Tag: colorwork

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Flash Pattern Friday – Cladonia

On the last Friday of every month, we give away a paid pattern for free! It’s a always fun to grab a freebie, but this month is especially wonderful as it’s the LAST Flash Pattern Friday of the year! We are sending off 2023 with the festive Cladonia sweater.

The striking colorwork brings to mind holiday ornaments twinkling on a tree, and the rich burgundy color evokes a desire for sweet mulled wine by a fire. The yarn called for is Fibra Natura Kingston Tweed, a soft and warm blend of 50% wool, 25% alpaca and 25% viscose. It comes in 19 nature-inspired hues, spun up in 50g hanks of 194 yards each. This DK (light) weight yarn is perfect for texture and colorwork, creating items with a natural look and feel. For project inspiration, check out our collection of patterns featuring Kingston Tweed at this link.

Cladonia is knit in the round from the bottom up. The front and back are separated at the sleeves, where the sleeves are then picked up and worked in the round from the top town. Short rows shape the shoulders and neckline, which is designed to sit higher in the front than in the back, enhancing the femininity of the sweater.

To get Cladonia free, use the “buy it now” or “add to cart” links on the Ravelry pattern page. Once the pattern is in your cart, enter the coupon code “FLASH” where you see the “use coupon code” link that appears during purchase. This offer is valid through Tuesday, January 2nd, to coincide with our Be Bright sale!

Enjoy more savings during the sale by purchasing the Cladonia Kit! From Friday, 12/29 – Tuesday, 1/2, we are celebrating New Years with 20% off of all kits and muud items. It’s the perfect time to have your pattern, and make it too!

That’s all for now, happy knitting!
Ashley Jane

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Day 1 of Winter – Series 4 Edition

This is part 1 in a 12 part series highlighting designs from our 12 Days of Winter, Series 4 Edition.

In all of the madness that 2020 has had to offer, I’m amazed by how quickly it is passing by. We’re already well into mid-November and the holidays are just around the corner. For the fourth year in a row, we are absolutely thrilled to share that we are offering twelve wintry kits available exclusively through your local yarn store. Right now, local yarn stores need our support more than ever, so we hope all of the kits we reveal over the next twelve days will have you sprinting to yours! And with that said, let me introduce you to the first kit in the collection: the Boreal Hat!
The Boreal Hat in the Lilac option.
This year our palette for the kits took inspiration from the soft pastels of frost and the rich green boughs of evergreen trees. In the case of the Boreal Hat, I took inspiration from imagery of the northern lights glimmering in the sky above the spruces and firs of the boreal forests.
Northern Lights Over Boreal Forest, photograph by Ingo Arndt 
The a striking colorwork motif is an 8-stitch repeat that is rhythmic to knit. It does require a little concentration to make sure you’re on track from row to row, but it also isn’t overly complex and the results are well worth the effort.
The Boreal Hat in the Icy Blue option.
Yarn management is a breeze in this cozy accessory. Although the hat uses three colors, only two colors are used on any given row. The floats are no longer than three stitches wide, so there is also no need to trap your floats. All of the crown shaping is worked using a single color, so you also don’t need to incorporate shaping into the colorwork section. If you’re interested in some colorwork tips and tricks, don’t miss my blog post from Series 2 of the 12 Days of Winter Kit Collection.
Crown shaping is simple in this hat.
There are two versions of this kit for you to choose from: Lilac and Icy Blue. Both versions use one of my favorite yarns, Kingston Tweed. This rustic yet soft yarn blends wool, alpaca, and viscose. The result is a beautiful yarn with a slight halo that’s perfect for textural and colorwork projects. It’s lightweight but retains warmth, so it’s perfect for wintry projects.
The brim of this hat is knit in a contrast color and features K2, P1 Ribbing.
The Icy Blue version of the kit comes with a skein each of colors #110 Beryl, #114 Serpentine, and #111 Shale. The Lilac version comes in colors #107 Quartz, #114 Serpentine, and #102 Calcite. Honestly, I’m not sure which version I like more. The muted, frosty colors in each version pop beautifully against the deep forest green. The Boreal Hat kit would be a great last-minute gift for a loved one, or for yourself.

