Author Archives: Julia

Show and tell: sweaters.

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We’re closing the shop for a summer vacation from August 17 – 28, reopening at our usual hours on Tuesday, August 29. In the meantime, enjoy another round of show and tell, featuring the juiciest of knitting projects: sweaters!

Here’s April’s “Little Love,” by Ankestrick, a textured cardigan knit with Kelbourne Woolens Cricket. April has also made Ankestrick’s “Big Love,” a heavier version in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter, and can vouch for the pleasure of knitting and wearing these designs!

Anne began this “Kirigami” years ago, when Brooklyn Tweed first launched Dapple, but then put it aside while she worked on other things. When the most recent new colors came out in Dapple, she returned to it and was delighted to discover it was nearly finished! Look for it hanging on the wall here at our shop.

Linda finished her “Kirigami” recently, too, using Brooklyn Tweed Arbor. I love how crisp Gudrun Johnston’s highly textured design is in this yarn!

In fact, I made a “Kirigami” in Arbor a few years ago, and though it never made an appearance on the blog, I wear it frequently and love it so.

Here’s a more recent project of mine, a PetiteKnit “Anker’s Summer Shirt” in Sandnes Garn Line. This one is up on display at the shop, and seems to have inspired many of you to pick up Line for an “Anker’s Summer Shirt” of your own – I can’t wait to see them take shape!

Connie knit this “Kaav” cardigan in a recent class here at our shop, where a small group of knitters all tackled Kate Davie’s lovely design, along with their very first steeks. Connie modified the pattern a bit, omitting the colorwork from the sleeves, and used the super soft Kelbourne Woolens Scout.

 

Thanks to April, Anne, Linda, and Connie for sharing your projects with us, and thank you all for letting me show and tell, too! Looking forward to seeing you and your projects after our summer break!

Hello, Isager Bouclé!

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We’re pleased to introduce a brand new yarn from Isager – meet Bouclé!

Isager Bouclé:

  • lace weight
  • looped bouclé texture
  • 100% alpaca
  • 190 yards/50 grams
  • $11 each

Isager is a Danish yarn company led by designers and co-owners Marianne Isager and her daughter, Helga Isager. They are known for their sophisticated color palette, and for combining yarns to create unique fiber and color blends.

Bouclé is a fine alpaca yarn with one looped ply, which makes a fluffy, textured fabric. It especially shines when held together with a smooth yarn, enhancing simple stockinette.

While we wait for the Isager design team to release patterns for this intriguing new yarn, I’ve been swatching to satisfy my curiosity. I began with US 5 needles and a single strand of Bouclé, and while the fabric was pleasing, the yarn was a little tricky to work with. When I moved up to a US 9 and added a strand of smooth fingering weight yarn, it became much easier to manage, and the fabric that came out was soft and fluffy, like a teddy bear.

Though I kept swatching, through a few more needle sizes and a colorwork motif from Anne Ventzel’s very appealing “Robinia Sweater,” it was the teddy bear fabric I kept coming back to. The gauge was a match for Jonna Hietala’s “Lento” pullover, which is what I’m making now, holding Bouclé together with Malabrigo Ultimate Sock.

Here are some other pattern ideas for Isager Bouclé, when held together with a fingering weight yarn:

Look for Isager Bouclé in the lace weight section here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, along with many other Isager yarns – Alpaca 2, Highland Wool, Sock Yarn, and more!

Pom Pom Crochet Anthology.

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The folks at Pom Pom Quarterly have put together a special edition especially for crocheters – let’s look inside their Crochet Anthology!

For a decade now, Pom Pom Quarterly has been sprinkling crochet patterns into their magazines, one or two in each issue. This special edition collects some of the best loved crochet patterns from their archives.

Isa Catepillán’s popular “Water Clover” graces the cover of this collection, an elegant lace tee with floral motifs crocheted with Kelbourne Woolens Mojave. Skipper would work well, too!

From lacy tops to snuggly cardigans, from textured hats to colorful shawls, from delicate lace weight up to cozy worsted weight, these projects are varied and inspiring.

