Tag Archives: shop samples

Hello, Isager Eco Baby.

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Another new yarn from Isager! Meet Eco Baby.

Isager Eco Baby:

  • DK weight
  • undyed
  • chainette
  • 68% baby alpaca, 32% organic cotton
  • 164 yards/50g
  • $10 each

Eco Baby is a cousin to Eco Soft, both composed of baby alpaca and organic cotton, chain-plied into lofty, elastic yarns. Eco Baby is a smaller gauge, less fuzzy, and somehow even softer than Eco Soft!

“Field Sweater,” by Camilla Vad, photo © Camilla Vad

Like many of you, we first became aware of this yarn when we saw it in Camilla Vad’s “Field Sweater,” a pullover with a stunning texture pattern at the yoke, reminiscent of wheat sheaves.  There’s a “Field Cardigan,” too, along with “Field Mittens,” “Field Beret,” and “Field Slipover” – Eco Baby is a lovely choice for any of these patterns.

Anne gilded the lily on her “Field Slipover,” adding a strand of Isager Silk Mohair to her already soft Eco Baby. The result is a decadent, cuddly fabric with a fuzzy halo that still shows the texture pattern beautifully.

You have to touch this one for yourself – come by the shop to give it a squeeze!

Our supply of Isager Silk Mohair is at an all time high, with more colors than ever. Matching shades of Eco Baby and Silk Mohair blend together seamlessly, but these undyed shades can be livened up with colors of a similar value, as well. Here are some ideas!

There are so many more color combinations to try – look for Isager Eco Baby and Silk Mohair in the DK and lace weight sections, respectively. We can’t wait to see what you put together!

Show and tell: Bailey’s samples.

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Since Bailey began working here at the shop, her hands have been busy knitting samples. Anne and I love seeing the patterns, designers, and color combinations she selects, and so does everyone who comes to the shop for inspiration! If you’ve been keeping up with our blog, you’ve already seen Bailey’s “Static Mittens” in Sandnes Garn Double Sunday – let’s take a closer look at what else she’s been making.

The ephemeral mohair sweater in the middle is Bailey’s “Aura Top,” knit with Malabrigo Mohair. We so often see mohair held together with other yarns, but it’s dreamy on its own, too! Pattern by Rows Knitwear.

Above is “Berlin,” a cowl designed by Helga Isager and knit with Isager Alpaca 3, a lofty chainette yarn composed of alpaca and wool.

Bailey knit this chic “Best Beret” with a skein of Kelbourne Woolens Germantown, a smooth and sturdy worsted weight wool that’s ideal for creating a structured accessory like this one. Pattern by James N Watts.

Most recently, Bailey made this “ribblesdale vest,” by Lily Kate France, a brioche waistcoat knit with Kelbourne Woolens Scout.

Look for all of these samples here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, along with plenty of yarn to make them. We hope you find inspiration here!

“Static Mittens” in Sandnes Garn Double Sunday.

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Knit a pair of “Static Mittens” with Sandnes Garn Double Sunday!

“Static Mittens,” by Rows Knitwear, photo © Rows Knitwear

This eye catching pattern by Rows Knitwear uses both sides of the fabric to create a striped illusion pattern with stranded colorwork. They’re knit flat with DK weight yarn on US 6 needles, then seamed up the side to complete.

Bailey made this cozy pair as a sample for the shop, and chose a lovely combination of pale blush and cornflower blue in Sandnes Garn Double Sunday. We had fun picking other color combinations in this plush merino wool – here are a few to consider!

Look for Sandnes Garn Double Sunday in the DK weight here at HYS, along with many other suitable yarns for “Static Mittens” – think Brooklyn Tweed Arbor, Kelbourne Woolens Scout, and Fibre Co. Acadia. See you at the shop!

“Baa-ble Hats” in Brooklyn Tweed.

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Donna Smith’s “Baa-ble Hat” has been charming knitters since it was first published for Shetland Wool Week back in 2015. We’ve seen it knit up in many different yarns over the years, but lately, our favorite recommendation is Brooklyn Tweed.

Nancy knit this “Baa-ble Hat” with Brooklyn Tweed Imbue Worsted, a soft and smooth merino wool.

Above are the colors Nancy chose, and below are a few more ideas I came up with.

