Silk DK.

Posted by Julia on May 25, 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 Cashmere/Merino/Silk DK.

Sublime’s Cashmere/Merino/Silk DK is a springy, many-plied dk weight yarn composed of all the fibers it’s named for. Cashmere makes it oh-so-soft, merino wool brings a pleasant bouncy quality, and silk gives this yarn a slight lustre.

It’s well-behaved on the needles or hook, machine-washable, and comes in a huge range of colors, from pastels to jewel tones to crayon-brights to neutrals.

All of these qualities make it perfectly suited to a range of projects, garments and accessories alike, for babies, children, and adults.

Sublime Cashmere/Merino Silk DK is also a great choice for blanket-making. Consider the “Honeycomb Stroller Blanket,” “Neat Ripple Pattern,” “Missoni Inspired Chevron Blanket,” and “Granny Stripes”–all free blanket patterns that encourage freewheeling color-mixing, one of the major joys of blankets, I think.

The pattern I keep thinking of, however, requires only 7 skeins–Purl Soho’s “Super Easy Baby Blanket,” a simple color-block garter stitch crib blanket. That’s why each of the photos today show groups of 7 colors. Once I started playing the “Super Easy Baby Blanket” colorway game, I had a hard time stopping.

Look for more pattern ideas for Sublime Cashmere/Merino/Silk DK on our “Post-Market Sale” Pinterest board, and come by the shop soon to have the best selection of this gorgeous yarn at this nice price. Here at the beginning of the sale, 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!

New colors in Acadia.

Posted by Julia on April 7, 2014

Acadia, from the Fibre Company, is a special yarn indeed, and has become a favorite at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. This DK weight blend of merino, alpaca, and silk has a unique blend of rugged tweedy texture and soft hand, and served as our introduction to the Fibre Company. We were delighted to receive the four newest colors in Acadia last week!

We’ve been stocking Acadia at the shop for almost two years, and in that time, I’ve seen it put to good use in all kinds of projects: “Welted Fingerless Gloves,” the knit “Quaking Aspen” shawl, the crocheted “Belle Epoque” shawl, “Ritalin Cowl,” even a very special baby sweater.

“Quaking Aspen” is a free pattern from the Fibre Company, calling for just two skeins of Acadia in the main color and one skein in the contrast color. Our “Quaking Aspen” sample is hanging up at the shop; come by to feel it for yourself, try it on for size, and get a good sense of how this yarn behaves in knitted fabric.

We’re loving this expanded palette of Fibre Company Acadia. Find it in the second room of the shop, hanging on the tree in the DK weight section!

Back in stock: Selku.

Posted by Julia on February 16, 2014

Most yarns from Maine hand-dyers String Theory are dyed to order, so it was with a couple months of anticipation that we excitedly unpacked a big box full of Selku this past week.

Selku is a sport weight, 3-ply blend of 50% silk and 50% merino wool. The silk content makes it slinky and shiny, while the wool brings elasticity. Together, they make a gently draping fabric with excellent stitch definition that is well suited to accessories, scarves, shawls, and sweaters. It particularly shines in lacy openwork patterns–perhaps you’ve seen the sample slouchy hat in Selku at the shop, or glimpsed Rosi’s “Sampler Tabard” on the blog.

We’ve also seen Selku knit up into a “Vitamin D” sweater and a “Sonetto” shawl, among other projects. There’s one other shawl pattern we’ve had our eye on for some time that calls for String Theory Selku: “Sundry,” by Jennifer Dassau. “Sundry” is a garter- and slip-stitch shawl that calls for one skein each in two colors–an excellent opportunity to play the color-combining game.

Above are “Pewter” and “Alexandrite,” the colors shown in the pattern sample. I couldn’t stop there, of course. Here are several more combinations that appealed to my eye–I can’t wait to see what other knitters come up with, too!

Come by the shop to bask in Selku’s glow, and pick a pair of colors for your own “Sundry” shawl. See you there!

New colors in Meadow.

