Luck ‘O The Hat
You’ve got a few days left – what are you waiting for?
Universal Yarn Creative Network
Inspiration By Design
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Colorburst Cap in Classic Shades Frenzy (pattern link here).
Earlier this season we released e-book NoDa Knits (Ravelry link), a collection of knitting projects in colorful Classic Shades Frenzy. But we didn’t want to leave out crocheters!
So here is the crocheted Colorburst Cap, the grand finale free pattern of the year!
This pretty project takes 1-2 balls of variegated Classic Shades Frenzy, one of our favorites to design with. The pattern is written and charted. Work it sideways, flat, for vertical stripes, then slip stitch the edges together.
Gather up the top, and you’ve created a lovely slouchy accessory to carry you through the seasons. Magnifique!
We hope you have a fantastic weekend. We’ll see you in the new year with even more beautiful designs and patterns!
Happy crafting!
How’s everybody doing? All caught up on your handmade gifts?
If you are, then good for you! If you’re not… join the club! Fortunately, there are still some quick, good-looking projects that you (and I) can make at the last minute. And if you still can’t quite finish, well… we have some options at the end of this post.
When I’m in a pinch, I go big! Take a look at the Coffee Beans and Sugar Cubes hats.
What I like about them:
I’ve made more than a few of these, and they’ve always been popular. My most recent set were super bright for two friends, who loved them.
These are also available as a kit from your LYS.
Are you a crocheter? How about the Racing Cowl?
This takes just one skein of self-striping Uptown Super Bulky Amplify on a size N-15 (10mm) hook.
If you want to knit something bulky but not super-bulky, try the Latta Park Hat and Mittens from e-book Colorful Commute.
I made one of these myself, and it was fun and easy. The Classic Shades Frenzy is a smart choice because it lends visual interest without extra work – always a consideration when you’re on a deadline.
As a little holiday gift, we’re running a giveaway of the Latta Park Hat and Mittens. (Also, consider signing up for our newsletter. Subscribers already heard about this!)
You can enter this coupon code by going to the Latta Park Hat and Mittens page on Ravelry, and entering FRENZY at the “use a coupon code” link that appears during purchase. Use it by 12/23.
Finally, if you’re just not gonna make it, we still have some options. How about a card to let your giftee know that their gift is on the way? We made a few printable options for you.
Regardless of how your holiday gifting turns out, we hope you’ll be able to make time to slow down and enjoy the season as best you can.
Happy crafting!
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).
Thy 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.
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.
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.
Thank you so much for joining us in our support of RSS! We hope you have a wonderful week!
This is part 11 in a 12 part series highlighting designs from our 12 Days of Winter, Series 2 Edition.
Say hello to First Frost, an accessory set that is sure to warm you up this season!
Ah, knitting. I love everything about it. However, some techniques sing to me more than others. Cables are one of those techniques. I can never get enough. If I can squeeze them in, I do. They don’t have to be complicated – but they can be. Either way, I love them. I want to knit cables as often as I want to eat Kit Kats or Reeses’ Peanut Butter Cups – all the time!Â
I actually really like using cable needles, but I occasionally lose them. The crevices on my sofa are likely home to several. So what do you do when you don’t have a cable needle or spare DPN handy? Do you find another project? NO! Of course not! You simply cable without a cable needle. I’m going to show you how with a quick tutorial!
Going behind the first two stitches (red) on the left-hand needle, slip the third and fourth (green) stitches to the right-hand needle. The first two stitches will be in FRONT of the work. If you were working this as a right cross, the red stitches would be in the BACK of your work, and you would slip the green stitches purlwise from the front.
If the above photo scares you, just take a deep breath. It’s really not that scary! When you slip the green stitches, the red stitches will fall off your needle. That is okay – that’s what you want!
Carefully scoop the red stitches up with your left-hand needle. Breathe a sigh of relief – your stitches are safe again. Notice, we are simply re-arranging the stitches. * If you were working this as a RIGHT cross, the red stitches would be in the back of your work.
After the stitches are all back on the left-hand needle you may continue knitting as usual. You can already see the twist in your work.
That’s it! You’ve created a beautiful cable without a cable needle.
I realize that I’ve only included instructions for a 2×2 Left Cross here, but my hope is mainly to give you the courage to go forth without a cable needle. In fact, the pattern features left and right crosses; so if you choose to skip the cable needle you’ll have plenty of time to practice both.
You can do this on any number of stitches, but I wouldn’t recommend working cables without a needle on anything more than 3×3 crosses. Any bigger than that and things can start to look sloppy and feel fiddly. Cable needles are great and help to maintain an even tension, but the same results can occur without them. Some find that skipping the cable needle feels faster, too. In personal projects, I go both ways. It depends on my mood and whether I can find my cable needle!
Remember, you can find the 12 Days of Winter Kit patterns on Ravelry.
This is part 3 in a 12 part series highlighting designs from our 12 Days of Winter, Series 2 Edition.
Hats make such a satisfying knit. They’re small and portable, make great gifts, and they’re a fun medium to try out a new technique with.
