Sale Spotlight: Shibui Fern.

Posted by Julia on July 11, 2020

Everything in our shop is 15% off during July, our Annual Inventory Sale! All month, I’ll be shining a spotlight on the yarns we have in stock – today, let’s look at Shibui Fern!

Shibui Fern:

sport weight
plied, matte
100% organic cotton
232 yards/50 grams
$19.50 each

Like all Shibui yarns, Fern is designed to be used on its own or mixed with other yarns for intriguing fiber and color blends. By itself on a US 4, the suggested gauge is 24 stitches over 4 inches.

What to make with Shibui Fern? Here are a few ideas:

“Mirage,” by Shellie Anderson – stockinette A-line tank with optional short sleeves
“Oasis” – 2 color wrap
“Radiance Tank,” by Rebecca McKenzie – stockinette tank with lace hem
“Bobbie,” by Pam Allen – striped drop-shoulder pullover

Order online for local pickup or shipping via USPS Priority Mail!

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

Hello, BC Garn Bio Balance.

Posted by Julia on August 31, 2019

We’re delighted to announce that our first new yarn for the fall season has arrived! Meet Bio Balance, from BC Garn.

BC Garn is a family-owned, ecologically-minded yarn company out of Denmark. Many of their yarns are certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), so we feel confident that they are produced safely and responsibly, from the fiber to the dye.

Bio Balance is one of those certified organic yarns, a sport weight blend of 55% wool and 45% cotton. This combination brings the best of both fibers to the yarn. The wool lends elasticity and loftiness to the cool, soft cotton, and the result is a nice balance of animal and plant fibers, and smooth, well-behaved fabric.

This makes it an excellent sweater yarn, especially in our warm climate. A browse through Bio Balance projects on Ravelry shows that many knitters use it for sweater-making – here are few patterns to consider:

“Tegna,” by Caitlin Hunter – a stockinette tee with lace at the bottom edge
“June,” by Julie Weisenberger, of cocoknits – a top-down puff-sleeve pullover
“Sanctuary,” by Stephanie Earp – a top-down cabled tee, from Pom Pom Quarterly, Summer 2019 – we still have copies, if you missed this beautiful issue when it first came out!
“Kalaloch Pullover,” by Kate Gagnon Osborn of Kelbourne Woolens – an oversized lace yoke sweater
“Yume,” by Isabell Kraemer – a top-down lace yoke pullover, with options for short or long sleeves

Because this yarn can be gently machine-washed, it’s great for baby and children’s garments, too:

“Wee Envelope,” by Ysolda Teague – a stockinette pullover with a yoke knit side-to-side
“Nemo,” by Rebekka Mauser – a textured, color block henley
“Hosenmatz,” by Mayumi Kaliciak and Antje Litzmann – baggy baby pants

Look for Bio Balance in the sport weight section here at our shop!

Shibui Sample of the Month: Graphique.

Posted by Julia on August 1, 2019

August is here, and with it, a new Shibui Sample of the Month! We offer a 10% discount on Shibui yarn purchased for our featured sample til the end of the month.

This month’s sample is “Graphique,” a small striped kerchief knit with Shibui Fern. It’s worked in the round, from the center out, in a stripe pattern that makes concentric squares.

Fern is a sport weight organic cotton, with 232 yards on each 50 gram skein. Two skeins is plenty for this little project – just one in each color. Which two would you choose for a “Graphique” kerchief? It looks quite classic in this high-contrast combination, but I’d be interested to see a more subtle version, too.

Come by the shop to before August 25th to see “Graphique” and get Shibui Fern at 10% off to make one of your own!

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

Shibui Sample of the Month: Graphique.

Posted by Julia on September 10, 2018

September is here, and with it, a new Shibui Sample of the Month! We offer a 10% discount on Shibui yarn purchased for our featured sample til the end of the month.

This month’s sample is “Graphique,” a small striped kerchief knit with Shibui Fern. It’s worked in the round, from the center out, in a stripe pattern that makes concentric squares.

Come by the shop to before September 30th to see “Graphique” and get Shibui Fern at 10% off to make one of your own!

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

Hello, Zauberball Cotton.

Posted by Julia on April 30, 2018

We recently replenished our supply of Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball yarns, those colorful self-stripers in fingering and sport weight.

Zauberball, Zauberball Crazy, and Zauberball Starke 6 all slowly change from one color to the next several yards at a time, so that whatever you’re knitting or crocheting with it comes out striped. All three of these yarns have been staples here at our shop for years; imagine our delight and curiosity when we learned of a new addition to the Zauberball family – Cotton!

Like Zauberball and Zauberball Crazy, Zauberball Cotton is a fingering weight, self-striping yarn, but it’s composed of 100% organic cotton from Greece. It’s smooth and cool to the touch, and loosely-plied for a soft hand and matte finish.

It may not be sturdy enough for sock-making, but Zauberball Cotton is ideal for warm-weather garments and accessories: shawls, cowls, scarves, lightweight tops, and baby things. Look for ideas on our Fingering weight Pinterest board, and look for Zauberball Cotton here at the shop – see you there!

Hello, Semilla.

Posted by Julia on March 18, 2018

Earlier in the month, we welcomed BC Garn to the fold here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. We now stock two yarns from this Danish company; Loch Lomond got a proper introduction on the blog, and now it’s time to meet Semilla.

Semilla is a 100% organic wool. This means it’s been certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), so we can be confident that it’s produced safely and responsibly, from the fiber to the dye.

