Happy Friday, yarniacs!! This week’s free pattern is a crochet beauty that’s perfect for the warm weather ahead. Grab your hooks, choose your favorite colors, and get ready to dive into the Sunrise Stole, by Edie Eckman.
This ravishing wrap features flirty details like eyelet lace and a ruffled border, adding romance and whimsy to the simple rectangular construction. Summer evenings and walks on the beach get a style upgrade when you’re wrapped in the cool comfort of the Sunrise Stole.
Light and lovely Dunescape yarn gives graceful drape and snuggly softness to any piece. The blend of 57% cotton, 30% viscose, and 13% linen is ideal for everything from breezy tops and shawls to durable totes and dish cloths.
This weekend only, enjoy 20% off Dunescape. With a palette of 16 stunning shades, you can create a color pairing for your Sunrise Stole that’s bold, neutral, delicate, or tonal – whatever suits your fancy!
Happy Mother’s Day weekend! We’re excited to celebrate all the moms out there with a free pattern and a couple of weekend offers. Today, we’re showing off Jocelyn, a stunning stole knit in Fibra Natura Flax. As we move into the warmest months of the year, yarns like 100% linen Flax become a must-have for any crafter.
Not only is Flax lightweight and breathable, it’s versatile, too. Jocelyn features four lace patterns that give any knitter a glimpse of what this yarn can do. As a bonus, your stole will get softer after each wash – and who doesn’t love soft?!
Every crafter knows that picking out a color is one of the most important parts of any project. With our 20% off weekend sale of Flax, you can save on any hue that catches your eye! From beautiful blues to pretty purples, there’s something for everyone. This offer ends Sunday, May 11th, so shop today!
That’s not our only Mother’s Day offer! Now through Sunday, May 11th, spend $200 or more on muud items, and get $50 off! With a luxurious collection of bags, cases, accessories, and more, we invite you to shop muud today!
Please note, you must spend $200 on muud before tax and shipping to qualify for $50 off your order. No code is needed.
Autumn is knocking at the door, and today, we’re letting it in! Our Fall Florals collection is here! With six patterns that capture the essence of nature’s blooming wonders, we know you’ll fall in love. So what are we waiting for? Let our journey begin as we discover each of these stunning creations!
Cardigans are often associated with autumn, so you know we had to include one in this collection! Celosia, designed by Rachel Brockman, is full of vibrant fall colors using our Deluxe DK Superwash yarn. The beautiful Daises pattern adds texture to this piece as you change between three alternating colors. This cardigan has retro features, like the polo collar and bell-shaped sleeves. A touch of crochet finishes off the edges along the hem and sleeve cuffs, giving you a staple top for the crisp fall air! This cardigan uses colors 807 Ginseng as the main color (50% off color – available in bag quantities), 851 Rhapsody, and 803 Terra Cotta. Celosia includes sizes XS through 5X, as do all the garments featured in this collection.
While Cirsium is a prickly plant in nature, in the form of a knitted accessory, it’s as soft as can be! Let the soothing stockinette stitch take you on an exciting adventure as you knit this tubular cowl. This cowl is worked in the round, using a stranded color motif, which brings to life the flowers seen throughout. Cirsium uses three heathered shades of Deluxe DK Superwash, adding even more beauty to this accessory. With the soft and plush texture of the wool fibers featured in this cowl, you’ll stay cozy all autumn! Cirsium includes a small and large size, with the sample pictured above shown in large. The colors used for this cowl are 842 Oatmeal Heather and 845 Shamrock Heather. Color 848 Coral Heather is also used, however, since this color is sold out, we suggest using 841 Pomegranate Heather.
Grow your knitting skills with the stranded colorwork of Festoon, designed by Aubrey Busek. This marvelous shawl features botanical silhouettes that adorn the entirety of this piece. The Intarsia method is used along the border, beginning, and end of the motifs within the charts, providing gorgeous color changes throughout. More stranded colorwork will be used for the motifs, but don’t fret; this is an excellent opportunity to grow your skills! Grab two of your favorite hues of Deluxe DK Superwash and get going on this shawl! The colors used in the sample above are 815 Teal Viper and 852 Bashful.
