With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I thought I’d make a confession. I have a new love in my life, and it’s Fibra Natura Ravello. One of our new spring yarns, this is quickly becoming a favorite (I know, I shouldn’t pick favorites!). It’s a blend of cotton, extra-fine merino wool, and recycled cashmere, making it a fabulous yarn for multi-season garments and accessories. Ravello is soft, drapey, and has a subtle halo. These qualities are pretty irresistible!
Ravello in 104 Soft Clay
I’ve been having so much fun designing with this yarn. So, just in time for Valentine’s Day, we’re introducing the Ciri shawl. This is a large, asymmetrical shawl knit in two coordinating colors that nod towards Valentine’s Day without being obvious.
The main color is 108 Tuscan Pepper, a rich burgundy that shows off the lace beautifully. It is paired with 104 Soft Clay as the contrast color. After years of resisting pink, I’ve recently become more and more drawn to warm, less saturated shades of pink. Swaths of lace in the main color are interrupted by garter stitch stripes that are worked with the contrast color. It is finished with a crochet picot bind-off that adds a touch of romance. Ciri is knit on the bias, creating an asymmetrical shape. It begins at the tip and slowly increases to the widest edge. The shape and loose gauge make a drapey fabric you’ll love to wear. Each end of the shawl gently spirals downward when you place it over your shoulders.
This shawl is quite large. You can wrap it around your neck multiple times for maximum coziness.
Just look at that picot trim and gorgeous drape – we’re smitten!
Whether you’re knitting this for your Galentine, Valentine, or yourself, the Ciri shawl is the perfect cast-on this week.
Gardenia is knit is 101 Ocean Fog.
Oh, and just in case you’re looking for a little more Ravello inspiration, don’t forget about Gardenia. Lace and delicate cables would make this sweet little hat another lovely Valentine’s Day project, especially knit up in 106 Malbec or 107 Balet Slipper.
Top: 106 Malbec Bottom, left to right: 107 Balet Slipper and 104 Soft Clay
We hope you have a wonderful holiday – filled with chocolate, yarn, and your favorite people!
I don’t know about you, but I often pair my crafting time with binge-watching my favorite shows and movies. Lately, like pretty much everyone else I know, I’ve been watching the Mandalorian. Everyone who has been watching this show is pretty much obsessed with the child – and how can you not be? He’s sooo cute! Knitters and crocheters alike have clearly been inspired, and there are already loads of patterns on making a baby alien of your own. When I laid eyes on the Baby Keychain Ornament, designed by Vivianne Russo, I couldn’t resist joining the fun and making one. Luckily we’ve started carrying the perfect yarn for it!
Ricorrumi DK yarn skeins from left to right: 058 Silver Grey, 054 Ecru, & 047 Pistachio. Also pictured: button eyes and 3.00 mm crochet hook, along with the Baby Keychain Ornament.
We recently became a distributor of Rico Design’s adorable Ricorumi line. We’ve all been completely smitten with the adorable kits and mini-skeins. They’re simply irresistible. Plus, notions such as the button eyes and crochet hooks are available, so you can easily grab everything you need.
Are you just melting from the cuteness? I know we are!
When it came to my attention that the little skeins of yarn would be great for making all the green baby patterns around, I immediately grabbed some yarn and notions to get started. I’ve picked out several colors that would be perfect for creating one of your own – and want to share some of the other great patterns to choose from.
For the project I crocheted, I used 058 Silver Grey for the carriage, 047 Pistachio for the body, and 054 Ecru for the collar. Below are some of the other color options that would work equally well. Ricorumi DK yarn skeins from left to right: 051 Mastic, 054 Ecru, 057 Chocolate, 058 Silver Grey, 047 Pistachio.
If you prefer a stand-up figure, Vivianne Russo also designed The Child – Green Baby. We’re also loving Yazmina Nieblas‘ version, which includes the little bowl of bone broth. She created two versions so you can play around a bit more with the colors shown above.
For this version we suggest 051 Mastic for the collar, 054 Ecru for the main garment, 057 Chocolate for the bowl, and 047 Pistachio for the body.
Even if you’re new to crochet (like me), these patterns are really simple. They’re mostly comprised of single crochet and simple increases. Plus, being so small, you can create them in no time at all. If you’re still reluctant to crochet, there are knit versions, too. Plus, Ricorumi DK works equally well with knit projects.
Lucky for us, KnitHacker has already created a comprehensive list of both knit and crochet patterns that are perfect for making a child of your own. Find the crochet list here (link) and the knit list here (link).
Head to your local yarn store to grab your skeins of Ricorumi DK!
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!
St. Patrick’s Day is nearly upon us, my fiber friends! For most folks celebrating this Irish holiday, this is going to mean green, green, and more green!
I can remember showing up to elementary school one day (yes, a very long time ago) on March 17th sans green. I quickly learned that this was quite dangerous, as anyone who noticed was pinching me relentlessly! I found a green marker and made several green shamrocks on my hands, arms, and face so that I could avoid the torture of the pinch.
If you’re finding yourself with nothing green to wear this year, why not crank out a knitted green hat? Patty’s Hatty is knit in extrafine superwash merino DK weight Dona. Dona is soft and squishy and feels great on the skin.
You’ve got a few days left – what are you waiting for?
How’s everybody doing? All caught up on your handmade gifts?
There are two kinds of crafters.
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.
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.
I actually wound up keeping this one.
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.
This cowl is named for the Bobby Darin song, that talks about how the singer’s true love is waiting across the waves. But it also hearkens to song’s original French inspiration, La Mer, with its visions of the sea dancing along the shore, shimmering under the rain.
Mixing the warmth of Revolutions‘ alpaca and mohair halo with the glitter in sequined Cotton Gold captures the feel of the light sparkling on the waves.
The main pattern is a three row repeat using very basic crochet stitches, making this a suitable project for an adventurous beginner.
The finished product has a warm and relaxed fabric, both dressy and practical. It’s easy enough to widen this cowl, if desired. It uses an 8 stitch repeat, so just start with more stitches in that 8 stitch increment and you’re set.
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!
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.
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.
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!
The scarf gets its name from the plump yarn and extra-long length. Despite the length, this scarf knits up so quickly! Can you believe you only need to cast on 20 stitches?
This scarf mixes intarsia and self-striping Uptown Super Bulky Amplify for exciting results. We think this pattern is great for beginners looking to learn a new skill. Intarsia is easy, we promise!
Complimentary colors forever!
Be careful – if your outfit matches a free pattern too closely, your colleagues may insist that you model it!
It’s okay, though! I’m totally up for wrapping myself in knitwear all day, every day! Plus, I’m almost always cold! We wrapped this scarf around my neck many times. Perfect for the snowy weather the north has been experiencing this week!
We hope you enjoy this week’s free pattern! Have a fabulous weekend!
