Show and tell: shawls.

Posted by Julia on March 31, 2016

Here’s another batch of show and tell, projects that started their lives as yarns here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. They all happen to be shawls, whether rectangular or triangular, colorful or monochrome, textured or lacey.

Judy knit this “Wiggle Wrap” with two contrasting colorways of the self-striping Kauni Effektgarn. One ball subtly shifted from purple to blue and back again, while the other ran through a full rainbow of colors. The effect is striking, livening up this feather-and-fan type chevron pattern.

Feather and fan does not always need livening up, however; Sherri knit this elegant shawl for her daughter-in-law-to-be, using Louisa Harding Grace Hand Dyed. The classic lace pattern and subtle color variation work together, each giving the other room to shine. Well done, Sherri!

Cat came in with two finished shawls to share. Above is her “Stripe Study Shawl,” all garter stitch and short rows, knit in Reynolds Soft Sea Wool. Below is her “Emiliana,” knit in Swans Island Natural Colors Merino Fingering.

“Emiliana” is decorated with mosaic knitting, a colorwork technique where some stitches are slipped and others are knit, allowing for the appearance of stranded colorwork with only one yarn in use on any given row.

I knit a mosaic shawl recently myself, Jennifer Dassau’s “Sundry,” using Fibre Company Cumbria Fingering. It went by quickly and easily, and the yarn is one I’ll definitely use again. In fact, I spent many of my knitting hours with this yarn daydreaming about sweater patterns that would suit it.

Look for this “Sundry” shawl on the wall here at the shop, and perhaps you’ll happen upon some of the show-and-tell we are lucky enough to encounter on a daily basis. Thanks to the knitters who shared these shawls with us, and to all those who start their projects here!

Show and tell: hats.

Posted by Julia on February 20, 2016

We love to see what yarns from the shop grow up to be, and as I’m often taking pictures of these finished pieces, my collection of show-and-tell photos continues to grow. Time to share some of the projects you’ve so generously shared with us! Today, let’s look at hats.

Above is Jeannie’s “Seathwaite,” a free cabled hat pattern by Kate Gagnon Osborn, of Kelbourne Woolens. Jeannie used one skein of Fibre Company Cumbria Worsted, a wool and mohair blend that is smooth and well-suited to show off these cables.

Judie does love her “Dustland Hats.” Here’s her latest, knit with Malabrigo Arroyo, using smaller needles than the pattern calls for, and casting on for the largest size to make up the difference in gauge.

Laura made this “Prim” hat and a pair of “North Country Mitts” using Swans Island All American Worsted. I like how they go together without being overtly matchy. She came back for a sweater’s worth of this exceptional yarn; I can’t wait to see how it comes out!

Eileen knit these “Monogrammed Hats for Everyone” with Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Bulky, a quick knit with adorable results. The letters were embroidered onto the finished hats with duplicate stitch, and this free pattern from the Purl Bee provides charts for every letter in the alphabet, along with a duplicate stitch tutorial.

I so love capturing these finished pieces, and hopefully some of the satisfaction they bring to their makers. Thank you, as always, for bringing your work into the shop to share with us, and for starting your projects here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop!

KnitScene.

Posted by Julia on January 4, 2016

Just when cold weather finally begins here in North Carolina, the Spring 2016 issue of KnitScene arrives.

This issue features lots of yarns that can be found at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop.

A hat in Swans Island Natural Colors Merino Fingering, a shawl in Fibre Company Road to China Lace, a cardigan in Berroco Artisan…

I also spotted a sweater in Rowan Pure Wool Superwash DK, along with a tutorial showing how to create those vertical stripes with crochet slip stitch.

Designer Amy Christoffers penned another handy tutorial, showing how to pick up stitches.

Look for KnitScene on the teacart here at the shop! See you there.

More October show and tell.

Posted by Julia on October 28, 2015

One of our greatest joys as yarn-shopkeepers is seeing what knitters, crocheters, and weavers make with our yarns. I’m always collecting photos of finished projects as they come through the shop for show and tell, letting them build up until I have enough for a blog post. It’s rare that I have enough for two show-and-tell posts in a month, but October has been one such month.

When Sidney felt the first Autumn chill in the air, she saw a need in her wardrobe for a cowl. She came to the shop seeking yarn for Katherine Vaughan’s “Here and There and Everywhere,” and settled on Malabrigo Rios. It was hardly a week before she walked in wearing it, but, as she pointed out, it’s amazing how quickly you can knit when you need something. I love the way the guernsey-style texture pattern looks in this semi-solid yarn.

Here’s my “Kaarina Pullover,” knit in Swans Island All American Sport. I finished it in the middle of the Swans Island Trunk Show, so I hung it up here at the shop with the rest of the All American Sport garments til the show ends on November 1st, 2015.

I’m happy with how it came out, and especially happy with the yarn. It was springy and soft in the hand, and softer still after blocking. I’m looking forward to putting it on soon!

