Happy Free Pattern Friday, everyone! With the temperatures dropping every day, it feels like a serendipitous time to release a cozy, large throw. This week, you can download the Foursquare Afghan for free on our website!
Designed by Rachel Brockman, the Foursquare Afghan uses our stash staple yarn: Deluxe Worsted Superwash. If you aren’t used to knitting with 100% wool, I highly encourage you to try out this yarn. Deluxe Worsted Superwash is incredibly soft, springy, and is really a joy to knit or crochet with. It boasts superior stitch definition and a broad color palette with options for all preferences. Bonus points awarded for the easy-care nature of 100% superwash wool fibers.
To create the Foursquare Afghan, you’ll knit approximately 100 individual mitered squares using three colors of Deluxe Worsted Superwash. I personally am a knitter who prefers working on projects that require seaming, because the pieces are small and feel manageable. This blanket is a wonderful option for knitters like me, because every square you add to the pile will make you feel super accomplished, and it makes the project ultra-portable. After you knit the required amount of squares, you’ll seam them all together following the schematic provided in the pattern.
Knitting an afghan may seem intimidating due to the amount of yarn required for the project, but this weekend, we’ve got you covered! Our Be Merry Sale starts today, and you can get Buy Two, Get One Free on ALL yarns! The Foursquare Afghan calls for a total of 22 skeins of Deluxe Worsted Superwash. With our Be Merry Sale discount, you’ll get SEVEN of those skeins for free – up to an $84 value!
To receive our Buy Two, Get One Free offer, you must add at least three skeins or bag quantities of yarn to your cart. One skein or bag quantity will be automatically deducted at checkout for every group of three. This offer ends on Tuesday, December 26th at 11:59 PM EST.
From all of us at Universal Yarn, we wish you joy and cheer well into the new year. Happy Holidays!
Hello, December! It’s that time of year again, when we present to you our annual 12 Days of Winter Kit Collection. And, with bittersweet news, this is our last kit collection of this type. Join me today as I reflect on year’s past and share the exciting refreshed and new kits we are offering for 2023.
The cover from our very first edition of the 12 Days of Winter Kit Collection, from 2017.
In 2017, when I first began working at Universal Yarn, we conceived the exciting idea to create twelve wintry accessories featuring a variety of our yarns to support our local yarn stores through the gift-giving season. These kits were designed to be beautiful, thoughtful finished objects to give a loved one, or to be a present for your best fiber friend. The designs were all centered around winter, and primarily meant to be useful beyond the holiday season. We dreamt of frozen lakes, snowy forests, the warmth and crackle of the fireplace, and twinkling lights. Then, we took that imagery and created a collection of twelve designs to inspire.
Top Left: Series 1 Snowflake Mitts / Top Right: Series 2 Mistletoes Middle Left: Series 3 Mountain Pines / Middle Right: Series 4 Chai Latte Set Bottom Left: Series 5 Crochet Cinnamon Swirl Stole / Bottom Right Series 6 Hubble the Winter Wolf
Pictured above are some of the highlights our the past six years of 12 Days of Winter. In those years, we have published a total of 76 knitting and crochet patterns to celebrate the season. From mitts and hats to scarves and stuffies, we truly have something for everyone in these collections. As we reflected on which of these patterns were best loved for Series 7, we wanted to rekindle the joy they brought you. With that said, we are so proud to share our latest 12 Days of Winter Kit collection, which features old favorites and new patterns alike.
The Cover of our 12 Days of Winter 2023 Kit Collection
First, let’s talk about some of the oldies but goodies. Eight of the patterns in this collection were revisited from previous years. We’ve refreshed them with exciting new yarns. Take Aspen, for example. This beloved classic cabled scarf was a hit during our third year of the kit collection. It’s intricately winding cables are impressive, but easier to achieve than one might expect. This year, we’ve paired it with a yarn destined to shine in cables: Yarn Vibes Cliffs of Moher. Its rustic, plump hand gives the cables such a warm and woolly texture.
AspenForest Garland
The popular Forest Garland, which has both a knit and crochet version, was reimagined using our Cotton Supreme and Cotton Gold yarns held together. The shimmering sequins of Cotton Gold make it look just like twinkly lights or beautiful bulbs decorating a Christmas tree.
New yarns are just part of revisiting our previous years of patterns. As you can see so far, we’ve been swapping colors as well. That’s the case for each of these patterns, and I especially love how it worked out for the Blue Spruce Socks and Snow Day Set. We opted for unexpected yarns and icy shades to maximize the wintry impact. The Blue Spruce Socks use two strands of Uni Merino together, and the Snow Day Set takes Rico Design’s Fashion Cotton Light and Long Tweed on a frosty adventure!
