Showing posts with label free patterns. Show all posts
Showing posts with label free patterns. Show all posts

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Inspiration Pinboard: Cinematic Symmetry


Movies draw their inspiration from everything in the world around them, and so can your knitting or crochet crafts.

While watching movies lately, some symmetrical pattern inspiration leaped off the screen. We created a pin board to highlight our inspiration connections.

Pinboards or journals are great ways to store your inspiration as you come across it. Whenever you need ideas for color combos, patterns, or any new ideas, flipping through these inspiration piles can help stir your imagination.

This edition draws mostly from the Shining, and the works of Stanley Kubrick, who loved symmetry and patterns and featured them prominently. The eye-catching scenes in his movies inspired us to choose yarn colors, pattern textures, and some little accessories and additions to projects.

Colors, patterns, and textures. Collect your own photos and make inspiration collages featuring whatever captures your imagination. This is how we were inspired, but your own unique eye and style is what makes an inspiration board great!

The colors coming across in our board reminded us of these adorable Baggu reusable bags. The orange and yellow cat print is bold, but we love it. Find this bag and other great prints here »

Danny wears a knitted sweater in the film, featuring stars and the Apollo 11 spaceship. We located the pattern for this sweater, and think Karisma has the perfect colors for the project. 

These cotton ribbons also pull the colors from the carpeting or from the knit sweater photos we have added to our board. Featuring Nordic patterns, they are great additions to your projects and they will add another detail that emphasizes color and pattern. Find all our Cotton Ribbons here »

The iconic carpet of the Overlook Hotel features such a striking pattern, and bold colors.
We think Drops Alpaca could replicate this pattern perfectly.
We feel inspired to knit a scarf or socks in this pattern! Colorwork,  oh yeah!

The symmetrical black and white patterns featured in Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey reminded us of the symmetry in Cascade's Double Knit Scarf in black and white. You can find this pattern for free here »

The maze scene in the movie is creepy and features interesting shots. We love the way the maze walls create a twisting pattern, and love the way the two tones of green create an interesting look in this scarf.
Holding two strands together in different colors creates very interesting tonal effects and is as eye-catching as the maze. Try it out!
We hope you were inspired, and would love to see YOUR inspiration groupings. Show us where you draw inspiration from on our Facebook page, our Google+, or tag us in your Instagram photos @nordicmart #nordicmartinspiration



Friday, March 21, 2014

Spring Inspiration




Happy Friday all! Spring is officially in the air and it is a great time to be inspired. We found some beautiful inspiration from a knit blog sharing photos of some knit and crochet floral creations. These photos are from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for their "Knit, Purl, Sow" exhibition. We were mesmerized by the intricate and complex work that has gone into creating this large flora and fauna!


We searched out our own floral inspiration on the web and we found some great patterns to share with you! We found patterns from Ravelry which is a great free pattern resource for knitters and crocheters alike!

Ravelry: Flower Power Shawl by Ekin Deniz

Ravelry: Flower Pie Shawl by Megan Ellinger
Both of these beautiful patterns can be knit in DROPS Lace, a lovely 70% Alpaca, 30% Mulberry Silk blend.

If it is still a little cold where you are at, but you want to bring some spring flowers into your life you could knit this blanket or jacket from Garnstudio.

Try this super soft knit blanket with big floral motifs made from DROPS Alpaca and DROPS Vivaldi

This sweater is one of our most popular patterns! It is originally knit in DROPS Nepal, but you can use any worsted weight yarn. Why not try your own unique spring version in Good Earth Solids, it is a great cotton/linen blend perfect for warmer weather!

If you have some spare time this weekend be sure and check out the podcast from The Knitmore Girls and listen for a Nordic Mart shout out! <3



Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Fun Yarn with Free Patterns


You may not have heard but about the Schachenmayr brand yarns, but they're some of our favorites here at Nordic Mart.

Boston, Boston Style, Lova, and Wash Filz-It! are all bulky yarns with great potential for colorful patterns.

Here we'll give you some adorable free patterns to use with these yarns for some inspiration! Why not give them a try?

First, let's meet the yarns:

Boston
Boston is Super Bulky
Wool/Acrylic Blend
Machine Washable
Just $4.95 per 50 grams
Find tons of pattern ideas for this yarn on Ravelry » 
Purchase Boston here »


Boston Style
Boston Style is Super Bulky
Wool/Acrylic/Polyester Blend
Machine Washable
Just $5.39 per 50 grams 
Find tons of pattern ideas for this yarn on Ravelry » 
Purchase Boston Style here »


Lova
Lova is Super Bulky
Wool/Acrylic Blend
Machine Washable
Just $5.95 per 50 grams
Find tons of patterns using this yarn on Ravelry » 
Purchase Lova here »



Wash Filz-It! (Now 25% Off for the month of March)
Wash Filz-It is Super Bulky
100% Virgin Wool
Will Felt easily in your Washing Machine
Starts at only $3.39 per 50 grams
Find tons of patterns using this yarn on Ravelry » 
Purchase Wash Filz It here »



What can I make with these yarns?
We're glad you asked! The possibilities are endless, but here are a few basic free patterns we picked out.




