Anne has a newly-finished sweater on the wall here, too; here’s her “Slope,” knit in Shibui Twig. Like many Shibui patterns, “Slope” looks deceptively simple at first glance. Take a closer look at the pattern, and you’ll find smart, carefully-chosen design elements. You might just learn a new cast-on or short-row technique along the way–Anne did!

Here’s Sue’s latest scarf, woven on her Schacht Cricket Loom. For warp, she used Isager Alpaca 1, and for weft, she used Habu Cotton Nerimaki Slub. These two yarns are alike in color, but very different in fiber content and texture, and the resulting fabric is both fascinating and understated.

Thanks to everyone who brings in projects to share with us, whether at the beginning, middle, or end of the process. We love to see what you’re working on, and feel lucky to be surrounded by such creative and talented people. Hope to see you at the shop soon!

Triangle Yarn Crawl.

Posted by Julia on October 23, 2015

The Triangle Yarn Crawl is a self-guided tour of local yarn shops, where knitters and crocheters get together and hop from one shop to the next, shopping, entering raffles, and seeing the full breadth of available fibers. They happen twice a year, and the time has come again: the Autumn 2015 crawl is coming up this weekend on October 24th and 25th!

Each local yarn shop has something special to offer, and we’re no exception: all in-stock kits are 10% off during the yarn crawl!

The yarn crawl also coincides with our Swans Island Trunk Show, another special something to see when you visit the Hillsborough Yarn Shop this weekend. We’re offering a 10% discount on all in-stock Swans Island yarns during the trunk show, so be sure to check out our full selection, from fingering weight to sport weight to dk weight to worsted weight!

There’s a bag of goodies at each of the participating shops, a raffle prize full of yarn, patterns, and more. Some of its contents are donated by TYC sponsors, and others come from our own collection here at the shop. Here’s some of what we tucked into the raffle prize.

We’ve included one skein of Schachenmayr Regia Pairfect self-patterning sock yarn, another of Rowan Pure Wool Superwash DK, and a bundle of notions and yarn samples from Fibre Company. Think of it as your own private yarn tasting, allowing you to try all of the delightful yarns Fibre Company has to offer before investing in a project’s-worth of yarn.

We’re lucky to live in such a fiber-friendly part of the world, with so many choices available to us, and the Triangle Yarn Crawl is a great time to see all of those choices. Come see us as you’re crawling along!

A reminder: all sales are final on sale items; there can be no exchanges, no returns, nor will we special order. Discount applies only to in-store purchases. Thanks!

New books for knitters and crocheters.

Posted by Julia on October 19, 2015

For the past couple of months, we’ve been all about the new yarns, but new books have been coming in, too. Read on for a peek at the latest publications to find a home here at the shop.

Faina Goberstein and Simone Merchant-Dest have compiled a wide variety of slip-stitch patterns in their newest book, The Art of Slip-Stitch Knitting. Look here for sweater and accessory patterns, as well as stitch patterns you can apply to your own designs.

Romi Hill’s New Lace Knitting is a collection of patterns for sweaters, scarves, hats, shawls, and more, all decorated with the kind of lacy openwork that Hill is best known for.

I noticed two of our favorite fingering weight yarns put to use in this collection, both of which are excellent for lace knitting: the “Williwaw Cardigan” in Shibui Staccato, and the “Fallen Leaf Shell” in Swans Island Natural Colors Merino Fingering.

Poetic Crochet, by Sara Kay Hartman, is full of crochet garments inspired by classic poems. Hartman also makes use of a favorite Shibui yarn: Shibui Silk Cloud.

Come by the shop to treat yourself to a new book!

Swans Island Trunk Show.

Posted by Julia on October 14, 2015

Our next trunk show of the season has arrived, featuring garments from Swans Island! We’re offering a 10% discount on all in-stock Swans Island yarn during the show, so come by soon to see it for yourself.

We’ve got six garments here on display until November 1st, five sweaters and a hat and mitt set. All of them are knit in Swans Island’s newest yarn, All American Sport, a delightfully springy 100% Rambouillet wool that’s hand-dyed in a wide range of colors.

These are just a few of the patterns from Swans Island’s All American Sport Collection, which features many different applications of two-color knitting. I’ve got Isabell Kraemer’s “Kaarina Pullover” on my needles now, and can hardly wait to wear it. Be sure to peruse our complete selection of patterns for All American Sport while you’re here admiring the trunk show!

Come in to see and touch garments made in this yarn for a good sense of how it works up, and enjoy a 10% discount on all in-stock Swans Island yarn during the show!

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

Show and tell, and lots of it.

Posted by Julia on August 28, 2015

One of our greatest joys as yarn-shopkeepers is seeing what knitters, crocheters, and weavers make with our yarns. I’m always collecting photos of finished projects as they come through the shop for show and tell, letting them build up until I have enough for good-sized blog post. There have been so many exciting new yarns at the shop this month that I’ve let the show and tell build up entirely too much. Settle in for a marathon show and tell post!

Debbie brought her “Technicolor Cowl” in recently to show us how it came out. While the pattern calls for eight mini-skeins of Dream in Color Classy in eight different shades, she used just three shades, for a more intentional yet no less vibrant color combination.

