Tag Archives: berroco

Show and tell: openwork.

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As you may have read in our most recent newsletter, the shop will be closed for our usual Thanksgiving break from November 22 – 27. Feel free to place online orders or email inquiries during that time, but know that we won’t be monitoring our inbox until we’re back in the shop on November 28! We wish you all a peaceful and safe holiday.

In the meantime, let’s enjoy some show and tell!

As I was going through recent photos, I spotted a theme: openwork! Here are some beautiful projects adorned with eyelets.

Above is Edie’s “Holden” shawl, knit with Koigu KPPPM. It’s great to see lace knit up with variegated yarn! Pattern by Mindy Wilkes.

Teresa knit this delicate “Salty Air Tee” with Isager Bomulin, a good example of how lace looks in plant fiber yarns – in a word, lovely! Pattern by Samantha Guerin.

Anne jumped on the “Ranunculus” bandwagon, and knit the sweater above as a gift for a lifelong friend. She held Brooklyn Tweed Ranch 03 together with Fibre Co. Meadow, a low contrast combination that gave just a little dimension to the color and texture of the knitted fabric. Pattern by Midori Hirose.

Lace looks great in thicker yarns, too, showing off the stitch patterns at a larger scale and proving that openwork can be cozy. Above is Ruth in her “Elah” cardigan, knit with worsted weight Kelbourne Woolens Germantown. Pattern by Isabell Kraemer.

Margaretta is a prolific lace knitter – I’ve lost track of how many “Umaro” blankets she’s made! The one above is a baby blanket, knit with worsted weight Berroco Ultra Wool. Pattern by Jared Flood.

The shawl below is also one of Margaretta’s, “Sakura,” knit with Brooklyn Tweed Loft. Pattern by Leila Raven.

Thanks to Edie, Teresa, Anne, Ruth, 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.

Pom Pom Quarterly: Summer 2023.

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The latest issue of Pom Pom Quarterly is here!

This vibrant summer issue is packed with warm weather garments for crocheters and knitters alike, all inspired by fruits.

The cover sweater, Ana D’s striking “Limonata,” is crocheted with Kelbourne Woolens Mojave, a sport weight blend of cotton and linen. The brand new KW Skipper would work, too! I also spotted Berroco Modern Cotton in this issue, Marzena Kołaczek’s “Guayaba” tee.

Pom Pom has always been an interdisciplinary magazine, featuring recipes and a variety of crafty tutorials alongside their knitting patterns, but this issue in particular features more crochet than usual. We love to see it!

Pom Pom Quarterly is $25.50 – come by to snag a copy between 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays. We’re also taking orders online for local pickup or shipping. Along with this issue, we have a cubby full of back issues available, now marked down 50%. See you at the shop!

Show and tell: PetiteKnit patterns.

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It’s been far 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!

PetiteKnit has become one of the most-mentioned knitwear designers here at our shop. Almost every day, at least one knitter comes in shopping for, working on, or wearing a PetiteKnit design. Here are some of the PetiteKnit projects I’ve captured lately!

Margaretta is a fan of PetiteKnit – here are her two most recent sweaters, “Ingrid Sweater Baby” in Berroco Ultra Wool above, and “Moby Sweater” in Isager Jensen and Silk Mohair below.

Morgan knit this “No Frills Sweater” with Brooklyn Tweed Loft and Isager Silk Mohair held together throughout – the result is lovely, a perfect balance of structure and softness.

Michele came in wearing her first PetiteKnit sweater, “Sycamore Sweater,” and reports that the pattern was detailed and well written – she used Isager Jensen, Spinni, and Shibui Tweed Silk Cloud in this striking garment.

I knit my first PetiteKnit pattern recently, too, though it’s a far simpler design – here’s the “Sophie Shawl” I knit as a shop sample in Fibre Co. & Make Aran. The size small makes a such a nice scarf, wrapped around and tied like a kerchief, that I decided to make one for myself, too!

Thanks to Margaretta, Morgan, and Michele 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.

Back in stock: Berroco Ultra Alpaca.

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Good old Ultra Alpaca – this balanced blend of wool and alpaca is a classic, and we’re delighted to have a fresh supply!

