Author Archives: Julia

Creative Knitting and Knit Simple.

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Two more Fall magazines arrived this week: Creative Knitting and Knit Simple.

Each one boasts a collection of cowls, and the one that caught my eye was in Creative Knitting, made from Cascade Rustic in a rich red. Rustic, if you’ll recall, is specially discounted this month. A cowl is a great project for this yarn, and it’s also-discounted cousin, Lana Bambu.

Knit Simple had its share of cowl patterns as well, but these two bulky sweaters stood out to me instead. Made in Plymouth Baby Alpaca Grande and Lamb’s Pride Bulky, respectively, these two sweaters would knit up quickly. Quick knits can be so encouraging.

Come by the shop to flip through the latest magazines and plan your next project!

KnitScene.

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The Fall issue of KnitScene is here, with more fodder for our cold-weather daydreams.

This issue offers sweaters, shawls, and accessories, one of which stood out to me in particular. These cabled fingerless mitts are made out of Zitron Kimono, a sport-weight blend of merino wool and silk that we happen to stock at the shop.

Come by the shop to snag this latest issue of KnitScene, and at 15% off during July, no less. See you soon!

Show and tell.

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Last week, I had a couple of opportunities to pull out my camera and document incredible finished knits. I can’t tell you how exciting it is for Anne and I to see our knitters’ and crocheters’ completed projects; there’s something very special about seeing that promise-filled yarn grown up into a finished garment.

On Thursday, Catherine came in with her completed Alpaca 2 Stole, and Anne’s mother, Phyllis, modeled it for the camera.

On Friday, Celine came in with her Hitchhiker made in Colinette Jitterbug, a fabulously springy merino sock yarn. As this shawlette nicely demonstrates, sock yarns have many uses besides socks.

Keep the show and tell coming! See you (and your finished projects) at the shop.

Cascade Rustic and Lana Bambu.

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UPDATE: Cascade Rustic and Lana Bambu are totally sold out as of September 2012!

 

Rustic and Lana Bambu are two yarns with much in common.

They’re both made by the yarn company Cascade, they’re both aran weight, single ply yarns, and they both are 79% wool and 21% plant fiber. In Rustic, that plant fiber is linen, and in Lana Bambu, it’s bamboo, as you might have suspected.

The other thing they have in common is that they’ll be deeply discounted during the month of July. But wait, you’re thinking, isn’t everything discounted during the month of July? You’re right: everything in the shop is 15% off during our Annual Inventory Sale. Rustic and Lana Bambu, however, are 20% off during the month of July, making them an even better deal.

Both of these yarns are equally lovely in hats, scarves, shawls, and sweaters. We’ve seen them both used in February Lady Sweaters, and they’re perfect yarns for that frequently-knitted free pattern. Here’s a peek at Marion’s February Lady Sweater in Lana Bambu, which is hanging in the shop.

Come by the shop to take a closer look at this gorgeous cardigan, and to take advantage of our 15% sale on everything and our 20% sale on Rustic and Lana Bambu!

Knit Socks for All Seasons.

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Summer is a particularly good time for knitting socks. While I seem to have a pair going at any given moment, no matter the season, it’s during these long, hot days that I appreciate the small size and portability of socks the most. With that in mind, have a look at this new book of sock patterns: Knit Socks for All Seasons: Fabulous, Fun Footwear for Any Time of Year, by Stephanie van der Linden.

Colorwork, cables, lace… van der Linden gives us a bit of everything in this book.

At the back of the book, there’s a small black-and-white booklet of all the charts used in the patterns, making it easy to photocopy and enlarge said charts. I’ve never seen this in a knitting book before, but it seems absolutely brilliant to me, knowing how tiny those charts tend to be.

You can find Knit Socks for All Seasons on the teacart, surrounded by the newest knitting and crochet magazines, and if you fall in love with it, rejoice in a 15% discount during the month of July! (Yes, even books are included!) See you at the shop.

The Stole.

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I mentioned a few posts ago that the Stole, with a capital “S,” might be a good way to take advantage of our Annual Inventory Sale. Nine skeins of Isager Alpaca 2 have a way of adding up, and the month-long 15% discount on everything in the shop will help take the edge off. The Stole has become a bit of a hit here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop since we first got the new book Wearwithall. As in, we had to restock nearly every color of Alpaca 2, and we may need to do it again soon. I thought the Stole deserved more than a mention; here is its very own post.

Having seen several beautiful Stoles-in-progress, Anne recently cast on for one of her own, using seven colors of Alpaca 2 whose first life was as a colorwork pullover. After two years on the needles with only a few inches done, Anne decided it was time to rip out the colorwork and give the yarn a second chance as a Stole.

