Back in stock: Sandnes Garn Line.

Posted by Julia on March 22, 2024

Sandnes Garn Line has become a staple since we introduced it last March – we’re delighted to have a fresh supply and loads of new colors, just in time for spring!

Sandnes Garn Line:

light worsted weight
53% cotton, 33% viscose, 14% linen
120 yards/50g
$7.50 each

Line is a light worsted weight plant fiber blend that knits up at 5 stitches per inch on a US 6 needle.

It’s soft, cool, machine washable, and drapes beautifully, qualities that make it ideal for warm weather garments.

Above is my “Anker’s Summer Shirt,” a top-down, seamless PetiteKnit pattern, suitable for a knitter’s first sweater. Here are more pattern ideas for Line:

“Peacock Tee Solo,” by Lene Holme Samsøe – feather and fan lace yoke tee
“Sommer Ella Solo,” by Lene Holme Samsøe – leaf/lace yoke tee
“Sommerknus,” by Elsebeth Judith – textured tee
“Purl Strings,” by Heidi Kirrmaier – tee with textured stripes
“Anker’s Summer Shirt,” by PetiteKnit – ribbed yoke tee
“June Top,” by PetiteKnit – stockinette tank
“Cold Shoulder Crop,” by Park Williams – mock turtleneck tee with mesh cap sleeves
“Tolsta Tee,” by Rebecca Clowe – top down raglan tee with options for customization

Look for my “Anker’s Summer Shirt” on display at the shop, and find Sandnes Garn Line in our worsted weight section!

Hello, Lang Cashmere Premium!

Posted by Julia on January 30, 2024

A brand new yarn has arrived – meet Lang Cashmere Premium!

Lang Cashmere Premium:

DK weight
100% cashmere
126 yards/25 g
$28 each

It’s been quite some time since we kept a 100% cashmere yarn in stock here at HYS. We’ve had a few that were discontinued, one by one, and so many other fibers that were luxuriously soft – alpaca, silk, and merino wool, to name a few. But enough people inquired that we felt compelled to seek out a new cashmere yarn, and when Anne got her hands on a sample ball of Lang Cashmere Premium, the choice was made.

Lang Cashmere is not sourced from a specific breed of goat, but rather from the long, fine undercoat of around 20 different subspecies of domestic goats. The soft and delicate cashmere hair is carefully combed out by hand, yielding just 200-380g of raw fiber from each animal.

Cashmere is known for its exquisite softness, of course, but also for being especially warm – yarn like this is best for smaller accessories, to make the most of each precious yard. Anne ordered Churchmouse’s “Cashmere Beret” pattern to go with Lang Cashmere Premium, a perfect pairing of yarn and pattern.

When it came to the shop sample, Anne, Bailey and I all agreed – it has to be something worn around the neck! I’m using two balls of Cashmere Premium to knit a “Scarf No. 4,” by My Favorite Things, and each stitch is decadent.

Here are some other pattern ideas!

“Scarf No. 1,” by My Favorite Things – garter stitch and eyelet scarf
“Scarf No. 2,” by My Favorite Things – textured scarf
“Scarf No. 3,” by My Favorite Things – ribbed scarf
“Sophie Scarf,” by PetiteKnit – garter stitch scarf with I-cord edge
“Balaclava No. 1,” by My Favorite things – broken rib balaclava, knit with Lang Cashmere and lace weight silk/mohair held together
“Gloves No. 1,” by My Favorite Things – textured fingerless mitts
“Penny Gloves,” by PetiteKnit – stockinette fingerless mitts

Look for Lang Cashmere Premium in the DK weight section here at our shop!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Ammonite.

Posted by Julia on November 21, 2023

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!

Hello, Sandnes Garn Tynn Silk Mohair!

Posted by Julia on November 17, 2023

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!

Hello, Sandnes Garn Double Sunday!

Posted by Julia on October 24, 2023

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!

“Stripe Hype Sweater,” by Veronika Lindberg – striped drop shoulder pullover
“Field Sweater,” by Camilla Vad – textured yoke pullover
“Storm Sweater Junior” and “Storm Sweater,” by PetiteKnit – texture pattern pullover in children’s and adult sizes
“Festival Sweater” and “Festival Sweater My Size,” by PetiteKnit – bobble-stripe pullover in children’s and adult sizes
“Marseille Sweater Junior,” “Marseille Sweater Young,” and “Marseille Sweater,” by PetiteKnit – striped pullover in children’s, teen, and adult sizes
“Moby Slipover,” by PetiteKnit – cabled vest
“Riento,” by Sari Nordlund – lace and texture short sleeved pullover
“Hanko,” by Sari Nordlund – striped pullover
“Coral Reef Hat,” by Lisa Hannes – traveling rib hat
“Weekend Hat,” by PetiteKnit – ribbed hat
“Sille Slipover,” by PetiteKnit – textured vest

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!

