It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Rainbow Brick Shawl in Deluxe Worsted Superwash and Classic Shades Frenzy (pattern link here).
Our design team named this pattern after the famous Italian sweets. When I heard this, I asked, “The what? What’s Rainbow Brick dessert?” Gasps of horror floated out of the design studio.
Credit: Ari Laing at wellseasonedstudio.com
Oh! Yes! I know those! I love those! No wonder this sweet design is named after such a tasty treat.
This slip-stitch shawl starts at the point, increasing as you go. Change colors every two rows, and twist them together at the end so you don’t have to cut the yarn and weave in a million ends.
Self-shading Classic Shades Frenzy is bordered by solid Deluxe Worsted Superwash to create little capsules of color in this fun accessory.
Do you think I can convince the design team to make me some Rainbow Brick cookies? I predict they’ll do what crafters often do when someone asks them to knit something: “here are the instructions, try it yourself!”
Happy crafting!
New years bring a lot of good things with them. Things like resolutions, new knitting projects, and of course: Pantone’s Color of the Year.
Pantone researches trends in media, fashion, culture, entertainment, art, and more to forecast what color will be best for the coming year. This color decision will then trickle into products created in many industries like fashion, interiors, and yes, yarn! What is the color of the year, you ask? Well, it is 19-4052 – Classic Blue!
“Instilling calm, confidence, and connection, this enduring blue hue highlights our desire for a dependable and stable foundation on which to build as we cross the threshold into a new era. ” – Pantone.com
With a lot of things in nature being blue, and it’s inherent quality as a calming color, blue appeals to everyone. The shade chosen, Classic Blue, is a strong foundation color that is suggestive of the sky at dusk. As you can see with the yarns above, we have an abundance of blue to choose from in our yarn offerings, and plenty that mix blue with other stunning shades.
Some of our yarns that offer this rich blue shade are Bella Chenille in Indigo, and Fibra Natura Flax in Fierce Blue. Blue yarn for all seasons!Dona and Donnina, which are both 100% extrafine superwash merino wool yarn, offer great stitch definition have some fabulous blue shades. Below we’ve featured a couple of the patterns available in our Dona Color Kit – Blues.
The Color Shift Hat and Mittens from our Dona Kit in Blues The Staccato Shawl from our Dona Color Kit in Blues Deluxe Worsted and Deluxe Chunky are great staple yarns to stock up on for future projects throughout the year. Colbalt is the blue shade available that best matches the Pantone Classic Blue. The Switcback Cardigan (below) from our Deluxe Men Collection features gorgeous blue colorwork!
The Switchback Cardigan from our Deluxe Men Collection using Deluxe Worsted Major , Bamboo Bloom, and Uptown DK Colors are all yarns that have beautiful multi-colored blue shades. Any pattern you knit or crochet with these yarns is sure to be rich with color and texture.
Flying V crochet blanket using Uptown Worsted Luxor, our new mercerized Egyptian cotton yarn, is perfect for lightweight knit and crochet projects and comes in a wide array of colors including Royal Blue. Knit the Navona Wrap shown below and add a Color of the Year accessory to your closet!
The Navona Wrap in Luxor 105-02 Royal Blue
These are just some of the patterns we’ve designed that feature the Classic Blue shade. Remember, you can knit any pattern in any color you want! We hope you are just as excited as we are about the color of the year for 2020 and are ready to fill your stash with blue yarn. Happy knitting!
Blue yarn for everyone!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!Shawl pin by Jul Designs.
Today, the Mountain Lights Shawl in Deluxe Worsted Superwash (pattern link here).
How beautiful is this?
The Mountain Lights Shawl has a body that uses ridges and texture to create a rustic feel…
But then… that border! It’s simple and symmetrical, but wide enough to really let the right bright color shine.
The inside is interesting, too. Wrap it around, and you’ll still have something to show off. Deluxe Worsted Superwash gives excellent evenness and stitch definition. Just one ball of each color will make the whole shawl.
The pattern produces a shawl that has its own voice. Just cast on and hear it sing.
Ready to fly across the mountain.
Happy crafting!
The inspiration for this piece was the living willow fences, or hedges, or “fedges” that are woven from supple saplings into elegant shapes in the garden.
Mind you, it’s still winter, so the Deluxe Worsted Superwash colors we chose reflect a dormant living fence, while still keeping a warm wood feel.
