New colors in Lang Merino + Color.

Posted by Julia on October 24, 2016

Somewhere in the recent rush of exciting new fall yarns, a big box of Lang Merino+ Color arrived.

Last fall, this soft, superwash, self-striping yarn was brand new, and it quietly became a bit of a bestseller here at the shop.

One 196 yard ball is enough for a hat or pair of mittens, two can make a big, cozy cowl or a cute, quick-knitting baby sweater.

In colorways ranging from bright and playful to muted and mature, it’s no surprise our supply of Lang Merino+ Color quickly dwindled as knitter after knitter succumbed to its appeal.

It’s good to have all the available colors back on our shelves, along with four new shades.

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

New colors in CoopKnits Socks Yeah!

Posted by Julia on September 27, 2016

Anne and I recently started a Hillsborough Yarn Shop account on Instagram, which means you have another way to keep up with us online if you like. For us, it means we have a new place to browse pretty pictures and find more yarn to order for the shop. It was on Instagram where we first learned that there were new colors to be had in CoopKnits Socks Yeah! We placed an order right away, and I’m happy to report that those pretty new shades have arrived here at the shop!

Developed by avid sock-designer Rachel Coopey, 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.

These vibrant new shades are so welcome in the Socks Yeah! palette, which was hungry for higher-contrast combinations. These six shades bring so much to the table: a couple of new dark shades, some bright jewel tones and an unusual pastel.

This newly updated color palette gives us many more options for Coopey’s “Alfrick” socks, a colorwork pattern with a bit of texture on the foot, designed to make a fraternal pair, rather than identical socks. Here are a few ideas!

Remember CoopKnits Socks Yeah! when your fingering weight project requires sharp stitch definition and durability. You’ll find it in the Fingering Weight section here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, in a little treasure box bursting with color. See you there!

Back in stock: Malabrigo.

Posted by Julia on August 23, 2016

Two enormous boxes of Malabrigo yarn arrived at the shop last week, big enough to fill the table in the classroom.

I cut open those behemoths and sorted the yarn by type, stacking colorful bags of Rios, Arroyo, Sock, and Mechita. Before tucking them away in storage, I pulled one skein of each new color to be sure that every available shade is represented in our various Malabrigo cubbies throughout the shop.

Sock and Mechita are the stars of this particular Malabrigo order, with 17 bags of each yarn. Both are fingering weight, superwash merino yarns hand-dyed in those memorable Malabrigo colorways; the difference is just that Sock is plied and Mechita is a single-ply.

Above is our Malabrigo Sock cubby, full again at last.

Here’s our current selection of Mechita, a particularly photogenic bunch of skeins. I spotted some colorways that have never before been seen at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, and look forward to seeing how they look when they’re knit or crocheted into fabric.

Look for Malabrigo Sock and Mechita in the fingering weight section, where you’ll also find Malabrigo Finito and Mora. Come by to pick up a skein or two for your next project!

Back in stock: Shibui Staccato.

Posted by Julia on August 21, 2016

Our stash of Shibui Staccato had dwindled to a dangerously low number of skeins when – thank goodness! – our order arrived last week.

Staccato is a lustrous blend of 70% superwash merino and 30% silk in a fingering weight. Like Cima, it has a nice high twist, giving it the look of a string of pearls.

Each 50 gram skein has 191 yards, enough for a hat or a pair of mitts; two skeins would make a special pair of socks, and three skeins makes a stunning “3 Color Cashmere Cowl.” Staccato looks to be a stellar shawl or sweater yarn, as well; check out the “Fingering weight” board on our Pinterest page for pattern ideas!

Look for Shibui Staccato in the fingering weight section here at the shop, and peruse our full Shibui selection while you’re here. We keep Silk Cloud, Pebble, Cima, Linen, Twig, Rain, Dune, and Maai in stock, along with two big binders of Shibui patterns!

Hello, Scrumptious 4ply/Sport.

Posted by Julia on June 18, 2016

In a blog post a couple of weeks ago, I teased that our big box from Fyberspates held a new yarn we’d never carried before, along with refills on the Fyberspates yarns you’re used to seeing on our shelves. Just what was that new yarn, anyway? Meet Fyberspates Scrumptious 4ply/Sport.

Scrumptious 4ply/Sport is a soft, shimmering yarn, made of 55% superwash merino and 45% silk. It’s a bit heavy for a fingering, and a bit light for a sport, hence its fractured name. In our shop, you’ll find it in the sport weight section, but don’t rule it out if your pattern calls for fingering weight yarn; look carefully at the pattern gauge and check to see if it falls in the suggested gauge range of Scrumptious 4ply/Sport–between 24 and 28 stitches over 4 inches.

Anne picked this exquisite color palette, cool pastels and neutrals with dark accents in charcoal and deep cobalt. I think this yarn would make a truly dazzling “Vitamin D,” a drape-front cardigan by Heidi Kirrmaier. Look for more pattern ideas on our Fingering and Sport weight Pinterest boards, or come by the shop to peruse the Scrumptious pattern booklets Jeni Hewlett left with us after her visit to our shop last week.

Come and see us for summer knitting inspiration, and consider Scrumptious 4ply/Sport for your next project!