Back in stock: Malabrigo Caprino.

Posted by Julia on September 5, 2023

Our supply of Malabrigo Caprino dwindled to almost zero during our Annual Inventory Sale – we are so happy to have this yarn back in stock!

Malabrigo Caprino:

DK weight
hand-dyed, variegated, speckled, and semi-solid colorways
80% merino, 20% cashmere
159 yards/50 g
$18 each

Like all Malabrigo yarns, Caprino comes in a variety of vibrant, memorable hand-dyed colorways. What sets it apart is the extra softness of cashmere, which really makes Caprino a treat to work with and wear. Lately it’s been popular for PetiteKnit’s “Sophie Scarf,” a small garter stitch neckwarmer that many knitters have been making on repeat.

I knit Andrea Mowry’s “Nightshift” shawl with Malabrigo Caprino a couple of years ago, and it now hangs at the shop, inspiring knitters to make their own. It was fun to combine semisolid, variegated, and speckled colorways in this slip stitch pattern and see how they worked together.

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

“Beloved,” by Tin Can Knits – bonnet with garter stitch edge
“Novemberist Hat,” by Vanessa Smith – colorwork hat and mitts
“Pātikitiki Hat,” by Francoise Danoy – colorwork hat and cowl
“Tincture,” by Andrea Mowry – mosaic hat
“Dissent Cowl (knit),” by Carissa Browning – slip-stitch cowl inspired by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s famous collar
“Ikigai Cowl,” by Breean Elyse Miller – openwork ribbed cowl

Look for Malabrigo Caprino in the DK weight section here at our shop!

Show and tell: sweaters.

Posted by Julia on August 17, 2023

We’re closing the shop for a summer vacation from August 17 – 28, reopening at our usual hours on Tuesday, August 29. In the meantime, enjoy another round of show and tell, featuring the juiciest of knitting projects: sweaters!

Here’s April’s “Little Love,” by Ankestrick, a textured cardigan knit with Kelbourne Woolens Cricket. April has also made Ankestrick’s “Big Love,” a heavier version in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter, and can vouch for the pleasure of knitting and wearing these designs!

Anne began this “Kirigami” years ago, when Brooklyn Tweed first launched Dapple, but then put it aside while she worked on other things. When the most recent new colors came out in Dapple, she returned to it and was delighted to discover it was nearly finished! Look for it hanging on the wall here at our shop.

Linda finished her “Kirigami” recently, too, using Brooklyn Tweed Arbor. I love how crisp Gudrun Johnston’s highly textured design is in this yarn!

In fact, I made a “Kirigami” in Arbor a few years ago, and though it never made an appearance on the blog, I wear it frequently and love it so.

Here’s a more recent project of mine, a PetiteKnit “Anker’s Summer Shirt” in Sandnes Garn Line. This one is up on display at the shop, and seems to have inspired many of you to pick up Line for an “Anker’s Summer Shirt” of your own – I can’t wait to see them take shape!

Connie knit this “Kaav” cardigan in a recent class here at our shop, where a small group of knitters all tackled Kate Davie’s lovely design, along with their very first steeks. Connie modified the pattern a bit, omitting the colorwork from the sleeves, and used the super soft Kelbourne Woolens Scout.

Thanks to April, Anne, Linda, and Connie for sharing your projects with us, and thank you all for letting me show and tell, too! Looking forward to seeing you and your projects after our summer break!

Show and tell: held together.

Posted by Julia on July 21, 2023

It’s been too long since I shared show-and-tell here on the blog, though it’s an ongoing part of our daily Instagram posts – let’s see what folks have been making with yarn from our shop!

We have long extolled the magic of holding multiple yarns together, making unique color and fiber blends that delight and sometimes surprise us. All the projects in today’s show and tell post feature this technique, sometimes called marling. The shawl above is a great example, Pat’s “Duality.” She knit the larger wrap size using Isager Alpaca 2, a lovely substitution for the now-discontinued Shibui yarn that Jane Vanselous’s pattern calls for.