Oh, the magic of Fair Isle.
If you were one of those admiring Amy Gunderson’s Twisted Yoke Pullover from the Fall ’18 Vogue Knitting…
…you’ll be pleased to find this uses the same technique. Twisted stitches create a depth that (pardon the expression) raises the design to the next level.
Amy has written this pattern in two sizes – the small size shown here…
Seasons Greetings from the Universal Yarn Team! Today, we’re pleased to share a special free pattern with you for the Christmas season: the Carolina Holly hat (pattern link)! Holly – like poinsettias, mistletoe, and ivy – conjures images of the holidays. The spiky plant is evergreen and beautiful, and it was the inspiration for the Carolina Holly hat.
Playing with pine cones, as one does.
This free pattern is a load of fun to knit. It takes three skeins of Deluxe Worsted – and that’s enough to make two hats. Of our line of yarns, Deluxe Worsted might just be my favorite. It’s excellent for every type of project, creates long-wearing fabric, and perfectly balances softness with the crunch of pure wool that I love. Plus, there are so many colors to choose from. For this hat I chose Sangria, City Turf, and Slate, but there are so many shades of red, green, and grey in the palette. I encourage you to find the combination that leaves you feeling inspired! Prefer superwash wool? You’re in luck – our machine-washable Deluxe Worsted Superwash would work perfectly as a substitute.
Baby Bobbles!
I wanted to give this hat some special touches. A double-thick brim ensures a warm and comfortable fit. A row of mini-bobbles knit in a rich red create little holly berries, and a large red pom-pom balances out the pop of red. Finally, to incorporate the grey used in the brim, the same color is used to add speckles to the pom-pom. The speckled pom-pom idea was not my own. I was inspired by designer Kiyomi Burgin, who has used this technique in her own work. You can find her post on speckled pom-poms here (link).
Subtle grey speckles in a big, poufy pom-pom – what’s not to love?
For your convenience, I’ve also created a tutorial. I hope you find it to be helpful! You’ll need to make your pom-pom before starting. If you haven’t done this before, don’t worry! You can find Amy’s tutorial on how to make pom-poms here (link).
To get started you’ll need a pom-pom, scissors, tapestry needle, and contrast color yarn. Step 1: Cut your contrast color yarn into lengths of approximately 12″. In the pattern I’ve directed you to cut 15 pieces. Fold each piece in half. Step 2: Keeping the strand of yarn folded, thread the tapestry needle.Step 3: Insert the tapestry needle through the center of the pom-pom. Step 4: Pull one end of the strand through the pom-pom, but be sure to secure the other end.Step 5: You should be able to hold each end of the strand as shown. Repeat Steps 1-5 until you’ve used each of the strands you cut. If desired, add more! When you finish you’ll have a medusa-looking pom-pom. Give your pom-pom a trim so that the contrast color ends are flush with the rest of the pom-pom. Finished! Now you can secure your pom-pom to the hat.
A long, twisted rib upturned brim gives way to a basic stockinette body. The difference in gauge between the two stitches means that the rib fits snugly, but the variegated Bamboo Bloom section is slouchy. A neat solution to achieving the perfect fit.
We’ve shown it in two color options here, but I’m about to cast on for one for a friend, using an orange Deluxe Worsted Superwash for the base and Bamboo Bloom Handpaints 317 Sensei for the body.Â
Day 2 of Winter brings us the Broken Garter Scarf. The stitch pattern in this scarf will look familiar to anyone who owns or has read a copy of the brilliant Sequence Knitting book by Cecelia Campochiaro. If you don’t own this book yet, run out and buy it!
This book explores the concept of simple knit-purl texture in a variety of thought-provoking ways. There are many chapters in the book, each expounding on previous ideas. It is fascinating! And it’s easy to read through, fall in love with an idea, and just cast on.
The idea of this particular stitch pattern is a concept in the book that is presented in a variety of ways. I cast on several times with different combinations of knit and purl columns until I finally settled on one that felt right. It’s dead simple – it’s a one row repeat!
That is how the Broken Garter Scarf was born. I wanted to create a project easy to knit that was giftable for women and men alike. Just two balls of Deluxe Worsted Superwash and a few evenings of mindless knitting, and this scarf can be yours.
You can find this pattern, from Series 1, Day 2 of our 12 Days of Winter collection here (link).
