Hello, Kelbourne Woolens Cricket!

Posted by Julia on December 16, 2022

Kelbourne Woolens is the source of some of our most popular yarns, beloved for the variety of high quality fibers they produce and the accessible price. Their latest is here at our shop – meet Cricket!

Kelbourne Woolens Cricket:

fingering weight
single ply
tweed
100% merino wool
415 yards/100g
$24 each

Cricket is a lighter weight version of KW’s popular Lucky Tweed, and comes in all the same colors.

Like Lucky Tweed, Cricket is manufactured in Donegal, Ireland, for an authentic tweed look and soft hand.

A few months ago, the folks at Kelbourne Woolens sent us a small ball of Cricket for swatching. I was the lucky knitter who got that job, and gave it a go in simple stockinette, first on a US 4, and then on a US 6 with a strand of Isager Silk Mohair in a contrasting color.

We’re expecting a Cricket pattern collection from Kelbourne Woolens early in the new year, but in the meantime, here are some pattern ideas that are a good fit for this new yarn!

For a single strand of Cricket:

“Pabaigh,” by Kate Davies – cowlneck short-sleeved pullover
“Seavaiger,” by Kate Davies – striped dolman-sleeved pullover
“Childhood,” by Ankestrick – saddle-shoulder, turtleneck pullover
“Woodfords,” by Elizabeth Doherty – ribbed open-front cardigan
“Birkin,” by Caitlin Hunter – colorwork yoke pullover with floral motifs
“Kyler,” by Isabell Kraemer – triangular lace shawl

For Cricket held together with Silk Mohair:

“Stockholm Slipover,” by PetiteKnit – stockinette vest
“No Frills Sweater,” by PetiteKnit – stockinette pullover
“Oslo Hat – Mohair Edition,” by PetiteKnit – stockinette hat with folded, hemmed brim
“Vuono Hat,” by Ronja Hakalehto – textured hat with ribbed brim
“Ripple Balaclava,” by Jessie Maed – ribbed balaclava

Look for Kelbourne Woolens Cricket in the fingering weight section here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop! We’re open from 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays; masks required for entry.

What to knit with BT Tones Light?

Posted by Julia on September 6, 2022

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

Jared Flood designed two new patterns especially for this yarn, “Shadow Stripe Pullover” and “All Ways Hat.”

“Shadow Stripe Pullover,” by Jared Flood, photo © Brooklyn Tweed

“All Ways Hat,” by Jared Flood, photo © Brooklyn Tweed

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

Garments:

“The Weekender Light,” by Andrea Mowry – reverse stockinette pullover with slip stitch detail

“Bract,” by Sarah Shephard – colorwork yoke pullover with triangle motif

“Stasis,” by Leila Raven – colorwork yoke pullover with geometric motif

“Birkin,” by Caitlin Hunter – colorwork yoke pullover with floral motif

“Hello From My Colors Crop,” by Jessie Maed – short sleeved pullover with all over stranded colorwork

“Berenice,” by Julie Hoover – lace and cable pullover

“Culm,” by Fiona Alice – textured dolman-sleeved pullover

“Woodblock,” by Emily Greene – textured short-sleeved pullover

“Wool & Honey,” by Andrea Mowry – honeycomb cable yoke pullover

Accessories:

“Skipp,” by Jared Flood – brioche hat

“Seeds,” by Jared Flood – colorwork hat

“Ensata Scarf & Cowl,” by Amy van de Laar – lace and ribbing

“Nysa,” by Jared Flood – garter stitch and eyelet shawl

“SSP (slip stitch party) shawl,” by Isabell Kraemer – six color slip stitch shawl

“Lunae,” by Natasja Hornby – two color slip stitch shawl

I’m the lucky knitter with the assignment of making a shop sample in Tones Light, and all of these vibrant colors had me thinking of Stephen West. I picked “Painting Parallelograms” from Painting Shawls, a slip stitch scarf whose shape and texture intrigued me. I picked three shades of Tones Light for the contrast colors, and a speckled skein of Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock for the main – here’s a peek at my progress so far.

Look for BT Tones Light in the fingering weight section here at HYS – see you at the shop!

Back in stock: Bamboo Pop!

Posted by Julia on March 25, 2022

Just in time for spring, we’ve got a fresh supply of Universal Bamboo Pop!

Universal Bamboo Pop:

DK weight
solid and variegated shades
50% cotton, 50% bamboo
292 yds/100g
$10 each

We chose a mix of solid and variegated shades, designed to stand alone in one-color projects or pair up for high and low contrast combinations.

Bamboo Pop is made of equal parts cotton and bamboo, plant fibers that are lustrous and have beautiful drape. These qualities make Bamboo Pop ideal for summer tops and accessories. Here are some pattern ideas!

Tees and tanks:

“Anker’s Summer Shirt,” by PetiteKnit – top-down tee with ribbed circular yoke
“Simple Tee,” by Churchmouse Yarns & Teas – cap- or long-sleeved tee, worked flat and seamed
“Me Oh My Tee,” by Park Williams – cropped tee
“Yume,” by Isabell Kraemer – lace yoke tee
“Nova,” by Shellie Anderson – sleeveless top with high/low hem and collar
“My Little Secret Crop,” by Jessie Maed – ribbed cropped tank top

Accessories:

“Easy Folded Poncho,” by Churchmouse Yarns & Teas – stockinette poncho with optional cowl
“Two-Color Cotton Cowl,” by Purl Soho – two-color brioche cowl
“Loreley,” by Melanie Berg – two-color triangular lace shawl
“Boneyard Shawl,” by Stephen West – triangular textured shawl
“Once Were Weavers,” by Francoise Danoy – triangular lace and drop stitch shawl

Come by the shop to plan your warm-weather knitting! We look forward to seeing you there.

Silk Mohair + fingering weight.

Posted by Julia on November 17, 2021

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

Isager Highland Wool: light fingering weight, 100% Highland wool, 301 yards/50 g; $10 each

Kelbourne Woolens Camper: fingering weight, 100% wool, 200 yards/50 g; $9.50 each

Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock: fingering weight, hand-dyed, 100% machine-washable merino, 400 yards/100g; $34 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:

“Love Note,” by Tin Can Knits – lace yoke pullover
“Diaphanous Raglan,” by Jessie Maed – v-neck pullover with sheer sleeves
“Elton,” by Joji Locatelli – striped cardigan
“Girlfriends Cardigan Anke,” by Ankestrick – garter stitch cardigan
“Hali,” by Leeni Hoi – twisted stitch pullover
“Pink Fizz,” by Andrea Mowry – cabled pullover
“Balloon Sweater,” by Petiteknit – pullover with balloon sleeves

Accessories:

“Oslo Hat – mohair edition,” by PetiteKnit – ribbed hat
“Anker’s Hat,” by PetiteKnit – segmented ribbed hat
“Cloves Entwined Toque,” by Tif Neilan – slouchy hat with lateral braids
“Leni,” by Isabell Kraemer – textured hat
“Water Born,” by Jacqueline Cieslak – brioche headband
“Indira Cowl,” by Vanessa Smith – cabled cowl
“Venus,” by Marion Em Knits – garter and slip stitch shawl, from Laine’s 52 Weeks of Shawls

See you at the shop!