Free Pattern Friday – Squoosh Cowl

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today, the Squoosh Cowl in Uptown Bulky Amplify.

Squoosh!

Squoosh!!

SQUOOOOSH!!!

The Squoosh Cowl lives up to its name.

It’s made with one ball each of two colors in Uptown Bulky Amplify, a super soft anti-pilling acrylic with lots of bounce.

Knit it up on size 13 (9mm) needles, alternating balls to create the colorful striping. It’s super-easy. Just work straight garter stitch, then sew the ends together. You can wrap this baby up to four times around your neck. Just decide how much “squoosh” you want.

We hope you enjoy this thick and quick simple project in one of our most squishable yarns.

Happy knitting!

November 4, 2016

Free Pattern Friday – Checked Hat and Scarf

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

checked-mist-scarf-and-hat-blog

Today, the Checked Hat and Scarf in Uptown Worsted and Uptown Worsted Mist.

In Little Women, Meg called November “the most disagreeable month in the whole year.” I’m inclined to disagree, though I will grant that the invention of electric heat makes it a lot easier these days. In fact, let’s add modern appliances like the washer and dryer, which make it a lot easier to do laundry without risking frostbite.

checked-mist-scarf-and-hat-detail_blog All of which brings us to today’s pattern. The Checked Hat and Scarf are an easy four-row repeat, worked flat for the scarf and in the round for the hat. We used Uptown Worsted and Uptown Worsted Mist (180yds/100g), both of which are machine washable and stand up well to wear, as well as being the softest acrylic I personally have used.

On frosty mornings, it’s a pleasure to wrap up warm in a hand-knitted set. It’s a luxury to return home, red-nosed, and shed layers, tossing them to the side without worrying about having to handwash them later.

We hope you enjoy what November has to offer – and then warm up again with more crafting in a cozy room.

Happy knitting!

August 26, 2016

Free Pattern Friday – Corner to Corner Throw

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today, the Corner to Corner Throw in Classic Shades.

We are so, so lucky to work with so many amazing LYSes. Case in point: we can enjoy the talents of Alice Gossette and Kat Koeller of The Thankful Ewe in New Bremen, Ohio. This dynamic duo have appeared here before, with the free Summer Shawl in Bamboo Pop. They’ve graciously shared this design with us as well.

It’s called the Corner to Corner Throw because it’s crocheted… wait for it… corner to corner! We love how they coordinated Classic Shades 731 Natural Glow with solid Uptown Worsted in 328 Dijon for the fringe. It’s a great choice that takes the throw up a notch.

Working corner to corner means that the bands of color change height as the rows lengthen and shorten, an excellent use of self-striping yarn. It’s a simple way to give even more interest to an already striking pattern.

We hope you find time to work on something beautiful this weekend, either for yourself or for someone you love.

Happy crafting!

August 5, 2016

Free Pattern Friday – Sizzle Scarf

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today, the Sizzle Scarf in Uptown DK.

We love this! So bright and summery. Two balls of Uptown DK (273yds/100g) in 139 Bright Salmon makes this long crescent-shaped scarf. As fun as this is in one color, can you imagine it in two? It’s knit from the bottom up, so how about switching to a second shade after working the leaf lace?

We hope you have a great weekend, and make every pattern you touch your own.

Happy knitting!

July 15, 2016July 15, 2016

Free Pattern Friday – Cherish Baby Blanket

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today, the Cherish Baby Blanket in Uptown DK Colors.

We’re in a kid frame of mind today! We recently saw these Blinky Bears knitted by Joan and shared by Yarn Cloud in Virginia.

They’re knitted in Uptown Worsted Tapestry (180yds/100g). Joan made a different bear for every grand kid so there wouldn’t be any arguments. Is that a great idea or what? The pattern is a Yarn Cloud exclusive by Pietra Bietsch and is available on Ravelry at this link.

We love these little guys and gals. We’re also happy to share this extremely simple pattern in Uptown DK Colors (273yds/100g), which also uses the yarn’s color shifts to good advantage. The Cherish Baby Blanket is a very easy four-row repeat perfect for beginners. The self-striping yarn makes the color changes, so there’s no juggling multiple balls and there’s less weaving in ends. A garter stitch border at the edges and a few rows of straight knitting at the top and bottom help keep it from curling.

We’re big fans of self-patterning and self-striping yarns for times when you want to add a little pizzazz to your work without having to fiddle with bobbins. For instance, take a look at the Zig to the Zag Tee.

Solid Uptown DK in 132 Night and Uptown DK Colors in 70319 Jubilee are alternated to make a very modern kid’s tee where the self-striping yarn automatically shifts through red and pink bands – one less thing for the knitter to worry about. They can just concentrate on making a standout top for some little fashionista.

We hope you enjoy the free Cherish Baby Blanket, and think about unique ways you can use self-striping and self-patterning yarns.

Have a great weekend, and happy knitting!

April 22, 2016

Free Pattern Friday – Paprika Seed Cowl

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today, the Paprika Seed Cowl in Uptown DK Colors.