Snow Day SetBlue Spruce Socks
Originally from Series 2, We Three Hats and Snowfolk were especially favored among our in-house team and our customers. We kept the yarn for We Three Hats the same, but played around with cool shades of sugarplum and icy blues. This outstanding kit is like three in one, because you’ll have enough Deluxe Worsted Tweed Superwash to make all three hats and enjoy a sampling of fun techniques! Similarly, one kits gets you all three Snowfolk, lovingly named Agnes, Dorothy, and Maureen. This year, these ladies got a makeover with all new accessories in best-selling Uptown Worsted to keep cozy on a cold winter’s day.
We Three HatsSnowfolk
Although all of the kits we’ve revisited so far were featured in previous 12 Days of Winter Kit Collections, not all of those from this year are. In fact, we’ve taken two stunning kits from discontinued yarns and gave them new life! The Holiday Stockings and the Illuvia Shawl were once part of our Dona color kits. Their techniques made them a perfect fit for the collection. The stranded Holiday Stockings, now knit in Rico Design Baby Dream DK Uni are a joyful home décor project just waiting to be stuffed with little trinkets. The colorful Illuvia Shawl, now knit in Wool Pop, features a sampling of exciting stitches that will delight you as you knit, and impress your giftee!
Holiday Stockings
Finally, we’re happy to introduce some brand new patterns to you! The last four kits I’ll touch on were designed to round out this year’s collection. The first two, Mini Marshmallow and the Twilight Socks, are special because they combine different yarns for impact. Mini Marshmallow is actually a tiny version of his big brother, Marshmallow, from Series 5. This little best friend would make the sweetest gift for your little one. I can easily see their little body popping out of the aforementioned Holiday Stockings on Christmas morning, just waiting to be hugged! Mini Marshmallow is knit using plush, soft Bella Chenille, and their stylish sweater is knit with colorful Rico Design Creative Melange Chunky.
The Twilight Socks are the advanced sock knitter’s dream. The intricate motif combines twisted stitches and mosaic knitting, and the results couldn’t be more jaw-dropping. Here, we’ve paired the variegated marls of Cobblestone with the saturation of Uni Merino into one amazing pair of socks.
Mini MarshmallowTwilight Socks
The next two accessories will keep your neck and shoulders toasty and warm all season long! Crochet enthusiasts will absolutely adore Milky Way, a cozy cowl featuring the brilliant self-shading hues of Colorburst. The spike stitches blend the colors together and create a finished piece as impressive as the galaxy we call home. Unlike the kaleidoscope of colors seen in Milky Way, the knitted Snowstorm scarf looks a bit more neutral in Kingston Tweed. Gray and navy tones in a mosaic colorwork pattern will remind you of a nighttime blizzard, and the soft pink edges bring to mind rosy cheeks out in the cold.
Milky WaySnowstorm
There you have it – our designs for the final edition of the 12 Days of Winter Kit Collections. We deeply appreciate all of your enthusiasm for these patterns and kits over the years. We hope each one has filled you with warmth and holiday cheer. And if these collections were something you looked forward to each year, fear not – we promise we will have many more festive treats in store for you in the years to come!
Be merry, my fiber friends, and have a wonderful holiday season! -Rachel
Happy Free Pattern Friday, folks! Today we bring you McKenzie, a cozy, cabled crochet pullover designed by me, Ashley Jane McIntyre.
This sweater is crocheted in pieces, then seamed, and it’s made using a simple half double crochet stitch so that the cable panel is center stage. For the Front piece, you will begin by working a ribbed hemline, moving into a section of even length based on size, which then flows into the statement cable motif worked along the main body length, and finally creating the scoop neck shape. This neck shaping extends lines from the center cable up and over to each side so that the post stitches align with the ribbing to create a continuous flow of texture. All of the cabling and shaping is graded across multiple sizes and is also written and charted for your convenience. This thoughtful design was made with visual supports so that any adventurous beginner could approach this project with confidence.
The yarn featured in this design is called Offbeat, named for the irregular lengths of self-striping yarn which add a bit of intrigue and fun. It comes in eight heathered shades with quirky names like “Tubular,” “Wicked,” or “Far Out,” which is seen in this week’s sweater. Offbeat offers more than amusing colors, though. It’s super soft blend of 90% acrylic and 10% alpaca is a delight to work with and is suitable for an assortment of projects from garments to baby projects, and even home décor. It is easy to care for, as it’s machine washable, and it boasts 586 yards per 150g ball, making it an easy choice for one-ball-wonders or blankets.
