Hello, Fibre Company Arranmore.

Posted by Julia on August 28, 2016

We’re excited to announce the newest yarn from the Fibre Company, Arranmore!

Arranmore is a bulky weight tweed, composed of 80% merino, 10% cashmere, and 10% silk. It knits up quickly at a gauge of 3.5 – 4.25 stitches per inch, using US 8-10 needles. Though it’s thick and warm, it’s not heavy; with 175 yards on each 100 gram skein, it’s quite lofty for a bulky yarn.

Arranmore is spun in a mill that traces its roots to the tweed industry of 19th century County Donegal in Ireland. Like any classic tweed, Arranmore is dotted with flecks of fiber in contrasting colors, and like any Fibre Company yarn, its colorways and fiber content have been thoughtfully fashioned. Read more about the fascinating process behind Arranmore on the Kelbourne Woolens blog!

Anne picked up two sweaters-worth of Arranmore on our TNNA trip so we could have shop samples ready before our order even came in. Though we’ve been knitting as fast as we can, and Arranmore truly seems to knit itself some days, our sweaters are still on the needles.

Keep your eye on the blog for more on the glorious pattern collection that accompanies Arranmore’s release!

New colors from the Fibre Company.

Posted by Julia on January 11, 2016

Every so often, we get word that one yarn company or another has developed new colors, broadening their spectrum and filling in gaps. When the word came recently from the Fibre Company, we put in our order right away for new colors in Road to China Lace and Knightsbridge.

Road to China Lace is a relatively new Fibre Company yarn for us, a 2 ply lace weight blend of 65% baby alpaca, 15% silk, 10% camel, and 10% cashmere. Each 100 gram skein boasts 656 yards, enough for a good sized shawl. These four bright new shades bring a certain whimsy to the Road to China Lace color palette.

Knightsbridge is a soft and fuzzy blend of llama, merino, and silk, a light worsted weight yarn that knits up comfortably between 5 and 5.5 stitches per inch.

Knightsbridge also got four new colors, but they’re more muted and rustic, in keeping with the existing selection.

Look to our Pinterest page for Lace weight and Worsted weight pattern ideas, and come by the shop to plan your next project. Have any of you faithful readers worked with Road to China Lace or Knightsbridge before? Feel free to leave a comment and tell us what you made.

See you at the shop!

Back in stock: Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere.

Posted by Julia on November 16, 2015

Every year at TNNA, we visit the Dream in Color booth and pick out a new palette of Smooshy with Cashmere. Their selection of colors is overwhelming, ever-expanding, and cannot be contained by a color-card, so we wait to order until we can see them all in person.

Anne and I were delighted when a box arrived last week from Dream in Color, bursting with ten new shades of Smooshy with Cashmere and another special something that I’ll save for a later blog post.

Smooshy with Cashmere is an aptly-named blend of 70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, and 10% nylon. It’s hand-dyed in variegated and semi-solid colorways, deliciously soft and squishy, perfect for next-to-skin wear. It makes an amazing pair of socks or a special scarf, shawl, or cowl. Look for pattern ideas on our “Fingering weight” board over on Pinterest.

Look for Smooshy with Cashmere in the fingering weight section, and keep it in mind when an especially luxurious pair of socks is needed. See you at the shop!

Hello, Fibre Company Road to China Lace.

Posted by Julia on August 30, 2015

We didn’t hold back when we visited the Fibre Company booth at TNNA this year. Not only did we order their newest yarn, Cumbria, we also picked up two other Fibre Company yarns that are new to the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. Meet Road to China Lace.

Road to China Lace is a 2 ply lace weight blend of 65% baby alpaca, 15% silk, 10% camel, and 10% cashmere. It’s lustrous, silky, and slightly fuzzy, ideal for luxurious lace projects. Each 100 gram skein boasts 656 yards, enough for a good sized shawl.

If this special yarn piques your interest, check out Laura Nelkin’s Pathways Collection for Kelbourne Woolens, featuring shawls, cowls, and shrugs knit in Road to China Lace. Also take a peek at our “Lace weight” board on Pinterest for more pattern ideas. See you at the shop!

Hello, MJ Opulent Fingering.

Posted by Julia on March 31, 2015

Another new yarn has found its way to the shop this Spring: meet MJ Opulent Fingering.

Based in Lafayette, Colorado, MJ Yarns specializes in variegated and semi-solid colorways, with short color runs to minimize pooling.

Opulent Fingering is a tightly-plied blend of 80% superwash merino, 10% cashmere, and 10% nylon, with 416 yards on each 100 gram skein. It’s perfect for a special pair of socks, a cowl, shawl, or pair of mitts.

MJ Yarns offers a selection of free patterns on their website; consider also the “Willow Cowl,” “Starshower” cowl, and “Multnomah” shawlette, all of which are well-suited to variegated fingering weight yarns. Look for more pattern inspiration on the “Fingering weight” board on the HYS Pinterest page. See you at the shop!

New colors in Smooshy with Cashmere.

Posted by Julia on February 15, 2015

We recently restocked our cubby of Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere, a luxurious blend of merino, cashmere, and nylon.

At 20% cashmere, Smooshy with Cashmere has more cashmere content than many other merino/cashmere/nylon blends we’ve run into. It’s a treat for the hands as you’re stitching, and makes a particularly plush finished product.

Hand-dyed in semi-solid and variegated colorways, Smooshy with Cashmere is a special skein for special projects: an heirloom baby garment, a cuddly pair of socks or mitts, a comforting cowl or shawl.

