Tag Archives: baa ram ewe

Baa Ram Ewe, now on sale!

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Everything in the shop is 15% off during July, our Annual Inventory Sale month, but there are a few items we’ve marked down even further – including every yarn we carry from Baa Ram Ewe, now 40% off!

We’ve been carrying Baa Ram Ewe here at the shop for over a decade, and we’ve always loved working with their breed specific wools, which were thoughtfully produced and sourced entirely in the UK. Both Titus and Winterburn DK are now discontinued, so we’re sending them off with a sale!

  • Baa Ram Ewe Titus: fingering weight, 50% Wensleydale longwool, 20% Bluefaced Leicester, 30% UK alpaca, 350 yards/100 g, $29 each; $17.40 on sale

Close up on Veera Välimäki’s “Color Affection,” knit with Baa Ram Ewe Titus

Churchmouse “Vineyard Cowl & Beanie,” knit with Baa Ram Ewe Winterburn DK

Come by during July to get a great deal on Baa Ram Ewe and all your favorite yarns, needles, notions, books and magazines! We’re open from 11am – 5:30 pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays; masks required for entry.

Just a reminder – all sales are final on discounted items; there can be no exchanges, returns, or special orders. Thanks!

Koigu Collector’s Club: The Marsh.

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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 The Marsh, a beachy colorway streaked with shades of aqua, cream, and gray.

Anne spotted the perfect pattern for this or any shade of Koigu KPPPM – Churchmouse’s “Linen Stitch Loop,” a two color cowl that pairs variegated and solid shades for a pixelated effect.

“Linen Stitch Loop,” by Churchmouse Yarns and Teas, photo © Churchmouse Yarns and Teas

There are so many yarns in our fingering weight section here at the shop – here are a few that complement The Marsh!

  • Kelbourne Woolens Perennial: light fingering weight, 60% superwash merino, 25% suri alpaca, 15% nylon, 497 yards/100 g; $26 each
  • Ewe Ewe Fluffy Fingering: fingering weight, 100% superwash merino, 200 yards/50 g; $11 each

  • Punta del Este Mericash Solid: fingering weight, single ply, 80% merino, 20% cashmere, 264 yards/50 gm; $18 each
  • Isager Merilin: light fingering weight, 80% wool, 20% linen, 228 yards/50 g; $11 each

  • Baa Ram Ewe Titus: fingering weight, 70% wool, 30% alpaca, 350 yards/100 g, $29 each
  • Fibre Co. Amble: fingering weight, 70% Easy-wash merino wool, 20% Easy-wash alpaca, and 10% recycled nylon, 355 yards/100g; $23 each

 

Look for Koigu KPPPM in the fingering weight section here at the shop, along with Perennial, Fluffy Fingering, Mericash Solid, Merilin, Titus, Amble, and so much more – see you there!

Knit Hats with Woolly Wormhead.

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Woolly Wormhead’s new book is here!

Knit Hats with Woolly Wormhead is a collection of 22 hat patterns for all ages from a designer who self identifies as a Hat Architect. Her designs are innovative, surprising, and fun to knit – Anne is a big fan!

Woolly Wormhead has dedicated her entire knitwear design career to hats, exploring the possibilities of texture and construction with whimsical style.

Malabrigo Caprino + “Azula”

We may not have exactly the yarns shown in her pattern photos, but there are so many good substitutions on our shelves – here are some yarn and pattern pairings I came up with while paging through the book!

Swans Island All American Sport + “Joyce”

Baa Ram Ewe Winterburn DK + “Staggered”

Fyberspates Vivacious 4ply + “Infilare”

Kelbourne Woolens Lucky Tweed + “Turbine”

Along with inspiring and intriguing patterns, Knit Hats with Woolly Wormhead features tutorials on special techniques and sage advice on hat fit and styling.

Knit Hats with Woolly Wormhead is $24.95; swing by to pick up a copy or order online for local pickup or shipping!

Winterburn DK + Homestead.

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Laine’s 52 Weeks of Shawls has been a runaway hit here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop – thanks to everyone who has ordered a copy! The book is full of inspiring patterns, and though we don’t carry every yarn that’s called for, we love helping folks find good substitutions. When Natalya Berezynka, designer of the “Homestead” wrap on the cover, reached out to collaborate with us on yarn bundles for her pattern, we knew just the yarn – Baa Ram Ewe Winterburn DK.

Baa Ram Ewe Winterburn DK:

  • DK weight
  • 50% bluefaced leicester wool, 50% masham wool
  • 252 yards/100g; 6 skeins needed for “Homestead”
  • $29 each, $174 for six skeins

Bluefaced Leicester and Masham, two English longwool breeds, bring their signature bounce and luster to this yarn. It’s soft but wooly, springy with a bit of drape, and renders texture patterns beautifully – an excellent choice for a cozy wrap like “Homestead.”

