Back in stock: Fibre Co. Cumbria Worsted.

Posted by Julia on February 16, 2024

Pleased to report that our Fibre Co. Cumbria Worsted cubby is full again!

Fibre Co. Cumbria:

worsted weight
60% merino wool, 30% masham wool, 10% mohair
236 yards/100 g
$22 each

Cumbria is a soft and sturdy worsted weight yarn, composed of soft white merino blended with the dark gray masham and a bit of mohair. This fiber combination creates a natural heathered base color over which all the other colorways are dyed.

I used 2 skeins of Cumbria Worsted to make the scarf pictured below, “Rockcliffe,” by Kate Gagnon Osborn. It’s been hanging at our shop for years now, but still gets attention due to its classic look and engaging gansey pattern.

How else to use Cumbria Worsted? Here are some ideas!

Accessories:

“Seathwaite,” by Kate Gagnon Osborn – cabled hat
“February Hat,” by Kate Gagnon Osborn – textured hat (check out the full Kelbourne Woolens Year of Hats for more free pattern ideas, any of these would be lovely in Cumbria Worsted!)
“Dubwath,” by Inese Sang – cabled cowl
“Elfriede,” by Shannon Cook – lace and texture shawl
“Guernsey Wrap,” by Jared Flood – textured wrap
“Sophie Shawl,” by PetiteKnit – garter stitch shawl with I-cord edging

Garments:

“Willow Branch,” by Tif Neilan – lace yoke pullover
“Humulus,” by Isabell Kraemer – colorwork yoke pullover
“Dustland Sweater,” by Stephen West – textured pullover
“Billie pullover,” by Sari Nordlund – cabled pullover
“Zakkuri Cardigan,” by Noriko Ichikawa – raglan cardigan
“Smoked Orange Cardigan,” by Thea Colman – cabled cardigan
“Lulu Slipover,” by PetiteKnit – turtleneck vest buttoned at sides

Look for Fibre Co. Cumbria Worsted here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop!

Hello, Winterburn DK.

Posted by Julia on January 30, 2020

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!

New colors in Fibre Co. Cumbria Fingering.

Posted by Julia on August 17, 2019

Earlier in the week I introduced eight new shades from Fibre Company for their Cumbria Worsted. I’m delighted to report that those same eight shades are also available in Cumbria Fingering!

Like its big sister, Cumbria Worsted, Cumbria Fingering is a soft and sturdy blend of 60% merino wool, 30% masham wool, and 10% mohair. The soft white merino is blended with the dark gray masham, creating a natural heathered base color over which all the other colorways are dyed. Each 100 gram skein boasts 328 yards, enough for a hat, pair of mitts, or small cowl.

What to knit with Cumbria Fingering? Since this yarn first arrived in 2016, many designers have found beautiful uses for it. Bristol Ivy designed a whole collection for Fibre Co. Cumbria, and we have print copies of those patterns here at the shop.

Heading to Ravelry, there’s even more pattern inspiration from the Fibre Co. – “Textured Sweater,” “Long Cardigan,” and “Travelling Cable Sweater” are all knit with Cumbria Fingering. Looking to independent designers, consider Melanie Berg’s “Tamdou,” Jana Huck’s “Kite Runner,” Kathryn Folkerth’s “Badlands Mitts” and “Badlands Hat,” local designer Emily Walton’s “Alvin Mitts,” and the entire “Year of Mittens” from Kelbourne Woolens.

Look for Cumbria Fingering in the fingering weight section here at the shop!

New colors in Fibre Co. Cumbria Worsted.

Posted by Julia on August 10, 2019

Fibre Company just added eight fresh new shades to Cumbria Worsted!

Cumbria Worsted is composed of 60% merino wool, 30% masham wool, and 10% mohair. The soft white merino is blended with the dark gray masham, creating a natural heathered base color over which all the other colorways are dyed.

How to use Cumbria Worsted? Look for worsted weight patterns where stitch definition and structure are important; think cables, texture patterns, hardy sweaters and heirloom blankets or shawls.

My first thought on seeing these new colors was how perfect they’d be for “The Weekender,” Andrea Mowry’s basic pullover that has charmed so many of us. It’s never to late to join our informal Weekender Knit-Along, and we’ve also got Weekender classes on the schedule!

