New from Koigu!

We have all kinds of new goodies from Koigu this week, hand-dyed in vibrant colors by mother/daughter team Maie and Taiu Landra on their farm outside of Toronto, Canada.

First up, Koigu Paint Cans, five-color mini-skein sets packed up like a tiny pail of paint. Each 25 g mini skein has 87 yards of KPPPM, Koigu’s signature fingering weight merino wool, for a total of 435 yards per Paint Can. That’s just right for a pair of “Zig Zag Mittens” or “Paint Box Mittens” – scan the QR code on the side for more colorful pattern ideas!

For even more fun with mini-skeins, we have Koigu Pencil Boxes, which have 10 x 25g minis, or 870 yards total. That’s enough to knit a “Davenport,” “Rising” or “Grevillea Shawl,” or crochet a “Salsa” or “Juniper Cowl.”

We also got our monthly batch from Koigu’s Collector’s Club, 21 full sized 50 g skeins of KPPPM in a limited edition color, dyed especially for a select group of local yarn stores that carry Koigu.

Painted Bunting is the color, a vibrant mix of neon green and cobalt blue, with streaks of marigold and cream. Stripe it into a “ZickZack Scarf,” slip stitch it into a pair of “Pressed Flowers Socks,” or pair it with mohair for a fuzzy “Sophie Scarf” – we carry many yarns that play well with Koigu!

Look for all our Koigu Collector’s Club colorways in the fingering weight section here at our shop, and check out the Paint Cans and Pencil Boxes in our gifts section. Thanks for shopping local this holiday season!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Ammonite.

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

Ammonite is a quiet variegated colorway with a surprising variety of hues mixed in – from a distance it reads pale green, but look closely, and you’ll see a whole rainbow!

Pair Ammonite with a fuzzy lace weight yarn and you have the makings of a soft and lovely “Sophie Scarf” or “Oslo Hat – mohair edition,” – here are a few color ideas!

I love the way a strand of lace weight mohair mutes a variegated yarn, bringing new texture and movement to the colors in the knitted fabric.

Here’s my finished “Sophie Scarf”, knit with Koigu KPPPM in Hoof Mushroom and Sandnes Garn Tynn Silk Mohair in 6315.

And here are more Tynn Silk Mohair pairings for all kinds of Koigu colors!

Look for Koigu KPPPM in the fingering weight section here at the shop, and check out the lace weight section to see Sandnes Garn Tynn Silk Mohair, Isager Silk Mohair, and Fyberspates Cumulus!

Back in stock: Malabrigo Caracol!

After spending the past few years out of production, Malabrigo Caracol is back!

Malabrigo Caracol:

  • super bulky weight
  • thick and thin
  • marled
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 90 yards/150 grams
  • $25 each

Caracol is a super bulky yarn with a unique texture, composed of a thick-and-thin single ply criss-crossed by a thinner yarn. Some skeins are criss-crossed with a black binder thread, giving a stained glass effect, and others with white, for more subtle variation.

A yarn with this much personality doesn’t need a complicated pattern to show it off, and Anne’s “Perky Little Hat” is just the ticket.

What else to make with Caracol? Here are some ideas!

Caracol is squishy, soft as can be, and provides near-instant gratification. Look for it in the super bulky section here at the shop, and remember it when the need for a handmade gift sneaks up at the last minute!

Back in stock: Malabrigo Noventa!

We’re pleased to have a cubby full of Malabrigo Noventa again!

Malabrigo Noventa:

  • super bulky weight
  • single ply
  • hand-dyed
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 90 yards/125 g
  • $24 each

Noventa is plush and squishy, perfectly suited to cold-weather accessories, and one skein makes a hat or cowl in a hurry. Think Alice Dunn Smith’s “Winter Harbor Cowl,” Kristel Nieve’s “Sierra Beanie,” or Andrea Riddle & Lora Marin’s “Noventa Cabled Hat.”

Two skeins makes Churchmouse’s popular “Double Split Color-Blocked Cowl,” a cute and cozy accessory; the two pictured here were knit by Sherri and Linda, respectively.

Below are a few more two-color combinations for “Double Split Color-Blocked Cowl” – can’t wait to see what else folks come up with!

Look for Malabrigo Noventa in the super bulky weight section here at HYS! Visit us between 11am-5:30pm, Tuesdays-Saturdays; masks required for entry.

Sunday and friends.

Sandnes Garn Sunday has fast become a favorite here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, a soft and springy fingering weight merino wool. Though it’s lovely on its own or held double, it plays well with others – here are some yarn and pattern ideas for holding Sunday together with other yarns!