This one is actually my design, and it started as an experiment. I was curious to see how the stripes in Uptown DK Colors (273yds/100g) would work in a really long row. The answer – great!

This could not be easier. There are actually two possible ways of knitting this one-skein cowl.

One is as written in the pattern: cast on an even number (192), place a marker, join for knitting in the round, and then alternate rounds of *k1, p1* and *p1, k1*. Bind off after 5″, or whatever width floats your boat.

The other, which you may find even simpler, is to cast on an odd number (191), join for knitting in the round, and then just *k1, p1* continuously around until the piece is as wide as you want it to be.

I had enough yarn left over to do a few more color repeats, had I chosen to keep going. This would be a great project for a beginner, or for anyone who wants something they can pick up and set down without worrying about where they are in the pattern.

We hope you have a relaxing weekend, with plenty of time to work on the project of your choice.

Happy knitting!

March 11, 2016

Free Pattern Friday – Swirling River Cardigan

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today, the Swirling River Cardigan in Uptown DK.

This is a great light sweater for Spring in a lovely lightweight yarn. Uptown DK (273yds/100g) is 100% anti-pilling machine washable acrylic. Even if you’re a fiber snob, as I confess I sometimes am, you’ll be surprised by just how pleasant it is to work with, and just how nicely it knits up.

This cardi is traditionally constructed, knit in pieces from the bottom up. The collar and button band are picked up and knitted after finishing the garment. The Little Swirl and Big Swirl lace repeats are both written and charted.

We love this sweet piece, perfect for the cusp of the changing seasons. We hope you do too.

Happy knitting!

February 11, 2016

Free E-book – Hot Hats

Here at Universal Yarn, we woke up to this headline this morning:

5 inches of snow predicted for Charlotte on Monday

Well. We had been looking forward to some of the great new Spring designs out now in magazines (more on those another time) but it looks like we still need to think warm. Fortunately, we have a free e-book that is perfect for the weather!

Here’s the free Hot Hats E-book.

Continue reading “Free E-book – Hot Hats”

December 11, 2015

Free Pattern Friday – Holly Jolly Socks or Stockings

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today, Holly Jolly Socks or Stockings in Uptown Worsted Tapestry.

Ho ho ho! Have you been very good? A little bit good? Well, Knitting Santa says you’ve been good enough, so we offer this holiday sock/stocking pattern as a gift!

Uptown Worsted Tapestry (180yds/100g) is a machine washable favorite for babies and adults, but there are a couple of colors that really stand out for the holidays.

812 Yule Time, with its classic red, white, and green color scheme, is used in the popular free Elfkin set for sizes 6 months to 6 years at right. We’re also partial to color 806 Emerald, which has a lovely blue spruce feel to it that fits right in under the tree.

These socks are worsted weight, knitted on US size 6(4mm) double-pointed needles. As you can see, they’re small enough to fit as socks great for sliding across the floor to see what Santa left you. They also include a small crochet loop so you’re free to hang them as stockings if you wish. We use size 6 needles for a tight fabric so no little gifts fall through the holes.

Knitted toe-up with a Turkish heel, one ball of Tapestry and one ball of Uptown Worsted 302 White Glow for the heels and toes ought to do it for small sizes. If your feet are longer than 9″, consider grabbing an extra ball of Tapestry. This handy guide to foot sizes from the Craft Yarn Council may be helpful in estimating, although I wear a US women’s size 8 1/2 or 9 with 9 1/2″ long feet and these socks fit me just fine.

We hope you have a great weekend of crafting and good times.

Happy knitting!

November 27, 2015November 27, 2015

Free Pattern Friday – Winter Shades Hat and Scarf

It’s Free Pattern Friday!

Today, the Winter Shades Hat and Scarf in Classic Shades Metallic and Uptown Worsted.

How’re we doing? Still working through Thanksgiving leftovers? I ask because right beside me, I have a slice of the pumpkin apple bread that has become traditional in our family. Here’s the recipe.

It makes two loaves, so you can keep one for yourself and bring one in to the office to be a hero. However, I’m writing this from home – Universal offices are closed today – and I can tell you there’s no way this bread will last until Monday. Sorry, co-workers.

Just because the offices are closed doesn’t mean we didn’t prepare a beautiful pattern for you!

The Winter Shades Hat and Scarf combine two lovely yarns: solid Uptown Worsted (180yds/100g) and self-shading Classic Shades Metallic (175yds/100g). Both hat and scarf are knitted flat in a surprisingly easy slip stitch pattern. Knit the edging on US size 6 / 4mm needles, then switch to US size 10/6mm for the patterning on the body of the hat and scarf. In the picture above, the brim of the hat is turned up. In the picture below, it’s turned down for a slightly different look.

That charming model, by the way, is Jordan, the newest member of our customer service team. We thought this ensemble would look great on her, and she graciously agreed to be our ~~guinea pig~~ model. Thanks, Jordan!

We hope you enjoy the afterglow of Thanksgiving. We’re so grateful for your enthusiasm, talent, and willingness to share your voices so we can become better crafting partners to you.

Happy knitting!