Posted by Julia on February 14, 2014

Fibre Company’s newest yarn, Meadow, has been catching the attention of knitters and crocheters at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop since we unpacked our first box of the stuff. We admired finished garments made in Meadow at the Allium Collection trunk show, and sampled Meadow ourselves at the Fibre Company yarn tasting, planning projects for this unique lace weight yarn all the while. I’m happy to report that the Fibre Company has created three new colors of Meadow: a bright teal, a dark brown, and a pale, greyish lavender.

Meadow is an unusual yarn, somewhere in between a lace weight and a light fingering weight, a soft and tweedy blend of 40% merino wool, 25% baby llama, 20% silk, and 15% linen. It knits up comfortably on a wide range of needle sizes, as well-suited to lightweight sweaters as it is to lace shawls. These three new shades fit right into the existing Meadow color palette, its moody, muted shades punctuated by a few sunny brights.

Look for Meadow in a basket near the lace and fingering weight yarns, and consider it for your next project. Come by and see our other Fibre Company yarns, too: Savannah, Acadia, and Canopy Worsted. See you at the shop!

Gradient colorways.

Posted by Julia on December 8, 2013

We recently acquired a few new colors in Shibui Silk Cloud, one of our newest yarns. Silk Cloud is a shimmering, fuzzy blend of mohair and silk, one that has quickly made its way onto Anne’s needles as well as my own. Already low on a few popular colors, we placed an order with Shibui a few weeks ago and were unable to resist a couple of new hues in Silk Cloud.

When presented with piles of yarn, my first impulse is always to group colors into interesting pairings or trios, thinking, “How could I combine these in a garment?” Unpacking the new colors in Silk Cloud, I immediately thought of the “Gradient” cowl, a free pattern from Shibui.

In the spirit of the Shibui Mix concept, which encourages the combining of Shibui yarns two or three strands at a time, “Gradient” is worked with three strands of Silk Cloud held together. Periodically, one of those three strands is switched out for a different color, which makes a gentle transition from one color to the next.

“Gradient” calls for four shades of Silk Cloud, so immediately I started putting foursomes together, shuffling all our available colors this way and that until I found combinations that pleased me.

Inspired to make a “Gradient” cowl of your own? I can’t wait to see what other color combinations you creative knitters will come up with. Look for the “Gradient” pattern on Shibui’s website, where you can download it for free, and look for Shibui Silk Cloud at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop in the lace weight section. See you there!

Hello, Pebble.

Posted by Julia on November 8, 2013

Last week, I gave a brief introduction to Shibui here on the blog–their yarns, patterns, “mix” concept for combining yarns, beautiful coordinated colorways, and luxury fibers. This week, I wanted to give each of the three Shibui yarns we carry a chance to shine. Having given Cima and Silk Cloud the spotlight earlier in the week, it’s time for Pebble.

Pebble is a lace weight blend of 48% recycled silk, 36% wool, and 16% cashmere, boasting 224 yards on each 25 gram skein. This carefully crafted blend of fibers feels soft on the skein, but softer still once it’s made up into fabric. Each of Pebble’s three plies is made of a separate fiber, so that you can see how each one takes the dye somewhat differently. Its tweedy look sets it apart from the other Shibui yarns we carry, and indeed, from most other yarns you’ll find in the “Lace Weight” section of the shop.

Pebble is Shibui’s newest concoction, and it’s been introduced this fall along with a series of knitting patterns that make use of it held singly or doubly. You’ll find the Pebble pattern collection in the Shibui binder at the shop, which gives a preview of each Shibui pattern. If you find a pattern you like, you can buy it from us as a Ravelry In-Store Pattern Sale and we’ll print a copy for you and send a digital copy to your email or Ravelry library.

This colorwork-yoked sweater, “Cliff,” is another Shibui garment we fell in love with at TNNA. Pebble has a bit of a fuzzy halo when it’s knit, washed, and blocked, and it was the softness and delicacy of this yarn that turned our heads towards Shibui in the first place.

