Tag Archives: colorwork

Andorra Collection Trunk Show!

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We’re delighted to announce that the Kelbourne Woolens Andorra Collection Trunk Show has arrived!

Andorra is the first yarn under the Kelbourne Woolens imprint, a bouncy sport weight blend of merino and highland wool with a dash of mohair. It’s a wooly, lustrous 2-ply with a medium twist, not too tight or loose, and especially after knitting, it looks pleasantly fuzzy.

The Andorra Collection covers so much in just six patterns: rich texture, tidy cables, classic lace, and Bohus-inspired colorwork.

Come by the shop before February 18th to see these garments for yourself, and get 10% off Kelbourne Woolens Andorra!

Show and tell: Barrington Vests.

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Last year, Amy taught two classes here at the shop on Jared Flood’s “Barrington Vest,” a colorwork garment that appeared in our first-ever Brooklyn Tweed trunk show. With an all-over honeycomb pattern, tailored fit, and steeked neck and arm openings, “Barrington” is a complex knit that presents plenty of opportunities for learning. So far, we’ve seen four finished garments come out of these classes, and I can’t wait to share them with you!

No surprise, Amy finished her “Barrington Vest” first – instructors always get a head start on the projects they teach. She used Brooklyn Tweed Loft in Almanac and Snowbound, a rich blue and pale gray, a high contrast combination.

Ruth also opted for a high contrast combination of Loft in Old World and Woodsmoke, a deep purpley blue and a light oatmeal. I was delighted to see her wearing her “Barrington Vest” at the shop a couple of weeks ago; there is something so satisfying about wearing one’s own handiwork!

Iva chose a somewhat more subtle pair of colors, Loft in Sweatshirt and Fossil.

These two shades, a medium heathered gray and a warm ivory, have just as much contrast as Amy and Ruth’s color combinations, but the effect is somehow a little softer to my eye – one of those little knitting mysteries I haven’t the color theory background to solve.

Linda knit her “Barrington Vest” in Artifact and Woodsmoke, the same colors shown in the pattern photo. She brought it in to show us on a busy Saturday at the shop, and when I cleared a surface to photograph it, other knitters gathered around it in admiration. Yarn shoppers are perhaps the best audience for show and tell!

Thanks to these knitters for sharing their work with us, and especially for participating in classes here at the shop. We feel so lucky to have such talented teachers on our team, and students who are excited to learn more about their craft. I’m so looking forward to seeing more “Barrington Vests” as they’re completed!

More Bousta Beanies.

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Back in September, I wrote about Gudrun Johnston’s “Bousta Beanie,” a three-color fair-isle hat that I find absolutely irresistible. Since then, Anne has knit one, I’ve knit two, and so many of you have started on “Bousta Beanies” of your own!

Anne knit this “Bousta Beanie” for her daughter, adding a little extra length and a folded brim to keep her ears warm during New York winters. The main yarn is Tukuwool Fingering, and the inside hem is made with the extra-soft Isager Alpaca 2.

If you want to add a folded brim to your own hat, check out this Kelbourne Woolens tutorial on the subject – it helps to see it at several steps throughout the process.

Joanne knit the “Bousta Beanie” above with Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift, which offers an unparalleled selection of colors – we have 126 in stock at my last count!

Here’s my first “Bousta Beanie,” knit with Tukuwool Fingering. I selected two light shades and one dark, putting one of the lights in the background for a low-contrast effect. I had enough yarn left to knit a second and probably even a third, rearranging the color placement to make good use of the yardage. For my second, I placed the darkest color in the background, which caused the two lighter shades to pop out in the foreground.

I love how both hats turned out, though they’re very different; it was fun just to see what happened as the colors came together, row by row.

Anyone else out there knitting “Bousta Beanies”? We’d love to see them and hear about what yarns and color combinations worked best for you!

Candy Darling.

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One of the great pleasures of our work here at the shop is making samples that show how our yarns knit up, and that hopefully inspire our customers in their own creative projects. When it was time to make a sample in Fibre Co. Arranmore Light, it was easy to decide what to make. Colorwork is one of Anne’s favorite knitting techniques, so “Candy Darling” stood out from the Kelbourne Woolens Pop Collection.

“Candy Darling” is a three-color hat and mitten set in high contrast colors, with stripes in all directions and playful geometric motifs. The hat pattern includes instructions for three different color arrangements, so that you can make good use of three skeins of Arranmore Light – there’s enough yardage among them for at least three hats.

And three is just how many “Candy Darling” hats Anne knit this fall. The first was a sample for the shop – look for it on a hat-stand in our DK weight section – and the next two went to her granddaughters.

Left to right: Arranmore Light in Malin Head, Slieve Sunset, and St. Clare.

