New colors from the Fibre Company.

Posted by Julia on January 11, 2016

Every so often, we get word that one yarn company or another has developed new colors, broadening their spectrum and filling in gaps. When the word came recently from the Fibre Company, we put in our order right away for new colors in Road to China Lace and Knightsbridge.

Road to China Lace is a relatively new Fibre Company yarn for us, a 2 ply lace weight blend of 65% baby alpaca, 15% silk, 10% camel, and 10% cashmere. Each 100 gram skein boasts 656 yards, enough for a good sized shawl. These four bright new shades bring a certain whimsy to the Road to China Lace color palette.

Knightsbridge is a soft and fuzzy blend of llama, merino, and silk, a light worsted weight yarn that knits up comfortably between 5 and 5.5 stitches per inch.

Knightsbridge also got four new colors, but they’re more muted and rustic, in keeping with the existing selection.

Look to our Pinterest page for Lace weight and Worsted weight pattern ideas, and come by the shop to plan your next project. Have any of you faithful readers worked with Road to China Lace or Knightsbridge before? Feel free to leave a comment and tell us what you made.

See you at the shop!

Hello, CoopKnits Socks Yeah!

Posted by Julia on December 2, 2015

We’re excited to announce the arrival of a brand new sock yarn: meet CoopKnits Socks Yeah!

Socks Yeah! is the inaugural yarn from designer Rachel Coopey, also known as CoopKnits. We first discovered Rachel Coopey through CoopKnits Toasty Volume 1, a collection of accessories she designed using Baa Ram Ewe Titus. A closer look at her body of design work reveals a sock-knitting devotee, just the sort of person who ought to be dreaming up sock yarns.

CoopKnits Socks Yeah! is a hard-wearing, machine-washable blend of superwash merino wool and nylon, and it’s put up in 50 gram, 231 yard hanks. It comes in 10 solid colors, many of which are light in value, and both of those features make it ideal for showing off texture patterns, cables, and lace.

Solid colors are also ideal for stripes and stranded colorwork, so I’ve been considering the possible color combinations, in pairs and in trios.

If you’re wondering just what to knit with a couple of hanks of Socks Yeah!, there are lots of good places to look for sock patterns. We have cubbies full of sock books and binders full of sock patterns, and Ravelry is bursting with many more. To begin with, check out Rachel Coopey, if you haven’t yet.

We have copies of her CoopKnits Socks Volume 2 here at the shop, which is certainly worth flipping through. “Phloem” and “Echevaria” are intriguing free patterns, and for a few dollars, I like the look of “Arkin,” “Emlyn,” and “Crenate,” among others.

Look for CoopKnits Socks Yeah! in the fingering weight section here at the shop, and look closely, for the heathered colorways that look solid from a distance are far more complicated up close.

See you at the shop!

Back in stock: Vivacious 4ply.

Posted by Julia on November 27, 2015

Fyberspates Vivacious 4ply has only been on our shelves since February, and already we’re due for a second big reorder. Over and over again, knitters are drawn to our cubby full of Vivacious 4ply by the rich, hand-dyed colorways and the softness of the yarn.

I’m happy to report that a big box of Vivacious 4ply landed here at the shop last week. Our cubby is stuffed with more colors than ever, and there’s plenty to go around!

Vivacious 4ply is a high twist, superwash merino wool in a fingering weight. Each 100 gram skein has 399 yards, enough for a pair of socks or mitts, a hat, scarf, or shawlette. Check our “Fingering weight” board on Pinterest for pattern ideas!

Vivacious 4ply is hand-dyed, so each skein is unique, even from the same dye-lot; remember you can alternate skeins to blend hand-dyed yarns in larger projects.

We carry lots of hand-dyed yarns, but each one has their own color personality. Vivacious 4ply seems to excel in low-contrast, painterly colorways, the kind that I’d expect to knit up looking well-blended rather than streaky. Their brightest shades are rich and eye-catching, but their muted browns and grays are not to be overlooked.

Look for Vivacious 4ply in the fingering weight section at the shop. 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.

Technicolor cowl.

Posted by Julia on November 18, 2015

For the past year or so, Nancy Leuer’s “Technicolor Cowl” has been a popular project here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. Calling for eight 50-yard mini-skeins of Dream in Color Classy, it’s a simple but entertaining project with a focus on color.

This cowl is knit in the round, with stripes of stockinette and reverse stockinette that make a squishy, textured fabric from this springy superwash merino yarn.

I knit the sample “Technicolor Cowl” that hangs over the worsted weight section, and it’s caught many an eye, inspiring knitters to put together their own color combinations. We’ve been lucky to capture some of them and share them here on the blog in show and tell posts.

Here’s Joanne in her “Technicolor Cowl,” knit in eight shades of Alchemy Sanctuary. With a wide variety of colors, from pastel to earth tones to vivid blue and orange, Joanne’s cowl is technicolor, indeed. Josie, shown below in her cowl, took a similar approach, using Dream in Color Classy and Malabrigo Rios.

This pattern looks more subdued, but just as good in fewer colors, too. Debbie knit the “Technicolor Cowl” below in just three shades, with two skeins of green and three skeins each in gold and rust.

The pattern is free when you purchase eight Dream in Color Classy mini-skeins for the project, which I’m happy to report are back in stock. We now have two cubbies full of the stuff!

Dream in Color produces the Classy mini-skeins only occasionally, and the color selection is different every time. I was pleased to see a nice range of teals and blues in this batch that had been absent in the last two rounds of mini-skeins.