Whether you feel called to crochet the McKenzie pullover, cast on the Log Cabin Blankie Kit, or to try a one-ball project like Snapdragon or Foxglove, you’ll want to stock up on Offbeat today. Shop now – Sunday 12/3 to get 20% off of this wonderful yarn! That’s all for today, happy stitching! Ashley Jane McIntyre
It’s Flash Pattern Friday! On this holiday weekend, we’re sharing Peri (link), knit in our sumptuous Truva yarn.
Peri is part of our On the Line pattern collection, available at this link. This top-down, seamless pullover with raglan shaping has gentle bishop sleeves that are gathered at the wrists. The yoke is dotted with striped seed stitch to create textural interest. Purl ridges divide the seed stitch from the rest of the sweater, which is worked in stockinette stitch and K1, P1 ribbing using solid colors.
Like I mentioned earlier, Peri is knit using our 50/50 cashmere/cotton blend, Truva. This yarn is easily one of my favorites for its heathered hues and soft hand. The blend also makes it a wonderful choice for garments worn Autumn through Spring. For a yarn with so much depth in color, its smooth structure lends itself to excellent stitch definition, so we love it in patterns with simple texture. You can see this in Peri, but also in each of the other pieces in the On the Line collection.
To get Peri for free, use the “buy it now” or “add to cart” links on the Ravelry pattern page. Once the pattern is in your cart, enter the coupon code “FLASH” where you see the “use coupon code” link that appears during purchase. This offer runs through Monday, November 27th.
The deals don’t stop there, though! In addition to getting Peri for free, you can pick up any of the patterns you’ve been eyeing in our Ravelry store for50% off, no code needed. And while you’re sorting out your pattern queue, stock up on yarn, needles, and notions on our website, where we’re holding a sale! Take 30% off yarn, kits, and muud products, and 15% off ChiaoGoo products. All of these deals last through Monday, November 27th. We’re thankful for you, and you deserve these savings!
What do you plan to cast on this weekend? Tell us all about it in the comments below!
Happy Free Pattern Friday! Autumn weather is well under way here in North Carolina. It is getting colder outside, the leaves are falling, and everything feels just a tad bit more cozy. So, it is only fitting that we release a beautiful pullover this week that will keep you warm as the temperatures continue to drop. Say hello to Laurel!
Laurel was designed for us by Adrienne Larsen. You may recognize this designer’s name from previous patterns like the Aspen Scarf in our 12 Days of Winter kit collection. Adrienne’s designs have a touch of elegance that always makes me want to knit them, and Laurel is no exception!
This pullover is knit in the round from the bottom up, and separated at the underarms. You’ll create gussets for each sleeve, and then attach them to the body and work it as one piece. The sleeve edgings and turtleneck are both picked up and worked as the finishing steps. This pattern is written for sizes Extra Small – 5X, or 32″-64″ chest sizes, respectively. Laurel is a perfect pattern choice for the adventurous knitter looking to try something new!
To me, what makes the Laurel pullover stand out are the bold stripes and the beautiful texture of Rico Design Fashion Light Luxury. This yarn is a sumptuous blend of alpaca, wool, and nylon that has an on-trend brushed texture. Fashion Light Luxury is designed to be worked at a bulky weight gauge so that the brushed alpaca fibers fill looser stitches, creating a squishy soft fabric with stunning drape.
Fashion Light Luxury offers a color palette with options for anyone’s personal taste, so you can pick the pair that best suits your wardrobe. Personally, I’d make the Laurel pullover using colors 025 Purple and Light Blue 018.
The Laurel pullover would be perfectly suited to any upcoming holiday party, so why not grab your yarn and cast on now? You can get 20% off Fashion Light Luxury this weekend only.
Happy Wednesday fiber folks! We hope you’re enjoying your autumn so far. Crisp, breezy days paired with fiery foliage add to the fall magic, and we’re all looking forward to the Thanksgiving holiday next week. To celebrate, we’ve decided to revisit an oldie but a goodie: the free Wee Pumpkin pattern (link), designed by Amy Gunderson.
