Tag: knitting for a cause

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Collection Spotlight: Deluxe Men 2.0

Happy Friday, crafters! Here’s one for the fellas. With just enough time before the holidays to whip up a fabulous handmade gift for him, we are delighted to introduce the Deluxe Men 2.0 mini collection by Rachel Brockman, knit in our Deluxe Family yarns. Tailored lines meet contemporary details in three dapper pieces featuring rich texture, bold cables, and playful colorwork.

Costanza brings vintage sitcom charm to your needles in the form of a polished and preppy v-neck pullover. Intricate braided cables are the stars of this stylish sweater, with striped trim adding a sporty pop of color. Our Deluxe Worsted Superwash yarn makes for an easy-care piece that layers beautifully over a tee or collared shirt, and is soft enough to wear on its own.

Wrap up in a symphony of texture with the Erie scarf. Slipped stitch cables and garter ridges float across this oversized accessory, accented with fringe along each end for a classic look. Deluxe Worsted Tweed Superwash makes this piece sing with visual and tactile appeal, adding softness, comfort, and a handsome sprinkling of tweedy flecks.

No winter wardrobe is complete without a traditional colorwork sweater, and Foliose is the one to choose. Cozy and relaxed, this yoke pullover features a striking diamond motif in a trio of cool winter shades. Knit in Deluxe Worsted, this piece boasts crisp stitch definition and insulating warmth, perfect for outdoor adventures, après-ski, or lounging at home.

Each pattern is available for individual purchase on Ravelry, or you can snag ’em all and save with our Deluxe Men 2.0 e-book. And don’t forget the yarn! Enjoy 15% off the entire Deluxe Family, now through Sunday, November 23.

Happy knitting!

Alex

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Thy Neighbor: A Pattern for Giving Back

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).

Universal Yarn Deluxe BulkyThy 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.

Deluxe Bulky Superwash
Stranded colorwork has an interesting effect when worked with a loom because of the twisted stitches.

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.

My in-progress Thy Neighbor hat, worked on a loom with Deluxe Bulky Superwash. Colors shown are 901 Rosy Mauve & 932 Icy Grey.

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.

Deluxe Bulky Superwash
Topped with a multi-color pom-pom! This pattern really is so much fun!

Thank you so much for joining us in our support of RSS! We hope you have a wonderful week!