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.

Show and tell!

Posted by Julia on October 24, 2021

Back with more show and tell! Here’s another batch of completed projects made with yarns from our shop. If you follow us on Instagram, some of these may look familiar – let’s take a closer look at these beautiful knits.

Pam has been busy making “Rainy Day Hats” with Pascuali Balayage – we love her modification to include more contrast colors, and more stripes! Pattern by Melanie Berg.

Here’s Hazel’s “Cloves Entwined Toque,” knit with Koigu KPPPM and Isager Alpaca 1 held together. Pattern by Tif Neilan.

Here’s another Koigu project – Linda in her “Solstice Sunset” shawl, knit with KPPPM and Shibui Silk Cloud held together throughout. Pattern by Andrea Hungerford.

Here’s Elizabeth with her “Slipstravaganza,” an impressive shawl knit with Malabrigo Sock during last year’s WestKnits MKAL. Pattern by Stephen West.

Michele came in wearing her lovely “Purl Strings,” a pullover she knit with Brooklyn Tweed Dapple. Pattern by Heidi Kirrmeier.

Thanks to Pam, Hazel, Linda, Elizabeth, and Michele 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.

Balayage + Rainy Day Hat.

Posted by Julia on June 10, 2021

Last year, when Pascuali Balayage was brand new, Anne knit Melanie Berg’s “Rainy Day Hat” in shades of purple.

We both loved the lightweight hat that resulted, and were especially pleased that Anne had enough yarn left over to make a matching pair of Berg’s “Rainy Day Mitts” with the color placement reversed.

Pascuali Balayage:

fingering weight
80% alpaca, 20% merino
190 yards/50 g
$13 each

When we decided to feature this yarn and pattern pairing in our HYS Hat Club for June, I created colorways for each of the color palettes our club members choose from: cool, warm, neutral, and surprise. Signups are still open for the fourth and final Quarter of the HYS Hat Club – read more here, and sign up by June 19 to join the fun!

With 18 colors in stock, I couldn’t stop at four combinations – here are a few more!

If any of these catch your eye, pick your favorite and order online for local pickup or shipping! We are also happy to announce that we now have in-store shopping appointments available, if you prefer to select your yarn and colors in person – click here to schedule an appointment!

On our needles.

Posted by Julia on June 24, 2020

What’s in Anne’s Plystre Project Pouch, besides a Baby Baggu?

A grandson-sized “Atlas (For Kids),” knit with Brooklyn Tweed Loft!

I love the color combination she chose – Flannel for the main color, Snowbound and Old World for the contrast colors.

Many of you know that Anne never limits herself to one project at a time. So what else is on her needles right now? Let’s take a look!

Anne’s “Calla” tank is growing, stripe by stripe. You can see how Anne keeps unruly plant fiber yarns in check, by hand-winding them into tight balls and storing them in ziplock bags as she knits.

Anne is almost done with another Shellie Anderson design, “Cather,” an elegant pullover in Shibui Echo. As she set in the first sleeve the other afternoon, she remarked on cocoknits Claw Clips – “I don’t know how I ever seamed without them!”

Another work in progress from Anne’s collection is this “Rainy Day Hat,” designed by Melanie Berg for her Balayage yarn. It’s a super-soft fingering weight blend of merino and alpaca, a treat for the hands.

I confess, I’m not quite as prolific as Anne, and my projects are coming along more slowly! Above is my “Kirigami,” designed by Gudrun Johnston and knit with Brooklyn Tweed Arbor. I’ve been savoring this project for some months now, enjoying the simplicity of stockinette and the elasticity of Arbor, one of my very favorite yarns.

I’m about halfway through Churchmouse’s “Vineyard Cowl,” knit with one skein of Baa Ram Ewe Winterburn DK. It’s an easily-memorized stitch pattern, and a soothing knit in this wonderfully wooly yarn, shown here on another of my works-in-progress – a quilt I’ve been slowly stitching.

There’s a lot we miss about being “open” in the usual sense, but one of the main things is seeing what everyone is working on! What’s on your needles? Share in the comments, or post photos on Instagram, tagged #hillsboroughyarnshop – we can’t wait to hear from you!