Berroco Ultra Alpaca:

  • worsted weight
  • solid and heathered shades
  • 50% super fine alpaca, 50% Peruvian Highland wool
  • 219 yards/100g
  • $14 each

Berroco Ultra Alpaca has the structure and elasticity of wool and 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.

Ultra Alpaca comes in a wide range of colors, from fun brights to classic neutrals; I’ve always particularly admired the heathered shades.

Scrolling through projects on Ravelry, I saw that many knitters had made Donna Smith’s now classic “Baa-ble Hat” with Ultra Alpaca.

“Baa-ble Hat,” by Donna Smith, photo © Donna Smith.

Here are a couple of color combinations inspired by the pattern photo!

What else to make with Ultra Alpaca? Here are a few ideas!

Accessories:

Garments:

Look for Berroco Ultra Alpaca in the worsted weight section here at the shop!

Yarn ideas for “Inclinations Cowl,” by Andrea Mowry.

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Andrea Mowry’s latest design and knit-along has us playing the color game… “Inclinations Cowl” is designed to look like an asymmetrical triangular shawl when worn, but slips over the head easily. Like her “Inclinations Shawl” before, it’s all in half fisherman’s rib, which makes a bouncy, easy to knit fabric.

“Inclinations Cowl,” by Andrea Mowry, photo © Andrea Mowry

Mowry calls for two shades of yarn, 360 yards each, though the pattern lends itself to using up smaller quantities of yarn in multiple colors – check out the projects on Ravelry to get a sense of the possibilities!

Here are a few ideas from our own sport weight section here at the shop.

  • Kelbourne Woolens Andorra: sport weight, 60% merino, 20% highland wool, 20% mohair, 185 yards/50 g; $12 each
  • Malabrigo Arroyo: sport weight, hand-dyed, 100% superwash merino wool, 335 yards/100g; $20 each

  • Ewe Ewe Sporty: sport weight, 100% superwash merino wool, 145 yards/50 grams; $11 each
  • Alchemy Sanctuary: sport weight, hand-dyed, 70% wool, 30% silk, 125 yards/50g; $34 each

  • Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light: sport weight, 50% wool, 50% alpaca, 144 yards/50 g; $8 each
  • Schoppel-Wolle Zauberwolle: sport weight, marled, self-striping, 100% merino wool, 273 yards/100 g; $23 each

Swing by the shop or reach out if any of these combinations catches your eye – we’re happy to help calculate yardage or answer any questions that come up as you plan an “Inclinations Cowl” of your own!

Back in stock: Modern Cotton!

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Berroco Modern Cotton is a staple around here, an economical, machine-washable blend of cotton and rayon in that versatile gauge, worsted weight. It was time for a restock and restock we did, filling our Modern Cotton bins and brightening up our selection.

Berroco Modern Cotton:

  • worsted weight
  • solid colors
  • 50% cotton, 50% rayon
  • 209 yards/100 grams
  • $10 each

Modern Cotton is perfect for warm-weather knits, or year-round for those allergic to wool. It’s also a favorite for baby things – here are some pattern ideas for all of the above!

Look for Modern Cotton in the worsted weight section here at our shop!

Show and tell: colorwork.

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Time for another round of show and tell, this time featuring colorwork projects!

Susan knit this “Pātikitiki Hat” with Brooklyn Tweed Dapple, a mesmerizing colorwork pattern by Francoise Danoy.

Here’s another inspiring colorwork hat – Becki’s “Kasilof,” knit with Brooklyn Tweed Tones. Pattern by Caitlin Hunter.

Linda sent us this photo of her finished “Hinterland,” knit with Mountain Meadow Wool Cody for the main color and Malabrigo Arroyo for the contrast. Pattern by Jennifer Steingass.

Same pattern, same yarns, different Linda – another gorgeous “Hinterland” is underway! I always love seeing the same pattern in different colors.

Here’s Pam in her “Embers” pullover, knit with Brooklyn Tweed Ranch 03; pattern by Tin Can Knits. Pam loves colorwork knitting, and came with two other sweaters for show and tell, too!

Here’s her “Illuminate” pullover, also knit with Brooklyn Tweed Ranch 03. She omitted the stripes on the body and chose high contrast colors for a more graphic effect at the yoke, and it looks great in this smooth, solid yarn. Pattern by Andrea Mowry.