Often when I’m selecting multiple colors for a knitting project, I look at them through the black and white filter on my camera. This grayscale effect shows the contrast in the value of the colors, and how they relate to one another. For example, “Candy Darling” is shown in black, hot pink, and white, a punchy combination of dark, medium, and light.

Here are a variety of other color combinations in Arranmore Light that have similar spreads of dark, medium, and light.

Left to right: Arranmore Light in Meara, Odhran, and River Esque.

Left to right: Arranmore Light in Ciaran, Cronan, and St. Clare.

Left to right: Arranmore Light in Ruari, Bradan, and St. Clare.

Left to right: Arranmore Light in Kinnego Bay, Orla, and Narin Beach.

 

This is just a starting place, of course – there is so much to choose from, and the great fun in colorwork projects is seeing how they all come together as you knit. Come by the shop to start a “Candy Darling” trio all your own!

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!

Bousta Beanies.

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Lately I am enamored of Gudrun Johnston’s “Bousta Beanie,” the official hat pattern of Shetland Wool Week 2017. I downloaded it from Ravelry as soon as it was published back in March, but it zoomed to the top of my queue when a knitter brought one in for show and tell.

This is Kerry’s first “Bousta Beanie,” knit with Brooklyn Tweed Loft. Her bold color choice perfectly complements the graphic motif of the pattern, an eye-catching combination. While I snapped pictures, muttering about how badly I wanted to knit one of my own, Kerry selected a second colorway in Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift. Now that I’ve cast on for a “Bousta Beanie,” I can understand how this might happen. It’s downright exhilarating to watch the colors come together, to see how one affects another depending upon the placement, and it gives you ideas for the next hat.

I’m knitting mine in the brand new Tukuwool Fingering, a Finnish wool that is as well-suited to stranded colorwork as Shetland wool. I have little to no interest in wearing hats, but I still like to make them now and again, usually to audition a yarn that intrigues me. I chose colors I’m somewhat inexplicably drawn to, though they’re nowhere to be seen in my wardrobe. Simply put: knitting this “Bousta Beanie” has been somewhat impulsive, and deliciously fun.

Anne is starting a “Bousta Beanie” in Tukuwool Fingering, too, a playful combination of mustard yellow, red, and natural gray. Here are a few more “Bousta Beanie” color ideas, since I can hardly keep my hands out of the Tukuwool basket.

Consider these a jumping-off point as you dream up your own colorway, which I can’t wait to see!

Don’t stop at Tukuwool, however – we have many lovely fingering weight yarns that are well-suited to this pattern. Consider Baa Ram Ewe Titus, Fibre Co. Cumbria Fingering, and Isager Alpaca 2 along with Loft and Shetland Spindrift. See you at the shop!

BT Yokes Trunk Show!

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Our walls are newly decorated with a Brooklyn Tweed Trunk Show! Visit us by Sunday, May 28th, to see the BT Yokes collection in all its glory.

BT Yokes is primarily a collection of pullover sweaters, though there are a couple of cleverly shaped cowls in the group. All of these pieces are informed by a long tradition of handknit sweaters with circular yokes across the North Atlantic. Read more about it on the BT blog for greater insight into that history, and if your interest is piqued, come by the shop to pick up a copy of Kate Davies’ superb Yokes.

Some of the garments in the BT Yokes collection are knit with Loft, and others with Shelter; one chunky cabled pullover is made with Quarry, Brooklyn Tweed’s bulky weight yarn. Though we don’t currently stock Quarry here at the shop, we’re happy to special order it for you, and we do have the colorcard so you can see all the shades in person.

Loft and Shelter we keep in good supply – it’s such a pleasure to have every available shade here on our shelves, and it makes it so much easier to play with color combinations for fair isle patterns like these!

I was particularly pleased to see one of the marls in Shelter put to good use on the body of the “Atlas” pullover; it can be hard to picture how marls will knit up, so a good-sized sample is more than welcome.

We’re offering a 10% discount on these three Brooklyn Tweed yarns during the Trunk Show, so hurry in to take a look, try some sweaters on for size, and plan your next project. We even have a few spaces left in our Brooklyn Tweed Yarn Tasting, if you’d like to spend a Sunday morning trying four BT yarns and getting 15% off a BT purchase during the event. We limit registration to 15 people, on account of our small space, so sign up now to claim one of the last spaces!

See you at the shop!

 

A reminder: all sales are final on discounted yarn. There can be no returns or exchanges. Thanks! 

Mason-Dixon Knitting Field Guide No. 2: Fair Isle.

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The second installment of the Mason-Dixon Knitting Field Guide series is here, and going fast! Let’s take a peek inside.

Ann Shayne and Kay Gardiner are the knitters, designers, and writers behind Mason-Dixon Knitting, a long-running blog that has evolved into an online community and growing list of publications. Their latest endeavor is the Mason-Dixon Knitting Field Guides, pocket-sized booklets focused on a particular knitting technique, featuring the approachable patterns and humorous musings these two are known for.

