Show and tell: cowls.

Posted by Julia on February 8, 2016

Everyone’s knitting needles have been busy lately, it seems; we’ve seen so many beautiful finished projects over the past couple of weeks. I’ve captured some of them to share with you here on the blog, and of my current collection, about half are cowls. Let’s devote this post to what has become one of the most popular knitted items, the cowl.

Paula spotted “Sherri’s Cowl” on our blog last month, and came by to pick shades in Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed Aran and Shibui Silk Cloud for a pink-loving friend. It knit up in no time on US #17 needles, and before long, she was back with the finished cowl to show us how it came out.

Sherri has been making more “Sherri’s Cowls,” as well, and came by with a stack of five, all of which were knit with the discontinued Araucania Azapa, a sale trunk splurge that had been sitting in her stash waiting for the right pattern. She made the cowl above holding Azapa with two shades of Schulana Kid Seta, a lace weight mohair and silk blend. The cowls below are both made with the same pale green shade of Azapa, but Sherri knit it together with Silk Cloud in a cool gray for the cowl on the left, and a warm beige for the cowl on the right.

Intrigued by the color study of the pair above, Sherri knit another pair of cowls using pink Azapa as the base, shown below. The cowl on the left is a low contrast combination of pink Azapa and pink Schulana Kid Seta, and the cowl on the right is a high contrast combination of pink Azapa and black Sandnes Garn Silk Mohair. The low contrast color combination creates a blended effect, looking rather solid from a distance, while the high contrast color combination makes a marled fabric.

Hazel came in on a chilly afternoon wearing her “Willow Cowl,” knit with another skein from our sale trunk, Araucania Itata. This is a nice fitted cowl pattern to keep in mind for fingering weight yarn; I’ve seen a few knit in Malabrigo Finito that are equally lovely.

Brooke brought in her second-ever finished knitting project, “A Gray Loop” knit with Berroco Ultra Alpaca. Nicely done!

Linda fell in love with this singular shade of Malabrigo Mecha, and knit this cozy “Cabled Cowl” using two strands held together. She came back for more Mecha to make a matching hat, which speaks to the pleasantness of knitting with this buttery soft bulky weight yarn.

Thanks to all these cowl-makers who shared their projects with us, and to all the knitters, crocheters, weavers, and fiber artists who start their projects here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. We love seeing what you’re making! Keep your eyes on the blog for another round of show-and-tell soon. In the meantime, see you at the shop!

Show and tell: even more.

Posted by Julia on January 23, 2016

The yarn shop is often where new projects begin, but it’s also where problems are solved, techniques are learned, and finished garments are shown off. We’ve had a week of show-and-tell here on the blog, focusing on that last step: standing back and admiring what you’ve made.

Paula knit this “Kids Spirit Cardigan” with two fetching shades of Ewe Ewe Wooly Worsted, a soft and squishy machine-washable merino yarn. The buttons are just right!

Emily got a Schacht Cricket Loom for Christmas, and immediately set to work learning to weave on a rigid heddle loom. This scarf is only her second, and already she’s warping and weaving in two colors with perfect tension. She attests that this houndstooth design is easier than it looks, and I tend to agree; it looks lovely in gray and yellow shades of Plymouth Galway.

Nancy came in with a bag full of show and tell last week, the first of which is this “Alchemy Block Ponchini,” knit in three shades of Alchemy Silken Straw and two shades of Shibui Silk Cloud.

It’s always satisfying to see how colors blend when they’re knit together, in part because it can be hard to predict. You can twist the yarns around one another for a preview and make thoughtful predictions, but there’s nothing like seeing the fabric as it comes off the needles.

Here’s Nancy’s “Starshower,” knit in Malabrigo Sock. It’s nice to see this pattern made up in a variegated yarn, for the changing colors complement the lace and texture pattern just as well as a solid color.

The last finished piece Nancy brought to show us was this “Kusha Kusha Scarf,” knit in Habu Silk Stainless Steel. It was knit on a variety of different needle sizes, sometimes holding a fine lace weight merino along with the Silk Stainless, and when the knitting was done, Nancy lightly felted it in hot, soapy water. The result is a striking organic-looking scarf, and it looks especially marvelous in red.

Many thanks to all the knitters, weavers, crocheters, and other fiber artists who start their projects here at our shop, and thanks also for sharing your work with us as it takes shape!

Show and tell: knitting in duplicate.

Posted by Julia on January 18, 2016

We always love to see what you’re making with HYS yarns, and I love to take photos of your beautiful finished pieces to share here on the blog. Today, I have a bundle of show-and-tell projects, too many for one or two blog posts to hold. Let’s call this a week of show and tell, beginning with knitters who’ve made the same pattern more than once.