Two great hats for guys, one knit, one crochet, both stylish and easy to care for. 
Knit the hat on the left with this pattern »
Crochet the hat on the right with this pattern »





















These two jumpers are cozy, washable, and have fun pops of neon color for just the right amount of funk.
Knit the pattern on the left with this pattern »
Knit the pattern on the right with this pattern »





















Two great basic hats, one ribbed in Boston, one convertible in Lova.
The hat on the right can be cinched on the top to be a hat, or loosened and pulled around your neck as a cowl 
Make the hat on the right with this pattern »
Knit the hat on the left with this pattern »























Scarves for guys or girls, Boston makes some eye-catching accessories for everyone. 
Knit the pattern on the left with this pattern »
Crochet the pattern on the right with this pattern »


Make this cute crop jacket in Lova or Boston using this pattern »

Have fun with these yarns and create funky and fashionable garments that will make you stand out! 
Find all these yarns at the best prices at www.nordicmart.com 
Happy Crafting! 




Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Nordic Mart does the Wurm


We saw this hat on the home page of Ravelry a few weeks ago and immediately knew we had to make it with some of our yarns. We were very inspired in our color choice by the changing leaves.



The original pattern is called Wurm by Katharina Nopp, but our version is actually a variation on a variation of the Wurm.

Zanetta's version of the Wurm, which is the pattern we followed and adjusted for our pattern, uses Noro and Rowan yarns and has a bit of a looser and slouchier feel than the original Wurm.

Our version uses the super fun color variegation of Drops Delight and the softness of Drops Alpaca. Don't forget Alpaca is on sale until the end of the year!



We love the way the Delight stripes into different colors, and the fit of this hat is the PERFECT slouchi-ness. 



Here's the pattern we wrote out while experimenting with these two awesome hat patterns to make our own:



Instructions:
Supplies:
US Size 2.5 (3 mm ) circular needle (wood needles) (metal needles)
US Size 2.5 DPN (for very end of hat) (wood) (metal)
1 skein Drops Delight
1 skein Drops Alpaca




 

Cast on 120 sts with Alpaca
**Starting with a purl round, alternate 1 round purl with 1 round knit for 7 rounds.
Knit 5 rounds with Delight
Garter rounds (1 round purl/ 1 round knit) for 7 rounds in Alpaca
Knit 5 rounds Delight**

Repeat **-** three more times

Next round in Alpaca: *Knit 4, K2tog* repeat *-* until end of round
Garter rounds (1 round purl/1 round knit) for 6 more rounds in Alpaca

Next Round in Delight: *Knit 4, K2tog* repeat *-* until end of round 
Knit 4 rounds in Delight

Next round in Alpaca: *Knit 4, K2tog* repeat *-* until end of round 
Garter Rounds for 6 rounds in Alpaca

Knit 5 rounds in Delight

Next round in Alpaca: *Knit 4, K2tog* repeat *-* until end of round 
Garter rounds for 6 rounds in Alpaca

(change to double points when stitches no longer fit on circular needle)

Next Round in Delight: *Knit 4, K2tog* repeat *-* until end of round
Knit 4 rounds in Delight

Next Round in Delight *Knit 1, K2tog* repeat *-* until end of round
Last Round in Delight *k2tog* all the way around, until end of round
Close hole by pulling yarn through all stitches and securing.  

If you do not block this hat it will appear more "ribbed" and wavy. 
We like a flatter look so decided to dunk the hat in our sink and then laid it flat to dry. 


Once you make your own Wurm hat, share it with us on our Facebook 

 Happy Crafting

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Our Favorite Woolly Winter Hat

As the weather cools down you definitely want something to keep your ears and your head warm.

We love this hat pattern: It's simple, it's fast, it looks great. 

Make a few for yourself, make a few as gifts.  This is a great project for beginners because it utilizes some of the basic knitting skills like ribbing, decreasing, and using circular and double pointed needles.



We made a few adjustments to this pattern:
  • We used a size US 10.5 needle for the ribbing, and a size US 11 for the rest of the hat. Keeping the ribbing a little smaller helps this hat stay on your head, and we like the look of a tighter ribbing. 
  • We used Eskimo instead of Andes.  We particularly love the Eskimo colors for this project. You can stick with Andes or use Eskimo as a substitute.

Eskimo Color 27 is a beautiful brick color that lends itself well to the Autumn Season.
We have a lot of great Eskimo colors to make this hat in. We love the color mixes because they give a fun variegation of color.  But we also carry solids in every hue of the rainbow. You could also choose a few colors and make a striped version! This pattern is very versatile.