Joy recently completed this “Copenhagen Cardigan,” designed by PetiteKnit and made with Isager Alpaca 2 in a teal color and Silk Mohair in blue held together throughout. The result is so delightfully soft and fuzzy, she came back for more Silk Mohair to make a PetiteKnit “Cumulus Blouse O-neck.”

Here’s a more subtle marl, where the two yarns are similar in color – Kay’s “Oslo Hat – Mohair Edition,” knit with Kelbourne Woolens Perennial and Fyberspates Cumulus held together throughout. Margaretta made one too, using the same two yarns in shades of teal.

Margaretta also knit a marled “Weekend Hat,” another PetiteKnit pattern, using Isager Alpaca 2 and Kelbourne Woolens Camper held together.

Thanks to Pat, Joy, Kay, and Margaretta for sharing their work with us! We love to see what you make with our yarns, and can’t wait to see what comes off your needles next.

Back in stock: Isager Bomulin.

Posted by Julia on June 27, 2023

Warm weather calls for plant fiber and lightweight yarns, so we’ve stocked up on Isager Bomulin, a light fingering weight blend of cotton and linen.

Isager Bomulin:

light fingering weight
65% cotton, 35% linen
230 yards/50g
$11 each

Plant fibers like these have little elasticity and a lot of drape, making them perfect for spring shawls and scarves, or loose-fitting warm-weather garments.

I’m a little late to the party, but I’ve just knit a “Ranunculus” as a sample for the shop, Midori Hirose’s always-popular textured yoke pullover. I picked a salmon pink shade of Isager Bomulin, holding it together with slightly lighter pink Isager Highland Wool for a bit of added softness, structure, and variation in color.

I’m really pleased with how these close-but-not-matching shades blend together in this garment, looking solid from a distance but gently marled upon closer inspection. Here are some more color combinations in Bomulin and Highland Wool that should have a similar effect!

Isager Merilin, a merino/linen blend, would also play well with Bomulin; here are four more low contrast combinations to consider for a “Ranunculus” of your own, or perhaps a PetiteKnit “Breeze Bag,” which calls for a similar combination of yarns.

Here’s Margaretta’s recently completed “Breeze Bag,” knit with Bomulin and Merilin held together throughout – perfect for farmer’s market flowers!

What else to knit with Bomulin? Here are a few ideas!

“Outline Tee,” by Jessie Maed – cropped tee with drop-stitch detail
“Outline Tank,” by Jessie Maed – cropped tank with drop-stitch detail
“Umbel Summer Top,” by Irene Lin – color block a-line tank
“Soleie Shell,” by Skeindeer Knits – lace edged tank
“Cumulus Top,” by PetiteKnit – camisole
“Shore Tee,” by Anne Ventzel – eyelet striped tee; held together with Isager Alpaca 1
“Tide Loop Tee,” by Other Loops – textured tee; held together with Isager Alpaca 1

Look for Isager Bomulin, Highland Wool, and Merilin in the fingering weight section here at HYS!

Marling with Sandnes Garn Sunday.

Posted by Julia on June 20, 2023

A few months ago, a new PetiteKnit pattern caught my eye and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. “Melange Sweater” is simple enough, a marled stockinette drop shoulder pullover, but the high contrast combination of colors intrigued me, along with a few other design details.

I chose Sandnes Garn Sunday for a “Melange Sweater” of my own and have been happily stitching away ever since, enjoying the shoulder shaping at the yoke, the soft yarn, the bouncy fabric, and above all, watching the colors come together. There’s a pleasing randomness to it, a bit of blurring and pooling – it’s keeping me interested even though the stitching is simple!

I picked a high contrast color combination for my “Melange Sweater,” similar to the sweater in the pattern photo. There are so many possible combinations in our Sandnes Garn Sunday cubbies – here are some high contrast ideas!

Low contrast marls are subtle, but lovely – the resulting fabric looks more solid from a distance.

Here are some other PetiteKnit pattern ideas for Sandnes Garn Sunday held double:

“Melange Sweater Baby” – marled pullover for ages 3-6 months to 12-18 months
“Melange Sweater Junior” – marled pullover for ages 1-2 years to 13-14 years
“Melange Sweater Man” – marled pullover for adult men
“Oslo Hat” – stockinette hat with folded brim
“Weekend Hat” – ribbed hat with folded brim

Look for Sandnes Garn Sunday in the fingering weight section here at HYS – we can’t wait to see what color combinations you come up with for your own marled knits!