Look for Pom Pom’s Crochet Anthology ($25.50) here at the shop, along with yarn and hooks for your next project!

Malabrigo Ultimate Sock + Mohair KAL.

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We’re delighted to have a fresh supply of Malabrigo Ultimate Sock and Mohair, just in time for Malabrigo’s upcoming KAL!

Lora Marin designed this stunning lace shawl for Malabrigo Ultimate Sock and Mohair, using the yarns separately to highlight the difference in texture.

For this shawl, she used these yarns in the same colorway, Aniversario, though more contrast or variation in colors would also have a nice effect. Here are some color ideas!

Want to join the Malabrigo KAL, which starts in September? Head to their blog to register in order to receive the pattern, and come by our shop to pick out your yarn. You’ll need 2 skeins of Ultimate Sock ($21 each) and 3 skeins of Mohair ($15 each).

We’ve highlighted a few of these color combinations in a display here at the shop – look for it as you walk in.

You can also see our full selection of Malabrigo Ultimate Sock in the fingering weight section, and our full selection of Mohair in the lace weight section. We can’t wait to see your shawls take shape when the Knit-Along begins next month!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Reishi.

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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

This month’s limited edition shade is Reishi, a fiery variegated red streaked with burgundy and orange. We have so many fingering weight yarns that could pair well with this shade, whether you’re seeking high or low contrast, solid or variegated.

What to make? Here are some pattern ideas for mixing many colors!

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.

Hello, Malabrigo Mohair!

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Brand new from Malabrigo, meet Mohair!

Malabrigo Mohair: 

  • lace weight
  • hand-dyed, variegated
  • 72% mohair, 28% silk
  • 229 yards/25g
  • $15 each

Malabrigo is a beloved Uruguayan yarn company known for vibrant hand-dyed color and soft, squishy merino wool. In Mohair, they’ve brought their signature colors to new fibers, an elegant blend of fuzzy mohair and shimmering silk.

Lace weight mohair is often carried along with other yarns, adding a soft halo to the knitted fabric – think Tin Can Knits’ “Love Note,” or PetiteKnit’s “Oslo Hat – Mohair Edition,” “Novice Slipover,” and “No Frills Sweater.” Malabrigo is also highlighting Mohair in their upcoming Knit-Along – read all about that on their blog, and stay tuned for more info from us!

Look for Malabrigo Mohair in the lace weight section here at HYS! We’re open 11-5:30, Tuesdays-Saturdays; masks required for entry. See you there!

Show and tell: texture and color.

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Need some inspiration for your next project? Here’s another round of show and tell, featuring projects that make interesting use of color and texture.

Carribeth designed and knit this shawl using Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere in one of their special applied pooling shades – she did stockinette stitch wherever the yarn was peach, pink, or terra-cotta, but did a mesh lace whenever the aqua blue streak came along. Look for similar patterns on our latest Pop-Up Club blog post!

Above is Wendy’s “SSP (slip stitch party) shawl,” an Isabell Kraemer pattern that combines slip stitch colorwork and texture.

Wendy picked colors in Brooklyn Tweed Peerie and Isager Alpaca 2, so there are slight textural differences in the yarn due to fiber content, as well – a lovely detail!

Margaretta’s “Aloe” socks also combine color and texture using a stitch pattern that was new to her, Anne, and myself – two-colored dip stitch.

The pattern is from Laine’s recent 52 Weeks of Socks, Vol. II, and Margaretta used Kelbourne Woolens Perennial, a soft and squishy merino/alpaca blend.

Anne knit this “Ardelle Hat” using Malabrigo Mecha, a sample for her recent class on the subject. The cabled band is worked flat, then grafted, then stitches are picked up from one edge to complete the body and crown of the hat – a clever construction!

Here is Ruth’s “Wild Flowers” shawl, a floral field rendered in intricate texture patterns using Brooklyn Tweed Arbor. For sharp stitch definition, there’s no better yarn!

