Hello, Isager Eco Baby.

Another new yarn from Isager! Meet Eco Baby.

Isager Eco Baby:

  • DK weight
  • undyed
  • chainette
  • 68% baby alpaca, 32% organic cotton
  • 164 yards/50g
  • $10 each

Eco Baby is a cousin to Eco Soft, both composed of baby alpaca and organic cotton, chain-plied into lofty, elastic yarns. Eco Baby is a smaller gauge, less fuzzy, and somehow even softer than Eco Soft!

“Field Sweater,” by Camilla Vad, photo © Camilla Vad

Like many of you, we first became aware of this yarn when we saw it in Camilla Vad’s “Field Sweater,” a pullover with a stunning texture pattern at the yoke, reminiscent of wheat sheaves.  There’s a “Field Cardigan,” too, along with “Field Mittens,” “Field Beret,” and “Field Slipover” – Eco Baby is a lovely choice for any of these patterns.

Anne gilded the lily on her “Field Slipover,” adding a strand of Isager Silk Mohair to her already soft Eco Baby. The result is a decadent, cuddly fabric with a fuzzy halo that still shows the texture pattern beautifully.

You have to touch this one for yourself – come by the shop to give it a squeeze!

Our supply of Isager Silk Mohair is at an all time high, with more colors than ever. Matching shades of Eco Baby and Silk Mohair blend together seamlessly, but these undyed shades can be livened up with colors of a similar value, as well. Here are some ideas!

There are so many more color combinations to try – look for Isager Eco Baby and Silk Mohair in the DK and lace weight sections, respectively. We can’t wait to see what you put together!

Back in stock: Fibre Co. Cumbria Worsted.

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, Sandnes Garn Tynn Silk Mohair!

Another new yarn from Sandnes Garn! Meet Tynn Silk Mohair.

Sandnes Garn Tynn Silk Mohair:

  • lace weight
  • 57% mohair, 15% wool, 28% silk
  • 233 yards/25g
  • $14 each

Tynn Silk Mohair is soft and shiny, lightweight with a fluffy texture, and often used in tandem with heavier yarns. It pairs beautifully with other Sandnes Garn yarns, of course, like the fingering weight Sunday and DK weight Double Sunday, but is sure to play well with all manner of yarns here at our shop – we can’t wait to see what folks make with it!

I’m working on a PetiteKnit “Sophie Scarf” holding Tynn Silk Mohair with Koigu KPPPM. I love the painterly way they blend together, the solid color and fuzzy halo of Tynn Silk Mohair muting the variegated Koigu a bit. Bailey and I came up with a bunch of other combinations that I’ll share on the blog soon – keep an eye out for that in the next few days, or come by the shop to create your own colorway!

You’ll find Sandnes Garn Tynn Silk Mohair in the lace weight section here at HYS – hope to see you at the shop soon!

Malabrigo Ultimate Sock + Mohair KAL.

We’re delighted to have a fresh supply of Malabrigo Ultimate Sock and Mohair, just in time for Malabrigo’s upcoming KAL!

Lora Marin designed this stunning lace shawl for Malabrigo Ultimate Sock and Mohair, using the yarns separately to highlight the difference in texture.

For this shawl, she used these yarns in the same colorway, Aniversario, though more contrast or variation in colors would also have a nice effect. Here are some color ideas!

Want to join the Malabrigo KAL, which starts in September? Head to their blog to register in order to receive the pattern, and come by our shop to pick out your yarn. You’ll need 2 skeins of Ultimate Sock ($21 each) and 3 skeins of Mohair ($15 each).

We’ve highlighted a few of these color combinations in a display here at the shop – look for it as you walk in.

You can also see our full selection of Malabrigo Ultimate Sock in the fingering weight section, and our full selection of Mohair in the lace weight section. We can’t wait to see your shawls take shape when the Knit-Along begins next month!

Hello, Malabrigo Mohair!

Brand new from Malabrigo, meet Mohair!

Malabrigo Mohair: 

  • lace weight
  • hand-dyed, variegated
  • 72% mohair, 28% silk
  • 229 yards/25g
  • $15 each

Malabrigo is a beloved Uruguayan yarn company known for vibrant hand-dyed color and soft, squishy merino wool. In Mohair, they’ve brought their signature colors to new fibers, an elegant blend of fuzzy mohair and shimmering silk.

Lace weight mohair is often carried along with other yarns, adding a soft halo to the knitted fabric – think Tin Can Knits’ “Love Note,” or PetiteKnit’s “Oslo Hat – Mohair Edition,” “Novice Slipover,” and “No Frills Sweater.” Malabrigo is also highlighting Mohair in their upcoming Knit-Along – read all about that on their blog, and stay tuned for more info from us!

Look for Malabrigo Mohair in the lace weight section here at HYS! We’re open 11-5:30, Tuesdays-Saturdays; masks required for entry. See you there!

Weekend Hat.

Margaretta recently brought in a bit of show and tell that captivated us – here’s her “Weekend Hat,” another simple but clever pattern by PetiteKnit.

Margaretta knit her “Weekend Hat” with Isager Jensen and Silk Mohair held together throughout, a perfect balance of structure and softness. As in PetiteKnit’s “Oslo Hat – Mohair Edition,” there are 3 layers of fabric at the brim, making for a super cozy hat. The “Weekend Hat” also features a few rows of double knitting at the fold to keep it in place, a nice detail.

