It’s Free Pattern Friday!Shawl pin by Jul Designs.
Today, the Mountain Lights Shawl in Deluxe Worsted Superwash (pattern link here).
How beautiful is this?
The Mountain Lights Shawl has a body that uses ridges and texture to create a rustic feel…
But then… that border! It’s simple and symmetrical, but wide enough to really let the right bright color shine.
The inside is interesting, too. Wrap it around, and you’ll still have something to show off. Deluxe Worsted Superwash gives excellent evenness and stitch definition. Just one ball of each color will make the whole shawl.
The pattern produces a shawl that has its own voice. Just cast on and hear it sing.
Ready to fly across the mountain.
Happy crafting!
Designer Rachel Brockman pulls out all the stops for today’s pattern!
The theme here is magma, and nature lover Rachel takes it to its fullest extent. The stripes at the top represent bands of igneous rock pushed up by the force from beneath…
…while the lace below represents the flow of semi-solid lava.
The fuzzy fiber blend in Amphora ensures that this shawl will keep you warm – but not lava-hot!
Best, since the shawl is based on the garter stitch, it’s aesthetically reversible and pleasing on both sides. A big, beautiful winner of a design!
This is part 12 in a 12 part series highlighting designs from our 12 Days of Winter, Series 2 Edition.
Day 12 – can you believe it? Today we reveal the final installment of the Universal Yarn 12 Days of Winter Kit Collections – Series 2! Say hello to the Solstice Shawl.
Can I be honest? I am really proud of this design – in my opinion, it’s one of my best designs and I sincerely hope you love it.
This isn’t a very complicated design, but what I feel proud of is the balance of simplicity and intricacy in the piece. This shawl combines cables, stripes, and intarsia. It is worked from tip to tip, starting and finishing with the same number of stitches (just two!). Finally, it’s finished with a very simple contrast color border.
Part of what makes this project special is the yarn used: Deluxe DK Tweed Superwash. I love this yarn. It’s rustic and the tweedy nubs add interest to every type of pattern – from simple garter to cables, lace, and stranded colorwork. (If you need convincing, just take a look at the recent collection in this yarn, Rustic & Refined).
I’m keeping this post short and sweet, but before I sign off, thank you’s are in order! Like last year we had a really wonderful time putting this collection together. It is a team effort, for sure. So thanks to everyone on our team for putting in so much hard work! And thank you so much for supporting our company, your local yarn shops, and for following our posts for this collection. We appreciate it so much!
Remember, you can find the 12 Days of Winter Kit patterns on Ravelry.
Are you ever in the mood for some instant gratification, but with a little extra interest? Two words: chunky lace. We’ve got four projects here – two knit and two crochet – that you can finish in a flash.
Let’s start with the very quickest – the Chunky Lace Beanie in Deluxe Chunky (pattern link here). This was originally designed for a quick little free e-book of hats with pom-poms called Hot Hats. However, the detailing on the crown is awfully nice, so after its release, the original knitter reclaimed it, cut off the pompom, and now wears it every winter.
This quick lace topper takes just one ball of Deluxe Chunky 100% wool. 120 yards + US size 10 needles and you’re done. There are 122 (and counting) shades of Deluxe Chunky. Your LYS can help you find a color that’s perfect for you.
We mentioned Deluxe Chunky’s array of colors for the last pattern, but this one goes in the opposite direction.
It uses color 50004, Pewter Undyed Natural. The color here is the color of the sheep it came from. It’s a charming, rustic look that would work well with dresses or blue jeans.
The lace works up quickly on US size 11 (8mm) needles. Fringe finishes it off.
Wear it wide, or fold it in half for a scarf with a lot of depth. Fabulous.
This puff-stitch scarf is worked end to end. Shorten or lengthen it by changing the number in the beginning chain. Three colors of Deluxe Bulky Superwash play together – three balls of main color 932 Icy Gray, and one each of 913 Honeydew and 933 Sweatshirt Gray.
Such a sculptural, wrappable, wearable piece. Very impressive.
We’re pushing the boundaries of “lace” here, but this one is so quick and easy. Just one skein of self-striping Uptown Bulky Amplify and a N-15 (10mm) hook make this strikingly colorful piece.
We pulled the cowl down over the shoulders here so you could see how it’s constructed a little better. Really, it’s back bar half double crochet all the way around, row after row until you feel done. Super quick, but it gives the finished piece an almost knitted look. Neat!
In a couple of weeks, we’ll be looking at some fabulous cabled projects in bulky yarn. They rank among our most popular projects!
Friends, we’re deeply touched by everybody who has contacted us to be sure we’re okay. Why wouldn’t we be okay, you may ask?
Right now it’s beautiful outside, but it’s going to be a long weekend. On the work front, we’re preparing early – there WILL be a Free Pattern Friday (and it’s gorgeous) – and we’re battening down all the hatches. On the home front, it’s time to get ready:
All of that said, Charlotte is in as good a shape as it’s possible to be. We’ve had a bit to prepare. Our water system is very reliable, our local breweries are stocking up (on water, people!), and we’ve got plenty of emergency personnel on standby. Our office plans to stay open for regular business, but if things look dicey, we’ll put staff safety first. And a memo was sent this morning to clean out the office fridge, just in case!
And again, we are moved by everyone who has checked in. So, here’s a thank you.
Go to the pattern page on Ravelry (here’s a link), and enter coupon code NAVIGATE by using the “use a coupon code” links that appear during purchase.