Fair isle knitting is a favorite technique of mine, and Anne’s, too; if you’re intrigued, this little book is a fine and friendly introduction. It features three patterns, one of which is a cozy colorwork pullover in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter, pictured above. Below, another of our favorite yarns is put to good work in a colorwork cowl and hat: Swans Island All American Sport.

Come by the shop to pick up the Mason-Dixon Knitting Field Guide No. 2!

Snow day show and tell.

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The shop was closed today for inclement weather, and as the snow quietly fell this morning, Anne texted me some knitterly show-and-tell from her friend Sherri. A snow day is a good one for show-and-tell; let’s take a peek at some of the recently-completed projects that started their lives as yarns here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop.

Above, Sherri’s daughter in law models the Churchmouse “Easy Folded Poncho” Sherri knit for her with Shibui Dune, a soft and lustrous blend of alpaca, camel, and silk.

A couple of weeks ago, I shared a bundle of colorwork projects here on the blog, only to have Judie walk through our door the next day wearing this beautiful sweater. Consider this an addendum! The pattern is Courtney Kelley’s “St. Brendan,” and the yarn is the rustic yet luxurious Fibre Company Arranmore. Judie changed the color palette just slightly from the pattern photo, switching the ribbing color from dark gray to a warm camel – a small adjustment that makes a big difference and looks great.

Above is the first of Margaretta’s “January Mitts,” knit with Fibre Company Cumbria Fingering. I have a special fondness for this yarn, as I’ve shared before, and it’s especially nice to see its sharp stitch definition in this lace and bobble pattern.

Speaking of Fibre Company yarns and of sharp stitch definition, here’s Leah’s exquisitely textured “Arctic Circle” cowl, knit with Fibre Company Tundra. This was her first project after completing a Beginning Knitting class here at the shop, and it’s clear it wont be her last – well done, Leah!

Loretta knit this “Arrowhead Shawl” with Swans Island All American Worsted, a soft yet sturdy blend of US-sourced Rambouillet wool and alpaca. The traditional guernsey stitch patterns are placed on a stockinette background for a subtle effect, one that’s harder to capture on camera than it is to perceive in person.

Thanks to all who begin their projects with a trip to the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, and thanks especially for bringing them back to share your work with us! Hope everyone stayed safe and warm this snowy weekend, and spent some time stitching. We’ll be open again at our regular hours on Tuesday, January 10th.

Show and tell: colorwork.

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We love to see finished projects that started life as yarn on our shelves, and when I’m able, I love to photograph them and share them here on the blog. I noticed a theme running through my current stash of show-and-tell photos: colorwork. I’m defining that term broadly to include stripes, colorblocks, stranded knitting and intarsia – all the myriad methods for changing colors as you knit.

We’ll begin with Margie, who brought two special pieces in for us to see, both designed by Kieran Foley. Above is “Lotus Crescent,” a unique shawl bursting with techniques from lace to stranded knitting to intarsia – sometimes all three in the space of one row! Margie used Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift for this one, eager to play with the large color palette.

Kieran Foley’s patterns are not for the faint of heart, but Margie persevered. Below is her “Zanzibar” scarf, knit with Schoppel-Wolle Crazy Zauberball and a variety of fingering weight scraps.

Loretta knit Melanie Berg’s “Drachenfels” shawl with three shades of Fibre Company Cumbria Fingering, a yarn she’s since used for mittens and has come to love.

This adorable “Pandamonium” hat was Wanda’s first attempt at stranded knitting, and she did a great job! The yarn is Rowan Pure Wool Superwash DK, and she came back for more to make another colorwork hat, encouraged by the success of this one.

Margaretta knit this “3 Color Cashmere Cowl” with Fibre Company Canopy Fingering in a most appealing trio of colors: two greens and a dark charcoal. It was a beautiful combination when I first saw it as three skeins of yarn, only to grow more beautiful as Margaretta stitched them into a cozy cowl.

Ruth knit the “Dreambird” shawl below using Schoppel-Wolle Starke 6 and Swans Island Natural Colors Merino Fingering, with help from a class on the subject here at the shop. The pairing of a self-striping yarn with a semi-solid hand-dyed yarn is a striking one for this pattern, perfect for showing off the short-row shaping.

Thanks to the knitters, crocheters, and weavers who bring in their work to show us what they’ve made! You inspire and amaze us, and we can’t wait to see what you get into next. Hope to see you at the shop soon, but do note our holiday hours, which are always posted on the main page of our website:

Saturday, Dec. 24: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Sunday, Dec. 25: closed

Saturday, Dec. 31st: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Sunday, Jan. 1st, 2017: closed