As you can see by all the progress she’s made in only a handful of weeks, she made the right choice. Sometimes it seems painful to rip out a work in progress that you realize you’ll never finish, but this is one of the major joys of knitting: yarn can be reused. Your efforts are not wasted when you rip something out; a pile of ripped-out yarn is a sign that lessons have been learned and a new project can begin.

It’s been such a pleasure to watch knitters break from the colors shown in the pattern to create their own combinations–this one cool in blues and greens, that one warm in neutrals, another autumnal with a pop of chartreuse. The Isager color palette is welcoming in this way, the colors play well together in all kinds of variations.

Come by the shop to quench your thirst for Alpaca 2, and to see Anne’s Stole-in-progress. This is a project that needs to be touched to be understood; photos don’t do it justice. See you at the shop!

Vogue.

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After nearly a week of 90 and 100 degree days here in North Carolina, the Early Fall 2012 issue of Vogue Knitting Magazine seems a bit premature. Lovely to look at, though, and with strong air-conditioning, we can knit not only for early fall, but also for mid-winter. (The shop is nice and chilly these days; bring your knitting!) Take a look inside this issue.

I was also pleased to find within these pages an article by Meg Swansen and Amy Detjen, authors of the fabulous Knitting With Two Colors, which I gushed about here on the blog when it was published in January. This article in the Early Fall issue of Vogue is like a preview of the book, a teaser that will get you hooked on stranded colorwork.

 

Find the Early Fall issue of Vogue on the teacart.

Annual Inventory Sale!

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As many of you know, July is our annual inventory sale month. From the 1st to the 31st, everything in the shop is discounted by 15%, with the exception of classes and yarns that have already been discounted. If you’ve had your eye on a special skein, or have been planning a big project or two, now is the time to take the leap! Maybe you, like me, are excited to join in the HYS Stasis Sweater Knit-Along, and are seeking a sweater’s worth of fingering weight yarn for this colorwork-yoked pullover. I picked the classic Jamieson’s 2 ply Jumper Yarn, and can hardly wait to get started.

Or maybe you’ve been contemplating the Stole from Wearwithall, made in nine scrumptious colors of Isager Alpaca 2 yarn. Since the book was published, Anne and I have seen so many beautiful color combinations put together. Every knitter makes the Stole their own. Lucky for you, Stole-contemplator, we’ve just gotten every available color of Isager Alpaca 2 in stock, and you can have the color combination of your choice at 15% off during July.

Or maybe for you, it’s a few indulgent skeins of Malabrigo Finito, the softest merino we’ve encountered thusfar. Or maybe you’re a kind and generous soul, and will use this sale month to stock up on gift-making supplies for next holiday season. Maybe you’ve been holding out on a set of Addi Click interchangeable circular needles, or a copy of the enormous Principles of Knitting, or a new knitting bag from Namaste. Whatever it is you’ve been wanting, come by the shop anytime during the month of July to get 15% off your purchase!

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!

New colors from String Theory.

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Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve gotten a couple of boxes from String Theory. As I’m sure you know by now, we love boxes from String Theory, because along with the colorways we’ve come to know and love come the colorways we’ve never seen before. Tanis and Karen do amazing things with yarn and dye, and Anne and I are delighted to see what they’ve come up with. Most recently, we’ve received new colors in Selku, a sport weight merino and silk, and Caper Sock, a fingering weight superwash merino blended with cashmere for softness and nylon for strength. I know I’ve sung the praises of these yarns many times, but I can’t let a new shipment from String Theory come and go without devoting a blog post to it. Take a look at these colors!

 

As much as I love the Caper Sock, It’s the Selku I’ve got my eye on. So far I’ve seen an exquisite Marianne Isager sweater started in it, along with two shawls. Over and over again, I pick String Theory’s deep blue, Cobalt. I used it in Caper Sock on my North Arrow scarf, and then again in a pair of Bluestocking socks. As much as I love Cobalt, I’m not sure I can justify using it a third time, but I’m anxious to try Selku. What would you do with 378 yards of shimmering sport-weight wool and silk?

Come by the shop to take a closer look!

knit.wear.

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Back in October, Interweave published a special issue called knit.wear, filled with simple cardigans, pullovers, and vests. Anne and I loved the look of it, as did many of you. This week, knit.wear is back with a new issue for Spring 2012.

 

This issue of knit.wear boasts accessories along with the garments; cowls, hats, and legwarmers to go with shrugs, tanks, and jackets. The projects are divided up by the techniques they use, like ruching, twisted fabric, or seamless construction.

There’s also a short-row tutorial, and an excerpt from the fabulous Pop Knitting, by Britt-Marie Christoffersson, which I wrote about last month when it arrived at the shop. It’s another beautiful collection of knits, so if you liked knit.wear last year, come by the shop to check out this latest edition! You’ll find it surrounded by the latest books and magazines on the teacart.