Free Pattern Friday – Cotton Candy Shawl

Free Pattern Friday - Cotton Candy Shawl

Picture this: you’re at a baseball game, and you pass by the Cotton Candy cart. This isn’t a treat you get to have often, so the memory of seeing the fun colors and the sugary sweet taste stays with you for years to come. Believe it or not, things like this can often serve as inspiration for design, and that is exactly what inspired today’s Free Pattern.

Photo from MINDSTEEL on Pixabay

Sometimes our sugar rush leads us to look for a new pattern, and today, you’re in luck. The Cotton Candy Shawl is now permanently free to download. This beautiful asymmetric shawl uses our soft and woolly Donnina yarn to create an accessory that you will want to wear all year long.

The Cotton Candy Shawl is the perfect accessory for this upcoming spring season!

The Cotton Candy Shawl is knit with a modular construction, starting with a mitered square. Simple garter stitch is worked throughout so that you can focus on the construction of this pattern. Watch this shawl come to life as you knit one color at a time, resulting in a color-blocked appearance that shows off our bold Donnina yarn. The colors 224 Navy, 210 Sweet Pea, and 201 Vanilla are used in this project. As an added bonus, Donnina is a sport-weight yarn, meaning you can wear this shawl year-round.

The Cotton Candy Shawl can be styled in many different ways

Sumptuous and smooth Donnina is the perfect complement to the Cotton Candy Shawl. Each 50g skein contains 180 yards of yarn that will leave you in awe. Donnina has 25 available colors, and you are more than welcome to substitute colors to create your own personalized Cotton Candy Shawl. It’s the perfect time to shop this yarn, as it recently went on sale for 40% off, and with this weekend’s sale, you can purchase Donnina for an extra 20% off. There are so many great patterns in this yarn, which you can see at this link.

Donnina is 100% superwash extra fine merino

I hope you enjoyed reading more about the Cotton Candy Shawl and our woolly Donnina yarn, and who knows, maybe you’re inspired to head to the grocery store for some Cotton Candy (no shame in that). We encourage you to share all your finished Universal Yarn projects with us at #universalyarn on Instagram.

Thanks for stopping by! – Robert

12 Days of Winter – Series 6 Edition, Part I

A stuffed wolf toy sits in front of a stack of folded accessories from the 12 Days of Winter Kit Collection, Series 6.

This is part 1 in a four-part series highlighting designs from our 12 Days of Winter, Series 6 Edition.

No matter which holiday you celebrate, winter is filled with gift giving of all kinds. Each year, our design team comes together to envision what projects will embody the spirit of the season, and creates kits that are exclusively sold at Local Yarn Shops. For this 12 Days of Winter, it’s all about bright and festive cheer! From the twinkling of snow and lights, to the bold colors of candies and toys, 2022 is a year for joy.

Today, I’m going to highlight the first three days from the 12 Days of Winter – Series 6, which you can find, or order via drop shipping, at any Local Yarn Shop that carries Universal Yarn. The Partridge Cowl, Candy Cane Lane hat, and Swiss Meringue Slippers each have special and thoughtful details that will delight knitters and gift recipients alike.

The Partridge Cowl is a beautifully colorful piece, designed by Rachel Brockman. It’s knit seamlessly in the round and uses stranded colorwork throughout. Since you are working with multiple colors of yarn throughout the whole project, we have labeled the difficulty as intermediate, and we have a blog post to help you navigate this technique at this link. It begins with a provisional cast-on which is unraveled and then grafted to the opposite end with the Kitchener stitch for a true seamless look when finished. The yarn in this kit is Rico Design Baby Dream DK Uni, paired with Rico Design Baby Dream DK. Both the solid and multi versions of this yarn are made of 50% polyacrylic and 50% polyamide, making for an ultra-soft cowl that’s perfect for bundling up this winter.

Partridge Cowl by Rachel Brockman.

My favorite part about this design is how the birds alternate their direction throughout the cowl. They were described as “dancing” in one of our newsletters, and I fell in love! Every time I see them now, I start humming the classic Christmas carol and envision the detailing near their beaks as notes of a birdsong twinkling to life.

Partridge birds singing and dancing in the Partridge Cowl.

Candy Cane Lane, by Rachel Brockman, is a jovial hat featuring a quintessential Candy Cane design, with a peppermint swirl at its crown. It’s knit in the round from the bottom up and uses stranded colorwork to create the swirls and motif. Made with just two balls of Fibra Natura Donnina (100% superwash merino wool), this sweet and smaller kit makes a wonderful stocking stuffer for a loved one, or a fun, compact WIP for holiday travels.

