Tag Archives: merino

“SAWA” in Brooklyn Tweed Imbue Sport.

Posted by on

We try to have a handmade sample in every yarn we carry, to give folks an idea of how the yarn knits up, and inspiration for how to use it. When the time came to make a sample in Brooklyn Tweed’s newest yarn, Imbue Sport, Bailey got the coveted assignment.

Here’s her “SAWA” shawl, a brand new pattern from Olga Buraya-Kefelian. Knit in 3 colors, “SAWA” features bold texture and eye-catching shapes made with slip stitches, exactly the kind of sculptural or architectural knitwear Buraya-Kefelian is known for. Check out her MDK Field Guide, we still have copies at the shop!

Imbue Sport’s elasticity is ideal for a highly textured pattern like this, and its softness just right for something wrapped around the neck. Bailey picked greens and blues, a trio of light, medium, and dark.

Here are some more “SAWA” color ideas…

Look for Brooklyn Tweed Imbue Sport in the sport weight section here at our shop, and be sure to admire Bailey’s “SAWA” when you visit!

Dream in Color Pop-Up Club: Mystic Prism.

Posted by on

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. Their latest 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
  • $36 each

Mystic Prism is a pastel rainbow of pink, aqua, lavender, and butter yellow.

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.

  • Malabrigo Ultimate Sock: fingering weight, hand dyed, variegated and semi-solid colorways, 75% superwash merino wool, 25% nylon, 420 yards/100g; $21 each

Look for Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere and friends in the fingering weight section here at our shop!

Hello, Brooklyn Tweed Imbue Sport!

Posted by on

We’re pleased to present the latest from Brooklyn Tweed: meet Imbue Sport!

Brooklyn Tweed Imbue Sport:

  • sport weight
  • worsted spun, 3ply
  • heathered colors
  • 100% merino wool
  • 190 yards/50g
  • $18.50 each

Just like Imbue Worsted before it, Imbue Sport’s heathered shades are made by blending brilliantly dyed hues of unspun wool, like an artist mixing paints. When spun, these bright solid colors mingle into richly heathered shades that are harmonious across the entire palette – ideal for stripes and colorwork!

What to knit with Imbue Sport? Here are some ideas!

Look for Imbue Sport here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, along with other Brooklyn Tweed yarns! We’re open from 11-5:30, Tuesdays-Saturdays.

Back in stock: Isager Merilin.

Posted by on

We’re pleased to have Isager Merilin back in stock, with more colors than ever!

Isager Merilin:

  • fingering weight
  • 80% wool, 20% linen
  • 228 yards/50 g
  • $11 each

We’re always on the lookout for plant and animal fiber blends, since they offer the best of both worlds: elasticity and drape, structure and coolness.

Merilin blends merino wool and linen, fibers that take the dye differently, giving the yarn a heathered quality more pronounced in the darker shades.

Years ago, I knit this little swatch showing Merilin on a range of needle sizes, but I have my eye on a bigger project as soon as time allows – a narrower version of Theresa Gaffey’s now-classic “stole.” I can’t wait to pick out colors!

Til then, what else to make with Merilin? Here are a few ideas…

Look for Merilin in the fingering weight section here at the shop, where you may well find your next project. See you there!

Back in stock: NFC Organic Studio Worsted!

Posted by on

Delighted to have a fresh supply of Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Worsted!

Neighborhood Fiber Co. Organic Studio Worsted:

  • worsted weight
  • hand-dyed
  • machine washable
  • 100% organic merino wool
  • 200 yds/4 oz
  • $34 each

What to knit with Organic Studio Worsted? Easy care worsted weight wools are some of the most versatile yarns we know of, here are a few pattern ideas…

Here’s Anne’s “Autopilot,” knit with Organic Studio Worsted in Amy Sherald, a lavender speckled with cobalt blue. Look for it here at the shop, and feel free to try it on!

Come by the shop to see NFC Organic Studio Worsted for yourself. We’re open from 11am-5:30pm, Tuesdays-Saturdays; masks required for entry. Hope to see you soon!

Back in stock: CoopKnits Socks Yeah!

Posted by on

Not long ago, we restocked CoopKnits Socks Yeah!, expanding the palette of that lovely yarn with colors old and new.

