m just dying to try out, plus – well, you’ll see.  But for today, we share this sweet little 1-2 ball hooded baby cardi.

major-cozy-cardi-detail-blogWork the fronts and the hood in one piece side to side.  Then work the sleeves and attach, make the lower hem, and add a crochet edge and three little loops to accommodate your cutest buttons.  There’s an included schematic to show you how the whole thing folds together.  It’s a quick and cute pattern without a lot of frills.  Let the yarn do the work while you take the praise.

We’d love to hear – what kind of things would you like to see in this self-striping bulky yarn?  We’ve got some ideas in the works, but there’s always room for more!

Happy crafting!

Free Pattern Friday – Berry Patch Cardi

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Berry Patch Cardi hi-res

Today, the Berry Patch Cardi in Whisper Lace.

This pattern comes to us from our Mexican distributor, Rebecca Pick.  In their magazine, they featured an absolutely stunning crochet design in Whisper Lace (440yds/50g) designed by Ángeles Uribe Salinas.  Rebecca Pick graciously shared it with us, and now we get to share it with you!

Berry Patch Cardi hem hi-resThis beautiful cardi is made of strips of delicate fan lace.  They’re joined as you go, with the bottom of the strips left loose to fall freely.   Can’t you imagine twirling around in this and seeing the little butterflies of lace fly?

The lace is written and charted, and a schematic is included for assembly.  We love how the multi-colored yarn works up into individual fans for a delicate and unique look.  This is a great skill showcase.

We hope you have a wonderful weekend.  Happy crafting!

Berry Patch Cardi shoulder hi-res

Free Pattern Friday – TNNA Cardi

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today, the TNNA Cardi in Bamboo Pop.

Here’s how this sweater happened.

“You know what we ought to do at this year’s National Needlearts Association Summer Show?  We ought to all wear matching outfits.”

“Yes!  And they should all be sweaters in our yarn!”

“Yes!!  And we should make them for the entire show staff!!”

Sometimes we get a little carried away.  But hey, go big or go home, right?  And thus was born the TNNA Cardi.

Continue reading “Free Pattern Friday – TNNA Cardi”

Free Pattern Friday – Waves Cardi

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

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Today, the Waves Cardi in Lumen.

Feather and Fan is a classic for a reason.  It gives motion and texture to an otherwise plain knit.  And in this pattern, the addition of a few well-placed increases gives shape to a lovely cardi.

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Lumen 3 ball stack blogWe’ve chosen Lumen (134yds/50g) for this design because its blend of fibers goes well with open lace to create a great warm-weather piece.  A mix of matte cotton and shiny viscose sections gives this garment a little extra shine to take it to the next level.

We hope you have an uneventful Friday the 13th, and a great weekend!

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Free Pattern Friday – Swirling River Cardigan

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

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Today, the Swirling River Cardigan in Uptown DK.

This is a great light sweater for Spring in a lovely lightweight yarn.  Uptown DK (273yds/100g) is 100% anti-pilling machine washable acrylic.  Even if you’re a fiber snob, as I confess I sometimes am, you’ll be surprised by just how pleasant it is to work with, and just how nicely it knits up.

SwirlingRiverCardgan_back_blogThis cardi is traditionally constructed, knit in pieces from the bottom up.  The collar and button band are picked up and knitted after finishing the garment.  The Little Swirl and Big Swirl lace repeats are both written and charted.

We love this sweet piece, perfect for the cusp of the changing seasons.  We hope you do too.

Happy knitting!

 

 

 

Knitspiration – Red Birds in Snow

More snow’s in the forecast – could you use a little knitspiration?

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Red Birds in Snow by Adolf Dehn, 1959

Our snow is over (for now) on the Eastern Seaboard, but there’s a blizzard forecast for the Midwest.  I love snow, but I’m sure most folks have had enough of it.

Photo: Snowy Perch by Nate Zeman

We feature Red Birds in Snow because it’s a nice nod to our state bird here in North Carolina, the cardinal, which gives a lovely burst of color to the monochrome landscape.  I also love it because it’s a good reminder that noticing the things around us is a good antidote to the winter doldrums. Seeing something so bright in an otherwise gray day can snap the world back into focus.