We’ve got print patterns from the Fibre Co. for Cumbria Worsted, too, and of course there’s plenty to choose from on Ravelry – also consider Marie Greene’s “Stillwater” cardigan, Hannah Fettig’s “Coastal Pullover,” Kate Gagnon Osborn’s “Clawthorpe” pullover, “Rockcliffe” scarf and “Seathwaite” hat, and Alana Dakos’ “Four Seasons” shawl, to start with. Keep digging, and you’ll likely end up with a long wishlist of patterns perfectly suited to this yarn. Let us know what you find!

Come by the shop to see the new Cumbria Worsted colors and plan your next project!

Hello, Dovestone Natural Chunky.

Posted by Julia on October 27, 2017

Another exciting new yarn has arrived to entice us: meet Dovestone Natural Chunky!

Dovestone Natural Chunky is the latest from Baa Ram Ewe, a small yarn company out of Yorkshire. Their noble aim is to revitalize the textile industry in their region by sourcing and spinning their yarns entirely in the UK.

Dovestone Natural Chunky is made of the same good stuff as Dovestone DK and Dovestone Natural Aran: 50% bluefaced leicester, 25% masham, and 25% wensleydale wools, spun into a soft and fuzzy single ply. It’s delightfully wooly, quick to knit at a suggested gauge of 3.5 stitches per inch, and comes in 5 undyed colors, the natural shades of the sheep.

There’s a beautiful new book to go with it, too – Learn to Knit at Home, by Alison Moreton.

Aimed at new knitters, it covers the basic stitches and techniques, then offers a variety of beginner-friendly patterns for accessories, home goods, and even a few garments, all knit with Dovestone Natural Aran and Chunky.

Learn to Knit at Home is a reminder of how very beautiful simple knits and purls can be. It would make such an excellent gift for an aspiring knitter, along with a few balls of Dovestone yarn to work with!

Come by the shop to see what’s new from Baa Ram Ewe, and to peruse their other yarns, as well. See you there!

New colors from Baa Ram Ewe.

Posted by Julia on February 2, 2017

The folks at UK yarn company Baa Ram Ewe dreamed up three new colors for their Titus and Dovestone DK yarns, and I’m happy to report that we now have them on our shelves here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop!

Dovestone DK is a dk weight blend of 50% bluefaced leicester, 25% masham, and 25% wensleydale wools, all sourced and spun in the UK. It’s a nice big 100 gram hank with 252 yards, plenty for a hat, pair of mitts, or small cowl.

For pattern ideas, look to Carol Feller’s Dovestone Hills booklet, Kate Davies’ Buachaille, and our “DK weight” board on Pinterest. I think Dovestone DK is a particularly good sweater yarn; I made an “Epistrophy” cardigan with it absolutely loved the combination of pattern and yarn. Also consider Isabel Kraemer’s “Ready for fall” pullover, Churchmouse’s “Library Vest,” and tincanknits’ “Clayoquot” pullover.

The two yarns take the dye differently, coming out heathered in Dovestone DK, but bright and clear in Titus.

Titus is a fingering weight blend of 50% wensleydale wool, 30% alpaca, and 20% bluefaced leicester wool.

There’s plenty of pattern inspiration for Titus to be found on our “Fingering weight” Pinterest board, of course, and we’ve seen some beautiful Titus projects here on the blog over the years.

Come by the shop to see the full range of colors in Baa Ram Ewe Titus, Dovestone DK, and Dovestone Natural Aran. See you there!

Dovestone DK: new colors, Yorkshire Shores, show and tell.

Posted by Julia on October 31, 2016

Our recent shipment from Baa Ram Ewe contained more than just the new Dovestone Natural Aran. We also got four new shades of Dovestone DK, a blend of masham, wensleydale, and bluefaced leicester wools.

Playful red, orange, and purple brighten up the palette, while a mossy green fills out the selection of darker shades.

We also got a beautiful new book from Baa Ram Ewe called Yorkshire Shores, filled with gansey-inspired garments and accessories knit in Dovestone DK.

Between Yorkshire Shores, Carol Feller’s Dovestone Hills, the Landmark Collection and Dovestone Smallholding, we are bursting with uses for Dovestone DK, a yarn that has become a real favorite of ours. In fact, Anne and I both recently finished projects with Dovestone DK. Here’s Anne’s “Fancy Hen,” a gift for her youngest granddaughter. You may recall that I knit one last year as a gift for my niece; this is such a fun pattern that I’d like to knit another. I love the colors Anne chose for her hen!