Look on the Shibui website for the Cliff Hat, a free pattern for Pebble. When searching for other pattern ideas, remember that Pebble is a lofty lace weight yarn, comfortable at a range of gauges. When held double, or paired with Silk Cloud or Cima, Pebble makes a dk weight, so you might hunt through your Ravelry queue for patterns with a suggested gauge of about 5.5 stitches per inch. Follow us on Pinterest for more Pebble pattern ideas; our “Inspiring Stitches” board is a collection of patterns and projects that make good use of yarns that are available at HYS. I’ve been pinning Shibui pattern ideas all week, so if you’re seeking Shibui inspiration, look for us on Pinterest.

Come by the shop to see Pebble, Silk Cloud, and Cima, and to peruse the Shibui pattern binder. There are still some open spaces in our upcoming Shibui Mix Party–you can sign up on our website, where you’ll also find information about our latest classes. See you at the shop!

Hello, Silk Cloud.

Posted by Julia on November 6, 2013

Last week, I gave a brief introduction to Shibui here on the blog–their yarns, patterns, “mix” concept for combining yarns, beautiful coordinated colorways, and luxury fibers. This week, I wanted to give each of the three Shibui yarns we carry a chance to shine. Having given Cima the spotlight earlier in the week, it’s time for Silk Cloud.

Silk Cloud is a lace weight yarn composed of 60% kid mohair and 40% silk, boasting 330 yards on each 25 gram skein. Mohair is tremendously fuzzy and warm, its halo filling in the gaps a bit when knit or crocheted at larger gauges. And while silk is a common ingredient in mohair yarns from many different companies, Shibui’s Silk Cloud has a higher percentage of silk than many, which seems to make it smoother on the hands and needles.

From our first browse through Shibui’s patterns, “Mix No. 19” was Anne’s favorite, a color block pullover designed to be loose-fitting. It calls for Silk Cloud held double throughout, making a substantial but lightweight fabric that drapes gently. Of course Anne cast on as soon as the yarn arrived.

Anne is knitting “Mix No. 19” in the colors it’s shown in, though there are many other tempting combinations to be found in our stash of Silk Cloud. In playing the color game, I was drawn to subtle, low-contrast combinations.

“Mix No. 2” is a similar garment, also using two strands of Silk Cloud held together, but featuring a tunic length, long sleeves, and a subtle textural stripe.

When held together with another yarn, Silk Cloud lends its halo to the finished fabric. Because Shibui’s yarns are dyed in matching colorways across the different fiber types, it makes good sense to hold Silk Cloud together with Cima, as in “Mix No. 16” and “Mix No. 20.”

Another approach to try when seeking uses for this luxurious combination of yarns is to search patterns by gauge. Silk Cloud and Cima make a sport weight gauge when held together, so try a Ravelry pattern search that filters results to show only patterns using sport weight yarn. Follow us on Pinterest for more Silk Cloud pattern ideas; our “Inspiring Stitches” board is a collection of patterns and projects that make good use of yarns that are available at HYS.

Come by the shop to see Silk Cloud and our other Shibui yarns for yourself, and flip through their pattern binder for inspiration. See you there!

Hello, Meadow.

Posted by Julia on October 12, 2013

We’re delighted to announce that Meadow has arrived! This newest yarn from the Fibre Company is featured in our upcoming Fibre Company Yarn Tasting, as well as our current trunk show: the Allium Collection, 8 shawls and scarves knit in this delicious yarn.

Meadow, like many Fibre Company yarns, has an unusual and carefully-crafted fiber composition: 40% merino wool, 25% baby llama, 20% silk, and 15% linen. Each of these fibers brings its own unique characteristics to the yarn in terms of drape, texture, and color, and the result is a lightweight fabric that is soft to the touch and holds its shape even at a looser gauge than is suggested on the ball band. It’s between a lace and a light fingering weight, with a generous 545 yards in each 100 gram skein.

We also have all 8 patterns from Grace Anna Farrow’s Allium Collection, which use Meadow in a variety of techniques, from simple garter or stockinette stitch to stripes, short rows, lace, and colorwork.

