yarn – Page 14 – Universal Yarn Creative Network

June 12, 2018January 28, 2020

Father’s Day Tie

If you’re looking for a last-minute but thoughtful Father’s Day gift, you’re in luck. Today we’re sharing the Father’s Day Tie. This necktie takes just 36 grams of Deluxe DK Tweed Superwash!

I talk to my dad at least two or three times a week. He’s one of my best friends, and I feel so lucky for that. On top of that, my husband (and hesitant but equally gracious model for these photos) is a pretty fantastic dad to our dogs and cats. Yep – I am totally the kind of person who sees their pets as a ridiculously special part of my family.

Anyway, as we well know, Father’s Day celebrates all the great father figures out there. Yep, father figures – because it’s so important to recognize those that have played that role in our lives, regardless of a biological relationship. Whether that’s a spouse, friend, dad (or dog dad!), it’s important to take a moment to say thank you.

The Father’s Day Tie is knit flat primarily in linen stitch and features a spine of slipped stitches down the center. Paired with Deluxe DK Tweed Superwash, this accessory elevates an otherwise casual look. So what are you waiting for? Grab your needles and yarn and get started! You can find the pattern here (link).

May 15, 2018December 30, 2019

Natural Dye Series: Azaleas

You might remember that back in October I introduced the first post about my adventures in naturally dyeing our Superwash Merino Worsted Weight yarn. In that post (link), I gushed about how much I love the warm hues of autumn. Well, it’s spring now – though it certainly feels like summer here in Charlotte. That means it’s time to play with some yarns that are a bit more warm-weather friendly.

Today I’m using our soft and silky Universal Yarn Ready to Dye Merino Silk Sport Weight. It’s a gorgeous sportweight yarn with enough silk to make it appropriate for garments and accessories to throw over your shoulders on summer nights.

Whenever possible, I like to harvest dyes from the plants growing in and around my yard. I can choose what to grow, and there are endless ways I can experiment. Natural dyeing is, without a doubt, full of surprises, and you’ll understand what I mean when you see the results of my adventure with azalea dye.

I have a few azalea shrubs around my house. Just weeks ago they were full of brilliant pink blossoms, but now they’ve dried. I was plucking some weeds from my herb garden when it hit me: I have so many dried blossoms! Why not try to dye with them?

I grabbed a freezer bag and stuffed them full of the dried blossoms. Side note: If you use a freezer bag like I did (why didn’t I just grab a bowl?!), remember to simply rinse it and re-use it!

After collected my blossoms, I weighed them. I took into consideration the weight of the bag and ended up with approximately 37g. I could have collected more – I barely put a dent in my shrubs!

For today’s tutorial you’ll need:

1 skein of Universal Yarn Ready to Dye Merino Silk Sport Weight
Approximately 30-40g of dried azalea blossoms
Alum – you can find this in the baking/spices section of your grocery store.
Two stainless-steel pots that you don’t plan to use for cooking – I purchased mine for a few dollars at a thrift store.
Tongs – they don’t need to be stainless steel but choose some that you won’t use for cooking.
A kitchen scale – I can’t recommend this one enough. Although it isn’t essential, if you’re a knitter, you should have one! It’s useful for much more than dyeing.
Measuring cups/tablespoon
White distilled vinegar
Salt
Water

Step 1: Create a mordant and soak your yarn. You can find specific instructions for creating a mordant in my first post (link here). If you’ve been following along and have a jar of mordant already, simply reuse the solution.

Step 2: While your yarn is soaking, prepare your dyebath.

Fill your stainless-steel pot with enough water to allow your yarn to flow freely.
Dissolve 1 tbsp of salt into the water.
Pour ½ cup of vinegar into the water – salt and vinegar help to brighten the dye.
Add your azalea blossoms and use the tongs to stir the pot.
Bring to a simmer over your stovetop. Allow simmering for 30 minutes to an hour.
Lower the temperature so that the water is just under a simmer. If you want a specific temperature, you’ll want the water to be about 190 degrees F.

You can see that the dyebath turned into a rosy color.

Step 3: Remove your yarn from the mordant bath, gently squeezing the excess mordant from the yarn.

Ready to Dye yarn being placed into metal pot half-filled with reddish dye

Yarn soaking in dyepot filled with reddish azalea blossoms and leaves

Step 4: Carefully place your yarn into the dyebath.

Step 5: Allow the yarn to soak in the dyebath for about an hour. Turn off the heat and set the pot aside. Do not remove the yarn yet.

Step 6: Allow the yarn to cool in the dyebath – I let mine cool overnight.

Step 7: Remove your yarn and rinse thoroughly. I recommend stepping outside and giving it a few vigorous shakes to remove the remaining plant matter.

Before I reveal the yarn, I want to take a moment to emphasize how surprising natural dyeing can be. As you can see, the color of the dyebath was initially pretty pink. After about an hour it looked much more like a silvery-purple. I was really excited about those results. Even when the water cooled it remained a deep purple.

So, you might imagine my surprise when I discovered that my azalea dye turned into this…

Isn’t it the loveliest shade of green? I’m over the moon about the results of this dye experiment, and I’m sure I’ll be using azaleas for dyeing again soon. The transformation is pretty stunning.

March 24, 2016

Spotlight on Yashi

With Spring coming, we want to highlight a great yarn for warm weather.

Yashi is 100% raffia. It has a papery but soft feel and works great for accessories and home decor. Yashi Iro is its multi-colored companion, dyed in shades that coordinate with the solids. Our Sales Director Yonca has made a video to tell us all about it.

In the video, she mentions Rick Mondragon’s Japanese Knot bag, which is now available as a free pattern on our website.

This was originally available for STITCHESWest attendees, and we’re very grateful to Knitting Universe for sharing it with us. By the way, if you haven’t been to a STITCHES show yet, put it on your to-do list. They’re a blast.

You can find the Japanese Knot Bag pattern at this link.

We hope you enjoy this fun free crochet pattern. Happy crafting!

May 9, 2015May 9, 2015

Mother’s Day Yarn Art

Mother’s Day is tomorrow! Are you ready? Me neither! Fortunately, Amy came up with marvelous way to put together a handmade gift from your stash in a flash. Yarn art!

Step one is to find an image that you want to use and draw or trace it onto your card. We used a cut-down sheet of foam core board. We’re going to be using adhesive for this craft, so construction paper or thinner paper is a little iffy – we don’t want it to buckle or ripple from the moisture of the glue.

Amy freehanded her design, but you could also use clip art. You can see it above with a couple of flowers already filled in with Bamboo Pop. We’ll show you how to do that in the next step!

Outline your design with glue (we used Alene’s clear gel tacky glue). It’ll be easier to do a small section at a time rather than the whole thing – it’s easy to accidentally smear your yarn through the glue if the whole card is covered in it.

Position your yarn over the outline and stick it down. We used the point of a pencil to press the Bamboo Pop to the card. It keeps glue off the fingers and it’s more precise.

After you do your outlines, fill in the area inside, then if you wish you can cover any remaining space. Be as creative as you want. Incorporate straight lines, whirls and swirls, unusual colors or shapes – it’s all up to you!