Download Yarnspirations Patterns to Help Charity

This summer, Yarnspirations is working to support Dress for Success, a charitable organization that provides women with support and professional clothing to help them achieve economic independence.

From now through July 23, 2023, if you download a selection of free patterns from the Yarnspirations website, they will donate to Dress for Success ($1 for every 20 patterns donated, up to $20,000 Canadian).

You can find the knitting patterns here (there’s a filter so you can choose to see just knitting patterns, just crochet patterns or both). In all there are 47 free knitting patterns that are eligible to count for this program, mostly for blankets and hats. There are also 75 crochet patterns, if you also do crochet or are ready to learn.

A few of my favorites from the free knitting patterns include:

Knit Foxy Toy: worked in one piece, this sweet little fox features a little cabled sweater that’s part of its body
On the Go Knit Shawl: uses a multicolored yarn and a mesh like stitch for a design that looks complicated but isn’t really that hard
Lumberjack Blanket: worked in mitered squares of different colors and patterns for a buffalo plaid look made easy
Turning Points Knit Blanket: I guess I’m attracted to mitered squares today, because this blanket with half squares of different colors is also made with mitered squares but has a totally different look

If you’re into crochet, I’m a little obsessed with waffle stitch right now, so you know I had to download the crochet Waffle Stitch Hat. It’s so cute, and can be worked in color blocks, stripes or a solid color.

I hope you’ll check these patterns out, download a bunch and come back and let us know which ones you’re itching to stitch! Thanks to Yarnspirations for supporting the community and spreading the word about Dress for Success.

[Photo: Yarnspirations]

Sometimes when I’m scrolling through Ravelry a pattern will catch my eye as much because of the name as the look of the design (which is a little hard to see in those little thumbnails sometimes, anyway).

So it was with the Stellify shawl by Paola Albergamo. Stellify means to turn into a star, and the name and the story behind the shawl come from the story of Ariadne. The better known part of her story is that she helped Theseus escape from the Minotaur, but he then abandoned her. What comes after in many stories is that Dionysus found her, fell in love with her and later married her.

When he threw her jeweled crown into the sky, the Corona Borealis constellation was formed.

What does all this have to do with shawl knitting?

The shawl itself looks like it has a scattering of stars on it, as if it, too, has been stellified. The shawl begins with an I-cord tap and is shaped into a triangular shawl with both lateral and central increases. I-cord edging is incorporated into the sides, and the colorwork is done with mosaic knitting, which means this shawl is easier than it looks.

Mosaic knitting has you working with just one color per row, slipping stitches that appear in the other color to make the colorwork visible. Even better for people new to this kind of colorwork, the pattern includes written and charted instructions throughout so it should be easy to follow along.

The pattern comes in two sizes (the larger one is shown here) and calls for two colors of fingering weight yarn. It looks great in black and yellow, but don’t miss the other projects on Ravelry to see other fun and beautiful color options.

You can find the pattern in English and Italian on Ravelry.

[Photo: Paola Albergamo]

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