You only need two skeins of Eskimo for this hat! Find all the available colors in our Webstore. 
Or you can use 1 ball of Andes. Browse all the Andes colors in our Webstore.



                                                                             



Post your hats to our Facebook page when you're finished!

Happy Crafting,


Tuesday, October 15, 2013

**Alpaca Party!**

It's that super special time of year again....
It's time for a SALE!

All 8 of our Alpaca or Alpaca blend yarns are now 25% off until the end of 2013!


We have some ideas of our own for great Alpaca Party Projects, and we can't wait to see what you all come up with using these great Drops yarns!

There is a whole page of awesome knit and crochet hat patterns perfect for the cooling weather, and all made with Alpaca yarns! Find all the hats here >> 



You can also join the Facebook group for the Alpaca Party Knit Along to get tons of ideas and share your projects with other Alpaca yarn lovers.

Let's look at the yarns:


Drops Alpaca
Content: 100% Alpaca
Yarn Group: A (23 - 26 stitches)
Weight/yardage: 1.8 oz (50 g) = approx 183 yds (167 m)
Recommended needle size: US 1,5 - US 4 / 2,5 - 3,5 mm
Gauge: 4" x 4" / 10 x 10 cm = 23 sts x 30 rows
Hand Wash, cold max 30°C / 86F. Dry Flat / Feltable


Browse all free patterns using Alpaca









Drops Alpaca Boucle
Content: 80% Alpaca, 15% Wool, 5% Polyamide
Yarn Group: C (16 - 19 stitches)
Weight/yardage: 1.8 oz (50 g) = approx 153 yds (140 m)
Recommended needle size: US 8 / 5 mm
Gauge: 4" x 4" / 10 x 10 cm = 17 sts x 22 rows
Hand Wash, cold max 30°C / 86F. Dry Flat / Feltable


Browse all free patterns using Alpaca Boucle








 Drops Alpaca Silk
Content: 77% Alpaca, 23% Silk                                                   
Yarn Group: C (16 - 19 stitches)
Weight/yardage: 0.9 oz (25 g) = approx 153 yds (140 m)
Recommended needle size: US 8 / 5 mm
Gauge: 4" x 4" / 10 x 10 cm = 17 sts x 24 rows
Hand Wash, cold max 30°C / 86F. Dry Flat 

Browse free patterns where Alpaca Silk can be used







Content: 65% Wool, 35% Alpaca
Yarn Group: E (9 - 11 stitches)
Weight/yardage: 3.5 oz (100 g) = approx 105 yds (96 m)
Recommended needle size: US 13 / 9 mm
Gauge: 4" x 4" / 10 x 10 cm = 10 sts x 14 rows
Hand Wash, cold max 30°C / 86F. Dry Flat / Feltable


Browse all free patterns using Andes









Drops BabyAlpaca Silk                                                         
Content: 70% Alpaca, 30% Silk
Yarn Group: A (23 - 26 stitches)
Weight/yardage: 1.8 oz (50 g) = approx 183 yds (167 m)
Recommended needle size: US 4 / 3,5 mm
Gauge: 4" x 4" / 10 x 10 cm = 23 sts x 30 rows
Hand Wash, cold max 30°C / 86F. Dry Flat / Feltable


Browse all free patterns using BabyAlpaca Silk



   

 Drops Lace
Content: 70% Alpaca, 30% Silk
Yarn Group: A (23 - 26 stitches)
Weight/yardage: 3.5 oz (100 g) = approx 875 yds (800 m)
Recommended needle size: US 2,5 / 3 mm
Gauge: 4" x 4" / 10 x 10 cm = 28 sts x 34 rows
Hand Wash, cold max 30°C / 86F. Stretch to right measurements and Dry Flat / Feltable


Browse all free patterns using Lace








 Drops Lima
Content: 65% Wool, 35% Alpaca
Yarn Group: B (20 - 22 stitches)
Weight/yardage: 1.8 oz (50 g) = approx 101 yds (92 m)
Recommended needle size: US 6 / 4 mm
Gauge: 4" x 4" / 10 x 10 cm = 21 sts x 28 rows
Hand Wash, cold max 30°C / 86F. Dry Flat / Feltable

Browse all free patterns using Lima





 



 Drops Nepal

Content: 65% Wool, 35% Alpaca
Yarn Group: C (16 - 19 stitches)
Weight/yardage: 1.8 oz (50 g) = approx 82 yds (75 m)
Recommended needle size: US 8 / 5 mm
Gauge: 4" x 4" / 10 x 10 cm = 17 sts x 22 rows
Hand Wash, cold max 30°C / 86F. Dry Flat / Feltable


 Browse all free patterns using Nepal




So many great choices! It's so hard to pick just one color or type of yarn, good thing this sale can allow you to try lots of yarns with super low prices.

Happy Yarn Hunting and Happy Crafting!
XO,