Author Archives: Julia

New colors in Berroco Ultra Alpaca.

Posted by on

Have you had the pleasure of working with Berroco Ultra Alpaca? It’s a soft and sturdy blend of wool and alpaca in a worsted weight, with a suggested gauge of 5 stitches per inch. This 50%/50% combination of animal fibers gives Ultra Alpaca the structure and elasticity of wool along with the drape, halo, and softness of alpaca. It comes in reasonably-priced, 100 gram hanks with 219 yards each; enough yarn to make a small scarf, a hat, or a pair of mittens.

Berroco offers plenty of free pattern support for Ultra Alpaca on their website, and the options open up completely when you think of all the patterns out there calling for worsted weight yarn. Ravelry currently lists over 71,000 patterns for worsted weight yarn–more than any other weight. Any of those that lend themselves to cozy, fuzzy yarns could be happily completed in Ultra Alpaca, whose smooth texture makes it just as obedient in cables and lace as in garter stitch or colorwork.

We recently replenished our supply of Ultra Alpaca, restocking colors we were low on, and adding a few new colors, too.

Come by the shop to take a look, and consider Ultra Alpaca next time you come across a tempting pattern that wants about 5 stitches per inch.

All You Knit is Love Trunk Show.

Posted by on

Another Isager Trunk Show has arrived, a few weeks earlier than expected.

We have four tiny garments on display, selections from Susie Haumann’s collection of knits for babies from 0-18 months, All You Knit is Love. Each one is made with Isager yarns, from Tvinni to Alpaca 1 and 2, sometimes held singly, sometimes doubly, for a bigger gauge.

Even if you’re not in a tiny-sweater-knitting mood, the All You Knit is Love Trunk Show is a must-see (and must-touch!) for anyone interested in working with Isager yarns. It’s always hard to tell what will happen to the colors and textures of two yarns knit together. Will the colors blend together, or will one strand stand out from another? If you hold Alpaca 1 together with Highland, do you feel the fuzzy alpaca or the sturdy wool in the finished fabric? Seeing garments made in these yarns, especially those that combine yarns, can give you a better sense of how these yarns work together after they’ve been knit up, washed, and blocked.

Come by soon to see these sweet little knits for yourself!

An abundance of show and tell: part two.

Posted by on

As promised, here’s another batch of show and tell!

Gail crocheted this beautiful baby dress in Isager Bomuld, a smooth, fingering weight cotton.

Amber made a baby dress, too–this delicate one, knit in Classic Elite Silky Alpaca Lace.

Margie brought in two beaded scarves to show off, made generously as gifts for two friends. The one on the left is made in Colinette Jitterbug, and the one on the right is made in Malabrigo Sock.

Thanks to everyone for bringing their finished pieces into the shop for show and tell! I’m always amazed by the skillful creations of our knitters and crocheters, and touched to see Hillsborough Yarn Shop yarns in completed garments. Come by the shop anytime to share what you’re working on!

An abundance of show and tell: part one.

Posted by on

There’s been so much incredible showing and telling going on at the shop in the past few weeks, enough that it can’t all fit into one blog post. Here’s the first of two installments.

Mary has been cranking out hats in the Swans Island Organic Merino Worsted.

It’s been great to see how these colorways look in a finished garment after months of admiring them in the skein. I was also glad to see that these hats were blocked, allowing the yarn to blossom a bit, and creating a more cohesive fabric. The Swans Island yarn is such cuddly stuff!

Mara came in during the Triangle Yarn Crawl with not one, but two finished pieces to share. Here, she models a sweater made in the sadly discontinued Mission Falls 1824 Wool. The pattern is Tubey, a cleverly-constructed pullover in aran weight yarn–and a free pattern, to boot.

Mara also shared these pretty mitts, a gift for her mother. The pattern is Leafy Fingerless Gloves, available as a free download on Ravelry.

Michelle was knitting at the shop the other day when she finished her Stasis Pullover, made in the much-admired Isager Alpaca 2. I happened to be wearing my recently-completed Stasis, and a photo-op was born. What a difference the yarn makes, in spite of the identical patterning. Michelle’s Stasis came out soft and cuddly in Alpaca 2, and mine came out sturdy and slightly more fitted in Jamieson & Smith 2-ply Jumper Weight. Our two sweaters are the same, but very different, with each of us getting exactly what we wanted out of them. I can’t wait to see Anne’s Stasis, in Schulana Lambswool!