When it really needs to be soft as can be, consider Smooshy with Cashmere. Come by the shop to take a look; you’ll find it in the fingering weight section. See you there!

Back in stock: Caper Sock.

Posted by Julia on February 9, 2015

We’re so glad to have new colors in String Theory Caper Sock!

Caper Sock is a fingering weight blend of superwash merino wool, cashmere, and nylon. It’s sturdy enough for sock-knitting, as its name suggests, but soft enough for shawls, scarves, cowls, hats, or mitts–just about anything you’d wear next-to-skin.

Each skein boasts 400 yards, enough to make a variety of small projects. Searching patterns on Ravelry, I found that one skein of Caper Sock will make just about any pair of socks, Joji Locatelli’s “To infinity and beyond” cowl, Jennifer Dassau’s “Picabeau” shawlette, or Stephen West’s “Pogona” shawlette. Can’t decide on just one color? Two will make Carina Spencer’s “Catkin” shawl, Veera Välimäki’s “Halfway Wrap,” or my own “North Arrow” scarf.

Come by the shop to pick up a skein or two or String Theory Caper Sock! You’ll find Caper Sock in the fingering weight section, with lots of other tempting hand-dyed yarns.

Back in stock: String Theory sock yarns.

Posted by Julia on September 12, 2014

Our supply of String Theory sock yarns has been getting dangerously low, a problem we’re always thrilled to correct because it means picking out colors! Karen Grover and Tanis Williams, the amazing dyers at String Theory, create so many delightful, memorable colorways. Many of them have become favorites that we must order if they’re available, but we always love to see new colors, too. Our most recent order brought some of both.

Bluestocking is a lustrous sock yarn, composed of 80% superwash Bluefaced Leicester wool and 20% nylon, for durability. I’ve tested its durability with my own two feet, having knit a pair of socks with a skein of Bluestocking back in 2012. They’ve survived two winters of frequent wear and are still going strong.

Anne has worked with Bluestocking, too, and came back to it for a new project this past week. Her sweet three-year-old grandson recently visited the shop for a quick hug and hello. Anne pointed to the String Theory cubby and said, “You can pick any color you like, and I’ll make you a pair of socks.” Purple it is!

String Theory’s other sock yarn, Caper Sock, is a plump and springy blend of 80% superwash merino wool, 10% cashmere, and 10% nylon.

The tight twist and the nylon content ensures that Caper Sock is sturdy enough to withstand the kind of wear that socks put up with, but it’s great for other garments, as well. My “North Arrow” scarf in Caper Sock is on display at the shop, so you can feel for yourself how nicely it knits up.

Come by the shop to dig into the String Theory cubby yourself! See you there.

Back in stock: Smooshy with Cashmere.

Posted by Julia on August 17, 2014

The order we placed this May has arrived, and the colors are even more vivid than I remembered. We picked a variety of colors, from brights to deep darks, and soft, muted shades.

Can’t decide on just one color? Consider the following patterns, each of which uses two 100 gram skeins of fingering weight yarn in contrasting colors: Veera Välimäki‘s “Stripe Study Shawl,” Louise Zass-Bangham’s “Foolproof” cowl, or my own “North Arrow” scarf. Check out the “Inspiring Stitches” board on our Pinterest page for more pattern ideas!

Come by the shop to see and touch Smooshy with Cashmere for yourself, and pick a color or two for your next project!

Post-Market Sale spotlight: Sublime Cashmere/Merino/Silk DK.

Posted by Julia on May 25, 2014

From Friday May 23rd through June 29th, we will have select yarns discounted during our Post-Market Sale: single skeins will be reduced by 30% and full bags of 10 will be 40% off! Throughout the sale, I’ll be highlighting some of these yarns and giving ideas for what to make with them. Today: spotlight on Sublime Cashmere/Merino/Silk DK.

Sublime’s Cashmere/Merino/Silk DK is a springy, many-plied dk weight yarn composed of all the fibers it’s named for. Cashmere makes it oh-so-soft, merino wool brings a pleasant bouncy quality, and silk gives this yarn a slight lustre.

It’s well-behaved on the needles or hook, machine-washable, and comes in a huge range of colors, from pastels to jewel tones to crayon-brights to neutrals.

All of these qualities make it perfectly suited to a range of projects, garments and accessories alike, for babies, children, and adults.

Sublime Cashmere/Merino Silk DK is also a great choice for blanket-making. Consider the “Honeycomb Stroller Blanket,” “Neat Ripple Pattern,” “Missoni Inspired Chevron Blanket,” and “Granny Stripes”–all free blanket patterns that encourage freewheeling color-mixing, one of the major joys of blankets, I think.

The pattern I keep thinking of, however, requires only 7 skeins–Purl Soho’s “Super Easy Baby Blanket,” a simple color-block garter stitch crib blanket. That’s why each of the photos today show groups of 7 colors. Once I started playing the “Super Easy Baby Blanket” colorway game, I had a hard time stopping.

Look for more pattern ideas for Sublime Cashmere/Merino/Silk DK on our “Post-Market Sale” Pinterest board, and come by the shop soon to have the best selection of this gorgeous yarn at this nice price. Here at the beginning of the sale, we have full bags available in many colors, but they may not last long–hope to see you at the shop soon!

A reminder: all sales are final on discounted yarn. There can be no returns or exchanges, nor special orders–the discount applies only to what we currently have in stock. Thanks!