Show and tell!

Posted by Julia on April 21, 2023

It’s been far too long since I shared show-and-tell here on the blog, though it’s an ongoing part of our daily Instagram posts – let’s see what folks have been making with yarn from our shop!

First up – check out Linda’s Churchmouse “Double Split Color-Blocked Cowl,” knit with Malabrigo Noventa! She knit it up in no time on US 15 needles, an instant gratification kind of project.

Sherri made one, too! It’s always fun to see the same pattern transformed by different colors.

Debbie is a prolific knitter and weaver, among other things – here’s the latest project off her loom, an amazing deflected double weave scarf woven with Brooklyn Tweed Loft. We’re delighted that this springy woolen-spun yarn is back in production after a year of sourcing and supply chain issues!

Margaretta recently knit a pair of Andrea Mowry’s “Curio Socks” with Isager Sock Yarn and Koigu KPPPM – I love how the solid white highlights individual shades in the variegated contrast color!

Anne has been busy knitting samples for the shop – here are two of her recent creations! Above is an “Autopilot” cowl, by Dominique Trad, knit with 2 skeins of Neighborhood Fiber Co. Organic Studio Worsted. Below is her PetiteKnit “Novice Slipover,” knit with Kelbourne Woolens Lucky Tweed. The pattern calls for a DK weight yarn held together with laceweight mohair, but Anne substituted one strand of this tweedy aran weight yarn, with cozy results.

Thanks to Linda, Sherri, Debbie, Margaretta, and Anne 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.

Weekend Hat.

Posted by Julia on April 14, 2023

Margaretta recently brought in a bit of show and tell that captivated us – here’s her “Weekend Hat,” another simple but clever pattern by PetiteKnit.

Margaretta knit her “Weekend Hat” with Isager Jensen and Silk Mohair held together throughout, a perfect balance of structure and softness. As in PetiteKnit’s “Oslo Hat – Mohair Edition,” there are 3 layers of fabric at the brim, making for a super cozy hat. The “Weekend Hat” also features a few rows of double knitting at the fold to keep it in place, a nice detail.

I couldn’t resist putting a few more “Weekend Hat” color combinations together in Jensen and Silk Mohair…

…and then the new shades of Kelbourne Woolens Scout caught my eye, and I found some beautiful Silk Mohair matches for that yarn, too!

If any of these combinations catch your eye, you can order them online for local pickup or shipping, or come by the shop to put your own colors together – we can’t wait to see what you dream up! Look for Isager Jensen and Kelbourne Woolens Scout in the DK weight section, and Isager Silk Mohair in the lace weight section. See you at the shop!

Back in stock: Kelbourne Woolens Mojave.

Posted by Julia on March 17, 2023

A fresh batch of Kelbourne Woolens Mojave is here, perfectly timed for warm-weather stitching!

Kelbourne Woolens Mojave:

sport weight
60% cotton, 40% linen
185 yards/50g
$11 each

Mojave is cool to the touch, smooth and soft but also strong, with the beautiful drape we expect from plant fiber yarns. The color palette has something for everyone, from subtle neutrals to blazing brights.

What to make with Mojave? Here are some ideas for knitters and crocheters!

Knit with Mojave:

“Rift,” by Jacqueline Cieslak – oversized boxy tee
“Anker’s Summer Shirt,” by PetiteKnit – tee with ribbed yoke
“Sea Breeze Sweater Vest,” by Park Williams – mesh vest
“Outline Tank,” by Jessie Maed – cropped tank with drop-stitch detail
“Look At My Holes,” by James Watts – mesh tee
“Desert Queen,” by Meghan Kelly – scoop-neck tank with eyelet detail
“Trigono Tee,” by Kate Gagnon Osborn – textured tee

Crochet with Mojave:

“Canyon,” by Amy Gunderson – lace-edged tank top
“Water Clover,” by Isa Catepillán – lace tee
“Sub Rosa,” by Lana Jois – cap sleeve tee with square motifs
“Palms,” by Padma R – Tunisian crochet wrap
“Dusty Plum Dress,” by Moon Eldridge – striped dress
“Fae Tank,” by Abigail Haze – child’s tank top

I knit this Churchmouse “Simple Tee” with Kelbourne Woolens Mojave, and it hangs here at our shop to give a sense of how the yarn knits up – look for it next time you’re here, and check out Mojave in our sport weight section!

