crochet – Page 20 – Universal Yarn Creative Network

October 3, 2014October 3, 2014

Free Pattern Friday – Go-Go! Hats

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Or should we say Free Patterns Friday? Because today, we have a quartet of toppers: the Go-Go! Hats.

Four different styles in one yarn, Uptown Worsted 100% anti-pilling acrylic. You can see how well the yarn lets the stitch patterns show through.

What really makes these hats, though, is the colorful fluffball topper on each of them. Those are our Luxury Fur Pom-Poms. They’re very handy for finishing off a garment that may need something a little more polished than a yarn pom-pom. Each pom-pom has a string attached to let you tie it right on to your work. Easy-peasy!

I’m not sure which of these is my favorite. I guess it partially depends on whether I’m in the mood for knit or crochet. For myself, I’m leaning toward the Lace Beanie on the lower right. Then again, the Honeycomb Ski Cap (with the pink pom-pom) would also be fun to make. Decisions, decisions.

Which one’s your favorite?

September 16, 2014September 18, 2014

Crochet Slippers – 1, 2, 3…Win!

Win a magazine and yarn! Keep reading!

One of the many fun parts of my job here at Universal Yarn is getting to see all the new projects about to go live in magazines. Not long ago I received an email and photo from the folks at Crochet! Magazine letting us know about an adorable pair of slippers made in our Deluxe Worsted Superwash yarn. This project is the Lucy Slippers by the talented Dora Ohrenstein.

This particular issue of Crochet! is jam-packed with tons of great projects. We’re so proud to have our yarn featured in such a cute, wearable item! I was so excited about these slippers that I wanted to do a small crochet along here in the office. Katie in customer service (you may know her for her recent weaving obsession) is also an avid crocheter. She was happy to participate!

Katie decided to do her pair in the same yarn used in original Lucy, but opted to mix things up by using several different colors. She chose 709, 710, and 731. After skimming the pattern and construction, I decided these would look great in one of our self-shading yarns. Poems was my yarn of choice, in color 584 Aurora.

We’re partnering with Crochet! magazine to bring you a great gift, either for yourself or a loved one. We’re right on the tip of the beginning of gift-crocheting season, right? All you have to do is answer this question in the comments:

Who would you make the Lucy slippers for, and why?

One lucky winner will receive a copy of the Winter Crochet Gifts in 1-2-3 issue of Crochet! Magazine, 2 balls of Poems and 2 balls of Deluxe Worsted Superwash in colors of her or his choosing. The cut-off for the contest is midnight, September 30. We can’t wait to hear your answers!

September 5, 2014

Free Pattern Friday – Superwash hats!

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today, a little love for both the knitters and the crocheters! Both use Deluxe Worsted Superwash (220yds/100g), the popular machine washable version of our Deluxe line of wools.

First, the knitted Here and There Hat. Amy Gunderson uses right and left twists to create colorful slanting columns up the length of this cap. A Luxury Fur Pom-Pom tops it off with an extra pop of color. I love these pom-poms. They’re pre-made with an attached thread that you can just tie onto your work.

Next, the crocheted Parfait Hat. Two colors of Deluxe Worsted Superwash topped off with a Luxury Fur Pom-Pom. Adorable! I tried this one on, and it looked really cute. Sometimes it’s hard not to steal the garments for myself!

On the other hand, making my own would be another excuse to crochet, and that’s always a good thing.

Happy crafting!

August 29, 2014

Free Pattern Friday – Croc-a-Scarf!

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Rawr! It’s the Croc-a-Scarf in Classic Shades!

This crochet piece is worked lengthwise in crocodile stitches, creating a crescent that follows the shape of your shoulders. Self-shading Classic Shades, shown here in colorway 733 “Jubilant,” provides effortless color. What a vibrant and fun crochet project!

July 17, 2014

Throwback Thursday – Ultraviolet Stole

It’s Throwback Thursday!

Something for the crocheters today! The Ultraviolet Stole was originally designed for Endurance Sock, an offering from our Wisdom Yarns line. Fortunately, we have a number of great yarns in the Wisdom family that would still work great with this pattern!

My personal favorite would be Saki Silk (100g/440yds), a merino/nylon/silk blend with a great sheen. The yardage is about the same as Endurance Sock, so this would be an easy three-ball project.

If you wanted to venture outside the Wisdom family, Infusion Handpaints (100g/291yds) would be another good choice.