Sweater weather is almost here! That means it’s the perfect time to get started on projects like Picotee, designed by Rachel Brockman. Using Intarsia, a beautiful flower is incorporated to be the centerpiece of this garment. However, there’s so much more to love about this sweater! The set-in sleeves, A-line waistband, and folded neckband will keep you bundled up for the coldest fall mornings! Picotee is knit flat, then seamed, and it features stockinette stitch throughout. This pullover uses colors 846 Mulberry Heather, 801 Rosy Mauve (50% off and available in bag quantities), 824 Starfish, and 810 Greenery (50% off and available in bag quantities). Color 811 Jadestone is also used, but since this color is sold out, we suggest 836 Christmas Green.
Don’t think we forgot about our crochet friends! Superbloom, designed by Ashley Jane McIntyre, uses five colors of Deluxe DK Superwash to create a stole dressed with beautiful flowers. With exhilarating features like Granny Squares, a Tulip Motif, Flowers, and Leaves, this accessory will inspire you to travel to your favorite park. Superbloom shows off solid and heathered shades of Deluxe DK Superwash, but the freedom is all yours! Grab this pattern and get stitching today! This stole uses colors 841 Pomegranate Heather, 846 Mulberry Heather, 850 Heather (50% off and available in bag quantities), and 845 Shamrock Heather. Color 848 Coral Heather is also used, but since this color is sold out, we suggest using 824 Starfish.
Last but not least, we have Verbena, designed by Aubrey Busek. This stunning pullover features cables down the middle on the front and back. However, your eyes may take you to the flowers embroidered on the front and sleeves. With show-stopping qualities throughout, this garment will be a wardrobe staple! Verbena is knit flat in pieces and seamed; instructions for the embroidery sections are in the pattern notes as an illustrative schematic and stitch guide. Wear Verbena to your next dinner party and watch the compliments roll in! This pullover uses colors 834 Cream, 815 Teal Viper, and 852 Bashful.
This weekend, we can’t help but celebrate the release of our Fall Florals collection with 20% off savings! This offer includes Deluxe DK Superwash, Individual Fall Florals patterns (Ravelry), and the Fall Florals E-Book (Ravelry and Universal Yarn website). So whether you’re eyeing just one of these gorgeous projects or the whole collection, you can indulge in this sweet deal!
This is part 3 in a four-part series highlighting designs from our 12 Days of Winter, Series 6 edition.
Hey everyone! Another year has flown by, and it’s time for our annual 12 Days of Winter blog celebration. I’m a big fan of the winter season. This time of year brings with it an ethereal sense of happiness that is quite unique. The days are short and often dark, plants are dying, the weather is cold, and yet – things like delicious warm comfort foods, sparkling holiday lights, parties, and (if you’re lucky enough) gorgeous falling snow fill the air. It’s a time of endings and beginnings, and a perfect opportunity to start a brand new project to welcome the new year.
Frozen Pond ShawlKeepsake CoverSnow Dust Stole
Speaking of brand new projects, I have some inspiration for you! Today, I’ll be sharing three of the projects from our 12 Days of Winter Kit Collection, Series 6. The Frozen Pond shawl, Keepsake Cover, and Snow Dust stole. All of these kits were designed by Rachel Brockman, our Creative Lead. Rachel has a way of creating unique designs that cater to a variety of skill levels, while always having thoughtful details that make them special. The thing that ties all three of these designs together? Lace stitches.
The Frozen Pond shawl is perfect to drape over your shoulders on a chilly day.
Lace knit stitches result in some of the most gorgeous patterns you can imagine, and they are actually what first drew me to taking up knitting as a hobby. I remember seeing a book full of patterns for Victorian inspired lace shawls, and I was instantly intrigued. The eyelets, twists, and turns created by lace stitch patterns are lovely, and they are a perfect match for the winter season, as they often share the same sense of delicate and ethereal beauty.
The Frozen Pond shawl lace detail, doesn’t it look like pretty trees?
Frozen Pond is an asymmetrical shawl knit using our sinfully soft Nymph yarn. Nymph is a DK weight blend of cotton and polyamide, with a soft, fuzzy halo that adds dimension to any project. Boomerang shaped shawls like this one have great drape, and are easy to style in a variety of ways. The Frozen Pond shawl’s name was inspired by the dark blue colors of iced over water in the winter. I love the way the diamond pattern of the lace has shapes that look like trees, and I imagine they’d line the perimeter of the aforementioned frozen pond.