Hello, Amano Mayu Lace.

Posted by Julia on May 27, 2020

Meet the very newest yarn here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop: Amano Mayu Lace!

Amano Mayu Lace is a luxurious lace weight yarn, as soft and smooth as its fiber content suggests – royal alpaca, cashmere, and silk. These fibers provide drape alongside buttery softness, making Mayu Lace perfect for delicate lace scarves and shawls.

This yarn is dip-dyed for a tonal, semisolid effect, a slight variegation but not enough to distract from stitch patterns.

What to knit with Mayu Lace? So far Amano has two patterns for this new yarn: one skein makes an “Irene Bandana” (pictured at left), two makes a “Julieta Shawl.”

It would also work beautifully in Melanie Berg’s “Whiteout” shawl, Kate Davies’ “Hap for Harriet,” Ambah O’Brien’s “Alinda Wrap,” and Evelyn A. Clark’s popular “Swallowtail Shawl.”

Each 50 gram skein of Amano Mayu Lace has 437 yards, and costs $28. Use our online order form to place requests or ask for suggestions – we’re happy to help you plan your next project!

Hello, Balayage.

Posted by Julia on February 14, 2020

We’re pleased to announce the arrival of a brand new yarn – meet Pascuali Balayage!

Balayage is the result of a collaboration between knitwear designer Melanie Berg and German yarn company Pascuali. Balayage is a fingering weight blend of 80% alpaca and 20% organic merino wool. The resulting combination is incredibly soft in the hand, perfect for next-to-skin wear.

The color palette is a beautiful range of lights, mediums, and darks, neutral colors and brights, all designed to play well together for stripes and other kinds of colorwork. This harmonious palette was achieved in part before the yarn was even dyed; the alpaca fiber was naturally white and gray, while the merino was white, so all the shades of Balayage are dyed over this heathered gray base.

Melanie Berg has designed two shawls for Balayage so far, “Rock My Shawl” and “The Big Easy.” Both patterns use four shades, so that’s the number I played with as I created the color combinations below.

This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of color possibilities – we can’t wait to see what you come up with!

For more pattern ideas, consider Julia-Maria Hegenbart’s “Rough Sea” shawl, Victoria Maria’s “Viura” pullover, Ewelina Murach’s “Tucked Away” shawl, or Christelle Nihoul’s “Brise d’Automne” hat and cowl. Our “Fingering weight” Pinterest board has lots of pattern ideas, too!

Look for Pascuali Balayage in our fingering weight section here at the shop, where we hope to see you soon!

Show and tell: Shibui.

Posted by Julia on July 9, 2019

Time for another round of show-and-tell! I’m always collecting photos of the beautiful finished pieces knitters and crocheters bring in to share with us, garments that started their lives as HYS yarns. Going over recent photos, I spotted project after project made with Shibui yarns, proving once again that they’re some of the best-loved yarns in our shop. Let’s have a look at what folks are making with them!

Cindy knit this striking shawl with Shibui Lunar, a lace weight blend of merino and silk. The pattern is Melanie Berg’s “The Miller’s Daughter,” a shawl in three colors, alternating lace sections with garter stitch stripes.

Astrid has been working with Lunar, too, and used it to make Inbar Rofman’s intricate “Agate Lace Shawl.”

Back in May, “Torrent” was our Shibui Sample of the Month, and inspired lots of knitters to cast on for shawls of their own with Rain, Shibui’s DK weight cotton.

Above is Sidney’s “Torrent,” looking crisp and seasonless in the Ash colorway, and below is Mary’s, knit with Shibui’s limited edition shade for this year, Riviera.

Maxine was taken with the Riviera colorway, too, and selected Fern and Vine in that summery shade to knit her “Amos” tee.

Thanks to everyone who shares their projects with us, whether at the outset, after all the ends are woven in, or somewhere along the way. We can’t wait to see what you make next!

Show and tell: Shibui.