This pattern is part of Beach House, a collection of five designs to knit in Cotton Supreme and Cotton Supreme Batik. Amy Gunderson cleverly used self-striping Cotton Supreme Batik to create the rays coming from the center along the garter stitch portion.
This is a good three-season project, and the name.. well, the name is just perfect, as we navigate this storm.
An important crafter’s tip for those of us who may be without electricity for a while – print anything you want to work on now, while you can!
There’s a sweet story behind today’s sweet design, so I’m going to let designer Rachel Brockman tell it in her own words.
“The Tamara Triangle is named after a dear friend of mine – one who inspired me to learn to knit (and one who has been pining for an oversized shawl).
“As such, this pattern goes out to all of the people in our lives who have inspired and encouraged the craft of knitting – whether it’s a family member, a friend, a local yarn shop, or yourself – I think we can all agree that it’s great to reflect and feel grateful for those influences. ”
The shawl is worked from the top down in cotton/silk Papyrus, beginning with a garter tab cast-on. Most of the shawl is worked in stockinette stitch, making it excellent for a knit night with friends.
The edging requires a bit more concentration, as the lace is worked on the right and wrong sides of the work. Fear not, though, the pattern is a repeat of just six rows. As a bonus, the lace is aesthetically reversible. If you prefer the look of reverse stockinette, flip it around.
We hope you have an excellent weekend, and find time to connect with old friends.
A couple of weeks ago, I very briefly mentioned our new e-book, Small Pleasures. It’s a set of designs using what is fast becoming a favorite, Bella Cash.
This collection is perfect for me, because I am all about the accessories. I like instant gratification, and I’m always paranoid that I’m going to get to the end of a sweater and I will have miscalculated somewhere and it won’t fit. Not that this has ever happened to me. Ahem.
But let us not dwell on the failures of the past, let us move on to newer and more beautiful things – namely, my new shawl obsession, Blue Oak.
I asked designer Rachel Brockman about this, and she kindly shared her original swatch and concept.
“It all started with my playing with slip stitches and stripes, but wanting it to have a little something special. I’m a sucker for triangular shawls, too. They are easy to wear and soothing to knit. It was never my plan to make this in pink and white, as shown in my swatch – but I think it gets my design through quite well and I was thrilled about the final results.”
Rachel’s concept for the edge lace was inspired by the Blue Oak tree. The triangular shape of the shawl itself mirrors that.
Soothing indeed.
It sits nicely on the shoulders worn loose to the front…
…and is long enough to wrap for other styling options as well.
The grain pattern in this top-down piece is just a 4-row 2-stitch repeat. I cast on for this yesterday and knitted a bit, and it only took about five rows after the garter tab before I didn’t have to think about it any more.
Colors: 122 Amethyst and 119 Apricot.
The pattern is broken up by a band of contrasting color in the middle and in the ending lace. Everything in the pattern is written and charted, except the grain pattern, which needs no chart.
Rachel offers some Bella Cash color suggestions:
“My choices for a personal project would have to be 126 Forest combined with 106 Oat or 116 Sage, as used in the sample. Of course, there is always 121 Cabernet and 124 Mustard (shown) if you’re feeling the Gryffindor love!”
Well, now I’m not sure whether to keep going with what I’ve got, or maybe go Ravenclaw blue. Decisions, decisions.
The Blue Oak Shawl is available on Ravelry as a single pattern, or as part of e-book Small Pleasures. This won’t be the last time we talk about this e-book. I’m a sock fiend, and there’s a pair in there I’m dying to cast on for.
Combine a top-down triangular shell stitch pattern with self-striping yarn, and what do you get?
Gradually widening color repeats in a beautiful shawl.
The border is added afterwards, for narrow bands of color in glittering superfine Alpaculence.
You can easily adjust the size of this shawl, taking care to ensure you’re starting from a multiple of 8 plus 2 chain stitches. The pattern is both written and charted, for your convenience.
We hope you have a wonderful weekend full of beauty.
When we launch a new yarn, as we did this year with Finn, we also publish free patterns made in that yarn so that crafters can have instant inspiration. Halfway Home was one of several published this Spring that never got their day on the blog. Time to fix that!
It’s lovely worn, but I also had to take a picture of it here in the studio just to show its striking shape.
The corner that the model is holding is the starting point for this slightly oblong shawl. It begins with just 7 stitches. Five Herringbone Lace Columns grow out of the left side of the shawl and are continued up to the top edge.
Increases occur only at the left side of the piece, creating a right triangle shape. The lace pattern is an easy-to-memorize 4-row repeat.
We use Finn, a blend of acrylic, superwash merino, and enough alpaca to give it a bit of a halo. It’s a nice touch of luxury.
It’s easy to customize size in this shawl, as most of the body is maintained in garter stitch. Just be sure to reserve enough yarn for the final 10 rows of garter stitch and you’re good!
We hate to give up an entire category of projects, just because the temperature’s risen a little. That’s what makes Little Bird and Little Bird Colors great for this project. They’re 100% microfiber acrylic, so you won’t overheat with the project in your lap while knitting.
The Tidal Shawl uses one solid color and one self-striping, for a nicely coordinated feel. A textured stitch is combined with little eyelets for a texture that lets individual stitches of the solids and stripes show through each other – a nice blending of colors.
Work it top-down, and finish with a neat i-cord bind-off. Presto. A gorgeous shawl you can wear year-round.
I love the blues that give the Tidal Shawl its name, but you might like something different. Maybe a Sunshine Shawl?
“use a coupon code” links that appear during purchase.
