Shibori felting with Alchemy yarns.

Posted by Julia on August 9, 2014

Gina Wilde is the mind behind Alchemy’s rich colors, a dyer and designer who dreams up interesting uses for the yarns she paints. We always look forward to her color consultations at TNNA–here she is back in May, helping us select harmonious colors in all four Alchemy yarns we ordered.

Many of her designs use a shibori felting technique, where Alchemy Sanctuary and Silken Straw are knit together, then thrown in the washing machine to felt. Sanctuary, a blend of merino wool and silk, felts into a velvety fabric, while Silken Straw stretches out and softens. The combination of the two in one garment yields unique textures and shapes, and adds an exciting, transformative final step to the knitting process. Last year, I tried shibori felting for the first time, knitting a “Simple Shibori Cowl” in bright, warm shades of Sanctuary and Silken Straw.

We’ve seen lots of beautiful color combinations come together for this project; Mary knit these two “Simple Shibori Cowls,” which were featured on the blog for show and tell.

Our new shades of Sanctuary and Silken Straw make for even more fun combinations. Here are a few I put together; I can’t wait to see what other knitters will come up with!

Earlier this spring, Anne finished her “Widsom Wrap,” a much larger shibori project.

The “Wisdom Wrap” calls for one shade in Sanctuary and four in Silken Straw. We’ve restocked Anne’s colorway, a beautiful mix of purple, greens, and dark brown.

Of course, I couldn’t resist putting a few other “Wisdom Wrap” colorways together, this time with a bit of glitter from Sparky.

Come by to select colors for a “Wisdom Wrap” of your own, or search for other shibori felting patterns on the HYS Pinterest page. See you at the shop!

Hello, Alchemy Sparky and Lust.

Posted by Julia on August 7, 2014

For three years now, we’ve visited Alchemy’s booth at TNNA and replenished our Alchemy stash with Silken Straw and Sanctuary. While we certainly bulked up our supply of those two yarns this year, we were also sorely tempted by two of Alchemy’s newest yarns. It’s no surprise we gave into temptation; meet Sparky and Lust.

Silken Straw is a sport-weight silk ribbon like no other, and Sparky is like Silken Straw dressed up for the opera. Both yarns feel crisp on the skein but soften up after stitching and washing; Sparky has a metallic thread wrapped around it, giving it a distinct glittery sparkle.

Lust is a fingering weight blend of merino and silk, a thinner version of Sanctuary. It’s soft and slinky, many-plied for great stitch definition, and felts well in Alchemy’s signature shibori felting designs.

Like all Alchemy yarns, Sparky and Lust play well together. Anne used one skein of each in this “Alchemy Sparky Shawlette,” which you’ll find tucked into the basket that holds Silken Straw and Sparky at the shop.

Since we unpacked our most recent Alchemy order, our favorite pastime is coming up with color combinations between the four Alchemy yarns we now stock. For the “Alchemy Sparky Shawlette,” Anne used Lust in a variegated colorway and picked a solid shade of Sparky to go with it.

For a less overtly striped shawl, you might try a lower-contrast pairing.

Consider also the “Straw Into Gold Shawl,” which is shown knit with Silken Straw, Sparky, and Lust all in one shade, a glorious pale beige called “Sand Dollar.”

We were so taken with this sample when we saw it at market that we ordered all three yarns in exactly this color.

No reason to stop there, however–Alchemy yarns beg to be grouped together in all kinds of color combinations, from muted and monochromatic to bright and surprising.

Come by the shop to play the Alchemy color game yourself, and plan a project with these unique and inspiring yarns. You’ll find a handful of knit samples in Alchemy yarns here at the shop; look for more pattern ideas on our Pinterest page. We’ve got lots of great uses for Alchemy yarns on our “Inspiring Stitches” board. See you at the shop!

New yarns from Alchemy.

Posted by Julia on August 5, 2014

We’ve just received the first of the new yarns we ordered at TNNA, and I’m happy to report that they are just as exciting in the shop as they were at market! Anne and I unpacked these new colors and yarns from Alchemy on Saturday, admiring them one by one and in endless combinations.

We reordered some favorite colors in Silken Straw and Sanctuary, and of course selected some new shades in each.

We’ve also added two new yarns to our Alchemy collection here at the shop, Sparky and Lust. Sparky is like Silken Straw dressed up with a metallic strand wrapped around it, and Lust is a fingering weight blend of wool and silk, a lighter-weight Sanctuary. Both are gloriously, lovingly hand-dyed in Alchemy’s signature colorways by the talented Gina Wilde.