Posted by Julia on April 26, 2019

Time for another round of show-and-tell! I’m always collecting photos of the beautiful finished pieces knitters and crocheters bring in to share with us, garments that started their lives as HYS yarns. With Shibui yarns featured and discounted for tomorrow’s Local Yarn Store Day, I thought I’d share a group of projects made with some of these special yarns.

Michele knit this “Nasreen” top with Shibui Staccato held double to get the gauge she needed with the yarn she loved. Always pushing herself to try different knitting techniques and a big fan of stripes, this pattern spoke to her, and she made good use of the Staccato she had stashed away.

Shibui has a lot of fans, and Cindy is among the most ardent admirers we know. Here she is in her “Quicksilver” shawl, knit with Shibui Echo.

Astrid designed this intricate lace shawl with Shibui Silk Cloud, a lace weight mohair and silk blend. Look for her pattern, “Blue Winter Flower,” on Ravelry!

Maria visited our shop from out of town last year, and picked up some Silk Cloud for a “Gradient” cowl. We were touched that she thought of us when she was in town again last month, bringing the finished piece to show us, no less!

Last but not least, our own Anne has finished a Shibui project this week, “Amos.”

This summer tee is knit with Shibui Vine and Fern, and is even more striking in person. Look for it hanging on the wall here at our shop!

Thanks to everyone who shares their projects with us, whether at the outset, after all the ends are woven in, or somewhere along the way. We can’t wait to see what you make next!

Come by tomorrow, Saturday, April 27th, to celebrate Local Yarn Store Day with 15% off all in-stock Shibui!

A reminder: all sales are final on discounted items; there will be no exchanges or returns. Thanks!

Show and tell: for grown-ups.

Posted by Julia on November 23, 2016

I’m back with another round of show-and-tell, this time for the grown-ups among us.

Kellie has been busy crocheting “Artfully Simple Infinity Scarves” with Noro Silk Garden Lite. She reports that the pattern is as easy as its title suggests, but that it’s endlessly entertaining, especially with colorful self-striping yarns like these.

They’re long enough to be worn doubled, as shown above, but short enough to hang around one’s neck simply, as shown below; either way makes an eye-catching accessory.

Margie’s needles are always busy, and she’s so prolific a knitter that these finished projects are already well behind her. Still, they bear sharing: above is her “Inverness Cape,” knit in Berroco Ultra Alpaca, and below is her “Escher Poncho,” knit in Malabrigo Rios, with a bit of Fibre Company Cumbria Worsted around the edge.

And there’s more: here’s Margie’s third “ZickZack Scarf,” knit with Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball and Debbie Bliss Rialto Lace held doubled throughout.

Catherine knit this beautiful “On the Spice Market” with Shibui Staccato, a merino/silk blend that has the perfect drape and luster for this shawl.

She carefully chose colors inspired by those shown in the pattern photo, with a few adjustments to make it her own.

Here’s another Melanie Berg pattern, “Sunwalker,” knit by Emma with the brand new Isager Merilin. This is a shawl that the photo doesn’t do justice, as it’s the texture and hand of the fabric that stood out most to me; shawl-knitters, consider Merilin when fingering weight yarn is called for!

Below is Amy’s “Copenhagen Hood,” a quick cozy accessory knit in Fibre Company Tundra, living temporarily at the shop as a sample for her upcoming class on the subject. There are still spaces in her class, if you’d like to join and knit a hood of your own…sign up on our website!

Joanne knit this “Rise” hat with Shibui Drift and Silk Cloud held together, and was so pleased with it that she came back for more yarn to knit one for her husband. I understand the appeal, seeing how well this came out! I can hardly imagine a softer yarn combination, truly.

Nancy knit this “Flowers of Life” pullover for her husband, using a beautiful palette of Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift in an intricate all-over fair isle pattern. She’s graciously left it at the shop for a few weeks for all to see and admire; come in soon to see this knitted work of art!

Joanne also has some Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift show and tell: a “Beginner’s Fair Isle Cap,” her first-ever colorwork project. With guidance from Nancy, she selected this color combination and arranged the colors within the motif for a unique accesory.

Thanks again to the knitters and crocheters who share their work with us. We feel lucky to play a part in your creative pursuits, and look forward to seeing the projects you plan!