Each 50 gram ball has 175 yards, and the suggested gauge is 5.5 stitches per inch on a US 6, which is why it’s found a home in our DK weight section here at the shop. It’s very round and smooth for a 2ply yarn, in part because of its tight twist. These qualities give Semilla nice stitch definition for texture patterns, cables, and lace.

One ball of Semilla would make a nice pair of mitts, like Churchmouse’s evergreen “Welted Fingerless Gloves.” While we’re thinking Churchmouse, consider also their “Easy Folded Poncho” and “Welted Cowl & Infinity Loop,” either of which is a good fit for Semilla.

Though it’s hand-wash only, this soft organic wool is a nice choice for baby things, too – think tincanknits’ “Dog Star,” “Peanut,” and “Clayoquot Toque.”

Look to our “DK weight” Pinterest board for more pattern ideas, and come by the shop to see Semilla for yourself!

Hello, Shibui Fern.

Posted by Julia on March 13, 2018

Shibui’s newest yarn is here! Meet Fern.

Fern is a sport weight organic cotton, with 232 yards on each 50 gram skein.

Unlike Rain, Shibui’s DK weight cotton, Fern is matte rather than lustrous, and brushed for extra softness.

Like all Shibui yarns, Fern is designed to be used on its own or mixed with other yarns for intriguing fiber and color blends. By itself on a US 4, the suggested gauge is 24 stitches over 4 inches; we knit up a little swatch to give a sense of it.

Fern appears in several patterns from the new Shibui Spring/Summer 2018 collection, including “Oasis,” a bias knit scarf with thin stripes and a bit of texture.

This pattern is free when you purchase the yarn here at our shop. Other patterns from the new collection are sold singly; look for them in a binder near a basket of Fern.

Look for Fern in our Sport weight section here at the shop, alongside Shibui Twig. See you there!

Swans Island Limited Edition Ikat.

Posted by Julia on April 25, 2016

There’s a brand new, limited edition color in Swans Island Natural Colors Merino Fingering, and we’re delighted to have it here at the shop! These unique blue and white skeins are hand-dyed with natural indigo using an Indonesian dyeing technique called Ikat. Hanks of undyed merino wool are tied tightly with cord, and the portions of the skeins that are wrapped resist the dye, creating a variegated colorway.

Indigo is a pigment rather than a dye, so you can expect to find blue streaks on your hands after knitting with indigo-dyed yarns for a while. Rest assured, it comes off easily with soap and water, and wont continue to crock once you’ve washed your finished project, rinsing til the water runs clear. I’ve written about indigo-dyed yarns here on the blog before; click here to read more.

Each 100 gram skein of this yarn boasts 525 yards, plenty for a pair of mitts, a hat, scarf, or shawl. Patterns with simple stitch patterns will allow this colorful yarn to shine; think “Sumatra Mitts,” “Hitchhiker,” or “Ahull.”

Look for a special Ikat-dyed skein tucked into our basket of Swans Island Natural Colors Merino Fingering. See you at the shop!

Mirasol Samp’a: now on sale!

Posted by Julia on April 5, 2016

Another discontinued yarn has moved to the Sale Trunk here at the shop: Mirasol Samp’a. It’s a lovely yarn, but since it’s no longer manufactured, we’re now offering it at a deep discount of over 25% off the original price!

Mirasol Samp’a is a DK weight 100% organic cotton, naturally dyed in a pleasing palette of pastels, punctuated by a few brights. Consider this yarn for baby sweaters and blankets, washcloths and market bags, summer shawls and tees. Look for more pattern ideas on our “DK weight” Pinterest board!

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 Samp’a 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!

Post-Market Sale spotlight: Sublime Organic Merino Wool DK.

Posted by Julia on June 6, 2014

From Friday May 23rd through June 29th, we will have select yarns discounted during our Post-Market Sale: single skeins will be reduced by 30% and full bags of 10 will be 40% off! Throughout the sale, I’ll be highlighting some of these yarns and giving ideas for what to make with them. Today: spotlight on Sublime Organic Merino Wool DK.

Sublime Organic Merino Wool DK is a soft, fluffy, single-ply yarn, coming in a range of neutrals and soft shades of pink, purple, blue, and green.

Rosi knit this “Herz & Baum” vest with Organic Merino Wool DK a few years ago, covered with intricate cable patterning. Look for it at the shop to get a sense of the nice, gentle way this yarn renders texture patterns, and check out our “Post-Market Sale” board on Pinterest for more projects made in this and other sale yarns.

Each 50 gram skein has 113 yards, and suggests a gauge of 5.5 stitches to the inch, though its loftiness means that it’s happy at a bigger gauge, too. Therefore, you can consider Sublime Organic Merino Wool DK for patterns calling for worsted weight yarns as well as those that want DK.

Heidi Kirrmair’s “Tea with Jam and Bread” pullover calls for worsted weight yarn to be knit to a gauge of 19 stitches = 4 inches, a fabric that Sublime Organic Merino Wool DK will happily knit up to without being loose or floppy. It’s a cozy stockinette sweater with bold colorblock stripes and pockets, sized for children and adults alike, and it’s also the reason I arranged shades of Organic Merino Wool DK in threes for this blog post.

Organic Merino Wool DK makes nice accessories as well–pick two shades for the “Quaking Aspen” shawl, or just one for shawls like “Saroyan” or “Terra.” Just a ball or two will make a pair of “Cafe au Lait Mitts” or “Fetchings,” perfect for gift-knitting or trying lace or cables on a small project.

Come by the shop soon to have the best selection of this gorgeous yarn at this nice price. It’s still early on in the sale, and we have full bags available in many colors, but they may not last long–hope to see you at the shop soon!

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!