Look for Dream in Color Classy mini-skeins in the worsted weight section, and have fun picking colors for a “Technicolor Cowl” of your own!

Back in stock: Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere.

Posted by Julia on November 16, 2015

Every year at TNNA, we visit the Dream in Color booth and pick out a new palette of Smooshy with Cashmere. Their selection of colors is overwhelming, ever-expanding, and cannot be contained by a color-card, so we wait to order until we can see them all in person.

Anne and I were delighted when a box arrived last week from Dream in Color, bursting with ten new shades of Smooshy with Cashmere and another special something that I’ll save for a later blog post.

Smooshy with Cashmere is an aptly-named blend of 70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, and 10% nylon. It’s hand-dyed in variegated and semi-solid colorways, deliciously soft and squishy, perfect for next-to-skin wear. It makes an amazing pair of socks or a special scarf, shawl, or cowl. Look for pattern ideas on our “Fingering weight” board over on Pinterest.

Look for Smooshy with Cashmere in the fingering weight section, and keep it in mind when an especially luxurious pair of socks is needed. See you at the shop!

Hello, Lang Merino+ Color.

Posted by Julia on November 11, 2015

Another new yarn has found a home here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop! Meet Lang Merino+ Color.

Merino+ Color is an aran weight superwash merino wool, smooth, springy, soft, and self-striping. It comes in nine different colorways, a nice variety. Some. are subdued and painterly, while others are playful and bright.

Each 100 gram ball boasts 197 yards, plenty for an adult-sized hat, pair of mitts, or small cowl.

I knit this modified version of Wendy Johnson’s free “Easy Broken Rib Cowl” with just one ball of Lang Merino+ Color, shortening the circumference by casting on fewer stitches than called for.

Come by the shop to try on the sample for size; if you’d like to make one like it, make a note to cast on 192 stitches. If you’d prefer the cozier, larger size shown in the pattern, pick up a second skein and follow the pattern as written.

Look for Merino+ Color in the aran weight section here at the shop. See you there!

Araucania Toconao: now on sale!

Posted by Julia on November 4, 2015

UPDATE: As of 4/22/2016, we are totally sold out of Araucania Toconao!

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Another discontinued yarn has moved to the Sale Trunk here at the shop: Araucania Toconao. It’s a lovely springy yarn, but since it’s no longer manufactured, we’re now offering it at a deep discount of about 30% off the original price!

Toconao is an aran weight merino wool, soft and smooth, with sharp stitch definition. It’s hand-dyed in mostly semi-solid colorways, so alternating skeins is a good idea if your project requires more than one skein.

One 139 yard skein makes a hat or a pair of “Fetching” mitts, two makes a small “Oats” or “Honey Cowl;” pick up a third skein for a generous cowl or scarf. Look for more pattern ideas on our “Aran weight” board over on Pinterest!

Though we’re sad to see good yarns go, we love sharing them with you at a discounted price. Come by to pick up some Toconao at a great price before it disappears!

A reminder: all sales are final on discounted yarn. There can be no returns or exchanges, nor special orders–the discount applies only to what we currently have in stock. Thanks!

Hello, Berroco Artisan.

Posted by Julia on October 1, 2015

Here at the shop, we’ve spent a few afternoons unpacking a truly huge order from Berroco. They sent an exciting new book, bags and bags of two of our favorite Berroco yarns, sample garments, and a brand new yarn for fall. Let’s start there: meet Artisan.

Berroco Artisan is a worsted weight blend of 80% merino wool and 20% silk, with 123 yards on each 50 gram skein. Artisan is dip-dyed for tonally variegated colors, which look as good in texture and lace patterns as they do in garter stitch or stockinette.

Anne and I passed this swatch back and forth a few times before we ordered Artisan for the shop, seeing how it stood up to a variety of stitch patterns and enjoying its springy feel along the way.

Berroco sent along this “Ceonothus” shawl, by Amy Christoffers, worked from the point up in an allover lace pattern. I’ve often admired Amy Christoffers’ designs, particularly for how she makes use of texture patterns, using them to cover entire garments and keeping the knitter interested along the way. “Ceonothus” looks like it would make a great pattern for a first-time lace knitter, and should work up relatively quickly in this worsted weight yarn.

The pattern, like all of Berroco’s Artisan collection, is available as a Ravelry In-Store Pattern Sale. This means that you can buy them at the shop, have us print a copy for you, and also know that a digital copy is saved in your Ravelry pattern library or sent to your email. Head to Ravelry to check out the other sweaters and shawls that Amy Christoffers designed for Artisan, and head to the HYS “Worsted weight” board on Pinterest for lots of other ideas. In particular, don’t miss “Memphre,” a free hat pattern for Artisan.

Look for Artisan in the worsted weight section at the shop, and look out for more new Berroco goodies on the blog soon!

Ewe Ewe Trunk Show!

Posted by Julia on September 17, 2015

Our walls are newly decorated with garments made in Ewe Ewe yarns! To celebrate, we’re offering a special 10% trunk show discount on Ewe Ewe yarns during the show.

Ewe Ewe makes some of the softest, springiest, superwash merino yarns around. Ewe So Sporty is a sport weight, and Wooly Worsted is a worsted weight.

This collection features a variety of accessories and children’s things in both yarns, using a variety of knitting and crochet techniques.

Come by the shop before September 27th to see the Ewe Ewe Trunk Show, and get Ewe Ewe yarns at 10% off during the show!

Just a reminder–all sales are final on discounted items; there can be no exchanges, returns, or special orders. Thanks!