Tag Archives: dk weight

Nightshift.

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The knitters and crocheters who populate our shop are a diverse bunch, with all kinds of projects on their hands – any given week could find us suggesting yarns for striped shawls, intarsia cowls, granny square blankets, and all kinds of sweaters. When someone asks “What’s popular?” or “What’s everyone making around here?” I usually don’t know where to begin. Every once in a while, however, a particular pattern seems to appear on everyone’s needles.

Right now, that popular pattern is Andrea Mowry’s “Nightshift.” This triangular shawl is decorated with bands of a simple slip stitch pattern, the background and foreground colors changing every so often. It’s trimmed with an attached i-cord edging, then finished off with a clever striped i-cord bind off.

I made one with Malabrigo Caprino, selecting a variety of dark, medium, and light colors. It was fun to watch how they interacted with one another, sometimes popping out in high contrast, other times receding when the color values were close.

Joanne and Sue have “Nightshifts” going in Caprino, too – I love seeing the variety that’s possible even when these knitters were choosing from the same small selection of colors!

Emily recently finished her “Nightshift,” also made with Caprino, and models it here, though she plans to gift it to a friend in need.

We’ve also had folks reach for worsted weight yarns to make “Nightshifts,” a natural choice since that’s what the pattern calls for. Nancy and Pam both used Malabrigo Rios for their shawls, below:

Andrea Mowry has more than one “Shift” pattern, of course – below is Toya’s “Shiftalong” hat in progress, and the next item on her to-knit list is “The Shift” cowl. She’s using Malabrigo Arroyo and Caprino for both projects, combining semi-solids with speckles.

I can’t wait to see these projects complete, and all the other “Nightshifts” I know are underway out there. Happy stitching to all of you, and special thanks to those who shared their projects on the blog today!

Show and tell: Brooklyn Tweed Arbor.

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Time for another round of show and tell! We love to see what you all are making with yarn from our shop, and when I’m able, I take pictures so that I can share those projects here on the blog. Looking over my current collection of show and tell photos, I spotted a bunch in Brooklyn Tweed Arbor, which is currently 10% off as it’s featured in our BT Sample of the Month. With its sophisticated colors and superb stitch definition, Arbor is worth celebrating – here are a few great ways to use it!

Last year, Amy taught a couple of classes on Norah Gaughan’s “Geiger,” an intricately cabled and tailored cardigan knit with Arbor. Above is Amy in her completed garment, a perfect fit!

Leslie, Jane, and Linda also used Arbor for their own “Geiger” cardigans – bravo to all on completing these impressive sweaters!

Nancy also taught a sweater class featuring Arbor last year – above is her lovely “Newhaven” gansey, from Beth Brown-Reinsel’s classic Knitting Ganseys.

Above is April in her “#14 Arbor Cardigan,” another striking cabled cardigan designed by Norah Gaughan. She had some Arbor leftover and made the “Brioche Knots” hat below.

Emily recently made this pint-sized version of Andrea Mowry’s “Weekender” sweater for her daughter, taking advantage of Arbor’s smaller gauge to get the perfect fit.

Thanks to Amy, Leslie, Jane, Linda, Nancy, April, and Emily for sharing their Arbor projects with us, and thanks to everyone who starts their project with a trip to our shop! We can’t wait to see what comes off your needles next. If these talented knitters have inspired you, place an order during April to get Brooklyn Tweed Arbor at 10% off!

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

New colors in Brooklyn Tweed Arbor.

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Brooklyn Tweed recently released three new shades in Arbor, and we’re happy to have them here at the shop!

Brooklyn Tweed Arbor is a 3-ply DK weight yarn composed of 100% Targhee wool. Like Brooklyn Tweed Vale and Peerie, it’s worsted-spun, and skein-dyed in solid colors.

If these new colors look familiar, it’s because they’re available in other Brooklyn Tweed yarns. Seaglass and Burnished have been popular shades in Peerie, and Spruce is nearly identical to Lodgepole Pine, a popular color in Ranch 02. We’re delighted to see these colors added to the Arbor palette!

