Tag: Dona

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Needles Out! Knits for Guys with Sweater Envy

Have we all seen Knives Out? Or at least seen photos of Chris Evans wearing The Sweater?

Mend those holes!!

This pullover became such a rage on the internet that Evans wound up getting one for his dog for Christmas.

Chris Evans and his dog wearing cream sweaters
Who wore it better?

Fortunately, as crafters, we can create this look on our own, no costume department needed. If you or someone you know has sweater envy, we’ve got five sweaters (and one vest) for the knitter who wants to cast on some fashionable cables!

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1. Infinite Diamonds

Image of man in black and blue cabled sweater knit in Dona yarn

We’re starting with the one that requires the least cabling, to ease into things. Infinite Diamonds (pattern link here) is knit in Fibra Natura Dona, a 100% superwash extrafine merino with a tight twist that really makes stitches pop.

No cables on the back, just plain stockinette. Infinite Diamonds is knit flat in pieces and seamed.

We love the windowpane effect given by the cables inside cables on the front panel. This is part of e-book The Dona Collection, featuring bold use of color blocking to create dramatic modern pieces. For a standalone design, though, let’s move to the world of magazines.

2. Anchorage Cardigan

© Interweave / Harper Point

Published in Interweave Knits Winter 2018 issue, the Anchorage Cardigan (Ravelry link) shares a few features with Infinite Diamonds. Both are designed by the amazing Amy Gunderson, and both feature Dona yarn.

© Interweave / Harper Point

The differences, though, are obvious. The Anchorage Cardigan features a textured back (in fact, a textured everything).

© Interweave / Harper Point

Saddle Shoulders create a lovely line. As you might guess from the shoulders, this sweater is worked in pieces and seamed.

© Interweave / Harper Point

Carrying the pattern onto the pockets is a thoughtful design detail. If you’re confident working twisted stitches without a cable needle, you need never have to use one at all. Let’s move on to another cabled cardi, from an entire collection full of cabled designs.

3. Greensboro Cardigan

Unlike the previous sweaters, the Greensboro Cardigan (pattern link here) is worked in Deluxe Worsted wool, on US size 7 (4.5mm) needles as opposed to size 6 (4mm).

This stitch pattern is very stretchy – something to keep in mind when picking your size.

As with the Anchorage Cardigan, if you’re proficient with crossing stitches, you can do this without using a cable needle. Amy Gunderson even has a blog tutorial for this design (and others from the Deluxe Cable Collection) on creating the set-in pockets and installing a zipper. She even made a special chart for the sleeve increases to help a new knitter here in the office.

4. Wesley Heights

For my money, this pullover is the most “Knives Out” one we’ve seen so far. Wesley Heights (pattern link here) is part of the same Deluxe Cable Collection that the Greensboro Cardigan above is in. (And friends, there are 17 designs in that e-book for $20, so if you love cables… I’m just saying.)

Like the Greensboro Cardi, this is a very stretchy stitch pattern knit in Deluxe Worsted wool. This one has a greater variety of stitch patterns, though, to satisfy your knitting itch.

Amy Gunderson knitted this one for herself, and shares little tips (do you know how to spit-splice?) on our blog.

5. Kerf

Image of man wearing green cable knit pullover

Kerf (pattern link here) is knit in Deluxe Worsted Superwash, the machine washable sibling to the Deluxe Worsted used in Wesley Heights, above.

Columns of classic cables are split by welting for a well-defined look.

LOVE the detailing where the shoulders meet the collar.

This was one of our most popular sweaters of the year, and it’s not hard to see why. Kerf is available on its own or as part of the Deluxe Men’s Collection.

…and one more for luck.

The Chapel Hill Vest (pattern link here) is a free pattern on our site!

Knit in Deluxe Worsted, the vest is worked in two pieces and seamed. Stitch patterns are written and charted.

The center cable is a fantastic focal point, surrounded by smaller cables and twisted stitches. Fabulous.

We hope you’re inspired to get your needles out, and cast on something warm and wonderful.

Happy crafting!

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Free Pattern Friday – Groove

It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Rear view of woman wearing knit hooded cardigan
Today, Groove knit in Dona (pattern link here). Groove was formerly a pay-only pattern, and part of e-book Dona 2.0. We’re delighted to set it free!
Woman wearing magenta cardigan knit in Dona yarn
Groove has it all – pockets, coordinating buttons and a generous hood. This modern beauty is worked from the top down, and uses Barbara Walker’s Simultaneous Set-in Sleeves.
Dona L-R: 138 Olive, 137 Lily Pad, 133 Blue Hint, 130 Steely, 134 Glacier, 132 Alabaster
Often when I see something bright, my impulse is to want to tone it down, go more neutral and cool, like one the tones featured in our Soothe Dona Kit, above
Image of Dona yarn balls
But this sweater looks so good bright, and Dona’s jeweltones are so saturated, I think designer Tori Gurbisz was right on the money picking a full-voiced color.
Dona is a favorite of designers, including our own design team. We’ll be back later on with an in-depth look at brand new Dona e-book Elegant Ease. Until then, have a great weekend – and happy crafting!
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Color Of The Year 2020

Blue yarn and color of the year banner above
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!
Skeins of blue yarn laid on a table
“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.
Blue hat and fingerless mittens
The Color Shift Hat and Mittens from our Dona Kit in Blues
A hand-knit shawl in shades of blue
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!
Man wearing a hand knit cardigan
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.
A crochet blanket in blues and grays
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!
A hand knit lace shawl in blue
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!
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Day 10 of Winter – Series 3 Edition

This is part 10 in a 12 part series highlighting designs from our 12 Days of Winter, Series 3 Edition.