Remember, you can find the both versions of the Boreal Hat Kit and the rest of the 12 Days of Winter kits at your local yarn store. Click here to find a shop that carries our yarn near you. Happy knitting!
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Day 2 of Winter – Series 3 Edition

This is part 2 in a 12 part series highlighting designs from our 12 Days of Winter, Series 3 Edition.

Happy Day 2 of the 12 Days of Winter Kit Collection! We know you are all eager to see what we’ve whipped up for the second day of the series, and we are thrilled to share with you – the Birch Gloves. Everyone needs a pair of elegant long gloves in their wardrobe, and hand-knitting them means these are perfect for yourself or made up as a gift for a loved one. Designed by Adrienne Larsen, the Birch Gloves are guaranteed to be cherished for seasons to come!
hand knit gauntlet style gloves featuring colorwork and cables
Knit in our Kingston Tweed yarn, this project features two different colors; 102 Calcite and 112 Basalt. These gloves are a gauntlet style with a flared cuff that gives a refined appearance to any outfit. Wool and alpaca fibers are blended into the yarn, meaning the Birch Gloves will also keep your fingers warm and toasty – maybe while out at a holiday market or off to see the Nutcracker ballet! The neutral colors of the yarn for this project are also certain to pair well with any sweater you choose.
Close up of hand- knit glove stitch patterns and yarn colors
The Birch Gloves feature cables and a slip stitch colorwork pattern for the cuffs, and the beautiful Kingston Tweed yarn is on serious display for the hands and fingers in stockinette stitch. Knitting the cuff and glove separately, you seam them together with an I-cord edge that adds a tidy finish. Both the cuffs and glove are knit in the round, working from the bottom up. Construction-wise, this is sure to be a fun project to take on and maybe a new method of knitting gloves to learn!
Hand-knit gauntlet style gloves featuring colorwork and cables
Whether you choose to knit the Birch Gloves for yourself or as a gift for someone special, these are guaranteed to be loved by everyone around. We hope you are inspired to kick back with a mug of warm Cider or Gløgg , turn on your favorite holiday film, and get to knitting these stunning gloves! You can pick up your 12 Days of Winter Kits including the Birch Gloves Kit at your local yarn shop.
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Thy Neighbor: A Pattern for Giving Back

Giving back: it’s something everyone seems to think more about this time of year, and something we could all probably think about a bit more. That’s why we have created the new pattern, Thy Neighbor (pattern link).

Universal Yarn Deluxe BulkyThy Neighbor – A pattern to benefit the Refugee Support Services center in Charlotte.

We recently began donating some of our time and resources to the RSS: Refugee Support Services here in Charlotte, the city Universal Yarn calls home. This organization is doing amazing things, and we want to support them in every way we can.

Deluxe Bulky Superwash
Stranded colorwork has an interesting effect when worked with a loom because of the twisted stitches.

Each Thursday, a group of wonderful women and volunteers meet at the center for English lessons, knitting, community-building, and to take advantage of the many resources the facility has to offer.

My in-progress Thy Neighbor hat, worked on a loom with Deluxe Bulky Superwash. Colors shown are 901 Rosy Mauve & 932 Icy Grey.

Many of the women make hats on round knitting looms. Loom knitting is really accessible. Anyone can pick it up in just a few minutes, which might be why it’s a popular knitting method at the center. Although we had never knit using looms before, we wanted to meet participants where they are. So we got some looms to practice and will now contribute our own knowledge of knitting. Volunteers at the center help the women distribute their handcrafted goods to earn extra income and develop financial literacy. As a way to give back and support their efforts, we designed this Fair Isle hat. We’ll be teaching the participants this technique to spice up their loom-knitting activities. All proceeds from the sale of this pattern will be donated back to RSS.

As I said before, we want to do as much as we can for this organization. It brought us so much joy to sit in a room filled with the chatter of people from all over the world, offering a helping hand, and exchanging kindness with one another. It’s truly special. When you purchase Thy Neighbor, 100% of the proceeds will be donated to RSS. Financial contributions to the organization help make their peer support, educational, legal, and social programs possible. We sincerely hope you’ll join us in helping, and encourage you to explore the RSS website (link) to deepen your understanding of their work.

Deluxe Bulky Superwash
Topped with a multi-color pom-pom! This pattern really is so much fun!

