Tag: Sweater

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Free Pattern Friday – Mod Tiles Cardi

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Woman in crocheted jacket leaning against wall

Today, the Mod Tiles Cardi in Deluxe DK Tweed Superwash (pattern link here).

This one’s a bit of an ugly duckling story, although of course the duckling was never ugly at all.

We had this garment in our studio for a long time, and kept looking askance at it.  Squares on a jacket?  We just weren’t sure about it, so it stayed on the shelf.

Then one day we were discussing upcoming Free Pattern Fridays, and someone picked up this cardi and put it on.  Wow!  It looked great!  The ugly duckling had been a swan all along – we just couldn’t see it until it spread its wings!

We love how the tweedy gray grounds the piece, but the colorful flowery motifs work with most anything.  This was a lucky discovery, with sweater weather finally here!

The Deluxe DK Tweed Superwash motifs are made separately, then seamed together.  The pattern is written and charted, and contains a schematic for piecing it together.

There’s a lesson here about looking past first impressions.  We’re certainly glad we gave this beauty a second chance.

Happy crafting!

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Free Pattern Friday – Stripe-o-saurus

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today, Stripe-o-saurus in Bamboo Pop (pattern link here).

This is a great example of how the right yarn can make a project really pop – no pun intended.

Striped green toddler pullover knitted in Bamboo Pop
“Rawr! I would knit this myself but my arms are too short.”

This Bamboo Pop pullover has two wide bands of color, broken by a single row knitted in the coordinating accent color used at the edges.  Without that thin line, it’s just not quite the same.

Blue toy dinosaur standing next to shoulder of green children's knit pullover
“Rawr! I can’t pick up stitches.  I can’t pick up anything!”

This sweater is worked flat from the bottom up and seamed. Neck edging stitches are picked up and worked in the round. A circular needle is used to work the body because there are times in which stitches will need to be slipped to the other end of the needle during the stripes (for that single line of color).

“Rawr! Maybe you could make me a tiny cape?”

Oh, good grief. Excuse me, I need to go knit something for a tiny blue dinosaur.

We hope you let your inner child out this weekend.

Happy crafting!

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Free Pattern Friday – Fresco Cardigan

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today, the Fresco Cardigan in Adore and Adore Colors (pattern link here).

Love colorwork but not Fair isle? This one’s for you!

Rachel Brockman used self-striping Adore Colors to do the heavy lifting in the body and sleeve stripes.  Then she used mosaic knitting in solid Adore to create the design around the waist.  Only one color is used per row.  The design appears by slipping stitches in different colors, and voila!

close up of mosaic-knit slip stitch pattern in Adore and Adore Colors yarns
Beautiful.

We hope you enjoy this lovely bit of Fall-to-come.

Happy crafting!

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Still Summer – Cotton Supreme

Look, I know it’s September, but here in the South we still have hot and humid days where the great outdoors looks like a melting Dali painting.  True story: I once saw my cousin get stuck in an overheated parking lot when her high heels sank into liquefying asphalt, like a very fashionable mastodon caught in a tar pit.  For this reason, I’m not giving up on summertime projects yet.  Luckily, we have a really great selection of cottons, and some fabulous free patterns!

First up: The Little Sailor Pullover (pattern link here).

This cute top is sized from 1-10 years, and features a solid Cotton Supreme body with Cotton Supreme Batik for the stripes and the anchors on the sleeves.

The original black and white Cotton Supreme Batik has been retired, but there are some nice options available.  What about this in a different shade of blue, with 41 Navy Salute (below) for the detailing?

Actually, since Cotton Supreme and Cotton Supreme Batik have exactly the same gauge, you could choose to go solid for both, or striped for both – there are a lot of options here!

Next, the All-Star Pullover (pattern link here).

This one’s quite similar to the Little Sailor – the differences are, a smaller needle for the ribbing (my edges tend to flare if I don’t do this!), and a different design on the sleeve.  I like these two interpretations of what is essentially the same pattern because it shows what a difference the details make!

Team Cap all the way.

You can see how this could also become a fantastic superhero costume if you shifted that star onto the chest and made the design in red, white, and blue.  Who wouldn’t want a tiny Captain America pullover?

Don’t get me wrong, we’re gearing up for Fall and winter.  There are some great designs in the works.  But as long as we’ve got some cute things to make, maybe it’s not so bad for summer to hang around a little longer.

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Free Pattern – Fleurette Lace Pullover

Summertime can be a tough time for a needlecrafter.  It’s hot, and a big project can weigh heavy in your lap, but you don’t want to put down the yarn.  Fortunately, there’s always cotton!

Woman outdoors wearing cknitted cream lace pullover in Cotton Supreme DK.

To beat the heat, try the Fleurette Lace Pullover in Cotton Supreme DK (pattern link here).

Sized Small to 3X, this raglan-sleeved pullover features waist shaping, and is knitted from the bottom up in pieces. It’s quite stylish with a contrasting tank underneath.  This is a nice three season piece.