Candy Cane Lane hat by Rachel Brockman.

Hats are such a wonderful seasonal accessory – especially when you get to tell people “Thanks, I made it myself!” With the bold contrast of the red and white colors, the Candy Cane Lane hat is a head-turner, so get those compliment responses ready!

The cheery peppermint swirls and candy cane motifs of the Candy Cane Lane hat.

Last, but not least, we have the Swiss Meringue Slippers, by Aubrey Busek. These snuggle-worthy slipper boots are worked flat in two parts, first the foot, and next the cuff, which is sewn on later. Some of the seaming involves using the Mattress Stitch, which we have a handy blog tutorial for, found at this link! Buttons of your choice are added after seaming, for the final touch of winter cheer. Three colors of Universal Yarn Deluxe DK Superwash are used in alternating stripes with subtle detailing to create a rich texture on the feet, while swirled cables dance up the cuffs. It’s a great project for those who want a colorful piece, without doing stranded colorwork, as these slippers feature a mosaic colorwork technique where you only use one color at a time. The 100% superwash wool makes for plush, yet durable slippers for season-long wear.

Swiss Meringue Slippers by Aubrey Busek.

Booties, as I like to call them, are an absolute must-have for cold weather comfort. The colors are fantastic, making them as dazzling and decadent as the cookie puffs they’re named for. This project is a wonderful take on the normal “Holiday Classics,” and I will shamelessly be working on this kit for myself before I even think about their gift-giving appeal!

Close-up view of the textures and twists in the Swiss Meringue Slippers.

Thank you for reading along as we explore the first three beautiful designs from the Series 6 edition of our annual 12 Days of Winter Kit Collection. Join us tomorrow for three more designs, and what makes each of them so special and unique. Do you have a favorite from what has been shared so far? Let us know in the comments below or on social media. Follow & tag us on Instagram at @Universal_Yarn and use the hashtag #UniversalYarn, or find and follow us on TikTok or Facebook at @UniversalYarn.

Remember, these exclusive kits can be purchased at local yarn store retailers near you. Not in stock at your local shop? Ask them about drop shipping – order through them, and we ship to you! Each kit comes with the pattern, the yarn required to make it, and a printed version of the pattern. Use our store locator to find your nearest Universal Yarn retailer!

Happy Stitching!
Ashley Jane McIntyre

Free Pattern Friday – Gravel

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Woman wearing black and white knitted sweater

Today, Gravel knitted in Cobblestone and Donnina (pattern link here).

Gravel is the perfect pullover for everyday wear. The simple, classic raglan silhouette is already a favorite among knitters, but add the marled, variegated fabric created by our Cobblestone yarn, and you really have something special!

closeup image of texture of Cobblestone yarn balls

Cobblestone is spun with two plies. One ply is variegated, with a variety of harmonious colors, and the second ply is a solid color. In the case of 108 Tuxedo, the black, gray, and white create monochromatic variations, for a fabric with plenty of depth and interest!

Designer Rachel Brockman smartly chose to create the coordinating solid cuffs, collar, and hem in 100% superwash fine merino Donnina. The saturated deep black is a great tonal compliment to the body of this pullover, and Donnina’s stitch definition really makes that twisted rib stand out!

The result is a comfortable, timeless top that works in any casual situation, no matter what colors you choose.

We hope you have a fantastic weekend.

Happy crafting!

-Heather Hill

Free Pattern Friday – Buttercream Scarf

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Young woman wearing knitted striped scarf

Today, the Buttercream Scarf knitted in Donnina (pattern link here).

I love this scarf – it’s so bright and happy!

It’s long enough to wear loose, or to wrap, for extra versatility in styling.

It’s also worked in the round as a tube, for a double thickness of fabric. And there’s a secret weapon for the excellent texture and color on this scarf…

Group of balls of Donnina yarn

Fibra Natura Donnina! Those saturated colors are just to die for. And because this 100% extrafine superwash merino is so smooth, with such a high twist, stitches really pop. The very simple patterning in this easy-to-knit scarf really stands out!

So cozy!

Donnina is a delight to work with, making this scarf a treat to knit and to wear.

We hope you have a great weekend, full of fun and laughter.

Happy crafting!