Prince of Purple.

Posted by Julia on May 22, 2016

Last month, we were saddened by the death of Prince, a bold and innovative musician, songwriter, and producer whose work I respect so much. He has since been memorialized in many ways, and we were surprised and delighted to find one such tribute coming from the world of yarn: Dream in Color created a gradient set in shades of purple, Prince’s signature color. Anne put in a request for as many as we were allowed to order, just 12 for this limited edition run, and I’m happy to report that they’re here!

These Prince of Purple gradient sets are composed of ~1125 yards of Dream in Color Smooshy, a fingering weight superwash merino. Those ~1125 yards are divided into five 2 oz skeins, each one a successively darker shade of purple. There’s enough here for a generous shawl or two, or perhaps even a short-sleeved sweater. Consider Kirsten Kapur’s “Seastripes,” Olga Buraya-Kefelian’s “Aranami Shawl,” Melanie Berg’s “The Joker and the Thief,” Ambah O’Brien’s “Inara Wrap,” or Diana Walla’s “Vasa.” Some of these patterns call for just two colors, while others want six or more, but if you’re creative with your color placement, any of them could work with just these five. Or select a complementary shade in another fingering weight merino to frame them–a pale gray, perhaps, a wild yellow, or good old black.

Come by the shop to snag a Prince of Purple gradient set of your own, or pick one up for a Prince- or purple-loving knitter in your life! We’re also happy to ship anywhere in the US; call us at (919) 732-2128 if you’d like to order a set from afar.

Going-to-Market Sale spotlight: Colinette Jitterbug.

Posted by Julia on May 10, 2016

**************** As of May 30, 2017, we are totally sold out of Colinette Jitterbug ****************

From May 10th – June 5th, we have Colinette and Schulana yarns discounted during our Going-to-Market Sale: single skeins are 30% off, or 40% off when you buy 10 or more! Throughout the sale, I’ll be highlighting some of these yarns and giving ideas for what to make with them. Today: spotlight on Colinette Jitterbug.

Jitterbug has been a well-loved yarn here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, and I expect it to be one of the first to sell out during our Going-to-Market Sale. This fingering weight superwash merino is tightly-plied, making it sturdy enough for socks, but soft enough for shawls or baby things. It’s on the robust end of fingering weight, so it still makes a substantial fabric at a larger gauge; knit it tightly for hard-wearing socks or mittens, or go up a few needle sizes for a softly draping fabric.

Consider Elizabeth Zimmermann’s classic “Baby Surprise Jacket,” Martina Behm’s “Hitchiker,” or the “Simple Sock Pattern” that comes printed on the Jitterbug label. Look for more pattern ideas on our “Fingering weight” Pinterest board!

Come by the shop to pick up some Colinette Jitterbug before it disappears, and be sure to check out all our other discounted yarns during the Going-to-Market Sale!

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

Back in stock: Malabrigo Mechita.

Posted by Julia on February 22, 2016

Anne and I breathed a sigh of relief when we opened a box from Malabrigo last week, full of Malabrigo Mechita.

Malabrigo Mechita is a single-ply superwash merino wool in fingering weight, and though it’s only been in production for about a year, it’s become a kind of staple here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. A busy winter season left us with a dwindling supply of the stuff, and we just didn’t feel right til the Mechita cubby was full again.

Suitable for shawls, scarves, and cowls, socks and mitts, baby things and lightweight hats, a skein or two of Mechita has great potential. If you’re itching to cast on with Malabrigo Mechita, consider “Danzig,” “Emiliana,” “Starshower,” “Jewel Dragon,” and “Autumn Rain.”

Look for Mechita in the fingering weight section here at the shop, and peruse our “Fingering weight” board on Pinterest for pattern ideas. We hope you find inspiration there, as well as among these colorful skeins of yarn!

Hello, Cutthroat Yarn Gradient BFL.

Posted by Julia on January 27, 2016

We’re delighted to announce that we now carry Gradient BFL from Cutthroat Yarn!

Gradient BFL is a 100% superwash bluefaced leicester wool in a fingering weight, and it’s hand-dyed by Cutthroat Yarn founder Jeanette Ward in Leesburg, Virginia. We’re always on the lookout for locally-sourced yarns, and plied self-stiping yarns, too; Gradient BFL fills both of these needs nicely.

Each 100 gram skein has 443 yards, enough for a shawlette, hat, cowl, pair of mitts or socks. Use Gradient BFL anywhere self-striping yarn is called for, like Stephen West’s “Spectra” or “Daybreak,” Melinda VerMeer’s “Nymphalidea,” or Melissa La Barre’s “September Circle.” Some patterns that don’t call for self-striping yarn look equally lovely in gradient yarns like these; consider Hilary Smith Callis’s “Starshower,” Martina Behm’s “Hitchhiker,” or Kelly McClure’s “Sockhead Slouch Hat.”

Instead of choosing from a set selection of colorways, we asked that Jeanette dye a few of her favorites for us, and we love what she came up with. The colors have no names or numbers, and may never be duplicated, so be sure you get enough for your project! Look for Cutthroat Yarn Gradient BFL in the fingering weight section here 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!