The lace pattern worked in this shawl will require some attention on your part while knitting. However, in between the sections of lace you’ll get to relax with some garter stitch, perfect for when you want to knit while watching TV in the evening. We’ve included both written instructions and charts for this pattern, so you are able to utilize what works best for you.
The Keepsake Cover has candy colored stripes, making this a perfect holiday gift project.
The Keepsake Cover is a joyful blanket pattern knit using three colors of our Uptown Worsted yarn. This 100% anti-pilling acrylic yarn is a workhorse, perfect for projects like blankets that will get a lot of wear and tear. A combination of ribbing, cables, and lace make up the motif that is worked throughout the Keepsake Cover. The diamond shape in this pattern reminds me of Christmas tree ornaments, with the eyelets created by the lace resembling the light bouncing off the ornaments as they hang on the tree.
The Keepsake Cover is perfect for getting cozy with a cup of hot cocoa!
This pattern also includes written instructions, as well as a chart to help you visualize the cable and lace motif. If you’re not familiar with how to read knitting charts, a pattern like this one is the perfect way to learn. It may seem intimidating at first, since this pattern has both cable and lace stitches, but after your Keepsake Cover is complete, you’ll be a chart reading expert! Here is a link to a blog post where we discuss more on how to read knitting charts, which might be particularly helpful to those of you who are brand new to the skill.
The Snow Dust stole is perfect for your next party!
The Snow Dust stole (or wrap!) is an excellent example of the delicate, cobweb quality you can achieve by knitting lace stitch patterns. This accessory is practically the winter season as a wearable item, and you’re sure to look like a snowy dream while you wear it! Snow Dust is knit using our Cotton Gold yarn, which is a laceweight cotton thread yarn, with small sequins and metallic fiber strung throughout. It looks gorgeous worked on its own as you can see from Snow Dust, but also makes an excellent carry-along yarn to add sparkle to other projects.
Snow Dust features simple stitches like knits and purls, as well as yarn overs and basic decreases (‘slip, slip, knit’ – ssk and ‘knit two together’ – k2tog) to create the lace repeat. This would be a great project choice for someone who wants to get really comfortable with knitting lace, because the rectangular shape of the wrap means they can simply focus on the knitting. The end result of the lace stitch pattern reminds me of the quiet, sparkling beauty of the outdoors right after a snow fall. This wrap would be perfect for a night out to the theater, or a fun dinner with friends.
The lace details in Snow Dust look like little bird tracks in fresh fallen snow!
No matter which of these projects you want to create, the lace stitches in these patterns add texture, delicate details, and depth to the overall result. Don’t fret if you’re still a beginner when it comes to lace patterns. Practice makes perfect, and once you master all the basic stitches, you can apply them to the Frozen Pond shawl, the Keepsake Cover, or the Snow Dust wrap!
Remember, these exclusive kits can be purchased at local yarn store retailers near you. Not in stock at your local shop? Ask them about drop shipping – order through them, and we ship to you! Each kit comes with the pattern, the yarn required to make it, and a printed version of the pattern. Use our store locator to find your nearest Universal Yarn retailer!
Tune in tomorrow for the final installment of our 12 Days of Winter, series 6 blogs!
Have you seen our recently published free pattern, the extra special Pebbled Pathways in Cobblestone? Well, today we’re going to give it some well-deserved spotlight!
Pebbled Pathways (pattern link) has been in the works since late Spring, and I am so excited to finally be able to reveal this unique, gorgeous pattern! It is designed by Gabi van Tassel, who is known for her stunning pin loom designs. Her work has been published regularly in weaving publications, includingLittle Looms andHandwovenmagazines. We touch base on a semi-regular basis, and she always has wonderful things to say about our yarns and is such an enthusiastic fiber artist. As soon as we received Cobblestone, I knew I wanted to partner with her for a truly special project. I essentially sent her yarn, asked for some kind of wrap, and this colorful stole is the result! But, in addition to asking her to create this design, I asked her to write a guest post for our blog. So enough of what I have to say…let’s hear from Gabi herself!