Sunday + Fyberspates Cumulus

Pattern ideas: garments

Sunday + Isager Silk Mohair

Pattern ideas: hats

Sunday + Malabrigo Mohair

Pattern ideas: cowls, shawls, and scarves

Anne’s “Oslo Hat – mohair edition” in progress, knit with Isager Silk Mohair (color 12) and Sandnes Garn Sunday (color 4632). Pattern by PetiteKnit.

We can’t wait to see what other color combinations and patterns you come up with – see you at the shop!

Hello, Sandnes Garn Double Sunday!

We’re excited to have another yarn from Norwegian yarn company Sandnes Garn on our shelves: meet Double Sunday!

Sandnes Garn Double Sunday:

  • DK weight
  • 100% merino wool
  • 118 yards/50g
  • $11 each

This springy merino is a thicker version of Sandnes Garn Sunday, and so named because two strands of Sunday knit up at the same gauge as one Double Sunday.

What to knit with Double Sunday? Here are some ideas!

I’ve already swatched and cast on for a PetiteKnit “Sille Slipover” using Double Sunday in black, and I’m thoroughly enjoying this plush yarn, and appreciating the stitch definition.

Look for Double Sunday in the DK weight section here at HYS!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Tourmaline.

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

Tourmaline is a saturated golden orange colorway, with little streaks of olive, red, and pink.

There are so many fun ways to use variegated hand-dyed yarns like Koigu KPPPM – here are a few ideas!

Pair it with another fingering weight yarn in a contrasting color

Hold it together with an alpaca or mohair yarn

Look for Koigu KPPPM, Malabrigo Ultimate Sock, and NFC Studio Sock in the fingering weight section here at the shop, and check out the lace weight section to see Isager Bouclé, Silk Mohair, and Fyberspates Cumulus!

Dream in Color Pop-Up Club: August + September, 2023.

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. Limited edition colorways for August and September are here while supplies last!

Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere:

  • fingering weight
  • 70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, 10% nylon
  • 400 yards/100g
  • $36 each

First up, August’s special colorway: Sagrada, a variegated and slightly speckled mix of pale aqua, magenta, rust, gold, and teal. Look closely and I’m sure you can find many other colors in these vibrant skeins!

Here’s Sagrada knit up into a “Terra Hue Shawl,” a slip stitch scarf with a woven-looking texture that shines in highly variegated yarn like this.

September’s colorway is Venice in Autumn, also highly variegated, but with warmer tones – olive, lime, and red, with streaks of cream and pink.

Dream in Color dyer Veronica is working on a “Terra Hue Shawl” herself, using Venice in Autumn – here’s a close up!

Inspired to cast on for a “Terra Hue Shawl” of your own? Look for Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere in the fingering weight section here at HYS, and ask us for a coupon code for 30% off the pattern!

New colors in Malabrigo Rios + Arroyo!

We’re excited to share a dozen new colors in Malabrigo Rios, and another dozen new colors in Arroyo! These soft and smooth superwash merino yarns are favorites around here, and their cubbies were both looking empty before last week’s shipment arrived.

This new Rios palette is Zodiac themed, with a colorway for each sign.

Malabrigo Rios:

  • worsted weight
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 210 yards/100g
  • $17 each

Some of the new Arroyo colors are familiar from other Malabrigo yarns, and others are brand new, a mix of speckles, variegated and semisolid shades. Something for everyone!

Malabrigo Arroyo:

  • sport weight
  • hand-dyed
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 335 yards/100g
  • $21 each

Look for Malabrigo Rios in our worsted weight section and Arroyo in our sport weight section.

You’ll find plenty of Malabrigo all over our shop, in fact – Mohair in lace weight, Ultimate Sock in fingering, Caprino in DK, Mecha in bulky, and Noventa in super bulky, to name a few!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Azurite.

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

Azurite is a saturated mix of blue and purple, with lively streaks of aqua, lavender, and lime.

As soon as Amy Christoffers released her new “Pressed Flowers Socks” pattern, my mind went to Koigu – Anne used it in her “Pressed Flowers Hat” earlier this year, and the variegated yarn was perfect in this floral mosaic pattern.

“Pressed Flowers Socks,” by Amy Christoffers, photo © Amy Christoffers

Here are “Pressed Flowers Socks” color combinations pairing Azurite with Kelbourne Woolens Perennial, one of our go-to solid sock yarns.

I couldn’t stop there, of course – it’s too fun to play the color game!

If any of these combinations speaks to you, you can order online for local pickup or shipping. Prefer to shop in person? 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.