Author Archives: Julia

Jul shawl pins, closures, and patterns.

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Last week, we received some new shawl pins from Jul, along with some other interesting closures and a few patterns that feature them.

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These lightweight resin shawl pins come in a rainbow of colors, brightening up our Jul selection, which otherwise tends toward the wooden and the metallic.

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We also got some really unusual leather closures from Jul called French Curves, which screw into the knitted fabric at two points, and can then be fastened or unfastened by twisting the leather. Here, we’ve displayed a French Curve on the Sediment Collar, a neckwarmer made in Plymouth Galway, but it would be equally at home on all manner of shawls, wraps, ponchos, or cardigans.

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Come by the shop to see all our Jul offerings, and bring in a completed shawl or wrap so you can select the perfect closure.

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Finish-Free Knits.

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Last week, we got a new book from Interweave that focuses on seamlessly knitted sweaters: Finish-Free Knits, by Kristen TenDyke.

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There’s great variety in these designs. Some are patterned with cables or lace, others with smooth stockinette, simple ribbing, or garter stitch. Some are long sleeved, some are short sleeved, some are cardigans, some are pullovers, some are cropped and others tunic-length.

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For knitters who love to work sweaters seamlessly in the round on circular needles, Finish-Free Knits is definitely worth a look.

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Find it on the teacart. See you at the shop!

Show and tell: another Fan.

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This just in: another of Anne’s students has completed her Fan sweater from Marianne Isager’s Japanese Inspired Knits! Here, Joanne models her Fan sweater, made holding Isager Highland and Isager Alpaca 1 together. She emailed us this picture for a little virtual show and tell.

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Thanks for the show and tell, Joanne!

Show and tell: a sweater, a bag, and stockings.

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I’ve got a bit of show and tell to share today: three finished projects from two knitters whose enthusiasm for their finished knits is infectious. Let’s begin!

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Ruth came in last week modeling her Fan sweater, a design by Marianne Isager from her book Japanese Inspired Knits. Ruth used two Isager yarns held together: the fingering weight Highland and the lace weight Alpaca 1, which together make a dk gauge and a unique texture. Ruth was in Anne’s class on the Fan and was the first to complete her sweater; I look forward to seeing all the other Fans as they’re completed!

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Cynthia has been felting up a storm, and came in recently to show off the fruits of her labor. Here’s a felted bag with a cable motif made with good old Plymouth Galway, a sturdy, classic, worsted weight wool.

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She also brought in a box of her incredible felted stockings, also made with Galway. I have no doubt that Cynthia hung them with pride today; what a delight to decorate with something hand made.

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Thanks to Ruth and Cynthia for the beautiful show and tell, and to all the knitters and crocheters who bring their works in progress and works completed to share with us at the shop. We’re so grateful to be surrounded by such skilled and creative stitchers!

Amimono: the Bird/Little Bird Trunk Show.

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Another gorgeous Trunk Show has arrived at the shop, this time featuring garments from Helga Isager’s Amimono Book 4, the Bird/Little Bird Collection.

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We have three garments from the Bird Collection and two from the Little Bird Collection, ie: three sweaters for grown ups and two for little ones.

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It’s always a treat to see the Isager yarns in finished pieces, and to get a better sense of the lightweight but sturdy fabric they create. Come by the shop to see and touch these garments for yourself!

New from Baa Ram Ewe.

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Our newest yarn, Baa Ram Ewe’s Titus, has received the warmest of welcomes from Hillsborough Yarn Shoppers over the past few weeks. A warm welcome is well deserved, in our opinion; Titus is a special yarn indeed, a fingering weight blend of wool from Wensleydale and Bluefaced Leicester sheep, along with a bit of alpaca, undyed and sourced entirely from the UK. We’re pleased to announce a few new offerings from Baa Ram Ewe, perfectly timed for last minute holiday gift shopping.

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First up: Born and Bred, a collection of patterns by designer Ann Kingstone for Baa Ram Ewe. All of the patterns feature yarn from Yorkshire sheep breeds, and a bit of information about each breed is included in the book, making this a mighty tempting collection for sheep and wool enthusiasts. This fetching hat and fingerless mitt set is made with Titus.

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Also, by happenstance, we came into a small selection of kits from Baa Ram Ewe, which includes patterns and yarn to create the Ilkley Moor hat or Baht’at mitts.

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We also have one kit to make a cabled felted bag with a heavier weight Yorkshire wool from Baa Ram Ewe.

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Come by the shop to see these latest goodies from Baa Ram Ewe, and check out Titus if you haven’t yet!

HYS circular needle cases.

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We’re glad to have these Hillsborough Yarn Shop circular needle cases back in stock for the first time in at least a year.

This sturdy canvas case opens up to reveal a series of ziploc-style sleeves which will happily house your circular needles and other notions.

Come by the shop to check them out; they’d make a fabulous gift for a knitter this holiday season.

Susanne’s knitting needles.

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We’ve just taken on a new brand of knitting needles: Susanne’s, out of Germany.

Susanne’s makes beautiful needles from reclaimed ebony and rosewood salvaged from a piano manufacturer. The result is smooth hardwood needles, which come in 13″ straights, 4″ double points, and 24″ and 32″ circulars.

I haven’t worked with them yet, but Anne got herself a set of Susanne’s dpns and was thrilled with them, working round and round on a tiny sock.

Come by the shop to see them for yourself.

A new color from Swans Island.

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Last month’s Swans Island Trunk Show inspired many knitters to create garments with Swans Island’s organic merino wool yarns, which put quite a dent in our supply of the stuff. Last week, we placed an order of Swans Island Organic Merino Fingering in some of the most-loved colorways to replenish our stash: Fig, Winterberry, Oatmeal, Beetroot, Early Thyme, and several other deliciously-named colors. We also got the last bag of Sugar Maple, a limited edition color for Fall, and a first bag of this winter’s Limited Edition Dyer’s Choice: Reindeer Moss.

Reindeer Moss is a lovely, muted sage, which puts it somewhere between Early Thyme and Tarragon in terms of color value.

We also restocked the patterns that were most popular during the Trunk Show, some of which call for Swans Island Worsted, and some of which call for the Fingering.

Come by the shop to see Reindeer Moss in person, and give the Swans Island yarns a good squeeze. See you there!

Ann Norling patterns.

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We recently replenished our supply of single patterns by designer Ann Norling.

These are basic, simple designs for babies, children, and adults, written in multiple gauges and plenty of sizes. This gives the knitter maximum flexibility, a template to customize according to the yarns they’ve chosen.

This also makes her patterns good for new knitters, or anyone who just wants to make a basic something, without complex patterning or shaping.

You’ll find Ann Norling’s patterns in our pattern binders by the front window, which are sorted by type of garment. See you at the shop!