Here’s Pam’s third finished sweater, “Bean & Olive,” knit with Berroco Ultra Wool DK. Pattern by Andrea Mowry.

Thanks to Susan, Becki, Linda, Linda, and Pam 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.

Show and tell!

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Back with more show and tell! Here’s another batch of completed projects made with yarns from our shop. If you follow us on Instagram, some of these may look familiar – let’s take a closer look at these beautiful knits.

Here’s Peggy’s “Kith,” a striped shawl knit with Tukuwool Fingering. Her bold choice of contrast color really makes the short row sections pop out! Pattern by Justyna Lorkowska.

Wendy brought in her “Nightshift” shawl for us to admire, knit with Malabrigo Rios – a popular yarn choice for a very popular pattern by Andrea Mowry.

Margaretta knit this sweet baby “Festival Sweater” with Berroco Ultra Wool DK – love the playful contrast colors! Pattern by PetiteKnit.

We were delighted when Rosi sent us photos of her recently completed “River Otter” – she knit this cute critter with Berroco Ultra Wool, then made the fish with Fibre Co. Acadia. Pattern by Sara Elizabeth Kellner.

Anne has been busy knitting hats! In an attempt to clean up her leftover bits and bobs, she made the first three hats holding two to five strands of yarn together for a super bulky gauge and fun marled colors.

The gray hat above is “Wister,” by Courtney Kelley, knit with Ewe Ewe Baa Baa Bulky, and the striped hat is made with leftover Malabrigo Caracol. Earth Guild’s “Super Simple Circular Hat Calculator” is her go-to pattern, making it easy to knit any size at any gauge.

Thanks to Peggy, Wendy, Margaretta, Rosi and Anne 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.

Pom Pom Quarterly: Winter 2021.

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The Winter 2021 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly has arrived here at the shop!

Rhythm is the theme for this issue, and it shows in the texture and colorwork patterns as well as the prose. “Polyrhythm,” the striking sweater on the cover, was designed by Johanna Kunin for Berroco Ultra Wool.

We were particularly excited to see an essay on craft and rhythm from designer Felicity Ford.

The star of this show, however, is all the sweater patterns – most for knitters, but one to crochet!

Pom Pom Quarterly is $18.50 – order online and we can ship it to you, or you can come by to pick it up here at the shop, no appointment needed! Along with this issue, we also have the Summer 2019, Autumn 2019, Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Autumn 2020, Spring 2021, and Summer 2021 issues in stock – preview them on our blog and get in touch if you’d like to add them to your Pom Pom collection!

Show and tell: little sweaters.

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Back with more show and tell! Here’s another batch of completed projects made with yarns from our shop. If you follow us on Instagram, some of these may look familiar – let’s take a closer look at these sweet sweaters for babies and children.

Pam knit this “Ezra” cardigan with Brooklyn Tweed Dapple, a DK weight blend of merino and organic cotton. The skeins vary from light to dark, giving a special tonal look to each garment knit with Dapple.

Here’s Janese’s “Baby Surprise Jacket,” knit with Malabrigo Rios. Elizabeth Zimmermann’s classic pattern is knit all in one piece, then folded up and seamed at the shoulders. Instead of alternating skeins to blend the hand-dyed colors, Janese knit all the way through her first skein before switching to the second, letting the uniqueness of each one shine through – we love the result!

Emily knit the “Baby Colorwork Cardigan” above with Brooklyn Tweed Peerie, a favorite yarn she’s returned to for project after project. With so many kinds of yarn to choose from, this is high praise for Peerie!

Above is Rosi’s “Dog Star,” a beloved Tin Can Knits pattern that Anne and I have each made several times. Rosi used Berroco Ultra Wool DK for the main color and Malabrigo Arroyo for the contrast color and cuffs.

Here are two of Anne’s finished knits, from the last batch of sweaters she made for her grandchildren. Above is “Atlas (For Kids)” knit with Brooklyn Tweed Loft, and below is “Leaf Sweater for Kids,” knit with Malabrigo Sock.

She’s already three sweaters into the next round of knits for her grandchildren – looking forward to sharing them with you here as they emerge from her knitting bag!

Thanks to Pam, Janese, Emily, Rosi and Anne for letting me share these inspiring knits. We love to see what all of you are making, and sincerely thank anyone who starts a project with a trip to the Hillsborough Yarn Shop!