Delightful Donnina

I’m downright tickled to be able to spotlight Donnina this week! When I first joined the Universal Yarn team, this yarn became one of my instant favorites. Made with 100% superwash extra fine merino, I have found it to be a great base for mixing and matching with other colorful yarns of the same composition, or similar weight.

A perfect example of pairing up Donnina with other yarn is the Fruit Stripe Pullover designed by Rachel Brockman, which features quirky, colorful stripes from our variegated Cobblestone. At just $9.75 a ball, you really can’t beat the price point for Donnina’s quality – making it all to easy too scoop up whole sweater quantities when the mood strikes! Be warned though, this is a popular design and we are running low on #201 Vanilla used as the solid base color below. Maybe pair up with a vibrant solid, like #206 Tomato Red, for some extra flavor though!

Another shining example (literally!) is the Polar Nights Cowl, designed by Rachel Brockman for our 12 Days of Winter Collection 2021. This Cowl uses Donnina as the primary background color, but cleverly uses Ricorumi Lamé DK for some twinkling colorwork, as well as Rico Design Essentials Superkid Mohair Loves Silk for a halo of softness around your neck. It’s truly a special project, and guess what!? You can snag it as a kit here, or just grab the pattern solo and make your own color combinations!

Polar Nights Cowl designed by Rachel Brockman

If mixing yarns isn’t your thing, then have no fear! There are a whopping 25 colors of Donnina for you to choose from. And of course, a standout palette deserves its own delectable pattern collection – Sweet Treats! There are six scrumptious designs to choose from. My favorite design is the Gumdrop Top designed by Aubrey Busek. Boasting some bold colorblock and a cold-shoulder silhouette, it’s my favorite flirty piece!

Gumdrop Top designed by Aubrey Busek

Another favorite from this collection is the Licorice Scarflette by Aubrey Busek. I’m not even sure where to start with describing why I love this, but I’ll try! For starters, I’m a sucker for colorwork, so I adore the fun polka dots paired with the contrasting stripes. The overall look is also such a fun, midcentury modern mix! The neutral palette, the bold colorblocking, and the classic neck scarf silhouette make me want to ride in a bright red convertible with the top down!

The possibilities with Donnina are truly endless! What sweet treat do you think you’ll make for yourself with it? I can’t wait to hear all about it!

That’s all for now – happy stitching!
Ashley Jane

Day 3 of Winter – Series 5 Edition

This is part 3 in a 12 part series highlighting designs from our 12 Days of Winter, series 5 Edition.

Do the evenings of winter inspire you to knit more? It’s certainly the case for me. I’ve always loved the magic of a starry night. I know the shorter days can cause some to feel weary, but I find a special type of comfort in the longer, colder nights. I love how early you’re able to see the glittering stars decorate the winter night sky. It’s so fun to point out beautiful constellations and cross your fingers in hopes of catching sight of a shooting star in the cool, crisp air.

The wintry skies of the north were my inspiration for the third installment of this year’s 12 Days of Winter Kit Collection, the Polar Nights Cowl, which I’m thrilled to share with you today!

In this kit, you’ll get to explore the following techniques:

  • knitting in the round
  • stranded colorwork
  • slipped stitches

As I mentioned earlier, I have always loved the starry skies of the winter. But more than that, I’ve also had a lifelong fascination with the polar regions of the world. Yep – it’s a dream of mine to visit both the Arctic and Antarctica and this year I came so very close. So close, in fact, that I’ve been able to tick the Northern Lights off my lifetime bucket list when I visited Alaska in September.

The experience of seeing the Aurora Borealis, or the Northern Lights, is one I’ll treasure forever. The trip, in general, was so impactful and special to me for so many reasons, and I was inspired to design something to remind me of it. Our 12 Days of Winter Kit Collection was the perfect fit for this design!

The Polar Nights Cowl uses three gorgeous yarns: Fibra Natura Donnina and Rico Design Essentials Super Kid Mohair Loves Silk held together as one and Rico Design Ricorumi Lamé DK held on its own. Donnina and Loves Silk held together in a deep, dark navy serve as the background. On their own, each yarn is incredibly soft, but when combined it truly creates a world of magic – Donnina’s plump, soft extrafine merino is pillowy soft, and the feathery mohair and silk blend of Super Kid Mohair Loves Silk adds an ethereal halo. The Ricorumi Lamé DK in a glistening gold is used to create the stranded colorwork motif that’s inspired by beautiful Norweigian Marius sweaters – yet another nod to the polar regions of our world.