Closeup of lace pattern in knitted Fleurette Lace Pullover

The lace pattern is both written and charted, and covers front and back.  It calls for Cotton Supreme DK, the lighterweight version of our popular Cotton Supreme DK.  It’s very pretty as shown in a natural 702 Ecru, but there are a lot of ways to go with this one.  Maybe a pretty pastel?

Five pastel hanks of Cotton Supreme DK with a blossoming cherry branch

Or go dark, with something light showing through beneath?

Hank of Navy Cotton Supreme DK yarn

We hope you stay cool, and keep on crafting.  Have a great day!

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Free Pattern Friday – Little Hoodie

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Gray knitted child-sized hoodie on black background

Today, the Little Hoodie in Bella Cash (pattern link).

We love a classic with a twist.  This hoodie is constructed traditionally, in pieces and seamed, but two things make it special: one, the balanced panels on front and back – the ssk and k2tog on right and left panels add a nice symmetry – and two, the yarn.

Back side of knit gray child hoodie

We’re big fans of Bella Cash (230yds/50g).  Its softness and machine washability make it perfect not just for baby garments, but also for adult projects and accessories.  (In fact, in a bit of a coincidence, we released our newest pattern collection today – Small Pleasures, featuring 7 knit accessories in Bella Cash.)

e-book cover titled Small Pleasures showing hands wearing blue knitted fingerless mitts

We’ll be talking more about these beauties in the days to come.  For now, back to today’s free pattern!

Gray children's hoodie knitted in Bella Cash yarn

We’ve sized this from 0-10 years, so you might choose to go with the classic pastels…

or something a little bolder.

Whatever you choose to do, we hope you have a great time knitting this fun hoodie.

Happy crafting!

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Free Pattern Friday – Skipper Sweater

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today, the Skipper Sweater in Bella Cash (link here).

Don’t you love it when cute and practical meet?  The cute: this striped sweater with its nautical feel, sized from 3 months to 4 years.

Work it in the round up to the armholes, then divide it for shaping. Near the end, you’ll add the ribbed buttonbands at the arms for a nice finish.

The practical: that buttonband! I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to get a wiggly baby’s head through a neckhole, but it’s kind of like… well… I’m just going to leave this here.

Yep, that’s about right.

As a parent, I’m also delighted by the choice of Bella Cash for this.  The yarn is machine washable, but with its cashmere content it’s also baby-shower-worthy.  Its palette has a good range of pastels and other kid-friendly tones, too.

All in all, this pullover gets the knitter/mom seal of approval.  Now if you’ll pardon me, I have to go watch some more cat videos.  It just never gets old.

Have a great weekend, and happy crafting!

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Free Pattern Friday – Left of Center Cardi

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today, the Left of Center Cardi in Little Bird and Little Bird Colors (pattern link here).

How adorable is this?

Sized from 3 months to 2 years, this clever cardi uses machine washable Little Bird and its self-striping sibling Little Bird Colors to easily create a bright little jacket for baby.

The front and back are knit flat, as are the sleeves.  Then, they’re seamed together.

Add the edging, and your favorite buttons, and you’re ready to go.

What a cute little cardi for Spring!

We hope you have a fantastic weekend.

Happy crafting!

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Free Pattern Friday – Hazy Hat and Pullover

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today, the Hazy Hat and Pullover set in Uptown Worsted Mist (pattern link here).

I actually have a lot of thoughts about this pattern, because

1) I love cables, and

2) I heard the “colorful language” around here as the pattern swelled to 4… 5… and finally to 9 pages.  That’s what happens with extended sizing (although we don’t really consider it “extended”), and full charts and written instructions.

The consensus is that it was worth it.

There are quite a few things to love here, like sizing from Small to 4X in the pullover…

detailing like twists along the sleeve and texture within the front cables…

and how nicely this does in Uptown Worsted Mist, which is variegated enough to add interest but not so much that it overwhelms a lovely design.

We hope you have a wonderful weekend, and that you take time to do something for yourself.

Happy crafting!

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Free Pattern Friday – Bellissima Cardi

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today, the Bellissima Cardi in Bella Cash (pattern link here).

Such a beauty.  The Bellissima Cardi is a classic lightweight cardi with classic construction.

Knit it from the bottom up in pieces, then seam.

Bella Cash superwash merino/nylon/cashmere blend creates a soft, lightweight material that moves with you and looks flattering.  We love it on size 2 (2.75mm) needles for the Fair Isle yoke.  Crisp and well-defined, with a beautiful, smooth texture.

Even though the stitches are delicate, the fabric is machine washable and durable, thanks to the nylon and superwash merino content in Bella Cash.  Sized small through 4X, this is a great wardrobe staple. Hard to believe it’s a free pattern!

We hope you have a fantastic weekend.

Happy crafting!