Back in stock: Kelbourne Woolens Scout.

Posted by Julia on March 14, 2023

We recently unpacked a box full of Kelbourne Woolens Scout, the soft and sturdy wool that’s become a staple in our DK weight section.

Kelbourne Woolens Scout

DK weight
2ply, worsted spun
100% wool
274 yards/100 grams
$18 each

This order brought us some new colors as well as old favorites, rounding out Scout’s color palette in a satisfying way. We now have over two dozen shades!

This soft yet unfussy DK weight wool works up beautifully in everything from colorwork and cables to simple stockinette – keep scrolling for a fresh batch of pattern ideas!

Garments:

“Sheep Camp Sweater,” by Jennifer Berg – colorwork yoke pullover with arrow motif
“Kaav,” by Kate Davies – colorwork cardigan
“Arboreal,” by Jennifer Steingass – colorwork yoke pullover with leaf motif
“Bean & Olive,” by Andrea Mowry – child’s colorwork yoke pullover with heart motif
“Louvre Sweater,” by PetiteKnit – top-down raglan pullover with mock turtleneck
“Moby Slipover,” by PetiteKnit – cabled vest

Accessories:

“Ampersand Wrap,” by Tif Neilan – asymmetrical triangular shawl with garter stitch stripes and herringbone stitch
“Pressed Flowers,” by Amy Christoffers – triangular shawl with mosaic flower motif
“Dustland Shawl,” by Stephen West – crescent shaped textured shawl
“Codlin Heid,” by Kate Davies – colorwork hat with geometric motif
“Gro Hat,” by Fiber Tales – textured hat with plant motif

Look for Kelbourne Woolens Scout in the DK weight section here at our shop – we’re open from 11:00 am – 5:30 pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays; masks required for entry. You can also order online for local pickup or shipping – just use our online order form!

Oslo Hat, No-Mohair Edition.

Posted by Julia on March 7, 2023

I just finished up another new sample for the shop, PetiteKnit’s oh-so-popular “Oslo Hat – Mohair Edition,” though mine doesn’t contain any mohair to speak of.

For this hat, I paired Kelbourne Woolens Perennial and Fyberspates Cumulus, a brushed alpaca that emulates mohair’s fuzzy halo. These two alpaca blends are each very soft in their own right, but together are impossibly cuddly – you must touch this hat for yourself!

My sample “Oslo Hat – Mohair Edition” blends Perennial in Raspberry with Cumulus in Plum – here are a few more color ideas.

The simplicity of PetiteKnit’s “Oslo Hat – Mohair Edition” lends itself to variegated yarns, too, which are softened when held together with a fuzzy lace weight yarn – here are a few color ideas pairing Koigu KPPPM with Cumulus!

Look for Cumulus in our lace weight section and Perennial and KPPPM in our fingering weight section – we’re open 11am-5:30pm, Tuesdays-Saturdays. We do require masks for entry – thanks for your cooperation, see you at the shop!

“Simple Yet Effective” cowl.

Posted by Julia on February 14, 2023

If you’ve been to the shop in the past few weeks, you might have seen me working on this cowl, “Simple Yet Effective,” by Tin Can Knits. The pattern is aptly named, alternating sections of stockinette and reverse stockinette – a nearly blank canvas for showing off some special yarn. The pattern calls for DK weight, but I’ve held a fingering weight and a lace weight yarn together, Kelbourne Woolens Cricket and Neighborhood Fiber Co. Loft, respectively.

It can be tricky to visualize how different colors and textures of yarn will look when knit together. Luckily, Tin Can Knits has a super helpful blog post about just that, “Layering With Mohair.” I was inspired after reading it, and learned that you can achieve a fascinating effect when you combine a darker mohair with a lighter yarn. As Tin Can Knits designer Emily Wessel puts it, “When you blend a darker or more saturated mohair with a lighter yarn, the paler colourway seems to glow underneath a deeper halo.” I tried out that strategy in this cowl and am so pleased with the result – each yarn seems to be enhanced by the other, and of course the fabric is fuzzy and soft!

Here are a few more color combinations pairing Cricket and Loft, which seem to me like they’d blend beautifully.

I couldn’t stop there, when there are so many shades of Isager Silk Mohair to play with – here are a few more!

Look for Kelbourne Woolens Cricket in the fingering weight section here at our shop, not far from the lace weight section, which holds Neighborhood Fiber Co. Loft and Isager Silk Mohair. We can’t wait to see what other color combinations you come up with for your own “Simple Yet Effective” cowls!