Thank you so much for joining us in our support of RSS! We hope you have a wonderful week!

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Free Pattern Friday – Fresco Cardigan

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today, the Fresco Cardigan in Adore and Adore Colors (pattern link here).

Love colorwork but not Fair isle? This one’s for you!

Rachel Brockman used self-striping Adore Colors to do the heavy lifting in the body and sleeve stripes.  Then she used mosaic knitting in solid Adore to create the design around the waist.  Only one color is used per row.  The design appears by slipping stitches in different colors, and voila!

close up of mosaic-knit slip stitch pattern in Adore and Adore Colors yarns
Beautiful.

We hope you enjoy this lovely bit of Fall-to-come.

Happy crafting!

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Free Pattern Friday – Bellissima Cardi

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today, the Bellissima Cardi in Bella Cash (pattern link here).

Such a beauty.  The Bellissima Cardi is a classic lightweight cardi with classic construction.

Knit it from the bottom up in pieces, then seam.

Bella Cash superwash merino/nylon/cashmere blend creates a soft, lightweight material that moves with you and looks flattering.  We love it on size 2 (2.75mm) needles for the Fair Isle yoke.  Crisp and well-defined, with a beautiful, smooth texture.

Even though the stitches are delicate, the fabric is machine washable and durable, thanks to the nylon and superwash merino content in Bella Cash.  Sized small through 4X, this is a great wardrobe staple. Hard to believe it’s a free pattern!

We hope you have a fantastic weekend.

Happy crafting!

 

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Free Pattern Friday – Almas Poncho

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today, the Almas Poncho in Deluxe DK Tweed Superwash (link here).

Fall is upon us, and we felt the need for something toasty!

Almas is knit seamlessly in the round from the top down. It can act as a shoulder/bust warmer for a brisk walk in the woods, or can be scrunched up and worn as a cowl paired with your favorite winter coat.  We like the rustic quality that Deluxe DK Tweed Superwash gives this cozy piece.

As a short poncho or capelet, it can be worn collar up or down, as you wish.

With just a touch of stranded knitting, this project is a nice introduction to the Fair Isle method of changing colors in your work.

We hope you have a delightful weekend.

Happy knitting!

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E-book Color Fusion at a glance

Have you seen it? Amy Gunderson and Tori Gurbisz have released an e-book of seven colorful patterns designed for Deluxe Worsted Tweed Superwash.

Color Fusion is available on Ravelry as an e-book or individual patterns.

Take a look!

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Free Pattern Friday – Which Way is Up

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today, Which Way Is Up in Bella Cash.

Ladies and gentlemen, the faint of heart may wish to look away from this next sentence, lest it chill you to your very soul!

We’re more than halfway to Christmas.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!

I know.  I’m sorry you had to read that.

But better to face it now, while there’s still plenty of time to start on holiday projects than later, when it’s a mad rush.

Fortunately, we’ve got some charming projects in the works that would be great for gifts, like this week’s pattern, Which Way is Up.  Sized from newborn to 4-year, it’s a Fair Isle cardigan that calls for machine washable Bella Cash, a fine merino/cashmere/nylon blend. Knit the cardi bottom up, join the raglan sleeves and body, and add the button band.  Classic and cute.

This would be a good small project to tackle to get ahead of the game, or just to be ready when the next baby shower takes you by surprise.

We hope you enjoy this stylish and adorable pattern.

Happy knitting!

 

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Free Pattern Friday – EKG Set

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

EKG Cowl Set main blog

Today, the EKG Set in Deluxe Worsted.

Why EKG?  The little zigs and zags reminded us of a heartbeat.  Plus, the love we have for this sweet pattern makes our hearts race just a little bit.

This may look like Fair Isle, but the color changes are actually slipped stitches.  The pattern is both written and charted for your convenience.

Tori in cowl blogThe entire four-color set takes two skeins of the gray, plus one skein of each other color in Deluxe Worsted 100% wool (220yds/100g).

The cowl looks great doubled over and scrunched – or if you’re in a silly mood like designer Tori Gurbisz, wear it however you please.  Very “Cat in the Hat,” Tori.  You’ll definitely turn heads.

We hope you enjoy this stylish set.

Happy knitting!

EKG Cowl solo 180dpi