I love the contrast between the gold and blue in this cowl. As the light hits the stitches, the shimmering effect is simply stunning. Dare I say this cowl is almost as breathtaking as a starry sky? It’s up for debate, but what certainly isn’t is how much you’ll love knitting this kit!

Here is what our lovely 12 Days of Winter Kits look like – perfect for scooping up as a gift for another knitter, or for yourself!

Remember, these exclusive kits can be purchased at local yarn store retailers near you. Not in stock at your local shop? Ask them about drop shipping – order through them, and we ship to you! Each kit comes with the pattern, the yarn required to make it, a mini Universal Yarn project bag, and stitch marker. Use our store locator to find your nearest Universal Yarn retailer!

Happy crafting!


Texture, Color, Blocks

Just before the start of 2012 (when I made a New Year’s Resolution to learn to knit), I can recall a moment when I was shopping and suddenly thought “I want to learn to make a sweater.” I can’t recall if it was a particular sweater that inspired me, or if it was simply the notion of creating something both beautiful and functional. Either way, to this day I often find myself inspired by ready-to-wear (RTW) apparel. I think the inspiration goes both ways: RTW designers are inspired by handcrafters, too. When I’m on the go, I snap photos of interesting details, save pins, admire silhouettes, stitch patterns, and more. I’m confident that I’m not alone, too. I can’t say I know a maker who hasn’t been inspired by something they’ve spotted in the wild, whether it’s a specific garment or a current trend.

That seed of inspiration eventually sprouts into unique and interesting designs. Today, I wanted to spotlight a ready-to-wear trend that truly nods to the homegrown handmade items: patchwork and texture blocking. This style lends itself to scrappy projects, playful samplings of stitches, and a lot of room for creative expression. These garments are statement knits and don’t necessarily need to be polished, but they certainly can be. Here are just a few examples from ready-to-wear fashion.

Perhaps the most notorious textural, patchwork sweater was designed by J.W. Anderson and donned by Harry Styles. This sweater took social media by storm with many fiber artists creating their own versions of it. It was so popular, in fact, that the designer published the pattern (link) so you can make your own. Might I suggest Deluxe Bulky Superwash if you’re so inclined to make your own?

Today I’m going to spotlight several sweaters using our yarns that tick all of those boxes. Get ready for a healthy dose of inspiration!

The Street Art Vest is knit using five colors of Dona: #130 Steely (MC), #103 Amber (CC1), #132 Alabaster (CC2), #125 Navy (CC3), & #131 Onyx.

We’ve been seeing knitted vests left and right – so what could be more on point than a color and texture blocked vest? Add an off-centered zipper and the result is truly a statement knit. The Street Art Vest (pattern link) is just the kind of zest design you’d expect from designer Amy Gunderson. In fact – you’ll notice that most of the patterns I’m sharing today are her designs!

One of the most exciting things about these patchwork projects is that they’re essentially sampler projects. It’s hard to get bored! This vest utilizes a combination of intarsia, twisted stitches, cables, and knit-purl textures. Thanks to the superior stitch definition of 100% superwash extra fine merino yarn Dona, the motifs stand out – even in the darkest colors. I love the industrial palette of this project with a dash of yellow to add just the right amount of zest.

Our theme today isn’t strictly about multi-color projects. In fact, monochromatic texture-blocking can look rather elegant. For those who aren’t comfortable sporting boldly colored garments, the single-color variations of this trend are an excellent option. Just take a look at #07 Lace Pullover (pattern link), designed by Amy Gunderson and published in the Fall, 2019 issue of Vogue Knitting magazine. This design also uses Dona and the results are stunning. A breath-taking sampling of lace and twisted ribbing for the trim make this sweater as polished as can be.

Ainsley is knit using four colors of Deluxe Worsted Tweed Superwash: #912 Ebony (A), #910 Porcelain (B), #913 Smoke (C), & #905 Pine (D).

Ainsley (pattern link) is another exciting design by Amy Gunderson. Much like the Street Art Vest, this design features intarsia and a variety of rich textures. It is knit using Deluxe Worsted Tweed Superwash – a tweedy, woolly yarn that adds a rustic quality to any project. The relaxed fit gives this piece an androgynous appearance. It’s easy to wear with anything, and the v-neck lends itself to a bit of layering.

Soiree uses Deluxe DK Superwash in colors #861 Blue Rustic, #818 Dusty Blue, 860 Twilight Rustic, & #838 Twilight.