Worsted-spun yarns are more durable and dense than their woolen-spun counterparts, and have sharper stitch definition for crisp cables, lace, and texture patterns. Targhee wool spun in this manner has an abundance of one of my favorite yarn characteristics: elasticity. Garments knit with Arbor should wear well and look sharp for years to come.

Come to our shop to plan your next project, and look for Brooklyn Tweed Arbor in our DK weight section!

Shibui Sample of the Month: Stoa.

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March is here, and with it, a new Shibui Sample of the Month! We offer a 10% discount on Shibui yarn purchased for our featured sample until the end of the month.

This month’s sample is Anne Ginger’s “Stoa,” a flared ribbed scarf. The pattern is available for free when you buy Shibui Echo here at our shop.

“Stoa” is knit with Shibui Echo, a DK weight blend of 48% fine merino wool and 52% silk noil, where each ply is only one of those fibers. The two strands of silk noil stand out against the merino for a slightly marled look, just a bit of texture in the knit fabric.

Come by the shop to before March 26th to try on “Stoa” and get Shibui Echo at 10% off to make one of your own!

 

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

The Weekender KAL: show and tell.

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Back in April 2019, Anne and I embarked on an informal knit-along, knitting Andrea Mowry’s “The Weekender” sweater and inviting anyone and everyone to join us. We were delighted that so many folks were inspired to make the sweater, each bringing their own style and taste to this simple design, each knitting at their own pace. Some finished right away and then had to wait patiently for sweater weather to arrive, others signed up for Amy’s Weekender class to have her guidance as they knit along through the fall and winter. Many are still knitting, and we’re looking forward to seeing their sweaters in use this winter or next. As far as I’m concerned, our KAL has no end-date, so consider this round of Weekender KAL show and tell the first of many!

Michele was the first to finish. She knit her “Weekender” with Debbie Bliss Luxury Tweed she picked up on sale a few years ago, putting that sweater quantity to good use.

Here’s Debbie in her “Weekender,” knit with Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in Snowbound, BT’s softest gray. Something about the reverse stockinette seems to let the heathered colorway shine – flecks of dark gray and black pop out from the overall light color, giving a simple stitch pattern more interest.

Anne and I had our own “Weekenders” on display at the shop all through the fall, and in fact, hers is still hanging – I was excited to wear mine and brought it home last month! Anne’s is on the left, knit with Shelter in Soot, and mine is on the right, knit with Kelbourne Woolens Scout in Sunflower Heather.

Amy is well into teaching a handful of classes on “The Weekender,” and so finished hers in a productive flurry of preparation for teaching. She used Shelter in the marled Caraway color, a good match for this design, with its plain texture and simple shape. She also modified the neckline for a turtleneck, and opted to knit the entire body in the round and steek the armhole openings – very clever!

Many thanks to Michele, Debbie, and Amy for sharing their sweaters and knitting along with us! We know there are many other Weekenders in various stages of completion out there in our HYS knitting community – let us know how it’s going, we can’t wait to see you all in your sweaters!

Hello, Malabrigo Caprino.

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This week, we welcome a brand new yarn from Malabrigo – meet Caprino!

Caprino is a DK weight blend of 80% merino wool and 20% cashmere, and just as you’d expect from those fibers, it’s soft as can be. Each 50 gram skein has 159 yards, enough for a pair of mitts or small hat; 2 skeins makes a larger hat or cowl.

Like many Malabrigo yarns, Caprino comes in a familiar selection of semi-solid, variegated, and speckled colorways.

We think of them as old friends, these colorways – it’s always nice to see the purplish gray of “Plomo,” or the deep navy of “Paris Night,” but equally nice to meet newer shades, like the spotty “Galaxy.” All three of those wound up in my latest project, Andrea Mowry’s “Nightshift” shawl.

I’m having such fun with this simple slip stitch pattern, watching the colors come together, the background shade seeming to shift as the contrast colors change.