Thanks, everyone, for the amazing show and tell, and keep your eye on the blog for part two!

KnitScene and Jane Austen Knits.

Posted by on

Two new magazines came in this week: KnitScene and Jane Austen Knits, both of which are full of patterns for sweaters and accessories–plenty to keep your needles busy this fall and winter.

I was pleased to see that KnitScene profiles one of our favorites in this issue: Swans Island, a small company in Maine that produces organic, naturally dyed merino yarns.

For one way to make use of Swans Island’s Organic Merino Fingering, look no further than Jane Austen Knits.

(If that pattern doesn’t appeal, let me pull out our binder of Swans Island patterns for you–there are so many good ways to use this yarn!)

Come by the shop to get the newest fall and winter issues of your favorite knitting and crochet magazines, where you’ll find them on the teacart and the magazine rack. See you there!

Northern Knits: Gifts.

Posted by on

A new book arrived a couple of weeks ago that immediately caught Anne’s eye.

It’s no surprise–Northern Knits: Gifts is filled with three things that often catch her eye. Is there colorwork? Yes. Fine, lightweight yarns? Indeed. Something to knit for babies?

Oh, yes! Anne is making three of these little hats for her three little grandbabies, using an armful of colors in Cascade 220 Fingering.

It’s perfectly well-behaved in this stranded colorwork pattern, sturdy and warm, but softer after washing. As she knits, Anne keeps pausing to exclaim, “I’m having so much fun!” And she must be, because the first hat is done, and the second is nearly there, too.

Come by to flip through Northern Knits: Gifts and admire this sweet baby hat before it leaves the shop to be worn by a sweet baby. See you there!

Back in stock: Namaste.

Posted by on

When Namaste’s newest bag, Harlow, sold out almost as quickly as it came in, we got the message, and made plans to reorder. What are knitters loving about Harlow? It’s spacious, full of interior and exterior pockets for housing knitterly notions as well as wallets and cell phones, and has a zippered top to keep its contents secure. Our most recent order came in just last week, filling our walls and shelves with colorful bags and other cases for organizing knitting needles and accessories.

Namaste’s circular needle cases were a particularly big hit, so we got a few more colors than last time.

Come to the shop to check out these needle cases and other Namaste organizational goodies, and get them all at 15% off before October 21st!

Araucania Azapa: now on sale!

Posted by on

UPDATE: As of 11/19/2014, we are totally sold out of Araucania Azapa!

*************************************************************

In tandem with our anniversary sale, which entitles our much-appreciated customers to 15% off everything in the shop between October 13th and 21st, we’re discounting Araucania Azapa by 25%.

Araucania Azapa is a bulky weight blend of merino wool, alpaca, silk, and rayon, with about 140 yards on each 100 gram skein. Azapa is a single ply yarn, and comes in semisolid colorways with tweedy flecks. It’s soft and cuddly, makes a great bunny hat, and is exactly the right gauge and length to make a Bandana Cowl.

The Bandana Cowl is a free pattern from the Purl Bee, one which is well-written, easy to understand, and knits up quickly. It was only published a year ago, but already, there are almost 3,000 Bandana Cowls on Ravelry–a number high enough to be considered a recommendation in and of itself. A cozy Bandana Cowl in Araucania Azapa makes a perfect holiday gift or instant-gratification fall knitting project. Come by the shop soon to get it at 25% off!

An anniversary sale, a yarn crawl.

Posted by on

As you may remember from years past, or may have seen in our most recent email newsletter, October marks the six-year anniversary of the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. We are so grateful to all of you for your support over the years, for shopping and learning and sharing with us. We’ll celebrate another year in business in our usual way: an anniversary sale!

From October 13th – 21st, everything in the shop will be discounted by 15%, with the exception of classes and that which is already discounted. This is the time to treat yourself to a special skein or two, or save on that big project you’ve been wanting to start this fall. Maybe you’ve had your eye on a magazine, book, or bag, or just want to stock up on needles–those are all discounted, too. Come by the shop during the sale and let us thank you in person, in a tangible way.

Overlapping with our anniversary sale is this weekend’s Triangle Yarn Crawl, a self-guided tour of local yarn shops throughout the Triangle. We’re delighted to be participating once again, and excited to offer a project bag filled with goodies as our raffle prize, including yarn and a pattern from Swans Island. Learn more about the Triangle Yarn Crawl on their blog, and be sure to pay us a visit this weekend!

 

(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!)