In the Fall, 2020 issue of Vogue Knitting, the patchwork inspiration was in full display in #7 Soiree. We love the cool shades of Deluxe DK Superwash. Bishop sleeves and a funnel neck make this piece especially cozy. Designer Laura Zukaite made bold textural choices for this design. It includes intarsia, chunky cables, fisherman’s rib, garter stitch, classic K2, P2 Ribbing, and lace. You’ll get to exercise all of your knitting skills with this pullover.

My own contribution to this selection of patterns is Lollipop (pattern link), knit in Donnina. This design is perfect if you want to play with color blocking and texture blocking, but it doesn’t fully step into patchwork territory. This candy-colored cutie features two different twisted stitch motifs and a pop of cherry twisted ribbing along the neckline. It’s lightweight, making it perfect for the spring weather we’re all dreaming of.

Those are my picks for patterns that use color, texture, and blocks to create a visually stunning product. How do you feel about this patchwork trend? Do any of these patterns speak to you? We’d love to know!

Happy crafting!

Day 11 of Winter – Series 4 Edition

This is part 11 in a 12 part series highlighting designs from our 12 Days of Winter, Series 4 Edition.

It’s already Day 11 of the 12 Days of Winter Kit Collection. Time is flying by, and we’re all feeling the holiday spirit. Today we’re revealing a beautiful project: the Inkberry Shawl, knit in soft, plush Donnina. This shawl uses low-contrast, semi-complementary colors #215 Purple Beet and #227 Balsam for a beautiful effect.
This shawl was designed by the talented Jennifer Sadler. She has such a knack for creating designs that are welcoming for knitters of all skill levels, and this shawl is no exception. It’s a soothing project full of garter, simple stripes, and airy eyelets. I asked Jennifer to share a bit about her inspiration and design process. Here is what she had to say:
Garter stripes balance out the blocks of color on each end of this lovely shawl.
“When it comes to knitting during the holidays, I enjoy projects that allow me to knit while watching a holiday movie or enjoying a cup of hot tea or coffee while visiting with family. I wanted to design something that fit that bill, while also being a very cozy and wearable finished object. The Inkberry Shawl is perfect knitting for watching TV or chatting. The long sections of garter stitch are the best for zoning out a bit while still being productive!
We love the generous size of this scarf.
While I love garter stitch, I wanted to add in a bit of texture for both visual and knitting interest. The garter lace stitch I chose is an easy to memorize 4-row repeat. And to make it easier to continue to zone out while knitting this shawl, there are no purls at all!
The asymmetrical triangle shawl shape is hands down my favorite shawl shape. I find it to be the easiest to wear, and a shape that requires hardly any adjustment throughout the day because it lays so nicely. The lovely Donnina yarn, made up of 100% superwash extrafine merino, gives the shawl a bouncy and squishy feel. The finished shawl would make a wonderful gift, or a lovely addition to any wardrobe. My hope is that you enjoy knitting Inkberry while staying cozy this holiday season!”
Wrap the shawl snugly around your shoulders for extra warmth and comfort.
We’re so glad that Jennifer contributed her lovely design to this kit collection. She certainly achieved the goal she set out for when she created this design. I’d love to knit one for myself, and a mindless knit sounds perfect given the crazy year 2020 has been. Despite its generous size, it would knit up surprisingly fast thanks to the simple stitch work.


Remember, you can find the Inkberry Shawl 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!


A Season for Hats

Each morning I begin my day by walking my beloved doggos before work, and occasionally I have time to sip a cup of freshly brewed coffee on my patio. It’s a morning routine I cherish and it gives me time to breathe before starting work for the day. This morning, to my delight, the air was crisp and cool. Considering the fact that summery temperatures carry on well into the autumn months in the south, a temperature below 60 °F is always a welcome excuse to pull out one of my favorite hand-knit items: hats!

Hats are one of my favorite things to both knit and design. I absolutely adore them. They are the perfect playground for trying new techniques, are satisfyingly fast, and are great for gifts. What’s not to love about them? To celebrate the season of hats I’m going to round up a few of my favorite hats that are perfect for September.
Looking Glass in Kingston Tweed
First up is Looking Glass. This hat is part of our e-book, Kingston Tweed Volume I. It’s a relaxed hat with a folded brim and a beautiful diamond motif in alternating colors. If you enjoy stranded colorwork, you’ll love this project. The motif will demand a bit of attention, but the results are worth it. I named this hat after Looking Glass Rock, located in Pisgah National Forest, as the colors echo the granite formation peeking out of the lush, green Appalachian Mountains. It’s knit using Kingston Tweed, a rustic blend of 50% wool, 25% alpaca, and 25% viscose. The sticky texture, slight halo, and subtle tweed make it an outstanding yarn for colorwork projects like this one.