With two grandsons and two granddaughters, Anne often knits in duplicate. This pair of hats went to her grandsons, knit in the soft, superwash, self-striping Lang Merino+ Color. Her pom-pom maker came in handy, too!

Here’s one of Judie’s “Dustland Hats.” Though I only have a photo of this one, I know she’s knit at least two others, with plans for more to come. The pattern calls for worsted weight yarn, but Judie used Malabrigo Arroyo and smaller needles, casting on for the largest size to make up the difference in gauge. It’s the variety of stitch patterns that seems to keep her coming back to this Stephen West pattern; every few rows there’s some new knit/purl combination to play with.

Sherri came in last week with two of her eponymous cowls, ready to send them off and restock her stash with more yarn for the next batch. She knit the cowl above with Manos Wool Clasica and Shibui Silk Cloud, blending a soft blue and a silvery gray. For the cowl below, she used some Berroco Peruvia that had been lingering in her stash, a teal shade that she paired with a deeper teal in Silk Cloud.

Sue also has a yen to knit in duplicate — nay, in triplicate! This gansey-like stitch sampler sweater pattern was handed down by a friend, and Sue knit her first in Plymouth Llama Cotton Worsted. She tinkered with the yoke a bit to modify the drop-shoulder sleeves, preferring something closer to a set-in sleeve.

Always fascinated by how different yarns and fibers behave, Sue made a second sweater using Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed Aran. This blend of wool and angora makes a less floppy fabric than the cotton blend, with a bit of a fuzzy halo.

Each sweater got a matching garter stitch cowl, as well, for maximum flexibility of use. One minute it’s a cozy turtleneck, the next, a crew-neck.

She’s already started a third version of the sweater, sticking with the Debbie Bliss Donegal Luxury Tweed Aran, but switching from a neutral shade to a pleasing purple.

Thanks to the many knitters, crocheters, weavers, and other fiber artists who use yarns from our shop in their creations; we love seeing what you make! Keep your eye on the blog for plenty more show and tell throughout the week.

Show and tell: little knits.

Posted by Julia on December 23, 2015

December is a busy time of year here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. Knitters and crocheters perk up as winter begins, even a warm winter like the one we’re having, and holiday gift-making becomes top priority. We’ve seen so much amazing show-and-tell this month, some of which I’ve captured on camera to share here on the blog. I’ve accumulated enough for two show-and-tell posts, so let’s start small with these knits for babies and children.

Amy knit this sweet stripey “Baby’s Cardigan” using Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball Starke 6 in a particularly colorful colorway. It reminds me of a box of crayons, perfect for a small someone.

I knit a little sweater this month, too, a “Flax” pullover for my nephew, with a matching “Barley” hat. Two skeins of Malabrigo Rios was enough for this set, and I highly recommend both yarn and pattern; they were a great match. “Flax,” “Barley,” and the rest of tincanknits’ Simple Collection are aimed at beginner knitters, simple designs that really let a semi-solid hand-dyed yarn shine.

Nancy knit this colorwork vest with Rowan Pure Wool Superwash DK, using another tincanknits design, “Peanut.” This is another great match of yarn and pattern; superwash wool is a practical, economical choice for baby and children’s things, and it comes in a wide range of solid colors–perfect for colorwork.

Anne’s been making little things, too; Hannukah gifts for her grandchildren. These two hats are for her granddaughters, knit in Araucania Toconao (left) and Lang Merino+ Color (right).

Her four-year-old grandsons weren’t left out, of course; they came by the shop last month to select yarns for their Hannukah socks. Anne traced their quickly-growing feet for size, then got to work on two sets of needles–one for Fyberspates Vivacious 4ply, and one for Araucania Ranco.

Thanks to everyone who starts their projects here at the shop, and also to those who share their progress along the way. We always love to see what you’re making, and feel so grateful to be surrounded by such talent and creativity. Stay tuned for more show and tell soon!

Interweave Crochet.

Posted by Julia on December 5, 2015

The latest issue of Interweave Crochet is here!

Patterns in this issue are inspired by the four elements, earth, air, fire, and water.

The textured sweater above was crocheted in Malabrigo Arroyo, a sport weight superwash merino wool hand-dyed in rich variegated colorways. The playful armwarmers below are made with Fibre Company Acadia, a tweedy dk weight blend of merino, alpaca, and silk.

You’ll find Interweave Crochet on the teacart here at the shop, surrounded by the latest magazines and books for crocheters, knitters, and weavers. See you there!

Back in stock: Malabrigo Rasta.