From Gabi:
“It was a thrill when I received a small package from Universal Yarn a few months ago, with some brand-new Fibra Natura yarn and the question “Would you like to weave something with this?” I sure would!
Cobblestone in #102 Precious Jewels
But let me quickly share with you how we got here: Among other crafts, I like to weave hexagons on pin looms. My first design using Universal Yarn was a Grape Table Topper, published in Easy Weaving with Little Looms 2018. I used Universal Yarn Classic Shades [now discontinued, but Colorburst is a great substitute] at the time, which provided the perfect color run to express grapes.
Back to the package that I received: The yarn was a sample of the new Cobblestone yarn, which hit me like a rocket with inspiration. The name reminded me of the old streets in Germany, where I grew up. I always loved the calming geometry of those streets, and I often thought about how each of these stones was carefully put in place by skillful crafty hands. I wanted to capture that meditative thought in a shawl with the new yarn.
In case you are not familiar with pin loom weaving, it is a form of weaving where the crafter uses a small handheld loom to create shaped fabric pieces. Traditionally, pin looms wove 4” squares, but today there are many shapes, including rectangles, triangles, diamonds, and hexagons, in multiple sizes.
Just because these looms are small, doesn’t mean that you can’t craft serious projects. Pin loom weaving is modular weaving. Join the smaller woven units to make any item that you can imagine … for example, Pebbled Pathways!
Hexagon Pin Loom
The shawl is designed to make the best use of two balls of Cobblestone. The put-up is a generous 200-gram ball boasting 612 yards of 2-ply, 100% merino wool. The project requires one ball each of colors 103 Mardi Gras and 104 Tulip, with about 1 oz of each left over in the end. You can choose any other two colors of course. I recommend that you pick colors with contrast, to maintain the cobblestone characteristics in the design.
Weaving is easy. All of the hexagons are plain weave, worked on the Original TURTLE Loom™ in “F-fine sett”. The vivid color changes of the variegated yarn make each hexagon unique. The colors are well-curated and distributed in a way that the hexagons blend in with each other to make a smooth fabric.
The yarn is a delight to weave. It is soft and glides well while pin loom weaving. It has just the right amount of elasticity, not stiff and not too stretchy. The light twist is perfect to gently bloom into a nice, soft fabric with a good drape.
Crafters sometimes hesitate the task of joining pin loom woven shapes. However, hexagons are actually easy to join because they have smooth edgings. The sides are short enough to hold by hand: just match up two hexagons by their sides and sew them together with about 10-12 whip stitches.
If you would like some help with joining hexagons, check out the video “Joining 101: Sewing Two Hexagons Together” (https://youtu.be/PuD2wv1DdIo). Or, if you are interested in the mattress stitch, see the joining part of “Making an Elf Basket”.
If you don’t feel like weaving through two whole balls of Cobblestone, let the modular character of pin loom weaving come to the rescue! You can make a slimmer wrap by weaving only four rows instead of six (blue marks).
You can shorten or extend the length of the shawl by easily adding or subtracting a repeat of three hexagon columns (green marks).
Or – if you wish to make a small project at first – you can make a cowl, two rows high and nine hexagons in the round (yellow marks). Now, if you decide to make a cowl … and you like it … make another one for a friend … make a few as holiday gifts … Did I mention that there is a rabbit hole here?
Sparkle Windows woven scarf by Amy Gunderson
Many of Universal’s yarns are well-suited for weaving, and the Pebbled Pathways wrap just might be the beginning of more “oh, look what you can make” weaving projects. There is already Amy Gunderson’s beautiful Sparkle Windows shawl in Universe.
Next, Bamboo Pop is a popular yarn in the rigid heddle looms community because of its ease to weave, the lovely drape, and the stunning color effects. Then, there is also Ravello for a project with a touch of luxurious cashmere. Or, you could try the very practical Rico Design Creative Bubble that inspires pin loom woven kitchen and bath accessories.
Got a loom? Let’s weave! “
Me again (Rachel)! I’m so glad Gabi was able to share not only this beautiful design, but her thoughts on the inspiration, our new Cobblestone yarn, and even more yarns to explore weaving with! We have a small, square pin loom here in the office, and I am pretty tempted to start playing with it. The idea of a fringed scarf or cute cowl is awfully tempting!