Regardless, there’s a lot to love about a gigantic loopy stole that’s a simple five-row repeat. A big project that won’t tax your brain – excellent material to crochet while chatting with friends!

June 13, 2014June 13, 2014

Free Pattern Friday – Bodrum Beach Cover-up

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Everybody say hi to Yonca!

Yonca is our sales director, and also the designer of today’s free pattern, the Bodrum Beach Cover-up in Garden 3. You may recognize part of this pattern from this past week’s Sunday Swatch (right).

Yonca wanted to make a gift for her sister-in-law in Turkey, so she whipped up this colorful number in our Garden 3 cotton thread and graciously shared her pattern with us. Garden 3 ( 136yds/50g) is 100% mercerized Egyptian Giza cotton, a favorite for durable and beautiful garments and a great pick for this breezy summer project.

It’s called the Bodrum Beach Cover-up after the town of Bodrum in Turkey, a beautiful resort with gorgeous weather, a medieval castle, and of course the beach. I was so happy Yonca told us about this place – it’s one more spot to put on my bucket list.

We couldn’t resist sending Yonca on a virtual trip there, if only for this blog post. Have a great time, Yonca, and keep crocheting!

June 8, 2014June 8, 2014

Sunday Swatch – Garden 3

Today’s Sunday Swatch is in Garden 3.

This crochet swatch in Garden 3 is actually a WIP by a member of our sales team. It’s a piece that she’s made the front of already, and is now making the matching back for. I’ve seen it in person, and it’s beautiful!

Garden 3 is excellent quality 100% mercerized Egyptian Giza cotton, smooth with a bit of a sheen. Garden is part of our popular Nazli Gelin line and is available in both 50 gram balls and 500 gram cones perfect for larger projects.

Our diligent salesperson is using a US E/4 (3.5mm) hook and it’s working out beautifully, as you can see above. Another of my favorite Garden 3 designs, Sarah Read’s Love Ewe Nesting Dolls to the right, works up on smaller hooks. It’s available as a free download (yay!) with website signup from CrochetMe.com. Here’s the link.

Happy crafting!

June 6, 2014June 6, 2014

Free Pattern Friday – Sunflower Dress

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today, something bright and summery for the crocheters! The Sunflower Dress in Garden 10 is a sunny delight.

Written and charted, this crochet confection uses our Garden 10 100% mercerized Egyptian Giza cotton thread. Garden comes in both 50 gram balls and in 500 gram cones, handy for larger projects.

This is exactly the kind of design that inspires me to stretch my wings when it comes to crochet. Just gorgeous.

Happy crocheting!

May 2, 2014May 2, 2014

Free Pattern Friday – Day Trip Tote

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today’s Free Pattern Friday is the crocheted Day Trip Tote in Good Earth. Can’t you feel yourself relaxing just looking at it? I can’t decide – should I take it down to the beach, or sling it over a shoulder and bring it to the farmer’s market?

Good Earth is a cotton/linen blend that’s perfect for cool and breezy projects. Available in solids and multis, it’s a popular choice for crochet, as in the Southwest Suns shawl at right from our Contrarian Shawls e-book. Works great in knits too – the free pattern Lakeside Tee is in my queue.

We love this yarn. In fact, we’re adding a new member to the Good Earth Family – Good Earth Adorn uses a spray-dyeing technique to give it interesting color without pooling.

We hope your weekend is filled with relaxation, and plenty of time to enjoy whatever craft you choose.

March 23, 2014March 23, 2014

Sunday Swatch – Poems Socks

Today’s Sunday Swatch is in Poems Socks.

You’ll have to forgive the beat-up appearance of the ball. This one’s been in my personal stash for a while, pressed into service for testing out quite a few stitch patterns. Today it’s being used in the Crocus Scarf originally from Interweave Crochet Magazine, Spring 2007. I’m happy to see that they’ve re-published it and it’s now free with registration on the Crochet Me site. I’m always up for a good free pattern.

I used it here in a lengthwise scarf to show the advantage of Poems Socks’ gradual color shifts over long distances. It’s easy to achieve sweeping bands of color organically without having to change yarns. And since there are 459 yards per ball of Poems Socks, I’m done with the scarf (minus blocking) and still have half a ball left. It’s a pretty pattern – maybe I should just keep going and see how far one ball can go!