It’s Day 10 of the 12 Days of Winter Kit Collection. Today, the Snowdrift cowl designed by Adrienne Larsen. This design combines cables, twisted stitches, and eyelets to create a show-stopping winter accessory. It’s knit up in Fibra Natura Dona – one of our favorite yarns for knitting cables because of its superior stitch definition. Did we mention that it’s incredibly soft, too? For today’s post, we’ve asked Adrienne to share her passion for cable design with us. Here is what she had to say:
A white cowl featuring cables and lace knit using Fibra Natura Dona.
“I love cables. I love how they look and I love thinking about how they work. When creating a new cable pattern, I always break into two main elements: the ground and the squiggle.
Detail of white cowl featuring cables and lace knit using Fibra Natura Dona.

The ground is pretty self-explanatory. The ground is what the cable is sitting on: the background. It is usually reverse stockinette stitch because it’s simple and doesn’t pull focus from the main event: the squiggle. If you want to add a little zing, the ground could be seed stitch or garter stitch. If you prefer a really smooth look, it can even be stockinette.

The squiggle is where you can really get creative. You can do a simple cable, which sits in place, and just crosses over itself, like in a 2×2 Right Cross. The squiggle can also move back and forth over the ground as a traveling cable. The stitches in the squiggle usually stay together and move on top of the ground. It can also move under or over other squiggles.
A knitted swatch featuring an explanation about each element of cable knitting.
The stitches in a squiggle are classically groups of knit stitches. In this pattern, I decided to change things up by adding some twisted stitches and purls to some of the squiggles. If you look, the twisted stitch squiggles and the plain squiggles always stay that way, even when they move under or over each other.
Detail of a white cowl featuring cables and lace knit using Fibra Natura Dona.
I also added yarn-overs to some of the stationary squiggles. I didn’t like that you could see the underlapping stitches in the cables in the yarn-over squiggles, so I only placed them when they were stationary. I also only changed from twisted/purl combination squiggles to yarn-over squiggles after during an underlap, when possible where it could be hidden.

That’s just a few things that are considered when cable patterns are designed!” -Adrienne
A white cowl featuring cables and lace knit using Fibra Natura Dona.
We hope you’ve enjoyed learning a bit more about Adrienne’s approach to cable design. We think it’s fascinating and feel so lucky to have her designs in this kit collection. Remember, you can find the Snowdrift kit and the rest of the 12 Days of Winter kits at your local yarn store.
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Free Pattern Friday – Splatter Lace Cowl

It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Splatter Lace Cowl in Fibra Natura Dona (pattern link here). This beauty comes in two sizes, with the long calling for four balls and the short needing just two.
Perfect for a little pop of color.
Dona’s extra fine superwash merino gives excellent stitch definition to this pattern. It’s a simple repeat to memorize, with the star-shaped “splatter” given form by 5-in-1 decreases and 1-in-5 increases!
It may sound daunting, but you’ll pick it up faster than you think. And it’s worth it for the beautiful texture that shines through in a saturated solid color yarn. Have a fantastic weekend, friends! Happy crafting!
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Free Pattern Friday – Paper Doll Sweater

It’s Free Pattern Friday!
girl modeling pink knitted pullover
Today, the Paper Doll Sweater in Dona (pattern link here). When our Sales Director Yonca was with family for Thanksgiving, her niece asked for a custom made sweater.
(She didn’t actually write a note – it was more of a “puppy dog eyes” situation.)
She wanted a top kind of like what Yonca was wearing, but different in this way and that way, and a pullover, not a cardi… before long, it was an entirely new sweater. Fortunately, Yonca’s niece is very knitworthy.
Yonca designed the sweater in Fibra Natura Dona, a machine-washable 100% extra fine merino. It’s an excellent choice for luxurious projects that you won’t have to baby when they get a little dirty.
This sweater features a cabled yoke that goes all the way around.
And here it is, modeled by the giftee!
Girl wearing pink cabled pullover sweater knit in Dona
She was so excited to receive it! The only feeling better than getting a treasured handmade gift is giving one. We foresee other projects in this charming young lady’s future!
printable paper doll sheet
If you’d like to print a sweater to match the real thing, here’s a paper doll sheet, with some accessories for good measure. We hope you make time for play as well as work this weekend. Happy crafting!
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Free Pattern Friday – Checkerboard Pullover

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today, the Checkerboard Pullover in Dona (pattern link here).