Kingston Tweed is great for more than just colorwork. The Woodlawn Hat is an excellent example of how beautifully it works up into rich textures. Knit-purl and mini-cable columns decorate this hat. This project is perfect for those looking to try cables for the first time. Although I love all types of knitting, I crave knitting cabled, textural projects the most, and in my wardrobe, those are the items I reach for most frequently. The Woodlawn Hat is classic and endlessly wearable. It’s exactly what I reach for when I’m ready for an early morning on the trail.

By the way, we’ve added three new colors to Kingston Tweed: forest green #114 Serpentine, fiery red #115 Garnet, and earthy brown #116 Dravite. They would be fantastic choices for the Woodlawn Hat.

As much as I enjoy making hats for myself, I also love making them for others – especially my husband. He is one of the most knit-worthy people I know, and he doesn’t leave the house without a hand-knit hat as soon as the weather begins to cool down. He would probably love to have every hat in this round-up.

One of the hats I’d love to knit for him is the Compass Hat (and bonus cowl!) because of its timelessness. The ribbing and cables are a simple, subtle nod to fisherman’s sweaters. Like the Woodlawn Hat, this accessory is perfect for anyone who wants to learn to knit cables. The Compass Hat is knit using woolly and wonderful workhorse yarn, Deluxe Worsted Superwash, and is completely interchangeable with non-superwash Deluxe Worsted (my favorite!).

Speaking of fishermen – I’d like to highlight another nautically-inspired design: Trawler. Wear this hat with the brim folded and close to your head to mimic the classic fisherman’s cap, or wear it unfolded and slouchy for a relaxed look. Trawler boasts squishy brioche and a handsome marled effect that is achieved by holding two strands of yarn together as one. Knit in Bella Cash, a blend of 60% superwash fine merino, 30% nylon, and 10% cashmere, this hat is a durable little luxury.

If you’re looking to knit something in a flash, look no further than the Basketweave Hat. When I say this is a fast project, I really mean it. I knit it in under two hours! This beginner-friendly hat pairs little blocks of garter and stockinette stitch to create a basketweave motif (hence the name). It’s great as a palette cleansing project or a last-minute gift. Knit in Be Wool Multis, a super bulky blend of 60% acrylic and 40% wool, it’s an easy-care accessory covered in fun multicolor speckles. This hat is sure to spark some joy!

Who doesn’t love a hat topped with a pom pom? I especially love adding a pop of color with pom-poms, as demonstrated in the Cichlid Hat. For this design, I really wanted to allow the colorful, thick/thin texture of Bamboo Bloom Handpaints to shine. Bamboo Bloom Handpaints is a loosely plied blend of 48% bamboo, 44% wool, and 8% acrylic. It’s such a unique yarn and simplicity is key when working with it. Because this yarn wouldn’t be well-suited to ribbing for the brim of a hat or to creating a nice, plump pom-pom, I chose coordinating colors of Deluxe Worsted Superwash to create a brim that ensures a good fit. The color options are endless with this fun pattern!

Worked in super-soft, lightweight Donnina, the Vinia Hat is another cute hat topped with a colorful pom-pom. You might have noticed by now that I love hats that feature a folded brim. In fact, I almost consider them vital when knitting hats for myself! Like many of the other hats in this list, Vinia features a deep, folded brim. Colorwork resembling vines decorates the body of the hat. I’ve been dreaming of knitting this hat in autumnal colors – #201 Vanilla and #203 Amber would make lovely choices, but the possibilities are endless!
Frosted Crocus Hat from Interweave Knits, Gifts 2021 in Donnina
Rounding out my list of great hats for the season is actually a design recently published in the Gifts 2020 issue of Interweave Knits. Knit in Donnina, the Frosted Crocus Hat is was such a delight to knit and design. The playful and bold colorwork motif is coupled with details like a speckled pom-pom (tutorial link) and tubular cast-on (tutorial link) for a hat that is irresistibly fun. I designed this with holiday gift-knitting in mind, but it’s perfect for autumn, too!

There are so many delightful hat patterns to choose from, so be sure to explore the patterns on our website for more. Plus, we have even more hat designs coming your way in the coming months. What hat patterns are you planning to knit or crochet this fall? We’d love to know!

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!