Tag Archives: jennifer steingass

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.

Avena.

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Jennifer Steingass is a designer known for her colorwork yoke sweater patterns, and her latest has been popular here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop.

“Avena,” by Jennifer Steingass, photo © Jennifer Steingass

“Avena” calls for worsted weight yarn in three shades – one main color and two contrast colors that are similar in value – but we’ve already met several knitters who are planning intriguing variations. Some are holding two strands of fingering weight together to create their own marled shade for the contrast color, one picked out a Neighborhood Fiber Co. Ombré Mini Bundle for the contrast color, and others are working the sweater in just two solid shades. It got me thinking of another idea – why not pair a solid main color and a marled, self-striping contrast color, the likes of Malabrigo Rios Solidos and Reynolds Odyssey?

Reynolds Odyssey is a marled, self-striping wool in low-contrast color combinations, so it reads almost solid from a distance. Above is a swatch Anne knit with Odyssey, so you can get a sense of how the colors gently fluctuate. Here are some color combinations I came up with!

Malabrigo Rios Solidos: worsted weight, solid, industrially dyed colors (no need to alternate skeins!), 100% superwash merino wool, 210 yards/100g; $15.95 each – you’ll need  5-9 skeins for the main color, depending upon your size

Reynolds Odyssey: worsted weight, marled, self-striping, 100% merino wool, 104 yards/50 g; $10 each – you’ll need 2-3 balls for the contrast color, depending upon your size

Want to knit an “Avena” of your own? Look for these and many other options here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop – we’re happy to help you calculate yardage and brainstorm color ideas!

Meet Rios Solidos!

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Malabrigo is known for their vibrant hand-dyed colorways, so we were intrigued to hear they were coming out with a line of solid colors in Rios. The weight, yardage, fiber content, gauge, and texture is the same as ever, but the colors are industrially dyed, so there’s no need to alternate skeins!

Malabrigo Rios Solidos:

  • worsted weight
  • solid, industrially dyed colors, no need to alternate skeins!
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 210 yards/100g
  • $16 each

There are endless good uses for Malabrigo Rios, such that hardly a day goes by without our selling at least a few skeins. Here are a few recently published patterns to get you started!

Look for Rios in the worsted weight section here at our shop; we’re open from 11 am – 5:30 pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays. You can also order online for local pickup or shipping – thanks for your support of our 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.

Hello, Brooklyn Tweed Ranch 03!

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We are delighted to announce that Brooklyn Tweed’s newest yarn has arrived! Meet Ranch 03, the third in Brooklyn Tweed’s series of single-source, small-batch yarns.

Brooklyn Tweed Ranch 03:

  • sport weight
  • worsted spun, 5 ply
  • 100% merino wool
  • 170 yards/50g
  • $16.50 each

Ranch 03 is a sport weight, worsted-spun, limited edition, ranch-specific Merino yarn, which means every fiber in these skeins was sourced from a single flock of sheep living on Campbell-Hansmire Ranch in Eagle County, Colorado.

Brooklyn Tweed has always sought to highlight single breed wools and support US ranchers with sustainable environmental practices. This project allows them to shine a spotlight on the people and practices behind their yarns, one ranch at a time.

After the wool was sourced at Campbell-Hansmire Ranch in Wyoming, scoured at Chargeurs in South Carolina, and spun at Worsted Spinning New England in Maine, it traveled here to North Carolina to be dyed at Ultimate Textiles in Rutherfordton. We are not often able to trace a path directly from sheep to skein, but Brooklyn Tweed believes in transparency around the supply chain and in supporting the US fiber industry every step of the way.

What to knit with Ranch 03? The BT design team has come up with a trio of new patterns, showing off what Ranch 03 can do in colorwork, cables, and simple texture:

  • “Spero,” by Jared Flood – colorwork yoke pullover
  • “Dalleray,” by Lis Smith – cabled cowl in two sizes
  • “Hansmire,” by Jared Flood – ribbed hat for all ages – free with purchase of Ranch 03!

I got a head start on my “Dalleray” cowl, and I’m loving every springy stitch. Can’t wait to see it finished and blocked!

Here are some more ideas for Ranch 03 from independent designers:

Order Ranch 03 online for local pickup or shipping!

New colors in Malabrigo Rios.

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Malabrigo recently released a bunch of new colors in their beloved worsted weight superwash merino, Rios. Meet the Tribeca collection!

Rios is beautifully hand-dyed in rich, memorable colors, soft and springy in the hand, and machine-washable, no less. A superwash worsted weight wool is a versatile kind of yarn, good for garments and accessories alike. We’ve seen it all in Rios over the years – sweaters for all ages, blankets large and small, hats and mitts and cowls and slipper socks and more.

These delicate pastel shades are semi-solid, ideal for showing off texture patterns. Try Tin Can Knits’ “Flax” and “Barley,” Stephen West’s “Dustland,” Joji Locatelli’s “Hipster Shawl,” and Andrea Mowry’s “Nurtured.”

With so many beautiful colors, it’s tempting to combine them, too – for colorful ideas, check out Shannon Cook’s “Bradway,” Lisa Hannes’ “Walk in the Woods,” Jennifer Steingass’s “Fern & Feather,” Andrea Mowry’s “Nightshift,” and Tin Can Knits’ “Banff.”

Come by the shop to pick up some Malabrigo Rios for your next project! See you there.