CoopKnits Socks Yeah:

  • fingering weight
  • 75% superwash merino wool, 25% nylon
  • 231 yards/50g
  • $11.60 each

Developed by avid sock-designer Rachel Coopey, CoopKnits Socks Yeah! is a hard-wearing, machine-washable sock yarn that comes in solid and heathered shades.

Seeking sock inspiration? We happen to have a fresh supply of Ready Set Socks, Coopey’s collaboration with Pom Pom Press. The patterns in Ready Set Socks are written for both fingering and DK weights, and are beautiful in their simplicity. This makes them a blank slate for modifications – the section on “Variations, Tutorials + Adjustments” will see you through different heels, cuffs, decreases, yarn and color choices, and more.

Remember CoopKnits Socks Yeah! when your fingering weight project requires sharp stitch definition and durability. You’ll find it in the fingering weight section here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, in a little basket bursting with color. See you there!

Back in stock: Fibre Co. Cumbria Worsted.

Posted by on

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:

Garments:

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

Hello, High Rock Alpaca!

Posted by on

We are thrilled to introduce a new local yarn to our shop – meet High Rock Alpaca, from our friends Debbie and Jane!

Using alpaca fleece sourced in nearby Efland, NC, these luscious skeins are a mix of undyed ($30) and hand-dyed ($36), fingering and light fingering weights. There’s a bit of silk and merino wool mixed into the alpaca, adding softness and shine.

Each skein has about 200 yards, perfect for a small, special accessory – think “Scarf No. 3,” by My Favorite Things, or “Spiralucious,” by Anne Hanson. We have a couple of swatches in the basket so you can see how the yarn knits up on its own, and held together with a fingering weight wool.

Supplies of this special yarn are limited, and color selection will vary from these photos. Look for the High Rock Alpaca basket on your next visit to our shop!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Pine Grosbeak.

Posted by on

The Koigu Collector’s Club continues! Each month, we’ll receive 21 skeins of KPPPM in a limited edition color dyed especially for a select group of local yarn stores that carry Koigu. KPPPM is a fingering weight superwash merino, hand-dyed in vibrant colors by mother/daughter team Maie and Taiu Landra on their farm outside of Toronto, Canada.

Koigu KPPPM:

  • fingering weight
  • hand dyed, variegated
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 175 yards/50 g
  • $15.50 each

Pine Grosbeak is a fun mix of pink and red, with little streaks of dark gray, cream, and orange – just like the bird it’s named for.

We have two samples at the shop made with Koigu KPPPM, Anne’s “Pressed Flowers Hat” and my “Sophie Scarf.”

Anne knit the “Pressed Flowers Hat” above with Koigu KPPPM and Neighborhood Fiber Co. Capital Luxury Sport, a soft and springy blend of merino, cashmere, and silk. Here are a few fresh color combinations for this project using Pine Grosbeak as the contrast color.

I knit my “Sophie Scarf” holding Koigu KPPPM together with Sandnes Garn Tynn Silk Mohair for a fuzzy blended effect. I can never resist pairing Koigu with mohair, so here are two more ideas!

Koigu looks great in a “Holden” shawl, like this one that Edie knit, featured on our recent show-and-tell post. You could even make a gradient “Holden,” matching Pine Grosbeak with four other Koigu Collector’s Club shades we have in stock.

Look for Koigu KPPPM in the fingering weight section here at our shop, along with many others! We’re here from 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays; masks required for entry.

“Static Mittens” in Sandnes Garn Double Sunday.

Posted by on

Knit a pair of “Static Mittens” with Sandnes Garn Double Sunday!

“Static Mittens,” by Rows Knitwear, photo © Rows Knitwear

This eye catching pattern by Rows Knitwear uses both sides of the fabric to create a striped illusion pattern with stranded colorwork. They’re knit flat with DK weight yarn on US 6 needles, then seamed up the side to complete.

Bailey made this cozy pair as a sample for the shop, and chose a lovely combination of pale blush and cornflower blue in Sandnes Garn Double Sunday. We had fun picking other color combinations in this plush merino wool – here are a few to consider!

Look for Sandnes Garn Double Sunday in the DK weight here at HYS, along with many other suitable yarns for “Static Mittens” – think Brooklyn Tweed Arbor, Kelbourne Woolens Scout, and Fibre Co. Acadia. See you at the shop!