Originally designed in 2014 for the now-discontinued Poems yarn, we thought the pattern would be the perfect match for Rico Design’s Creative Melange Chunky. This machine-washable blend of virgin wool and acrylic is a soft, cushiony single ply yarn. It’s a joy to knit because of the self-shading print that makes every stitch exciting as you travel from one color to the next. Creative Melange features a palette of 31 colors, and one of the newest colors seemed like the ideal match for the Wee Pumpkin pattern – #075 Autumn. The warm harvest shades of this colorway reminded us of the many varieties and colors found in everyone’s favorite fall fruit: the pumpkin!
The pattern is a fun knit for adventurous beginners and seasoned knitters alike. Skills to indulge in include wrap and turn short rows, picking up stitches, basic increases and decreases, and seaming. The Wee Pumpkin begins with the pumpkin body, which is worked sideways and features wedges shaped with short rows. If you haven’t tried short rows before, this pattern would be great for dipping your toes into the technique. After the body is complete, a little seaming around the sides and base forms the pumpkin body. Then, stitches are picked up from around the top to create the stem. It’s finished with an adorable curlicue and leaf that are sewn to the top of the pumpkin.
Requiring just over one ball of Creative Melange, you’ll get a pumpkin that’s a bit larger than “wee.” The finished piece is about 7″ tall and 8″ in diameter. It’s the perfect size to decorate your fireplace mantel. Or, use it with other fall decorations to make a show-stopping centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table. You could even add some safety eyes and make it a precious little pumpkin to give your own little one.
Remember, you can download the Wee Pumpkin pattern for FREE at this link. And while we’re on the subject of pumpkins, allow me to recommend this smashing pie recipe to bake this Thanksgiving. While you’re waiting for the pie to bake, you can work on stitching this project! We’d love to know your favorite thing about pumpkins – let us know in the comments!
As the weather gets chillier outside, there’s never been a better time for a woolly Free Pattern Friday! This weekend, we are thrilled to release the Mermaid Shawl, designed by Tori Gurbisz, featuring Deluxe DK Superwash and Colorburst. This oceanic-inspired shawl is wearable year-round thanks to the wool fibers and DK-weight of the respective yarns. Let’s dive right in and learn more about this gorgeous piece!
The Mermaid Shawl DK contains a solid upper portion using solely Deluxe DK Superwash, allowing the bottom of this shawl to stand out. The lower portion shows off slip-stitch edging as you combine Deluxe DK Superwash with Colorburst, creating the gorgeous mermaid scales that make this shawl so desirable!
The Mermaid Shawl DK is knit from the top down in relaxing stockinette stitch, with increasing throughout for shaping. Deluxe DK Superwash color 834 Cream provides the perfect canvas for your favorite hue of Colorburst to shine in this pattern. With two wool yarns for the Mermaid Shawl DK, you’ll want to sport this shawl year-round!
Now through Sunday, November 12th, Deluxe DK Superwash and Colorburst are 20% off! These two yarns have teamed up before to make beautiful creations like Slant, Virtuoso, the Ruby Shawl DK, and more! The superwash wool of solid Deluxe DK Superwash is the perfect match for the superwash fine merino and acrylic blend of self-shading Colorburst. Explore the color palettes of these respective yarns and let your imagination inspire your next project.
Make sure to share your creations with us on social media for a chance to be featured in stories or even on our feed!
Hi there, fellow crafters! As we enter the season of shorter days and cooler weather, here at Universal Yarn, we are always thinking of ways to add some cheer to our projects. With this in mind, we are excited to announce the addition of a brand-new yarn to our lineup. Drumroll please….introducing Bella Pom Pom!
Bella Pom Pom is the perfect carry-along yarn to add trendy pops of neon color to your project. This yarn features a variegated thread with tiny pom poms scattered along it. It is comprised of 78% polyamide and 22% polyester, making it soft and durable. Each pom pom is a fun little pop of color in neon shades of orange, yellow, pink, and blue.
This yarn comes in 50g balls of approximately 334 yards each, perfect for adding a special touch to your smaller projects or as an accent to larger ones. Being a huge fan of neons, I fell in love with this yarn the moment I saw it in person. It opens up so many possibilities to liven up just about any type of project. Speaking of projects, we have a couple of free patterns to give you a chance to try out this delightfully fun yarn.
First up are the Sprinkle Mittens, designed by Rachel Brockman. Rachel designed these cozy mittens using one skein of our smooth, supple Uptown Bamboo DK, in 506 Apricot, held together with Bella Pom Pom. These mittens feature a twisted rib cuff for added texture and come in two sizes! They are a quick and easy knit and are the perfect accent to brighten up your outfit of the day.