Posted by Julia on November 23, 2015

Just in time for cold weather, we’ve restocked Malabrigo Rasta!

Rasta is a soft, squishy, single-ply merino wool that knits up quickly on US 13 – 17 needles.

Each 150 gram skein has 90 yards, which may not sound like a lot, but those 90 yards go a long way at 2 or 2.5 stitches per inch.

Rasta is perfectly suited to cold-weather accessories: hats, scarves, cowls, and the like. Anne knit this simple seed stitch cowl with one skein of Malabrigo Rasta.

Come by the shop to pick up a skein or two of Malabrigo Rasta for your last-minute holiday gift-knitting! See you there.

More October show and tell.

Posted by Julia on October 28, 2015

One of our greatest joys as yarn-shopkeepers is seeing what knitters, crocheters, and weavers make with our yarns. I’m always collecting photos of finished projects as they come through the shop for show and tell, letting them build up until I have enough for a blog post. It’s rare that I have enough for two show-and-tell posts in a month, but October has been one such month.

When Sidney felt the first Autumn chill in the air, she saw a need in her wardrobe for a cowl. She came to the shop seeking yarn for Katherine Vaughan’s “Here and There and Everywhere,” and settled on Malabrigo Rios. It was hardly a week before she walked in wearing it, but, as she pointed out, it’s amazing how quickly you can knit when you need something. I love the way the guernsey-style texture pattern looks in this semi-solid yarn.

Here’s my “Kaarina Pullover,” knit in Swans Island All American Sport. I finished it in the middle of the Swans Island Trunk Show, so I hung it up here at the shop with the rest of the All American Sport garments til the show ends on November 1st, 2015.

I’m happy with how it came out, and especially happy with the yarn. It was springy and soft in the hand, and softer still after blocking. I’m looking forward to putting it on soon!

Anne has a newly-finished sweater on the wall here, too; here’s her “Slope,” knit in Shibui Twig. Like many Shibui patterns, “Slope” looks deceptively simple at first glance. Take a closer look at the pattern, and you’ll find smart, carefully-chosen design elements. You might just learn a new cast-on or short-row technique along the way–Anne did!

Here’s Sue’s latest scarf, woven on her Schacht Cricket Loom. For warp, she used Isager Alpaca 1, and for weft, she used Habu Cotton Nerimaki Slub. These two yarns are alike in color, but very different in fiber content and texture, and the resulting fabric is both fascinating and understated.

Thanks to everyone who brings in projects to share with us, whether at the beginning, middle, or end of the process. We love to see what you’re working on, and feel lucky to be surrounded by such creative and talented people. Hope to see you at the shop soon!

Knitscene.

Posted by Julia on October 10, 2015

The Winter 2015 issue of Knitscene is here!

Sweater weather is finally here, making winter knitting magazines more appealing than ever.

I spotted lots of HYS yarns in this issue. A cabled vest in Rowan Pure Wool Worsted, a textured pullover in Sincere Sheep Luminous DK, cowls in Malabrigo Rios and Fibre Company Canopy Fingering, a cabled hat in Berroco Ultra Alpaca…

You can find all of those yarns here at the shop, along with lots of others that can be substituted for these patterns should you prefer a different color or fiber than what the designer used. We’re always happy to help you decide which yarn is best for your pattern and project. Come by soon to plan your fall and winter knitting!

Hello, Malabrigo Mora.

Posted by Julia on August 22, 2015

Not long after our recent Malabrigo restock, we received another little box from Malabrigo. Say hello to their newest yarn, Mora.

Mora is a 2 ply fingering weight yarn composed of 100% silk, which explains its soft, smooth hand, and deeply saturated hand-dyed colors.

Each 50 gram skein has about 225 yards, enough for a small cowl, like Michele Wang’s “Pei” or Jo Strong’s “Irish Mesh Cowl.” Two skeins will make a shawlette, like Heidi Kirrmaier’s “Saltwater” or Kate Ray’s “Multnomah.”

Come by the shop to see these shimmering skeins for yourself, and plan a special project with Mora. See you there!

Knit.purl.

Posted by Julia on August 20, 2015

The Fall/Winter 2015 issue of knit.purl is here!

Fall knitting magazines seem to be all about sweaters, and this one is no exception.

It features a collection of patterns inspired by menswear, including a colorwork yoke cardigan knit in Berroco Ultra Alpaca.

I spotted a sweater in Baa Ram Ewe’s newest yarn, Dovestone DK, coming to the shop this fall.

Look for knit.purl on the teacart, surrounded by all manner of new publications. Come by the shop seeking Fall knitting inspiration, we hope you find it here!