Here’s another finished product in Dream in Color yarn: Paula’s “In Threes,” knit in the decadent Classy with Cashmere.

Paula came in with a bundle of show and tell, in fact. She knit this “Winter Woods Hat” from the 2014 issue of Interweave Knits Gifts using Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light. The combination of stripes, colorwork, and a little bit of lace intrigued her, and she executed all three perfectly.

Paula’s “Cassandre Cowl” is particularly beautiful, with its grand colorwork motifs and delicate picot edging. The pattern is from Knitscene Accessories, 2014, and the yarn is the always delightful Swans Island Natural Colors Merino Fingering.

Debra has been a busy knitter lately; she too came in with a bag full of finished projects to share. Above is her “Horse Beanie,” knit in Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift.

Debra’s biggest knitting accomplishment of late has been this “Shetland Knee Rug and Throw,” from Martin Storey’s Scottish Knits, knit in the incomparable Fibre Company Acadia. On a real colorwork kick, she used the leftovers to design and knit this hat, incorporating a found chart of birds on a wire.

Since purchasing a Schacht Cricket Loom, Sue’s show and tell has switched from knitting to weaving.

She wove this scarf with a variety of plant fiber yarns, some solid, like Habu Cotton Nerimaki Slub, and some variegated, like Linen Concerto.

Sue has been particularly keen on weaving with variegated yarns, marveling, as I often do, at how differently those yarns behave in woven fabric than in knitted fabric.

She came in with her loom to show us her latest project, made with the leftover yarn from a shawl she knit, studded with random stripes of Isager Alpaca 1 in a contrasting color. We laid the knit shawl next to the woven fabric on the loom and studied the differences, which colors stand out, how they pool and pattern.

Kathryn dreamed up and knit this sweet polar bear sweater for her soon-to-be son using Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift.

I’m so impressed by this little sweater, from the classic color combination to her expertly self-designed colorwork charts to the perfect buttons. Bravo, Kathryn!

A hearty thanks to all the fiber artists who start their projects here and share their work with us! We love to see our yarns grow up into finished garments, and are so inspired by the work you do. See you at the shop!

Back in stock: Swans Island Natural Colors Merino Fingering.

Posted by Julia on August 15, 2015

Swans Island Natural Colors Merino Fingering has been a favorite yarn from the moment it first arrived at the shop, back in 2011. It’s been so well-loved, in fact, that our basket of the stuff began to empty once again last month, leaving us with a paltry palette of just eight-or-so colors. Our recent Swans Island shipment remedied that, and how.

We added eleven colors on this order, filling the basket quite nicely, indeed.

The Natural Colors collection is so-named because its yarns are hand-dyed with plant-, mineral-, and insect-based natural dyes. One of those is indigo, used to create vivid blues, purples, and grays.

Indigo has a tendency to rub off with the abrasion of knitting or crocheting, and will turn your fingers blue as you work with it. It washes off with soap and water, and shouldn’t continue to rub off once the finished piece is washed and rinsed til the water runs clear. I wrote a blog post awhile back about what to expect from indigo-dyed yarns, and Swans Island marks their indigo-based colors with a little tag, explaining the same.

Over the years, we’ve seen glorious shawls and stunning sweaters made from this special yarn. It’s happy in stitch patterns from simple garter stitch to elegant lace, and one 525 yard skein goes a long way. For pattern inspiration, check out our Pinterest page online, or come to the shop to flip through the Swans Island pattern binder.

Look for Swans Island Natural Colors Merino Fingering in the fingering weight section of the shop. See you there!

Back in stock: Swans Island Organic Washable DK.

Posted by Julia on August 13, 2015

Our recent Swans Island shipment that brought the new All American Sport brought a few other goodies, too. We’ve restocked two of our favorite Swans Island yarns with new colors! Let’s begin with Organic Washable DK.

Organic Washable DK is no ordinary superwash wool. Swans Island have made this dk weight yarn machine-washable using a process called Ecowash®, which coats the yarn with an organic compound rather than stripping the scales from the fiber. This helps to prevent felting and gives the Swans Island Organic Washable a softer hand than many other superwash wools.

I recently knit a cowl with this soft, springy yarn, using a pattern of my own design, the “Welting Fantastic Cowl.”

It’s a pleasing texture pattern, both in the process and the finished product, and this yarn is a perfect choice to show it off. I alternated skeins to minimize any pooling, working two rows from one skein, then two from the other, back and forth as if knitting stripes. I was glad I did, too; though I carefully selected three skeins from the same dyelot that looked harmonious, one turned out noticeably darker than the rest once I began knitting. Alternating skeins helped to create a consistent-looking fabric.

Come by the shop to see our newly expanded palette of Swans Island Organic Washable DK, and try on my “Welting Fantastic Cowl” for size. If it strikes your fancy, note that I also wrote a pattern for matching fingerless mitts! Keep your eyes on the blog for more from Swans Island soon.