The We Three Hats pattern (pattern link) includes three different hat patterns that can be made out of three colors of Deluxe Worsted Tweed Superwash. All hats are knit from the brim up to the crown. Each hat is a bit different, but one thing they all have in common is a coordinating pom-pom.
And for me, the answer to that question will inevitably be: heck yes! I love pom-poms, all sizes. I have made many pom-poms in my life using lots of different techniques. I’d like to share with you my favorite way to make a pom-pom, along with a few little tips.
Remember, you can find Series 2 of the 12 Days of Winter Kit patterns on Ravelry.
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, Cichlid Hats in Deluxe Worsted Superwash and Bamboo Bloom Handpaints (pattern link here).
Want a little color on a drab day?
Like the super-popular Hanasaku Cowl, this hat uses just one skein of variegated Bamboo Bloom Handpaints. Here it’s paired with a coordinating color of Deluxe Worsted Superwash for the base and pompom that tie it all together.
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
It should be very autumnal.
We hope you have a colorful and fun weekend.
Happy crafting!
I love cables. More than lace, more than mosaic, more than a dozen other techniques, cables just embody knitting for me. When you pair them with a good quality wool, even better. And when you make it a chunky wool so you can see your progress grow quickly, that’s a home run. So with no further ado, four popular cabled projects in our Deluxe Chunky 100% wool!
First Valentina (pattern link here).
Honestly, I am forever astonished that this is a free pattern. It’s just gorgeous, and filled with the excellent attention to detail that Amy Gunderson brings to all her designs.
Take a look at those saddle shoulders. They let the cables run unbroken from cuff to collar.
The moss stitch underside is where alterations for size are made, to avoid disturbing the bold and beautiful Dueling Cables design.
This one was made in Deluxe Chunky 91904 Pomegranate Heather, but I keep thinking of going green, maybe with 61635 Deep Jungle which has a bit of blue as well.
Next: the Catawba River Poncho (pattern link here).
This isn’t a free pattern, but it has remained a top 5 bestseller since its release. Take a closer look and see why!
Sized Small to 2X/3X, the poncho is fastened with two buttons on each side. You get good range of motion without looking like you’re swallowed up.
Lace is married to cables for the main body design – the best of two techniques joined together!
This is a pattern from Amy Gunderson. Here she is posing in the Catawba River Poncho she knitted for herself, so you can see how it falls. Really lovely!
Next, another bestseller: the Pine View Scarf (pattern link here).
We offered this scarf as a kit at the holidays last year, then as a paid pattern after the first of this year.
If you like cabling, but maybe not all over, or if you want to try it out in small doses, this is a great project. The pines at both ends that give the scarf its name are cabled, but the background and borders are seed stitch and reverse stockinette. Deluxe Chunky on US size 10 (6mm) needles goes fairly quickly in this simple, pretty scarf.
Finally, the Rutherford Beret (pattern link here).
I made my own Rutherford Beret in Deluxe Chunky color 91467 Tulipwood, and I can tell you it’s an easy one-hank pattern. The cables are all single twists. And how cute is that little i-cord loop at the top? Easy to pull it off and hang it up by the door.
We had someone here in the office do a two-color version. Neat idea!
We hope these designs provide a little knitspiration.
Keep on cabling!
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a topic near and dear to us. So many of our friends and relatives have been touched by this awful disease. As crafters, our natural impulse is to reach out and comfort those we love with a gift from the heart. Here are a few options.
This is the Cancer Comfort Cap in Cotton Supreme DK (pattern link here).
We designed this cap at the request of Yonca, our sales director. When she requested this cap, it was for a friend who was about to undergo chemotherapy. We wish we could say this was the last time a friend would need this kind of help. According to breastcancer.org, 1 in 8 American women will develop invasive breast cancer in the course of her lifetime (as well as 1 in 1000 men).
It’s knitted in the round in our Cotton Supreme DK, which we picked because it’s very soft, and chemo scalps can be quite sensitive – something to keep in mind when choosing yarn.
Next, Healing Vibes in Cotton Supreme DK (pattern link here).
Amy Gunderson designed this one. She says she thinks of this as a knitted representation of rays of radiation zapping cancer away.  We hope someone wearing this will feel the strength and energy Amy has put into this design.
This hat was originally designed for Halos of Hope, a non-profit organization that provided hats to cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Just published today, this is the Overcast Cap in Cotton Supreme DK (pattern link here).
This pattern is named for the shadow of cancer that affects the lives of so many. Cancer patients and their loved ones alike can feel like they are helpless and hopeless in their situations. We offer this hat pattern as a small token of comfort and a concrete action that can be taken – perhaps a knitting project will take your mind off of unpleasantries in your life, whether that means cancer or any other type of illness or grief. We hope the sun will shine again for you soon.
If you have questions about breast cancer detection and treatment, the American Cancer Society has a helpful page. Mammogram guidelines can also be found at CancerCare.org.
To all of our generous-hearted crafting friends, we wish you peace and good health.