Things to love about this pullover:

It’s sized from 3-6 months all the way up to 10 years. Whether your little one is “ooh, look at the tiny toes!” or “I can’t believe they’re growing up so fast!” you can still make them a fun sweater.

The stranding is very predictable. If you like to do Fair Isle without having to constantly refer back to the pattern, you’re set. Put on an episode of This Is Us and knit away without missing the juicy bits.

It would be really easy to customize. Fibra Natura Dona has a range of bold colors, both dark and light.  Blue and white for a gingham look? Red and black for a classic checkerboard? Team colors for the little fan? There are a lot of possibilities!

We hope you have a fantastic weekend.

Happy crafting!

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Day 6 of Winter – Series 2 Edition

This is part 6 in a 12 part series highlighting designs from our 12 Days of Winter 2018 Collection.

My number one goal when designing a scarf is to make it look good on both sides. This can be quite challenging! Many/most cables have a definite unpleasant look to their wrong sided rows. Fair isle in a scarf is better done in the round because A) curling and B) floats. But simple knit/purl texture can be very nice on a scarf, and easy to work, too.

Oh hey – it’s scarf weather!

Echo Scarf (pattern link) is knit in Dona. Scrummy, scrumptious, buttery, and soft with amazing stitch definition: Dona. This scarf features a generous amount of ribbing at each end that flows directly into the texture and reversible cable patterning on the body of the scarf.

It may be difficult to tell from the photos, but the main stitch pattern is only an 8 row repeat. The patterning is also shown in the pattern in chart form and also written text. I am 100% a chart person, but I know that some knitters prefer text because their brains don’t always “click” with the way charts are presented. I’ll never pass up an opportunity to talk about chart reading because I believe they are so much easier (once you get the hang of them) to follow at a glance.

To illustrate, I’ve highlighted a few sections of the actual scarf below that correspond to the chart.

A blank square means to knit on the right side and purl on the wrong side, and represents stockinette stitch. A square with a dot inside it means to purl on the right side and knit on the wrong side, and represents reverse stockinette stitch.

The squares are visually conveying what the actual piece of knitting will look like. The blank squares which are stockinette look plain and smooth, just as they do in the finished piece. So the idea is that when you look at the chart and see this arrangement of symbols, you can know what stitches come next just at a glance.

As a reminder, whether you’re a chart or a word person, this pattern still has you covered. Remember, you can find Series 2 of the 12 Days of Winter Kit patterns on Ravelry.

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Day 11 of Winter

What are some things that come to mind when you think of winter? Seeing your breath in the cool air? Staying warm at home as snow falls softly to the ground? Building snowmen and coming inside to a cup of warm cocoa? Whatever you envision on a cold winter’s day, Tundra is sure to keep you warm.

Tundra is cabled hat that captures the look of icy winter days, yet keeps you snug and warm. It features all-over cables that begin at the cuff and are carried into the crown shaping.

If ever there was a yarn meant to be coupled with cables, Dona would be that yarn. It has impeccable stitch definition, which is perfect for the interlocking twists and turns of cabled fabric. The Tundra hat combines simple, but beautiful cables with the plump and incredibly soft Dona.

Like each kit in the 12 Days of Winter Collection, the Tundra Kit comes in a giftable package. Perhaps you’re the knitter doing the gifting (isn’t the act of knitting a gift to yourself anyway?)–great news–this pattern is sized baby through adult, so it’s perfect for anyone special in your life.

By the way, I’d be remiss not to mention that today is also Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving to each and every one of you. I hope your day is full of delicious food, laughter among loved ones, and some comfort knitting while you recover from all of that feasting!

You can find the kit for Tundra on our website here.

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Spice Box Color Kit: The Stratification Shawl

One of the yarns I’ve fallen most in love with since joining the Universal Yarn design team is Fibra Natura Dona. This yarn is simply gorgeous. It is soft, plump, and has excellent stitch definition. We have a variety of great kits that use Dona, but I was excited when Amy asked me to contribute to our Color Kit lineup. My design is the Stratification Shawl.

I love the Spice Box palette. These are, without a doubt, my kind of colors. I love warm colors and earth tones. I spend much of my free time outdoors and draw inspiration from the colors and textures of landscapes. I already knew that I wanted to incorporate stripes into the design, so I revisited some photos for further inspiration.

The Spice Box palette made me reminisce about a trip I made to Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area outside of Las Vegas, Nevada. During my trip, I was mesmerized by the beauty in the strata, or rock layers, in the landscape. Similarly, I loved the way flora sprinkled pops of color into neutral desert landscapes. I’ve included some of the photos that inspired me to include the bold green and coral stripes into the shawl.

This shawl is a pretty straightforward project. It features top-down construction and increases occur along the sides to create a crescent shape. An alternating sequence of simple stripes is elevated with a knit-purl stitch pattern. Dona shows off the stitch pattern perfectly. Finally, the shawl is finished with an I-Cord bind off. It is an excellent project for both beginning and more advanced knitters. I sincerely hope you enjoy this pattern as much as I enjoyed designing it!