When we’re feeling trapped behind closed doors, it’s important to notice the things around us to bring texture and color back into our lives. These designs are perfect examples. Continue reading “Knitspiration – Red Birds in Snow”

Free Pattern Friday – Dip-Dyed Cardigan

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

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Today, the Dip-Dyed Cardigan in Cotton Supreme DK Seaspray.

Love this breezy, casual short-sleeved cardi!  And love the choice of Cotton Supreme DK Seaspray (100g/230yds) for it.  It’s variegated but not wild, making it a perfect choice for those who want a balance of color and conservatism in their wardrobe.

Knit this cardi in pieces from the bottom up, starting with the contrasting band of reverse stockinette at the bottom.  Work the raglan shaping, neck, and sleeves, then add the neck and sleeve edging and the button band.  I like the way the color bands are staggered on the front – the asymmetry is interesting!

I’m not usually a pink person, but this might be nice with a band of 301 Carmine for the contrasting bit.  There’s not really a wrong choice for this sweater.

Here’s hoping you cast on for something fun and exciting this weekend, just for you!

Happy knitting!

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Free Pattern Friday – Easy Baby Cardi

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

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Today, the Easy Baby Cardi in Bamboo Pop.

Bamboo Pop ballIs it just me, or is everybody having babies at once?  I have two friends in their third trimester (hi, Cristi and Casey!) and several more whose baby bumps and adoption processes are well underway.  So yes, this is a perfect moment to introduce a basic but beautiful garter stitch baby sweater.  The fact that it uses machine-washable Bamboo Pop (292yds/100g) is icing on the cake.

It’s a good basic design that would work well for boys or girls and would be easy to personalize with some fun buttons.

I’d like to offer a word of advice as a parent.  When you’re considering baby shower gifts, it may be tempting to want to make the smallest size and be done in a hurry.  Consider making the next size up, or even the one beyond that.  Babies grow fast, and you want your recipient to be able to enjoy your gift longer than a week.  Since this pattern takes just two balls for all sizes, there’s no additional cost (besides your time) involved in making the 12-month size and having a gift that the baby will be wearing after all the other presents have been outgrown.

Happy knitting!

Free Pattern Friday – PC538 Tapestry Toys and Cardigan

It’s still Free Pattern Friday!

 

This is Pattern Collecton PC538, Classic Worsted Tapestry Volume 2.  Up until now, it’s never been available digitally, and never for free.  Happy Friday!

Uptown Worsted Tapestry swatch blogWe’ve had several requests for this leaflet, not least because although the original yarn, Classic Worsted Tapestry is gone, the colors in Uptown Worsted Tapestry are perfect matches for it.  You could substitute Uptown Worsted Tapestry 809 Capri Breeze at right for Michele Wilcox’s Mr. Whiskers and the only difference would be that the Uptown feels softer.
CroppedCapeCardi_blogLikewise, Purple Power, Emerald, and Mountain Blues are all available in Uptown Worsted Tapestry if you want to tackle Thanh Nguyen’s Cropped Cape-Cardi in its original color scheme.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this quadruple-dose of free patterns today.

Happy crafting!

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Free Pattern Friday – Picket Cardigan

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Little Bird Picket Cardigan 1 blogToday, the Picket Cardigan in Little Bird.

More than one person walked by my desk this week and picked this up to fondle it.  Little Bird (100g/344 yds) gives it a lovely sheen, and the smoothness of the fiber really makes those cables and ribs stand out.  It’s not stiff or bulky at all, but very soft and comfy.  The machine washability makes it a home run for baby knits.

This cardigan is knit in pieces and seamed. The back and sleeves are worked in plain stockinette stitch, while the fronts are cabled.  The pattern is written and charted and contains a schematic.

This would look great on a little girl or a little boy. The buttonholes can be placed on either side – although truthfully I always forget which is which.  Eh, the baby won’t care.

Happy knitting!