Brooklyn Tweed Tones is a great choice for a “Baa-ble Hat,” too, a columbia wool whose colorways are overdyed in vibrant, playful colors, starting with two baseline shades of undyed natural gray.

I love the subtle colors Nancy’s student, Haleh, chose for hers!

Brooklyn Tweed Shelter has more colors to choose from than either Tones or Imbue Worsted – here are a few more “Baa-ble Hat” color combinations in Shelter!

Inspired to make a “Baa-ble Hat” of your own? Come by the shop and see all the options in our worsted weight section, from Brooklyn Tweed and others!

“Lento” in Isager Bouclé & fingering weight yarns.

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We’ve got a brand new sweater on display at the shop – here’s my version of Jonna Hietala’s “Lento” pullover knit with Malabrigo Ultimate Sock and Isager Bouclé!

Bouclé is a fine alpaca yarn with one looped ply, which makes a fluffy, textured fabric when combined with the soft and smooth Ultimate Sock.

This yarn pairing is ideal for this simple stockinette pullover. While I was working on it, Anne would ask anyone passing through, “Have you touched Julia’s sweater? It’s so soft!”

I love watching two different yarns come together in a marled project – it always seems to make a fabric that’s more beautiful and intriguing than either yarn would be on its own.

Here are some color combinations in Ultimate Sock and Bouclé that I think would make gorgeous “Lento” pullovers!

  • Isager Bouclé: lace weight, looped bouclé texture, 100% alpaca, 190 yards/50 grams; $11 each
  • Malabrigo Ultimate Sock: fingering weight, hand dyed, variegated and semi-solid colorways, 75% superwash merino wool, 25% nylon, 420 yards/100g; $21 each

Bouclé is unique, but we have many fingering weight yarns to choose from – seeking even more softness? Hold Bouclé together with Isager Alpaca 2!

  • Isager Alpaca 2: light fingering weight, 50% alpaca, 50% wool, 275 yards/50 g; $12 each

Perhaps, like me, you prefer a bit of structure in your sweaters – look to Brooklyn Tweed Tones Light.

  • Brooklyn Tweed Tones Light: fingering weight, woolen-spun 2 ply, overdyed, 100% Columbia wool, 225 yards/50g; $16.75 each

Look for Isager Bouclé in the lace weight section here at our shop, and browse our entire fingering weight section for just the right match to make a “Lento” of your own!

Back in stock: Isager Bomulin.

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Warm weather calls for plant fiber and lightweight yarns, so we’ve stocked up on Isager Bomulin, a light fingering weight blend of cotton and linen.

Isager Bomulin:

  • light fingering weight
  • 65% cotton, 35% linen
  • 230 yards/50g
  • $11 each

Plant fibers like these have little elasticity and a lot of drape, making them perfect for spring shawls and scarves, or loose-fitting warm-weather garments.

I’m a little late to the party, but I’ve just knit a “Ranunculus” as a sample for the shop, Midori Hirose’s always-popular textured yoke pullover. I picked a salmon pink shade of Isager Bomulin, holding it together with slightly lighter pink Isager Highland Wool for a bit of added softness, structure, and variation in color.

I’m really pleased with how these close-but-not-matching shades blend together in this garment, looking solid from a distance but gently marled upon closer inspection. Here are some more color combinations in Bomulin and Highland Wool that should have a similar effect!

Isager Merilin, a merino/linen blend, would also play well with Bomulin; here are four more low contrast combinations to consider for a “Ranunculus” of your own, or perhaps a PetiteKnit “Breeze Bag,” which calls for a similar combination of yarns.

Here’s Margaretta’s recently completed “Breeze Bag,” knit with Bomulin and Merilin held together throughout – perfect for farmer’s market flowers!

What else to knit with Bomulin? Here are a few ideas!

Look for Isager Bomulin, Highland Wool, and Merilin in the fingering weight section here at HYS!

Back in stock: Isager Japansk Bomuld.

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Our most recent Isager order included a bundle of Japansk Bomuld, a lustrous lace weight cotton tape.

Isager Japansk Bomuld:

  • lace weight
  • flat tape
  • 100% cotton
  • 344 yards, 50 g
  • $15 each

Japansk Bomuld has been around for about five years, but remains one of the most unique plant fiber yarns in our shop. The knit fabric is crunchy and cool to the touch, ideal for spring and summer tops and accessories.