My own Dovestone DK show-and-tell is “Epistrophy,” a cardigan from Kate Davies’ Yokes.

I’m so pleased with this sweater. The yarn was a delight to work with, every stitch, the pattern well-written, and the construction of this sweater and sweaters like it is one I always find so satisfying to execute: bottom-up, in the round, looking forward to the fun colorwork all along, then finished with a steek and special buttons.

Come by the shop to get a closer look at Dovestone DK and all the patterns and books that go with it, and as soon as the weather cooperates, you’ll find me there with this sweater on. See you soon!

Hello, Dovestone Natural Aran.

Posted by Julia on October 28, 2016

I’m delighted to announce the newest yarn here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop: meet Baa Ram Ewe Dovestone Natural Aran.

Dovestone Natural Aran is made of the same good stuff as Dovestone DK: 50% bluefaced leicester, 25% masham, and 25% wensleydale wools, all sourced and spun in the UK. It’s soft but wooly, springy with a bit of drape, and comes in 5 undyed colors, the natural shades of the sheep.

We picked up a sample skein of this lovely stuff from the Baa Ram Ewe booth at TNNA (thanks, Verity!), and had been mulling over what to make with it all summer. Other fall samples were planned and knit, but our precious skein of Dovestone Natural Aran had to wait until inspiration struck. Last week, Anne mused, “What about a pillow for the couch?” and that is exactly what I’m working on now. The pattern is “Snap, Crackle, and Pop,” a trio of knit pillows; “Snap” is what’s on my needles, and I’m enjoying every stitch.

For more pattern ideas, look to The Dovestone Natural Aran Collection, which offers sweaters for adults and children, along with a few accessory patterns. Also check our Worsted and Aran weight boards on Pinterest, as I find this yarn knits up happily at either of those gauges.

See you at the shop!

New colors in Cumbria Worsted.

Posted by Julia on May 27, 2016

Fibre Company just added four fresh new shades to Cumbria Worsted!

How to use Cumbria Worsted? Look for worsted weight patterns where stitch definition and structure are important; think cables, texture patterns, hardy sweaters and heirloom blankets or shawls.

Consider Hannah Fettig’s “Coastal Pullover,” Courtney Kelley’s “Seascale” gansey, Kate Gagnon Osborn’s “Clawthorpe” pullover, “Rockcliffe” scarf and “Seathwaite” hat, and Alana Dakos’ “Four Seasons” shawl, to start with. Keep digging, and you’ll likely end up with a long wishlist of patterns perfectly suited to this yarn. Let us know what you find!

Cumbria Worsted has only been around since August of 2015, but already feels like a staple in our worsted weight section. It’s even spawned a finer weight, the dreamy Cumbria Fingering. I’ve had the pleasure of knitting with both Cumbria yarns, and I’m eager to return to this smooth and sturdy yarn for future projects.

Come by the shop to see the new Cumbria Worsted colors and plan your next project!

Bristol Ivy Collection Trunk Show!

Posted by Julia on March 9, 2016

Another Fibre Company Trunk Show has arrived at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop! From now til March 20th, 2016, we’ll have the Bristol Ivy Collection on display.

All six of these sweaters were designed by Bristol Ivy for Fibre Company Cumbria yarns, three in Cumbria Worsted and three in Cumbria Fingering. Both yarns are composed of merino and masham wools with a bit of mohair, and while plenty soft, they are also quite sturdy.

These designs appear simple at first glance, mainly smooth stockinette trimmed with tidy ribbing, but each one has a clever detail or surprising design element–a bit of lace at the shoulder, a mesh panel at the back, and so on.

Don’t hesitate to ask us to take these sweaters off the wall for a closer look! They’re here to be admired up close and personal, tried on for shape and size. Though we don’t keep print copies of these patterns in stock, they are all available as Ravelry In-Store Pattern Sales, where we print a copy for you and a digital copy is stored in your email and Ravelry pattern library.

Come by the shop before March 20th, 2016, to see the Bristol Ivy Collection Trunk Show. We’re offering a 10% discount on Fibre Company Cumbria yarns during the Trunk Show, so come by soon to plan your next project!

A reminder: discount applies to in-stock Cumbria Worsted and Fingering as well as prepaid Cumbria Worsted and Fingering special orders. All sales are final on discounted yarn; there can be no returns or exchanges. Thanks!