I’ll give Sparky and Lust their proper introduction in future blog posts, but for today I’ll just say–they’re here, ready to be put to use in garments and accessories, shibori felting projects, lace patterns, and so much more. Come by the shop to take a peek at all the new yarns and colors from Alchemy!

CrochetScene.

Posted by Julia on August 2, 2014

We’ve been anxiously awaiting our new Fall yarns, which should start arriving any minute now, but the deliveries this week have been small–one magazine after another, it seems!

Our third new magazine this week is CrochetScene, a special issue packed with crochet projects: bags, shawls, vests, lace tops, skirts, pillows, baskets, and more.

The lacy poncho above was crocheted with Fibre Company Meadow, making a lightweight openwork fabric.

For new crocheters, there’s a tutorial showing how to make one of the most fundamental crochet motifs, the granny square, followed by a series of patterns that riff on this simple shape.

Crocheters and crocheters-to-be, come take a look at this new magazine for project ideas!

If you’re inspired to learn to crochet but don’t know where to start, look no further than our class schedule; we’ve got a Beginning Crochet class coming up in September. See you at the shop!

Enchanted Knits.

Posted by Julia on July 30, 2014

Another new magazine has landed here at the shop: Enchanted Knits.

Enchanted Knits is a new special issue from Interweave, a collection of designs inspired by fairy tales. This one magazine boasts 27 patterns of all kinds, including garments and accessories for men and women, a few sweet baby knits, and even a tiny dress for Thumbelina.

I also saw some HYS yarns at work in this collection.

These handsome socks were knit in Swans Island Organic Merino Fingering, and the following two shawls are made in Malabrigo Lace and Malabrigo Sock, respectively.

Come by the shop to browse the latest patterns, books, and magazines, and plan your next project!

Knitting Traditions.

Posted by Julia on July 28, 2014

Another new magazine is here to tempt and inspire: Knitting Traditions.

Knitting Traditions looks at the craft from a historical perspective, focusing on techniques and styles from all over the world and across time.

In this issue, you can read all about ganseys, lace, Civil War era knitting, and more, and knit patterns informed by these traditions as well.

The shawl above, as well as the shawl on the cover of this issue, were designed in the Orenburg lace tradition. If this piques your interest, check out Galina Khmeleva’s book on the subject, which we keep among our other lace-knitting books.

Come by the shop to pick up a copy of Knitting Traditions and plan your next project. See you there!

Knitted accessories: two new books.

Posted by Julia on July 25, 2014

Interweave’s two latest books for knitters focus on small projects, a good fit for summer stitching. Socks, hats, scarves, and other little things are not too heavy in your lap on hot days, nor too heavy in your tote as you travel. Looking for new and inspiring small projects? Consider these two new publications.

Sockupied is a collection of sock patterns from a variety of designers, the likes of Ann Budd, Cat Bordhi, Cookie A, and others. No surprise–an eclectic group of designers yields an eclectic group of designs, and you’ll find socks of all kinds inside this book. Learn new techniques from cables and texture patterns to lace and colorwork.

Suppose you occasionally take a break from clothing your feet to knit for your head, hands, or neck. If you like a pattern book with many different kinds of garments, consider Interweave Favorites: 25 Accessories to Wear and Share.

Interweave Favorites: 25 Knitted Accessories to Wear and Share has some sock patterns mixed in among the mittens, hats, scarves, shawls, and other small accessories.

Look for these and other new books on the teacart in the front room of the shop. Come by before our Annual Inventory Sale ends on July 31 and get everything you need–books, yarn, needles, notions–at 15% off! Only a few more days of discounts… see you soon!

Just a reminder–all sales are final on sale items; there can be no exchanges, no returns, nor will we special order. Discount applies only to in-store purchases. Thanks!

Show and tell: colorwork and more.

Posted by Julia on July 23, 2014

It’s time for more show and tell! Here are some finished pieces that began their lives as HYS yarns.

Emily has gone crazy for stranded colorwork, and brought in two amazing projects to show us this past week. Above is her “Tracery” vest, from last year’s Unofficial Harry Potter Knits, knit in Plymouth Happy Feet.

The stained-glass look of this garment is achieved by using colorful variegated yarn against solid black, a neat effect.

Emily’s next colorwork project was the “Sweetheart Bag,” a pattern from the Fall 2012 issue of Jane Austen Knits. The yarn is one of our favorites, Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift, a fingering weight shetland wool that is perfectly suited to stranded colorwork like this.

Anne has also been busy with a colorwork project; here is a tam she recently knit for her mother from Mary Rowe’s book, Knitting Tams: Charted Fair Isle Designs.

Worked in three shades of Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift, this tam came together quickly, thanks to the addictive quality of stranded color patterns. It was off Anne’s needles and on Phyllis’s head in no time.

