Spring Yarns For Your Stash

Spring has sprung, and we’re thrilled to share some of our favorite yarns for the season with you! There are many things to look out for when searching for the perfect yarn for spring, including fiber content, weight, and color palette. If you haven’t heard of the yarns below, let today be the day you try something new! Let’s go ahead and get started with the newest addition to the Uptown Family of Yarns!

Uptown Bamboo DK is a fiber blend of 80% anti-pilling acrylic and 20% bamboo in a DK weight. Each 100g skein has 284 yards of yarn, with 38 different colors to select from. Bamboo fibers are highly breathable and moisture-wicking, allowing you to keep cool in warmer weather. Uptown Bamboo DK is machine-washable, making it an excellent option for wearable pieces and baby projects. The color palette of this yarn includes plenty of beautiful hues for spring, like 515 Wisteria and 528 Breeze.

Cotton Supreme Speckles is the newest member of the Cotton Supreme Family, and it’s already receiving so much love! This yarn is made up of 100% cotton fibers in a worsted weight, just like Cotton Supreme, but with speckles! Cotton is a plant-based fiber that is excellent for spring and almost any project you can think of. Due to the durability of cotton, Cotton Supreme Speckles is phenomenal for homewares, like the Seedling Washcloths. Additionally, this yarn makes for beautiful wearable pieces, like the pictured Wildflower Tee.

Naturally, we wanted to include one of our staple yarns, so say hello to Bamboo Pop! We already talked through the benefits of bamboo and cotton fibers, and guess what? Bamboo Pop is a blend of both! With that being the case, this yarn is breathable, soft, and exceptional for any project. One of our favorite things about Bamboo Pop is the versatile color palette. Both solids and multis are available, and many pair faultlessly with each other! Try a fun accessory with this staple, with the pictured Sabal poncho. Plus, if you love to make baby projects, you will want to add Bamboo Pop to your stash; it’s a customer favorite for such patterns!

Speaking of baby projects, Rico Design’s Baby Dream DK is next on deck! With a fiber blend of 50% polyacrylic and 50% polyamide, Rico Design Baby Dream DK is incredibly soft and easy to care for. Solids and multis are available in this yarn, with a range of gorgeous colors, especially pastels. The polyacrylic and polyamide fibers mean that Baby Dream DK is machine-washable, so it’s ideal for your little one. We love the idea of a baby blanket or cardigan, like the pictured Besties pattern!

You may have never heard of Rico Design’s Creative Fluffily DK, but we’re thrilled to introduce you! With a fiber blend of cotton, polyester, acrylic, and wool, Creative Fluffily DK is sensationally soft, machine-washable, and includes a subtle sparkle! Each 150g cake of this yarn contains 459 yards of yarn, making it great for larger projects like pullovers and shawls. There are 14 shades to choose from, and we can’t wait to see what you will make with Creative Fluffily DK!

Which one of these yarns would you work with first? Let us know in the comments! We can’t wait to hear your response.

Thanks for stopping by!

Robert

Collection Spotlight: Lakeside Bundle

Happy Wednesday, Fiber Friends!

Today, we’re introducing our latest pattern collection: the Lakeside Bundle! The two featured patterns, the Cattail Cardigan and Subtle Shell Ruana, make the most of the beautiful palette, subtle sheen, and smooth stitches of our new Uptown Bamboo DK yarn.

Three skeins of Universal Yarn Uptown Bamboo DK.
Uptown Bamboo DK: a beautiful blend of our beloved anti-pilling acrylic with a touch of bamboo for drape.

Uptown Bamboo DK is perfect for the early days of autumn. It is lightweight and features the cool touch of bamboo, but at the same time, is warm and insulating. It’s one of those beautifully versatile yarns that work amazingly well in any project. I attribute that to it’s plump, multi-thread construction featuring plies of thread that are then again plied together to create a bouncy, round yarn. The results are perfectly crisp stitches, demonstrated so well in both of the projects in the Lakeside Bundle. Let’s take a closer look.

The first piece in the collection is the Cattail Cardigan, designed by Rachel Brockman. It is named for its vertical lines, reminiscent of cattail plants stretching tall above the water, and for the zig-zap motif that reminds us of a breeze gently lapping the lakeshore. In this primarily knitted cardigan, an airy lace motif is interrupted with crisp rows of garter stitch, constructed sideways to create the vertical stripes. Each side is the mirror image of the other because it is knit in two pieces, beginning at the sleeve cuffs and meeting at the center back. Those who dabble in both knit and crochet, or who want to, will love the retro granny stripe collar. This cardigan is graded for sizes XXS/XS to 5X/6X.

A young woman sitting by a lake brushes her hair to the side, showing the details of the Cattail Cardigan, a pattern hand knit and crocheted in Universal Yarn Uptown Bamboo DK.

As I mentioned earlier, the impeccable stitch definition of Uptown Bamboo DK is on full display here, giving the twisted ribbing and contrast between lace and garter a sculptural feel. This yarn’s soft color palette also contributes to the beauty of the Cattail Cardigan. For this pattern, we opted for #508 Coral as the main color, with #534 Chinchilla and #527 Seaglass as the contrast colors. This color scheme reminds us of early mornings by the lakeside – watching the sunrise and mist float above the open water.

The second pattern offered in Lakeside Bundle is the crocheted Subtle Shell Ruana, designed by Ashley Jane McIntyre. Named after the tiny freshwater shells found along the waterfront, this drapey design is excellent for warding off the breeze on a windy day. Like the Cattail Cardigan, this accessory is constructed sideways and meets at the center back, creating a beautiful focal point.

A close-up detail of the back of the crocheted Subtle Shell Ruana, made in Universal Yarn Uptown Bamboo DK.

Graded for sizes Small/Medium through 4X/5X, this pattern is easy and beginner-friendly. It features a rhythmic stitch motif comprised of double V-stitches, no shaping, and simple color changes. The results are indeed sensational! The Subtle Shell Ruana uses Uptown Bamboo DK in three colors: #502 Lily, #527 Sea Glass, and #531 Savanna. I love how these colors work together – subtly echoing the intersection of cool water and a sandy bank.

The cover of the ebook, Lakeside Bundle. It features text that reads: "Lakeside Bundle: A Breezy Due of Knit and Crochet Patterns in Uptown Bamboo DK". The Universal Yarn logo is in the lower left corner, and in the lower right corner text reads "Uptown Bamboo DK, Fall 2023". A woman stands on the right side/center of the photo and wears the crocheted Subtle Shell Ruana.

We know these patterns will have you dreaming of a day stitching by the docks. Each pattern is available individually, or save $5.00 when you purchase the bundle on our website (link) for just $8.00!

Which pattern do you plan to start first? Let us know in the comments!

Happy stitching,
Rachel