I hope you love Pebbled Pathways as much as we do. Have you woven before, or are you now inspired to? Let us know in the comments!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Concord Scarf in Deluxe Worsted (pattern link here).
We’re going to keep this short and sweet today so that I can spend the day after Thanksgiving in the time-honored way: scarfing down leftovers. My daughter was inspired by the Great British Baking Show this year and now we have a lot of pie. With just the three of us from the immediate household for dinner this year, I’ll have to really work to eat my share. Such a sacrifice. But before grabbing a plate, let’s take a look at this gorgeous pattern!
The Concord Stole is called a stole because it can work well scrunched up as shown, or stretched wide to its full 20″ (51cm) width for more coverage. Designer Aubrey Busek cleverly used two complementary tones in Deluxe Worsted wool. 15002 Violet Rustic is the lighter main, and 15003 Grape Rustic is the stripe.
Deluxe Worsted 15002 Violet RusticDeluxe Worsted 15003 Grape Rustic
The Rustic colors in Deluxe Worsted are spun in an almost marled way, making them especially well-suited to work together. If purple’s not your bag, you might pair 15004 Teal Rustic & 15005 Turquoise Rustic, or if you’re a lover of subtler contrast and blue like I am, 15009 Blue Rustic & 15008 Twilight Rustic.
15009 Blue Rustic15008 Twilight Rustic
Regardless of color choice, this sweet stole is a satisfying project. An easily memorized four-row repeat worked on US size 8 (5mm) needles makes for rhythmic, calming crafting, something we could all use right now.
Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s a piece of pie with my name on it in the fridge. Literally, since I stuck a note to it.
We hope you have a safe and pleasant weekend. Happy crafting!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Fern Wrap in Garden 10 (pattern link here).
Fern Wrap originally appeared in print, as part of Garden Book 4: Garden Romance (also available as an e-book on Ravelry). Today, we’re setting it free!
This wide stole features tiny flowers in the space-dyed colors of Garden 10 cotton, bordered with a solid shade.
Worked flat, the Fern Wrap is finished with a tidy single crochet edging.
This shawl is written with a right side and wrong side to help you stay on track, but is reversible when worn.
We hope you enjoy this summery, delicate crochet piece. Have a great weekend, and happy crafting!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, March Fog in Alaska (pattern link here).
This is an apt day to introduce this pattern, because today, the 1st of March, it is indeed foggy in Charlotte.
But not quite this foggy.
It’s been more of a hazy mist, but the colors and fuzzy feel show where March Fog got its inspiration.
March Fog is wide enough to be a stole, but works well wrapped like a scarf, too.
Knit in Rozetti Yarns lofty Alaska, this crochet accessory is fluffy and warm, with a bit of foggy haze about it.
The stole is crocheted lengthwise in a very easy all-over mesh pattern. As written, this took exactly two balls of each color (902 Peach Puff and 905 Stormy). You might want to grab an extra ball, just for safety’s sake.
The ending edge of the mesh pattern naturally forms cute scallops. After the main stole is complete, an edging is added to the beginning edge so that the two sides match. Don’t forget to block to open up that lace!
Snuggle up against early Spring winds – and happy crafting!
We sent out a newsletter letting folks know about our Bamboo Pop-along, and got back a cute note from Sheep’s Clothing in Kennewick, WA. They’re snowed in – Bamboo Pop tees aren’t exactly on their radar right now!
Oh, the weather outside is frightful…
Yikes! We feel for our friends to the North! While we’re enjoying Bamboo Pop, can we share a big, warm, fluffy hug with you?
There there.
This is the Warmth Stole in Revolutions (free pattern link here). There should be a picture of this next to “snuggly” in the dictionary.
Lace for miles
Things to love:
It’s on size 10 1/2 (6.5mm) needles, to help this mammoth stole go quickly
The lace is a simple 10-row 10-stitch repeat that you’ll quickly get the hang of
So pretty.
You could go with 101 Port shown in the pattern picture…
Pin by Jul Designs
…or pick something more monochrome or vibrant. It’s up to you.
Regardless, we hope everyone stays safe and warm. Happy crafting!