You’ll need 6 skeins of Winterburn DK to knit Natalya Berezynska’s “Homestead,” a total of $174. Pick your favorite color and order online for local pickup or shipping!

Koigu Collector’s Club: April Showers and Snow Tulips.

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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. This month, we also got a special color in Koigu Othello, a super soft, super bulky yarn!

Koigu Othello:

  • super bulky weight
  • 100% merino wool
  • 95 yards/100g
  • $23.50 each

Othello is thick and squishy, sure to knit up quickly on US 10 or 11 needles. What to make with this special April Showers colorway, streaked with pastels and pale gray? Pick up one skein for a “Big Chunky Comfort Hat,” “An Unoriginal Hat,” or “Vanessa Headband.” Two skeins makes a “Painted Stones Cowl.”

We also got the classic fingering weight KPPPM in a special limited edition color – Snow Tulips (below) is a variegated mix of peach and cream, seafoam and blue, with dashes of burgundy and orange.

Koigu KPPPM:

  • fingering weight
  • hand dyed, variegated
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 175 yards/50 g
  • $15.50 each

One way to use highly variegated colorways like Snow Tulips is to pair them with a solid, drawing out one of the many shades that appears in the mix. Looking through our fingering weight yarns here at the shop, Anne and I found complementary solids in two yarns – Fibre Co. Cumbria Fingering and Baa Ram Ewe Titus.

Since we’re offering two yarns, how about two patterns, too? Any of the yarn bundles pictured here can be used for either “Woods Haven” or “Leya,” two shawls by Tamy Gore that lend themselves to high contrast color pairings.

Koigu + Cumbria Fingering bundles are $53, and Koigu + Titus bundles are $60. Order online for local pickup or shipping!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Rainbow Mountain.

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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.

Our most recent shipment from Koigu is Rainbow Mountain, another playful variegated colorway. These special skeins are predominantly pale yellow, streaked and spotted with whimsical pops of gold, orange, red, and lime green.

What to make with these pretty skeins? For a small project, try Dawn Henderson’s “Bonfire Socks” and “Block Party Socks,” or Laura Chau’s “Serviceberry Mitts.” For a larger project, Stephen West’s “Syncopation Adoration Shawl” came to mind, since Koigu plays so well with others. Here are a few ideas!

  • Koigu KPPPM: $15.50 each
  • Baa Ram Ewe Titus: $29 each
  • Ewe Ewe Fluffy Fingering: $10 each
  • The Fibre Co. Cumbria Fingering: $22 each

Get in touch if you’d like to place an order – we can ship these directly to you or hold your purchase here for pickup while our storefront is temporarily closed!

On our needles.

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What’s in Anne’s Plystre Project Pouch, besides a Baby Baggu?

A grandson-sized “Atlas (For Kids),” knit with Brooklyn Tweed Loft!

I love the color combination she chose – Flannel for the main color, Snowbound and Old World for the contrast colors.

Many of you know that Anne never limits herself to one project at a time. So what else is on her needles right now? Let’s take a look!

Anne’s “Calla” tank is growing, stripe by stripe. You can see how Anne keeps unruly plant fiber yarns in check, by hand-winding them into tight balls and storing them in ziplock bags as she knits.

Designed by Shellie Anderson for Shibui Koan, this is shaping up to be a lovely, lightweight summer garment.

Anne is almost done with another Shellie Anderson design, “Cather,” an elegant pullover in Shibui Echo. As she set in the first sleeve the other afternoon, she remarked on cocoknits Claw Clips – “I don’t know how I ever seamed without them!”

Another work in progress from Anne’s collection is this “Rainy Day Hat,” designed by Melanie Berg for her Balayage yarn. It’s a super-soft fingering weight blend of merino and alpaca, a treat for the hands.

I confess, I’m not quite as prolific as Anne, and my projects are coming along more slowly! Above is my “Kirigami,” designed by Gudrun Johnston and knit with Brooklyn Tweed Arbor. I’ve been savoring this project for some months now, enjoying the simplicity of stockinette and the elasticity of Arbor, one of my very favorite yarns.

I’m about halfway through Churchmouse’s “Vineyard Cowl,” knit with one skein of Baa Ram Ewe Winterburn DK. It’s an easily-memorized stitch pattern, and a soothing knit in this wonderfully wooly yarn, shown here on another of my works-in-progress – a quilt I’ve been slowly stitching.

There’s a lot we miss about being “open” in the usual sense, but one of the main things is seeing what everyone is working on! What’s on your needles? Share in the comments, or post photos on Instagram, tagged #hillsboroughyarnshop – we can’t wait to hear from you!

Sale of the Week: Baa Ram Ewe Titus!

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Though we’re keeping our doors closed during May, we’re still virtually open for mail orders, and we want to offer something fun during this uncertain time. Throughout May, we’ll have a special sale each week – 15% off a featured yarn, our Sale of the Week!