I used 3 shades of Japansk Bomuld to knit a Churchmouse “Alexandra’s Airplane Scarf” as a shop sample, a trio that made high contrast stripes towards the middle of the scarf, and low contrast at one end.

Though the Isager Japansk Bomuld palette is small, there are plenty of intriguing color trios available – here are a few to consider.

What else to knit with Japansk Bomuld? Hold it together with Silk Mohair for Midori Hirose’s “Ranunculus” or Ragnhild Vaaland’s “Blink” pullover, or hold 3 strands together for PetiteKnit’s “French Market Bag.”

Look for Isager Japansk Bomuld in the lace weight section here at HYS!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Nightshade.

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The Koigu Collector’s Club continues! Each month, we’ll receive 21 skeins of KPPPM in a limited edition color dyed especially for a select group of local yarn stores that carry Koigu. KPPPM is a fingering weight superwash merino, hand-dyed in vibrant colors by mother/daughter team Maie and Taiu Landra on their farm outside of Toronto, Canada.

Koigu KPPPM:

  • fingering weight
  • hand dyed, variegated
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 175 yards/50 g
  • $15.50 each

Nightshade is a deeply saturated mix of eggplant and navy, with lively streaks of gold, orange, and cobalt.

Anne recently knit Amy Christoffers’ “Pressed Flowers Hat” with Koigu and Neighborhood Fiber Co. Capital Luxury Sport, a soft and springy blend of merino, cashmere, and silk.

Kelbourne Woolens Andorra would work well as the main color, too – it’s also sport weight, a  blend of merino and highland wool, with a touch of mohair. Here are “Pressed Flowers Hat” color combinations pairing Nightshade with both Capital Luxury Sport and Andorra.

I couldn’t stop there, of course – it’s too fun to play the color game!

If any of these combinations speaks to you, you can order online for local pickup or shipping. Prefer to shop in person? Look for Koigu KPPPM in the fingering weight section here at our shop, along with many others! We’re here from 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays; masks required for entry.

Show and tell!

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It’s been far too long since I shared show-and-tell here on the blog, though it’s an ongoing part of our daily Instagram posts – let’s see what folks have been making with yarn from our shop!

First up – check out Linda’s Churchmouse “Double Split Color-Blocked Cowl,” knit with Malabrigo Noventa! She knit it up in no time on US 15 needles, an instant gratification kind of project.

Sherri made one, too! It’s always fun to see the same pattern transformed by different colors.

Debbie is a prolific knitter and weaver, among other things – here’s the latest project off her loom, an amazing deflected double weave scarf woven with Brooklyn Tweed Loft. We’re delighted that this springy woolen-spun yarn is back in production after a year of sourcing and supply chain issues!

Margaretta recently knit a pair of Andrea Mowry’s “Curio Socks” with Isager Sock Yarn and Koigu KPPPM – I love how the solid white highlights individual shades in the variegated contrast color!

Anne has been busy knitting samples for the shop – here are two of her recent creations! Above is an “Autopilot” cowl, by Dominique Trad, knit with 2 skeins of Neighborhood Fiber Co. Organic Studio Worsted. Below is her PetiteKnit “Novice Slipover,” knit with Kelbourne Woolens Lucky Tweed. The pattern calls for a DK weight yarn held together with laceweight mohair, but Anne substituted one strand of this tweedy aran weight yarn, with cozy results.

Thanks to Linda, Sherri, Debbie, Margaretta, and Anne for sharing their work with us! We love to see what you make with our yarns, and can’t wait to see what comes off your needles next.

Back in stock: Bamboo Pop!

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Just in time for spring, we’ve got a fresh supply of Universal Bamboo Pop!

Universal Bamboo Pop:

  • DK weight
  • solid and variegated shades
  • 50% cotton, 50% bamboo
  • 292 yds/100g
  • $11 each

We chose a mix of solid and variegated shades, designed to stand alone in one-color projects or pair up for high and low contrast combinations. Anne is working on a “Hitchhiker” shawl with Bamboo Pop – check it out next time you’re here at the shop!

What else to make with Bamboo Pop? Here are some ideas!

Tees and tanks:

Accessories:

Come by the shop to plan your warm-weather knitting! We look forward to seeing you there.