Back in stock: Kelbourne Woolens Perennial.

Posted by Julia on January 20, 2023

We’ve got a fresh supply of Kelbourne Woolens Perennial, a super soft merino/alpaca blend that comes in juicy bright colors!

Kelbourne Woolens Perennial:

light fingering weight
60% superwash merino, 25% Suri alpaca, 15% nylon
497 yards/100g
$26 each

The folks at Kelbourne Woolens have designed Perennial to be something of a staple: soft from the alpaca but sturdy from the nylon, easy care on account of the superwash merino, suitable for all kinds of projects.

We’ve seen beautiful sweaters, shawls, and baby things made in Perennial – here are some pattern ideas!

“Winter Lights Shawl,” by Stephen West – 4 color slip stitch shawl
“Oslo Hat,” by PetiteKnit – double stranded stockinette hat
“Sophie Scarf,” by PetiteKnit – garter stitch scarf with I-cord edge; try it with Perennial held double or paired with mohair!
“Ranunculus,” by Midori Hirose – lace yoke pullover at a loose gauge; try it with Perennial held singly, doubly, or paired with mohair!
“Linen Stitch Loop,” by Churchmouse Yarns and Teas – 2 color linen stitch cowl
“Navelli,” by Caitlin Hunter – cropped colorwork tee
“Lucille,” by Courtney Kelley – lace baby cardigan and bonnet

Look for Perennial here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, along with these other Kelbourne Woolens yarns – Camper, Cricket, Andorra, Mojave, Scout, Germantown, Lucky Tweed, and Germantown Bulky!

Dream in Color Pop-Up Club: December 2022.

Posted by Julia on December 23, 2022

Dream in Color’s Pop Up Club is back! Every month, we’re getting a special new colorway from Dream in Color, a Tucson-based producer of small batch hand-dyed yarns. December’s new limited edition colorway is here while supplies last!

Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere:

fingering weight
70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, 10% nylon
400 yards/100g
$34 each

December’s special colorway is vibrant and variegated, a mix of turquoise, cobalt, purple and ice blue.

Variegated skeins like these are beautiful on their own – one skein makes a “Sockhead Slouch” hat or “Reyna” shawl – but they always inspire me to create color combinations. Here are a few I put together with the “Temperance Shawl” in mind, a three color garter stitch and eyelet pattern that works well in low, medium, and high contrast color combinations.

Isager Sock Yarn: fingering weight, 40% Easy Wash alpaca, 40% Easy Wash merino wool, 20% recycled nylon, 423 yards/100g; $20 each

Malabrigo Ultimate Sock: fingering weight, hand dyed, variegated and semi-solid colorways, 75% superwash merino wool, 25% nylon, 420 yards/100g; $20 each
Kelbourne Woolens Perennial: light fingering weight, 60% superwash merino, 25% suri alpaca, 15% nylon, 497 yards/100 g; $26 each

Look for Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere in the fingering weight section here at our shop! We’ll be closed December 24-26, then reopening at our regular business hours, 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesday – Saturday. You can still order online for local pickup or shipping, as well.

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.

Pom Pom Quarterly: Winter 2022.

Posted by Julia on December 6, 2022

The latest issue of Pom Pom Quarterly is here!

Rich with color, texture, and technique, the patterns in this issue are inspired by the work of women artists Etel Adnan and Hilma af Klint.

I spotted a few familiar yarns in this issue – Kjerstin Rovetta’s cool colorblock “Periphery” hat is shown in Kelbourne Woolens Germantown, and Amy Blackwell’s “Hilma,” the striking cover sweater, is shown in Malabrigo Rios. Look for both of these in our worsted weight section here at the shop!

Pom Pom always has interesting non-knitting content, as well – this issue features interviews with yarn dyers, an essay exploring the history of the color pink, and a tempting recipe for carrot cake.

Pom Pom Quarterly is $25.50 – come by to snag a copy between 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays. We’re also taking orders online for local pickup or shipping. Along with this issue, we have the Summer 2019, Autumn 2019, Summer 2020, Autumn 2020, Spring 2021, Summer 2021, Winter 2021, Spring 2022, 10th Anniversary, and Autumn 2022 issues in stock – preview them on our blog and get in touch if you’d like to add them to your Pom Pom collection!