Universal Yarn Creative Network
Inspiration By Design
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Graphite Tank in Radiant Cotton.
What a lovely piece for summer!
This swingy A-line tank is worked from the bottom up in pieces and then seamed. Fibra Natura Radiant Cotton keeps it nice and cool.
Although we’ve made this monochrome, It could look really cute with different colors at the hem. For instance…
So many possibilities.
Have a great weekend – and happy knitting!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Blissful Tee in Cotton True Sport.
Just looking at this top makes me happy. It’s a charming design in our Fibra Natura Cotton True Sport, a 100% Pima cotton that’s quite pleasant to work with. It’s the kind of basic top that would look great with jeans or a skirt, plus maybe a little silver jewelry. The lace detail at the top, which is charted and written, keeps it from being too plain.
Work it from the hem up in two pieces, then join together. We call for a US Size 4 (3.5mm) needle for the body, but of course use whatever will get you gauge – 6 stitches per inch in this case. It makes a lightweight cotton fabric that’s perfect for summer.
We hope you enjoy this bit of knitted bliss.
Happy crafting!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Zephyr Tank in Flax and Flax Lace.
I. Love. This. Because I don’t know what it’s like where you are, but here, it’s starting to get hot. All I’m saying is, this cat has the right idea.
But I still want to knit! Enter Flax and Flax Lace.
100% linen in DK and laceweight. I feel cooler just looking at it.
The Zephyr Tank has a body knit in Flax. It flares out at the hips for a nice silhouette. The Flax Lace edging at the hem is knitted on the same size needle as the body, giving it a nice drape.
Knit it in pieces, then whipstitch the contrasting edging to the wrong side of the hem afterward. Lovely.
The pattern runs from bust size 35¼ to 51¼. It’s written, and contains a schematic for assembly.
We hope you have a fantastic weekend, and that you enjoy this free pattern.
Happy knitting!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Bienne Tee in Flax Lace.
This tee is named after the town of Bienne, Switzerland. Both German and French are spoken there, and with its old Gothic architecture and modern high rises, the city is a beautiful blend of rustic and sophisticated.
Likewise, the Bienne Tee is a lovely mix of cables and lace in sturdy Flax Lace 100% linen, a classic plant fiber that softens with every wash.
It’s easy to see how good this would look over a tank or cami, with contrasting color capris or jewelry. Although it’s a classic in color 101 Taupe as pictured, I’m wondering how something more colorful might work. There are a lot of lovely tones to choose from.
Happy knitting!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, Just Breathe in Flax.
Having a hard time with these hectic days? Facebook feed full of politics? Us too. But you know what? It’s going to be okay. Here’s what we’re going to do.
Take a deep breath, from all the way down in your belly…. then let it out. Feel the tension drain away. Repeat as necessary. If you need a little technical help, close your door and take two minutes at calm.com to relax.
Here’s what else we’re going to do. We’re going to push aside the needs of others, just for a while, and we’re going to hit the LYS. We’re going to chat with the staff, walk the aisles and touch the yarn, and walk out with enough yarn to make something beautiful.
And that’s where this top comes in.
Just Breathe is made in 100% linen Fibra Natura Flax (137yds/50g) in color 105 Natural. Flax softens with each wash, making this a top that will get more and more comfortable with time. The six-row horseshoe lace pattern will require some mindful attention, but not so much that you frown in frustration. Just enough to keep you focused on the moment.
Make a little time away from the worries of the world to knit. Your rewards will be a feeling of refreshment, and a beautiful, versatile lace pullover that will be a favorite for a long time to come.
Happy knitting.
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Beachhouse Tank in Good Earth Adorn and Good Earth Solids.
I love this tank. I can easily imagine myself sitting on a dock, wearing sandals and linen pants with with this top, sipping a lemonade while gazing out at the water through oversized sunglasses. Maybe I’ll wear a Yashi sunhat, too. Bliss.
(Have you tried adding basil to lemonade? Sooo good, and we’re coming in to the season for fresh basil. Here’s a recipe if you want to give it a try.)
The pattern calls for Good Earth Adorn (MC) and Good Earth Solids (CC), both cotton/linen blends that come 170 yards to the hank. It’s a great yarn for summer, and perfect for this drapey A-line top.
Laurel Murphy’s design is worked in pieces and seamed. The straps are knit on the front piece only and then seamed to the back bind-off edge, as shown here.
We hope you have a relaxing and refreshing weekend, finding an opportunity to enjoy some fresh air and breathe deeply.
Happy knitting!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, 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!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Trellis Tee in Saki Silk.
What a great blend of knit and crochet! First, the front squares are crocheted, then the front, back, and sleeves are knitted, then the whole top is assembled and a crochet picot edging is added. I’m excited – I’ve done a knitted picot edging before, but not a crocheted one, and it looks so much easier!
The choice of Saki Silk (440yds/100g) for this was a good one. The monochrome 301 Shadowscape body matches the gray in 304 Giverney, but Giverney’s addition of purple gives it the pop of color it needs.
This would also look great with the front panel in 307 Hidden Lagoon (above), with its blend of gray and blue. Cool in several senses of the word.
Have a wonderful weekend of crafting, everyone.
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Denim Tee in Fibra Natura denims.
A bit of a tee, a bit of a tunic with its split hem, this A-line top is a lovely piece. The sleeves are stockinette, and the lace pattern covers both front and back.
One of the things I love about this piece is that even though it’s sized from Small to 3X, the largest size only takes 10 balls because it’s knit on size 10 1/2 (6.5mm) needles. Since denims (109yds/100g) is a tape yarn, it’s not going to puff up and add a lot of bulk – a consideration for those of us with larger frames who like to knit with thick yarns.
There’s nothing more all-American than denim, so this may need to go into my queue for Labor Day knitting. We hope you have a safe and festive holiday.
Happy crafting!
It’s Free Pattern Friday!
Today, the Wandering Lace Tee in Infusion Handpaints.
Mmmm. Lovely lace. Sometimes that can be hard to do in a variegated yarn. Who wants all their hard work to be lost in a sea of color? Fortunately, the tonal offerings in Infusion Handpaints are a little more subtle than some. We think this design would look great in any of these six “shade on shade” colors.
The design itself is smooth sailing. Knit the ribbing on smaller needles, then switch to US size 6/4mm needles (or whatever gets you gauge) and work up from hem to neckline. Do the same for back as you did for the front, then block, seam, and you’re ready to go.
This is a tee, but with a couple of tiny mods to the neck this would be a great vest to go over a button-down. Hmm… should I think of summer for this piece, or look ahead to Fall? Decisions, decisions…
Happy knitting!