I couldn’t resist putting a few more “Weekend Hat” color combinations together in Jensen and Silk Mohair…

…and then the new shades of Kelbourne Woolens Scout caught my eye, and I found some beautiful Silk Mohair matches for that yarn, too!

If any of these combinations catch your eye, you can order them online for local pickup or shipping, or come by the shop to put your own colors together – we can’t wait to see what you dream up! Look for Isager Jensen and Kelbourne Woolens Scout in the DK weight section, and Isager Silk Mohair in the lace weight section. See you at the shop!

“Simple Yet Effective” cowl.

If you’ve been to the shop in the past few weeks, you might have seen me working on this cowl, “Simple Yet Effective,” by Tin Can Knits. The pattern is aptly named, alternating sections of stockinette and reverse stockinette – a nearly blank canvas for showing off some special yarn. The pattern calls for DK weight, but I’ve held a fingering weight and a lace weight yarn together, Kelbourne Woolens Cricket and Neighborhood Fiber Co. Loft, respectively.

It can be tricky to visualize how different colors and textures of yarn will look when knit together. Luckily, Tin Can Knits has a super helpful blog post about just that, “Layering With Mohair.” I was inspired after reading it, and learned that you can achieve a fascinating effect when you combine a darker mohair with a lighter yarn. As Tin Can Knits designer Emily Wessel puts it, “When you blend a darker or more saturated mohair with a lighter yarn, the paler colourway seems to glow underneath a deeper halo.” I tried out that strategy in this cowl and am so pleased with the result – each yarn seems to be enhanced by the other, and of course the fabric is fuzzy and soft!

Here are a few more color combinations pairing Cricket and Loft, which seem to me like they’d blend beautifully.

I couldn’t stop there, when there are so many shades of Isager Silk Mohair to play with – here are a few more!

Look for Kelbourne Woolens Cricket in the fingering weight section here at our shop, not far from the lace weight section, which holds Neighborhood Fiber Co. Loft and Isager Silk Mohair. We can’t wait to see what other color combinations you come up with for your own “Simple Yet Effective” cowls!

Back in stock: Isager Alpaca 3.

Once again, PetiteKnit has made Isager yarn popular enough to clear our shelves. Having nearly sold out of Alpaca 3 in the past month or so, we are relieved to announce that we now have a fresh supply!

Isager Alpaca 3:

  • bulky weight
  • chainette
  • 50% alpaca, 50% wool
  • 137 yards/50 grams
  • $10 each

Due to it’s chainette construction, Alpaca 3 is soft, lofty, and highly elastic – a pleasure to work with, all told.

“Novice Cardigan – Chunky Edition,” by PetiteKnit, photo © PetiteKnit.

Though it’s lovely on its own, it’s irresistibly soft when paired with Isager Silk Mohair, as PetiteKnit knows well.

“Sunday Sweater,” by PetiteKnit, photo © PetiteKnit.

Here are a few color combinations to consider when planning a “Sunday Sweater,” “Novice Sweater – Chunky Edition,” “Novice Cardigan – Chunky Edition,” or “Holiday Slipover.”

If mohair isn’t your thing, you can substitute Isager Alpaca 1, a lace weight 100% alpaca yarn. It will add a little weight to the Alpaca 3, and can alter the color if you like, but won’t be as fuzzy as Silk Mohair.

Come by the shop to see and touch these yarns for yourself, and plan your next project! Look for Silk Mohair and Alpaca 1 in the lace weight section, and Alpaca 3 in the bulky weight section.

NFC Loft + fingering weight.

There are so many popular patterns that call for a lace weight mohair paired with fingering weight wool – sometimes in a matching color, sometimes a contrasting one, always creating an enticing fuzzy fabric. Neighborhood Fibre Co. Loft is just the yarn for this, and we’ve got loads of options in the fingering weight section here at our shop – you’ll find a few ideas below, and keep scrolling for patterns!

  • Brooklyn Tweed Peerie: fingering weight, 100% merino wool, 210 yards/50 grams, $17.25 each

Sweaters:

Accessories:

It can be tricky to visualize how different colors and textures of yarn will look when knit together – Tin Can Knits has a super helpful blog post about just that, “Layering With Mohair.” Read it and you are sure to be inspired – we can’t wait to see what yarn and color combinations you come up with!

Hello, Neighborhood Fiber Co. Loft!

We’d like to introduce an exciting new arrival from Baltimore’s Neighborhood Fiber Co – meet Loft!

Neighborhood Fiber Co. Loft:

  • lace weight
  • hand dyed in semisolid and variegated colorways
  • 70% kid mohair, 30% silk
  • 459 yards/1.75 oz
  • $28 each

Not to be confused with Brooklyn Tweed Loft, NFC Loft is a fuzzy and luminous blend of mohair and silk, hand dyed in Neighborhood’s unique colorways.

NFC Loft is soft and shiny, lightweight with a fluffy texture, and often used in tandem with heavier yarns. We’ve seen so many patterns calling for a lace weight mohair like this one, sometimes paired with a fingering weight yarn, sometimes a DK – think Tin Can Knits’ “Love Note,” or PetiteKnit’s “Oslo Hat – Mohair Edition,” “Novice Slipover,” and “September Sweater Junior.” We’ll share some yarn and color pairings here on the blog soon – stay tuned!

Look for Neighborhood Fiber Co. Loft along with Studio Sock, Capital Luxury Sport, and Ombre Mini Bundles here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop! We’re open 11-5:30, Tuesdays-Saturdays; masks required for entry. See you there!