Usually, when we order a brand new yarn for the shop, we begin with a small selection of colors. When it came to Meadow, we couldn’t help ourselves–we had to have every single color the Fibre Company makes. One of them is missing from this photoshoot because we sold out of it as soon as it arrived, but don’t fret, it’s on order!

Come by the shop to see Meadow and all the other Fibre Company yarns we carry, and do so before October 20th to play dress-up with the trunk show!

New from Habu.

Posted by Julia on September 30, 2013

We always stop by the Habu Textiles booth at TNNA, and this year was no exception. We’d made a note before going to market that we could use a few new colors in their one-of-a-kind Silk Stainless yarn, which translated into Anne gathering an armful of colorful cones as Habu founder Takako Ueki jotted down color numbers. The new colors of Habu Silk Stainless arrived a week or so ago, settling in with the few colors we’d already had in stock. Our new selection is vibrant and tempting, and I thought they deserved a bit of fanfare here on the blog.

It’s Silk Stainless that makes the Kusha Kusha Scarf such an intriguing project. It’s knit on a variety of different needle sizes, sometimes holding a fine lace weight merino along with the Silk Stainless, and when the knitting is done, the piece is lightly felted in hot, soapy water.

Habu used to sell kits for the Kusha Kusha Scarf, but has since offered the pattern for free via the Purl Bee. This frees you up to choose your own color combinations, which sometimes feels like half the joy of knitting in the first place. We don’t stock the Habu Super Fine Merino that the pattern calls for, but we have so many other lace weight yarns to choose from that would be equally interesting in this project. They’ll all behave a little differently, I suspect, which should be fun to experiment with. I had fun putting these hypothetical combinations together.

Don’t limit yourself to Kusha Kusha scarves, however; Silk Stainless can also be put to good use in sweaters and knitted or crocheted jewelry. We’ve even had a weaver experiment with a few cones of the stuff on her loom. Come by the shop to see our sample Kusha Kusha Scarf and our new selection of Habu Silk Stainless. See you there!

Wisdom Wrap, in progress.

Posted by Julia on September 2, 2013

Right before we left for market in June, Anne started knitting a Wisdom Wrap, one of Gina Wilde’s shibori felting designs for Alchemy Yarns. We’d seen (and played dress-up with) a Wisdom Wrap at market the year before, and kept it in mind all year.

It’s an unusual piece, but simple to construct. The first step is to make long stretches of i-cord with Sanctuary, a luxuriously soft blend of merino and silk. Then stitches are picked up along the length of the i-cord and knit up into garter stitch rectangles using Silken Straw.

The end result is a kind of i-cord scaffolding, which frames the Silken Straw color-blocks. When the knitting is done, the Wisdom Wrap is ready to be felted, just like the Simple Shibori Cowl. The Sanctuary i-cord shrinks and felts, looking almost like a velvet rope, and the Silken Straw rectangles soften and stretch out. It’s a bit of a leap of faith, but having seen the finished wrap at market and tried it myself on a smaller scale with the cowl, we feel confident that a successful shibori transformation awaits. In the meantime, Anne is hard at work on the wrap, working lengths of i-cord in between blocks of garter stitch–soothing knitting.

Besides the meditative knitting process, one of the major joys of an Alchemy project is choosing from their outstanding, vibrant color palette. Though she was picking from a smaller selection, before our colors numbered in double digits as they do today, Anne put together a beautiful colorway for her Wisdom Wrap, which calls for one shade in Sanctuary and four in Silken Straw.

In selecting colors for a Wisdom Wrap, one strategy is to begin with the Sanctuary, which comes in variegated colorways. From there, you can use the same colorway in Silken Straw, and then pull out three solid colors in the Silken Straw that appear in the variegated color you’ve chosen. Anne is using Sanctuary in color “Dark Star,” and Silken Straw in “Dark Star,” “Jungle Juice,” “Citrine,” and “Coco Rosie.” As I was arranging the Silken Straw in its basket, I couldn’t help but play the Wisdom Wrap game, putting potential colorways together, sometimes following the strategy I just laid out, sometimes not.

I could play this game all day. Come in to plan a Wisdom Wrap of your own!