Free Pattern Friday – All-Star Pullover

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Cotton Supreme Little Star Top blog square

Today, the All-Star Pullover in Cotton Supreme.

Recently we had a shop mention that we hadn’t had a Free Pattern Friday in Cotton Supreme lately.  Well, we can’t have that; we love this yarn!

I don’t know about you, but I’ve knitted with some cottons that left my hands feeling like they’d been through the wringer.  Nobody should feel like crafting is something to slog through.  It should be a pleasure.  Fortunately, I’ve never had that problem with Cotton Supreme (180yds/100g).  It’s easy to work with, machine washable, and the colors are to die for.  All of which makes it a great choice for this little kid’s pullover.  Knit it flat, seam it up, and send your little all-star out to play.

This one would be really easy to customize, too.  Can’t you imagine this in team colors?  Or… and this is just my inner geek talking… move the intarsia star to the chest and you’ve got a little Captain America.

Captain America colors blog
Sky Surf 927 and White 502, and add 509 Red if you wish. I could knit this all day.

I’m filing this idea away as a potential gift for superhero-loving parents and kids.

We hope you have a safe Memorial Day weekend.

Happy knitting!

Cotton Supreme Little Star needles crossed_Instagram

Free Pattern Friday – Florin Scarf

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Florin Scarf long blog

Today, the Florin Scarf in Cotton Gold.

Crocheted in Rozetti Yarns sparkling sequined Cotton Gold (200yds/25g), this scarf is named Florin after the golden coins you might find in a dragon’s hoard.

Now that's a stash.
Credit: Lauren aka IguanaMouth

Wait, wrong hoard.  Although I do want that hoard.

Credit: Blensig on DeviantArt

Florin Scarf detail blogThere we go.  The glittering gold sequins catch the light in dramatic fashion.  Having worked with this yarn personally, I can tell you that those sequins are really on there – I’ve never had one come loose.

Cotton Gold works great paired with another yarn to add some bling (Crinkle Cowl, anyone?), or on its own as in this one-ball scarf.

The body of the Florin Scarf is worked in two directions.  First, the main scarf body is worked to one end, and the End Section is crocheted.  Then the other End Section is crocheted into the beginning chain of the other side of the scarf body.  Finally, a border is worked around the entire outer edge of the scarf.  Lastly, put on your glittering masterpiece and feel like the fabulous person you are.

We hope you have an amazing weekend of crocheting and enjoying your yarn hoard!

Florin Scarf tied blog

Free Pattern Friday – Waves Cardi

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

WavesCardigan_Lumen_front_blog

Today, the Waves Cardi in Lumen.

Feather and Fan is a classic for a reason.  It gives motion and texture to an otherwise plain knit.  And in this pattern, the addition of a few well-placed increases gives shape to a lovely cardi.

WavesCardigan_Lumen_front_detail_blog

Lumen 3 ball stack blogWe’ve chosen Lumen (134yds/50g) for this design because its blend of fibers goes well with open lace to create a great warm-weather piece.  A mix of matte cotton and shiny viscose sections gives this garment a little extra shine to take it to the next level.

We hope you have an uneventful Friday the 13th, and a great weekend!

WavesCardigan_Lumen_back_180

 

Free Pattern Friday – Reversa-Lace Scarf

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

CS Batik Reversible Lace Scarf over shoulder blog

Today, the Reversa-Lace Scarf in Cotton Supreme Batik.

Self-striping yarn can be a blessing or a curse.  It looks so pretty, but sometimes when you actually knit it up it does unexpected things… and not in a good way.  That’s one reason Cotton Supreme Batik is a great choice for this pattern.  The striping repeats are very predictable, and they don’t overpower the lace pattern.

CS Batik Reversible Lace Scarf one wrap blogThis two-ball scarf in color 37 Mint Flower uses k2tog and yo to create its eyelets, making this a good basic lace pattern for beginners.  It’s more sophisticated than a simple netting, but there’s nothing too fiddly to deal with.

I love the way the striping matches up on both sides, and the way the lace shows rather than the yarn.  If you’re going to bother with a pattern, you want your work to show!

We hope you have a great weekend, with plenty of time to enjoy this beautiful May weather.

Happy knitting!

CS Batik Reversible Lace Scarf passthrough square

Free Pattern Friday – Poppy Stole

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Red Stole long blog

Today, the Poppy Stole in Cotton True Sport.

Red Stole wrapped blogLast week we featured the simplest possible pattern, so we thought it was time to share something more complex.  Gorgeous, right?  And in Cotton True Sport (100% Pima cotton; 50g/197 yds) it’s seasonally appropriate.

