Tag Archives: brooklyn tweed

Show and tell: for Anne’s grandchildren.

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Earlier this year, Anne set a lofty goal: she would knit a sweater for each of her five grandchildren for Hanukkah. When she mentioned this in conversation at the shop, eyes would widen in disbelief – even child-sized sweaters represent an awful lot of knitting, after all. For her granddaughters, she picked Anna Johanna’s “Taimi,” pattern, a colorwork yoke pullover from Strands of Joy, and for her grandsons, “Fresko,” a cabled pullover. She spent every possible moment knitting these sweet sweaters, determined to complete them in time. Anne is a woman of her word, and a determined one – even with this year’s early Hanukkah, she completed the five sweaters in time. Quite a feat!

Here’s “Taimi” in Swans Island All American Sport, with Malabrigo Caprino as the contrast color.

Here’s “Taimi” in Brooklyn Tweed Ranch 03, with Alchemy Sanctuary as the contrast color.

Here are a pair of “Freskos” in Malabrigo Mecha, for her twin grandsons.

Here’s the littlest sweater for the littlest grandchild, another “Fresko,” in Brooklyn Tweed Quarry.

Above is a close up on a heartfelt detail – Anne ordered custom tags on Etsy for these heirloom knits, reading “Made with love by Bubbie.”

Hope you’ve met your own holiday knitting goals this season!

Amirisu, Issue 23.

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A new issue of Amirisu is here!

Amirisu is a knitting magazine based in Japan, each issue filled with articles, interviews, and patterns from designers all over the world.

Helga Isager, Veronik Avery, Dianna Walla, Sari Nordlund, Paula Pereira and others have contributed to this issue, designing garments and accessories inspired by their favorite films.

I spotted some familiar fibers in this issue – a marled pullover in Isager Spinni and Silk Mohair, a twisted stitch cardigan in Brooklyn Tweed Arbor, and another in Shelter, though Tones would make a lovely substitute.

Amirisu often includes crafts other than knitting, and this issue has a machine quilting tutorial.

Amirisu is $24 – swing by to pick up a copy or order online for local pickup or shipping!

Silk Mohair + fingering weight.

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We’ve seen so many patterns lately that call for a lace weight mohair paired with fingering weight wool – sometimes solid, sometimes variegated, always creating an enticing fuzzy fabric. Isager Silk Mohair is just the yarn for this, and we’ve got loads of options in the fingering weight section here at our shop – you’ll find a few ideas below, and keep scrolling for patterns!

  • Isager Silk Mohair: lace weight, 70% kid mohair, 30% silk, 233 yards/25 g; $16 each
  • Brooklyn Tweed Loft: fingering weight, 100% Targhee-Columbia wool, 275 yards/50 g; $18.75 each

  • Koigu KPPPM: fingering weight, hand dyed, 100% superwash merino wool, 175 yards/50 g; $15.50 each

What to knit with these yarn pairings? Here are some ideas:

Sweaters:

Accessories:

See you at the shop!

Silk Mohair + Quarry.

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Isager Silk Mohair is the newest yarn here at our shop, a fine and fluffy yarn that plays well with others. We are particularly enthused about pairing it with Brooklyn Tweed Quarry, a woolen spun yarn found in our bulky weight section. Silk Mohair brings softness and a fuzzy halo to Quarry, which is lofty and structured, ideal for a cozy winter sweater.

Anne knit up a simple hat with this alluring combination, following Earth Guild’s “Super Simple Circular Hat Calculator.”

  • Isager Silk Mohair: lace weight, 70% kid mohair, 30% silk, 233 yards/25 g, $16 each
  • Brooklyn Tweed Quarry: bulky weight, 100% Targhee-Columbia wool, 200 yards/100 g, $25 each

One skein of each will make a hat like Anne’s; here are some more pattern ideas for this yarn pairing!

Look for Isager Silk Mohair in the lace weight section and Brooklyn Tweed Quarry in the bulky weight section – see you at the shop!

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.

Pam has been busy making “Rainy Day Hats” with Pascuali Balayage – we love her modification to include more contrast colors, and more stripes! Pattern by Melanie Berg.

Here’s Hazel’s “Cloves Entwined Toque,” knit with Koigu KPPPM and Isager Alpaca 1 held together. Pattern by Tif Neilan.

Here’s another Koigu project – Linda in her “Solstice Sunset” shawl, knit with KPPPM and Shibui Silk Cloud held together throughout. Pattern by Andrea Hungerford.

Here’s Elizabeth with her “Slipstravaganza,” an impressive shawl knit with Malabrigo Sock during last year’s WestKnits MKAL. Pattern by Stephen West.

Michele came in wearing her lovely “Purl Strings,” a pullover she knit with Brooklyn Tweed Dapple. Pattern by Heidi Kirrmeier.

Thanks to Pam, Hazel, Linda, Elizabeth, 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.

Shelter or Tones + Ramblewood shawl.

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Tamy Gore’s newest pattern caught my eye – check out “Ramblewood,” a five color shawl knit in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter.

“Ramblewood,” by Tamy Gore, photo © Tamy Gore

This triangular shawl features slipped stitches, stripes, and eyelets, the techniques shifting from section to section. I love the colors Tamy Gore put together for the “Ramblewood” pictured above – a neutral palette of grays with an autumnal pop of mossy green and amber.