Second, we have the Confetti Scrunchie, designed by Ashley Jane McIntyre. Scrunchies are back in a big way! And why not? They’re better for your hair, they can dress up or dress down any outfit, they’re harder to lose and they make a cute accessory for your wrist! This cute scrunchie is crocheted using our luscious Bella Chenille carried along with Bella Pom Pom. You work around an elastic hair tie in beginner-friendly half double crochet. Why not make one for yourself and one for a friend?
With neon colors taking center stage this winter season, Bella Pom Pom is the perfect way to incorporate this bold trend into your handmade pieces. I am super excited to use it in a simple cowl to add some extra color and texture. What would you do with it?
Happy Friday, friends! This week is our special “Flash Pattern Friday,” a promotion that comes on the last weekend of the month, where a normally paid pattern is completely free for a limited period of time. Today, we are gifting the Rosewood Shawl from the Free Spirit Collection.
Rosewood Shawl in Cobblestone
This shawl is a crochet take on brioche that is truly double-sided! Normally, crochet brioche alternates two colors with front post stitches to create a mimicked brioche look. However, this shawl alternates both front and back post stitches to form the color contrast for each side. Because of the post-stitching along with simultaneous shaping, we ranked this as an advanced piece. However, if you feel good with post-stitch work, I’m sure you can tackle it beautifully!
Dark side of the shawl.Light side of the shawl.
This shawl features Fibra Natura, Cobblestone, a luxurious 100% superwash merino wool yarn that boasts an impressive 612 yards per ball. This yarn comes in 16 beautifully twisted, double-ply shades where one solid strand is plied with a second, color shifting strand for a handspun appearance that creates exciting statement pieces. Cobblestone is 20% off this weekend, so stock up today through Sunday 10/29!
Fibra Natura, Cobblestone
To get the Rosewood Shawl for free, use the “buy it now” or “add to cart” links on the Ravelry pattern page. Once the pattern is in your cart, enter the coupon code “FLASH” where you see the “use coupon code” link that appears during purchase. This offer runs through Sunday, October 29th.
I hope you are just as excited about this free pattern as I am. What color combinations will you try out? I’m excited to see it! Be sure to share your creations with us by tagging us on Instagram.
That’s all for today, happy stitching! Ashley Jane McIntyre
The New England region is an iconic place to live or visit on your travels. With beautiful scenery and delicious food, this small cluster of states has a lot to offer, including yarn! For our local yarn shop October feature, take a virtual trip with us to Windsor, Connecticut, where you will find Ewe & You Fiber Arts! This yarn shop is owned and operated by Rachel Schuster. With its fifth anniversary passing in September, it’s the perfect time to learn more about Ewe & You Fiber Arts and the story behind this sensational store!
When Rachel Schuster began learning to crochet in college from a friend, who would’ve guessed that years later, she would open a yarn shop herself. After college, Rachel married an Army officer and had the opportunity to live in many different places, including Seoul, South Korea. Eventually, she and her husband made their way to Hartford, CT. The local yarn shop in Hartford was about to close, so Rachel decided to open Ewe & You Fiber Arts. After writing a business plan and receiving funding, her shop officially debuted in September 2018!
On the shelves of Ewe & You Fiber Arts, you can find many yarns from Universal Yarn, including staples like Uptown Worsted and Bamboo Pop! Rachel shares that our collection of Uptown yarns is a favorite at her shop, and it’s clear to see why. This line of anti-pilling acrylic yarns features a robust palette and has excellent stitch definition. Their affordability and easy care make it perfect for beginners, and it looks beautiful in all projects, from baby blankets to adult sweaters. One of our new releases, Uptown Bamboo DK, can be found on the shelves of Ewe & You Fiber Arts, and we suggest you try it out! The gorgeous drape of this yarn would look incredible in a scarf or blanket for the upcoming winter season.
With so many yarns to choose from, it’s obvious why so many flock to Ewe & You to get their fibers. With all these customers, Rachel has built a supportive and encouraging fiber arts community. We often hear shop owners say that community is the most rewarding part of their job; there’s nothing like seeing one of your regular customers show off a newly finished project.
Additionally, this shop has many opportunities for knitters and crocheters to grow their skills. Plenty of beginner-friendly classes are available at Ewe & You Fiber Arts; for more information, visit their website at this link. Rachel has also offered knit-alongs and crochet-alongs for her community to engage with each other, and we love to see that!
We are so thrilled at the opportunity to learn more about Ewe & You Fiber Arts and owner Rachel Schuster. Her shop will have a brand-new online shopping experience shortly; until then, follow Ewe & You Fiber Arts on Instagram and Facebook to stay updated!