Our next Sale of the Week is 15% off Baa Ram Ewe Titus, from May 1 – 7!

Titus is a fingering weight blend of alpaca, wensleydale, and bluefaced leicester wools, sourced and spun entirely in the UK. We’re proud to have been the first US stockist of the stuff, back in 2012 when it came in just one color. Clara Parkes described it as having “the drape and softness of a sleeping cat,” which captured our imagination almost as much as the story of the yarn. Titus is an attempt to revive Britain’s diminishing textile industry by relying on UK-sourced wools and UK yarn manufacturers. Considering North Carolina’s own textile history, this story resonated, and it wasn’t long before we had boxes of Titus coming into the shop. Since then, Titus has been warmly embraced by knitters, crocheters, and weavers all over the world, and the palette has expanded considerably.

Each 100 gram skein has 350 yards, enough for a hat, cowl, or pair of mitts. Usually, skeins are $29 each; at 15% off, they’re $24.65 each.

We’ve seen so many beautiful garments and accessories knit in Titus over the years – here are a few ideas:

“Carpino,” by Carol Feller – a mesh-lace pullover using 3 – 5 skeins of Titus

“Bousta Beanie,” by Gudrun Johnston – a colorwork hat using 1 skein each of Titus in 3 colors

“Whitlam Cowl,” by Jo Spreckly – a lace cowl using 1 skein of Titus

“Minetta,” by Kirsten Kapur – a cabled cardigan using 3 – 6 skeins of Titus

“Dexter,” by Isabell Kraemer – a raglan cardigan using 3 – 5 skeins of Titus

“Color Affection,” by Veera Välimäki – a striped short-row shawl using 1 skein each of Titus in 3 colors

Get in touch with us by May 7 to get 15% off Baa Ram Ewe Titus – thanks so much for continuing to support our small business!

Just a reminder–all sales are final on discounted items; there can be no exchanges or returns. Thanks!

Hello, Winterburn DK.

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We’re delighted to announce that we now carry Baa Ram Ewe Winterburn DK!

Baa Ram Ewe is a small yarn company out of Yorkshire with a noble aim: to revitalize the textile industry in their region by sourcing, spinning, and dyeing their yarns entirely in the UK.

Winterburn DK is a 50%/50% blend of Bluefaced Leicester and Masham wools, two English longwool breeds that bring their signature bounce and luster to this yarn. It’s soft but wooly, springy with a bit of drape – an excellent choice for sweater making and accessories alike.

All twenty colors are here, begging to be combined in colorwork, if you ask me – it makes me want to pull out my copy of Tin Can Knits’ Strange Brew!

What else to make with Winterburn DK? Consider Thea Colman’s “Herbsaint” pullover, Isabell Kraemer’s “Norderney” and “Ready for Fall” pullovers, Janina Kallio’s “Flowers of Winter” shawl, or for something more whimsical, check out Ella Austin’s “Fancy Hen” and “Plum Pudding Pig.” All of those patterns were designed either with Winterburn DK or Dovestone DK, the sadly discontinued yarn that this new one was modeled after. Of course, you can also use Winterburn DK wherever DK weight wool is called for – check out our “DK weight” Pinterest board for a few ideas!

Look for Winterburn DK here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop!

Show and tell: sweaters.

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We have had so much amazing show-and-tell around the shop over the past couple of months! As ever, I take photos of these amazing pieces when I’m able, collecting them to share here on the blog. My collection long ago outgrew a single blog post, so I’ve divvied them up into categories for a series of posts. Let’s start big, with sweaters.

Above is Ginny’s “Rowe,” knit with Swans Island All American Worsted. Everything about it is expertly, thoughtfully executed, from the complex cables to the seams and other finishing. Bravo, Ginny!

Anne recently finished her two-tone “Featherweight,” knit with Fibre Company Meadow. Though it’s pictured hanging on the wall, this is a sweater she actually wears rather than a shop sample, a welcome departure for such an industrious, generous knitter. Come by the shop and you may just see her in it!

From lace weight to bulky weight, Fibre Company yarns make lovely sweaters. Above is Eileen’s “St. Brendan,” knit with Arranmore during Amy’s class here at the shop. I love her neutral color palette.

A little more colorwork – here’s Debbie’s “Ready for Fall,” knit with Baa Ram Ewe Dovestone DK. This is a favorite yarn of mine, and I’m always excited to see what folks at the shop make with it. Debbie has come to love Dovestone DK, too, and in fact came back for more to knit a poncho!

Here’s another sweater in Dovestone DK, April’s “Roan.” With its bright colors, large motifs, and dramatic swingy shape, this is one tremendously impressive sweater. Well done, April!

Thanks to the sweater-makers who’ve shared their work here today! We are so inspired by all the stitching that goes on in and around the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, and can’t wait to see what you come up with next. See you at the shop!