Brooklyn Tweed Shelter: worsted weight, 100% Targhee-Columbia wool, 140 yards/50 g; $16.50 each, or $115.50 for seven skeins needed to knit “Ramblewood.”

I put together a few more color combinations in both Shelter and Tones, pairing other pops of color with these neutrals.

Brooklyn Tweed Tones: worsted weight, 100% Columbia wool, 140 yards/50 g; $16.75 each, or $117.25 for seven skeins needed to knit “Ramblewood.”

Order online if one of these colorways piques your interest – we’re also open for drop-in shopping, no appointment required, from 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays. See you at the shop!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Sunflower.

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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.

Koigu KPPPM:

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

This month’s special colorway is Sunflower, a vibrant blend of yellow, gold, brown, and green.

When I unpacked it, I thought of Anne’s most recent sweaters for her granddaughters, colorwork yokes that use a solid shade in the background and a variegated for the contrast color.

I found a few shades in Brooklyn Tweed Peerie that seemed to speak directly to Sunflower, then looked to Jennifer Steingass and her dazzling portfolio of stranded patterns.

“Lightwood Cowl,” by Jennifer Steingass, photo © Jennifer Steingass

The yarn bundles pictured here include enough yardage for Steingass’s “Lightwood Cowl,” with Peerie as the Main Color and KPPPM as the Coordinating Color. If you’re craving a sweater project, also consider Steingass’s “Hinterland,” “Anaashah,” and “Nordic Nights” – we’re happy to help calculate yardage for your size!

Want to make a “Lightwood Cowl” of your own? 3 skeins of BT Peerie and 2 skeins of Koigu KPPPM come to $76.75 – order online if one of these strikes your fancy, or come by the shop to select your own combination! We’re open between 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays.

Yarn ideas for Stephen West’s “Shawlography” MKAL.

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We know many of you are fans of designer Stephen West and often participate in his annual Mystery Knit-Alongs – it’s that time of year again, and “Shawlography” is the pattern-to-be. It calls for five colors of fingering weight yarn, 100g each, and West’s motto for yarn selection this year is, “Say yes, don’t stress!” – as in, all kinds of fingering weight yarns are welcome here, and we have tons to choose from at the shop!

Lady Dye Superwash Fingering, $32 each

Stephen West made a very helpful video about color selection, and I watched it carefully before putting these combinations together. He suggests sticking with solid or semi-solid yarns for maximum contrast, though speckles may be used sparingly.

Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock, $34 each

It’s important to have some light colors, some medium, and some dark for this design – this provides contrast as the colors interact with one another throughout the shawl.

Kelbourne Woolens Perennial, $26 each

Kelbourne Woolens Perennial, $26 each

One strategy West recommends is selecting five shades from one color family, being sure to include lights, mediums, and darks.

Brooklyn Tweed Peerie, $15.25 each

Kelbourne Woolens Camper, $9.50 each

Another way to approach it – pick a gradient of neutral colors and one or two bright color pops.

Kelbourne Woolens Camper, $9.50 each

There are so many possibilities here at our shop – come by between 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays, and we’ll be happy to show you around! We’re still taking online orders for local pickup or shipping, too; just fill out our online form.

Brooklyn Tweed Peerie, $15.25 each

Join us for a Tones Knitalong!

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Brooklyn Tweed is celebrating the launch of their new yarn, Tones, with a Knitalong!

Cast on for any project you like using Tones, and use a Brooklyn Tweed pattern for an additional chance to win prizes in their Ravelry forum. The Knitalong runs from September 1 – November 3, after which winners will be randomly selected and announced by BT. Read all the details on the Brooklyn Tweed blog, and check out all our pattern ideas!

Anne and I have both cast on with Tones – above is my “Docklight” in progress in Melba Overtone. It’s my second time knitting this Julie Hoover pattern, and this time I’m modifying it a bit, omitting the lace and doing the whole sweater in fisherman’s rib.

Anne is more disciplined, and has only let herself knit a swatch-sized portion of this sleeve before finishing another project – her pattern is “Truss,” by Melissa Wehrle.

Look for Brooklyn Tweed Tones in the worsted weight section here at our shop – we’re open from 11:00 am – 5:30 pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays, for drop-in shopping, no appointment required!

What to knit with BT Tones?

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Brooklyn Tweed’s new yarn, Tones, is already turning heads here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. What to knit with this colorful stuff? Here are some ideas!

There are two new patterns especially for this yarn, Jared Flood’s “First Raglan Sweater” and Lis Smith’s “Sparkwood” cabled hat.

Because Tones can easily substitute for Shelter, there’s a world of patterns to choose from; here are some ideas from both the Brooklyn Tweed pattern archive and independent designers!

Garments:

BT Tones in Melba Overtone, a “Docklight” pullover-to-be.

Accessories:

BT Tones in Granita Overtone and Granita Undertone, soon to become a “Turbulence Cowl.”

Look for Brooklyn Tweed Tones in the worsted weight section here at our shop – we’re open from 11:00 am – 5:30 pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays, for drop-in shopping, no appointment required!