Thanks to Carribeth, Wendy, Margaretta, Anne, and Ruth for sharing their projects with us! We love seeing what folks make with yarn from our shop, and always look forward to show and tell.

Back in stock: Isager Alpaca 2.

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Over the past month or so, we’ve replenished our supply of Isager Alpaca 2 twice, bringing some bestselling colors back into stock – there always seems to be a steady demand for this fuzzy blend of merino and alpaca, beloved for its soft hand and harmonious color palette!

Isager Alpaca 2:

  • light fingering weight
  • 50% alpaca, 50% merino
  • 275 yards/50 g
  • $12 each

Anne’s seasoned “Stole” sample has hung on the wall for years now, yet it regularly catches the eye of knitters seeking a soothing, repetitive project, one that’s easy to execute, but with graceful results.

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.

With over thirty colors to choose from, each “Stole” is unique – come by the shop to put together your very own colorway!

Look for Alpaca 2 in the fingering weight section here at our shop! We love Isager yarns and carry a lot of them – Japansk Bomuld, Bomulin, Silk Mohair, Spinni, Alpaca 1, Alpaca 3, Tvinni, Highland Wool, Jensen, Sock Yarn, and more.

Show and tell: held together.

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It’s been 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!

We have long extolled the magic of holding multiple yarns together, making unique color and fiber blends that delight and sometimes surprise us. All the projects in today’s show and tell post feature this technique, sometimes called marling. The shawl above is a great example, Pat’s “Duality.” She knit the larger wrap size using Isager Alpaca 2, a lovely substitution for the now-discontinued Shibui yarn that Jane Vanselous’s pattern calls for.

Joy recently completed this “Copenhagen Cardigan,” designed by PetiteKnit and made with Isager Alpaca 2 in a teal color and Silk Mohair in blue held together throughout. The result is so delightfully soft and fuzzy, she came back for more Silk Mohair to make a PetiteKnit “Cumulus Blouse O-neck.”

Here’s a more subtle marl, where the two yarns are similar in color – Kay’s “Oslo Hat – Mohair Edition,” knit with Kelbourne Woolens Perennial and Fyberspates Cumulus held together throughout. Margaretta made one too, using the same two yarns in shades of teal.

Margaretta also knit a marled “Weekend Hat,” another PetiteKnit pattern, using Isager Alpaca 2 and Kelbourne Woolens Camper held together.

Thanks to Pat, Joy, Kay, and Margaretta 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.

New colors in Brooklyn Tweed Quarry!

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We’re pleased to announce that Brooklyn Tweed Quarry is back in production with a brand new neutral color palette!

Quarry is Brooklyn Tweed’s thickest yarn, a bulky weight, woolen-spun Targhee-Columbia wool with an unexpected combination of texture and structure. It looks like a single ply, but is actually constructed with three loosely-spun plies for a smooth, round yarn.

Brooklyn Tweed Quarry:

  • bulky weight
  • woolen-spun
  • 100% Targhee-Columbia wool
  • 200 yards/100 g
  • $25 each

When Brooklyn Tweed’s long-time dyehouse closed in late 2021, they were left unable to produce the iconic heathered colorways of Shelter, Loft and Quarry. After many months of hard work by the BT team and their new dyehouse partner, Tintoria Piana US, we’re delighted to be able to restock these yarns! Read more about the process behind the scenes on Brooklyn Tweed’s blog post, “The Road To Restock.”

Colors in the left cubby are older stock, and we’re limited to whatever we have on hand, but the colors in the right cubby are current, and we’ll be able to reorder them as they dwindle.

What to knit with Brooklyn Tweed Quarry? Here are some pattern ideas!

Accessories:

Of all the bulky weight yarns we carry, Quarry may be the best suited to sweater making because of its woolen-spun construction – the fabric it makes is cozy but lightweight, and holds its shape beautifully. Here are some pattern ideas for garments in Quarry!

Garments:

Look for Brooklyn Tweed Quarry in the bulky weight section here at HYS!