This scarf is a 20 row repeat, charted across all 93 stitches.  Increase over the first half of the repeat and decrease for the second to create the diamond border.  The panels in between are simple yarn overs combined with k2tog to create an airy eyelet.

We hope you enjoy this lovely free pattern from Amy Gunderson.

Happy knitting!

Free Pattern Friday – Paprika Seed Cowl

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Uptown DK Colors Seed Stitch Cowl wrapped square no graphic

Today, the Paprika Seed Cowl in Uptown DK Colors.

This one is actually my design, and it started as an experiment.  I was curious to see how the stripes in Uptown DK Colors (273yds/100g) would work in a really long row.  The answer – great!

Uptown DK Colors Seed Stitch Cowl long blogThis could not be easier.  There are actually two possible ways of knitting this one-skein cowl.

One is as written in the pattern: cast on an even number (192), place a marker, join for knitting in the round, and then alternate rounds of *k1, p1* and *p1, k1*.  Bind off after 5″, or whatever width floats your boat.

The other, which you may find even simpler, is to cast on an odd number (191), join for knitting in the round, and then just *k1, p1* continuously around until the piece is as wide as you want it to be.

I had enough yarn left over to do a few more color repeats, had I chosen to keep going.  This would be a great project for a beginner, or for anyone who wants something they can pick up and set down without worrying about where they are in the pattern.

We hope you have a relaxing weekend, with plenty of time to work on the project of your choice.

Happy knitting!

Uptown DK with rolled cowl_blog

Free Pattern Friday – Sugar Drops Blanket

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Little Bird Sugar Drops Blanket blog

Today, the Sugar Drops Blanket in Little Bird.

Sugar Drops indeed – what a sweet pattern!  Just one color per row in machine washable Little Bird (344yds/100g), knitted flat (obviously).  A blend of left and right crosses plus dropped stitches create an interesting texture that’s not too technically taxing.  Pick up stitches along the long edges and add the garter stitch border.

Little Bird Sugar Drops Blanket detail blog

Enjoy the weekend – and if you can, make something beautiful!

Happy knitting!

Free Pattern Friday – Eyelet Skirt

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Flax Eyelet Skirt 2 blog

Today, the Eyelet Skirt in Flax.

And… twirl!  This sweet summery skirt is knit in our 100% linen Flax (137yds/50g) and is flattering to a wide variety of body types.

Flax Eyelet Skirt 1 detail_hi-resThis is a 4 panel skirt knitted flat and seamed, with easy eyelet lace at the flaring hem. This is a good first project in lace as the patterning is worked on right side rows only. The lace is charted, but simple to follow even if you’re not an expert chart reader.  Fit is easy in the waist using your choice of drawstring tie or elastic.

We hope you enjoy this bit of lovely linen.

Happy knitting!

Flax Eyelet Skirt 1 blog

Free Pattern Friday – Spring Rain

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Alana Spring Rain blogToday, the Spring Rain Tank in Alana.

This summery tank is knit in one piece from the bottom up. Work the lower body in the round, then separate at the armholes to work front and back.

See that V-neck?  Believe it or not, there is no neck shaping involved. The stretchy lace stitch pattern combined with the drape of viscose blend Alana (158yds/100g) causes the shoulders to naturally fall into place.

Amy Gunderson calls for a Twisted German Cast-On in this pattern, due to its greater flexibility.  She says, “The lace pattern is fairly open and stretchy, and I didn’t want it to be constrained by a too-tight cast-on.”

It’s not a hard technique.  If you can do a long-tail cast-on, you can do this.  I used this recently for a pair of top-down socks and loved it.  It’s a Goldilocks cast-on.  Not too tight, not too loose, just right.  The Knit Witch has a good how-to video on this technique.

We hope you enjoy this free pattern.  Happy knitting!

 

Spotlight on Yashi

With Spring coming, we want to highlight a great yarn for warm weather.

Yashi and Yashi Iro 2 balls blog

Yashi is 100% raffia.  It has a papery but soft feel and works great for accessories and home decor.  Yashi Iro is its multi-colored companion, dyed in shades that coordinate with the solids.  Our Sales Director Yonca has made a video to tell us all about it.

In the video, she mentions Rick Mondragon’s Japanese Knot bag, which is now available as a free pattern on our website.

Yashi Bag Rick Mondragon_hi-res

This was originally available for STITCHESWest attendees, and we’re very grateful to Knitting Universe for sharing it with us. By the way, if you haven’t been to a STITCHES show yet, put it on your to-do list.  They’re a blast.

You can find the Japanese Knot Bag pattern at this link.

We hope you enjoy this fun free crochet pattern.  Happy crafting!