Judy came in wearing her “Ship to Shore” shawl, knit with one skein of Shibui Linen.

Knit into a loose openwork pattern, Linen is cool to the touch and drapes elegantly, making a lightweight summer accessory that is sure to get a lot of wear.

Margie wore a new shawl in this week, too–here she is in her “Nymphalidea,” a free shawl pattern that’s been catching many a knitter’s eye this summer.

“Nymphalidea” sets a self-striping yarn against a solid in an asymmetric shawl. Margie chose Schoppel-Wolle Crazy Zauberball as her self-striping yarn and Fibre Company Meadow as her solid, a surprising choice that works perfectly.

Thanks to the knitters, crocheters, and other fiber artists who start their projects at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, and who share their work with us! We’re lucky to be surrounded by inspiring stitches every day.

Norah Gaughan, Vol. 15.

Posted by Julia on July 20, 2014

A new Norah Gaughan collection is something to look forward to, and her latest has just arrived at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. Look no further than the teacart for Vol. 15!

Using a variety of Berroco yarns and a muted color palette, Gaughan’s designs draw inspiration from maritime motifs this time around. Twisted cables suggest knotted ropes, and muted colors suggest foggy shores.

Come by the shop to see Norah Gaughan’s latest, or peruse her back catalog–all are worth a look, full of interesting shapes and intriguing textures. See you at the shop, hopefully before our Annual Inventory Sale ends on July 31st–all our books, yarns, needles, hooks, bags, notions, and all else are 15% off this month!

Just a reminder–all sales are final on sale items; there can be no exchanges, no returns, nor will we special order. Discount applies only to in-store purchases. Thanks!

The Stole.

Posted by Julia on July 18, 2014

For over two years now, Theresa Gaffey’s “Stole” from Wearwithall has been a popular project here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop.

The “Stole” is a striped wrap, knit in simple, soothing ribbing with a deliciously soft fingering weight yarn: Isager Alpaca 2.

Just a reminder–all sales are final on sale items; there can be no exchanges, no returns, nor will we special order. Discount applies only to in-store purchases. Thanks! – See more at: https://hillsboroughyarn.com/2014/06/annual-inventory-sale-3/#sthash.dJjgZbBY.dpufThis was the first “Stole” we saw, knit by our friend and avid knitter Catherine (and modeled here by Anne’s mother, Phyllis), and it inspired many other knitters to make stoles of their own, in a wide variety of color combinations. It wasn’t long before Anne started one of her own.Anne had a pile of Isager Alpaca 2 on hand already, originally intended for Marianne Isager’s “Stars” pullover, from Inca Knits. She’d even begun knitting the thing, and made it partway into the first colorwork chart when she stalled. It just wasn’t the right project at the right time, so she was pleased to rip it out and put the yarn to work on Gaffey’s “Stole”: comforting, rhythmic knitting that showed off the yarn and colors to the fullest.

The first “Stole” we saw was this one, knit by friend and avid knitter Catherine (and modeled here by Anne’s mother, Phyllis), and it inspired many other knitters to cast on stoles of their own in a wide variety of color combinations.

For a while there, Anne and I could not stop playing the color game, moving skeins around into infinite groups of nine, amazed at how pleasing even the most improbable color combinations were.

It wasn’t long before Anne started a “Stole” herself.

Anne had a pile of Isager Alpaca 2 on hand already, originally intended for Marianne Isager’s “Stars” pullover, from Inca Knits. She’d even begun knitting the thing, and made it partway into the first colorwork chart when she stalled.

It just wasn’t the right project at the right time, so she was pleased to rip it out and put the yarn to work on Gaffey’s “Stole”: comforting, rhythmic knitting that showed off the yarn and colors to the fullest.

She worked on it intermittently, picking it up here and there, starting and finishing many other projects while the “Stole” stayed quietly on the needles, growing slowly but surely, a row at a time. Just last week, she finally bound off and blocked her “Stole,” and now it hangs proudly in the shop.

Rather than work each stripe to a specific measurement or number of rows, Anne knit until each ball of yarn ran out, then began the next color that suited her, using only 8 shades, rather than the suggested 9. It’s easy to adjust the thickness of the stripes or the size of the piece, making it narrower or wider than the pattern dictates. Anne’s “Stole” is decidedly wider, leaning towards blanket-sized, in fact.

Inspired to knit one of your own? July is a good time to do it! Our Annual Inventory Sale gives you a 15% discount on the yarn, book, and needles, everything you need to create a “Stole.” Come in to pick out your colors!

Just a reminder–all sales are final on sale items; there can be no exchanges, no returns, nor will we special order. Discount applies only to in-store purchases. Thanks!