I’ve seen lots of knitters make “Nightshift” and “The Shift” cowl, sometimes more than once, and now I totally understand the appeal of the project. We’re pleased to have print copies of these patterns in stock now!

Come by the shop to see and touch Caprino for yourself! You’ll find it in our DK weight section.

Hello, Shibui Nest.

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Shibui’s newest yarn has arrived! Meet Nest.

Nest is a DK weight blend of 75% fine highland wool and 25% alpaca, with 175 yards on each 50 gram skein.

At first glance, Nest looks like a marled yarn, but a closer inspection reveals an unusual structure, where one fluffy ply is criss-crossed by two thinner plies in a contrasting color.

We’d secured a couple skeins of Nest in advance for sample knitting, and I’m the lucky one who got that assignment. I’m knitting the “Sindi” cowl, holding one strand of Nest together with two strands of Silk Cloud for a super soft accessory.

Every few inches, I’m changing which shades of Silk Cloud are in the mix, creating a subtle gradient from light to dark.

You’ll find more uses of Nest in Shibui’s Fall 19 collection – we have sample copies of patterns here, and they’re available to buy on Ravelry.

Come by the shop to see and touch Nest, and check out our “Sindi” sample – see you there!

Hello, Brooklyn Tweed Sample of the Month!

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We’re delighted to announce that starting in September, we’ll have a new Brooklyn Tweed sample on display each month!

We’ve been working with Kel at Brooklyn Tweed to put together a schedule of garment and accessory samples that showcase a wide variety of techniques and styles in the full range of BT yarns, from lace weight Vale all the way up to bulky weight Quarry.

Going through the back catalog of Brooklyn Tweed designs was so much fun! Anne and I picked a few that caught our eye, as did our teachers, and we can’t wait to share them with you.

Just as we do for Shibui, we’ll offer 10% off the featured Brooklyn Tweed yarn while each sample is here. This month, it’s Arbor, BT’s worsted spun DK weight wool, a yarn with superb stitch definition and lots of bounce.

Our Brooklyn Tweed Sample of the Month for September is “Kirigami,” by Gudrun Johnston, a textured yoke pullover that shows exactly what I mean when I say “superb stitch definition.”

I’ve just cast on for a “Kirigami” of my own, in fact – it’s a pattern that’s been in the back of my mind since its appearance in a trunk show last year, and this time I couldn’t resist it. I’m using the sleeve as a swatch, blocking it after 6″ or so to get a good sense of my gauge in the round, and to have a head-start on the project if my gauge happens to match the pattern gauge on this first try!

Come by during September to see “Kirigami” in person, try it on for size, and get 10% off Brooklyn Tweed Arbor to make one of your own!

A reminder: there will be no returns or exchanges on yarn that’s purchased at a discount. Thanks!

Limited Edition colors in Brooklyn Tweed Arbor!

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Something new has arrived from Brooklyn Tweed – two limited edition colors in Arbor!

Brooklyn Tweed Arbor is a 3-ply DK weight yarn composed of 100% Targhee wool. Like Brooklyn Tweed Vale and Peerie, it’s worsted-spun, and skein-dyed in solid colors at the organically-certified Saco River Dyehouse in Maine.

These two shades bring a welcome pop of color to Brooklyn Tweed’s color palette, standing out from their closest neighbors on the Arbor color wheel.

Azalea is a vibrant pink, just like the flowering shrub it’s named for.

Viridian is a bright green somewhere between emerald and teal.

I’m looking forward to seeing them combined in multicolor projects, like Andrea Mowry’s “Tincture” hat, Shannon Cook’s “Atmen” shawl, Jared Flood’s “Bevel” scarf, or Caitlin Hunter’s popular colorwork pullovers, “Soldotna Crop” and “Tecumseh.” If you’re seeking a small one-color project, consider Emily Greene’s “Shear,” Jared Flood’s “Burnaby” hat or “High Pines Cowl.”

Look for Brooklyn Tweed Arbor in the DK weight section here at our shop, and hurry in if either of these colors is your heart’s desire – we have limited quantities available. See you soon!