Tag Archives: sweaters

Habu.

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For the past few weeks, Anne has been hard at work on a sweater, a sample for the shop knit from a Habu kit. The yarn is a fine, slubbed cotton, and the pattern is in the Japanese style, with little to no written instructions. Instead, Anne’s knitting is guided by a simple diagram, a few numbers, and a post-it note with tally-marks for each knitted row. When asked what she’s knitting, she holds up the diagram and says, “This is the entire pattern,” which always elicits a raised brow. Japanese patterns may seem mysterious and complicated, but Anne assures us that this is not so. When the sweater is done, she promises a class on Japanese pattern reading.

Just in time for this proposed class, our selection of Habu kits has expanded.

I’ve written before about the Kusha Kusha scarf kit, which also features a Japanese pattern. Now, three sweaters are joining the Kusha Kusha kits.

Come by the shop to chat with Anne about Japanese patterns, and to take a closer look at our expanded Habu collection. If a class on Japanese pattern reading appeals to you, let us know, and we’ll alert you when the class is scheduled. See you soon!

Cascade addendum.

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Along with all of that yarn from Cascade, we also got a beautiful sample sweater, the Cable Lovers’ Pullover, knit in Eco +.

The pattern is available as a free download from Cascade’s website, along with a handful of other patterns for Eco +. In fact, Cascade offers a selection of free patterns for nearly all of their yarns, including those that I mentioned here yesterday, Lana d’Oro, Eco Duo, and Magnum.

If you’ve been considering making a sweater in Eco +, come by and examine this sample to get a sense of the weight, stitch definition, or size. You’re always welcome to try on any of our samples–just ask, and we’ll be happy to pull one down for you. See you soon!

Isobel.

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Yes, I know I’ve already gushed at length about the Marion Foale 3 ply wool. But we got something really special in the mail last week: a handknit sample from Marion Foale Knitting Collection 1, a sweater named Isobel.

This picture hardly captures the color, and certainly obscures the detailed work that went into this piece. You just have to see it in person. The yarn is soft and light, the finishing work is immaculate, and it brings to life a pattern that is undeniably intriguing in the book. Yet another reason to pick up Marion Foale’s Knitting Collection 1, and a fantastic illustration of how her yarn knits up: beautifully.

Norah Gaughan.

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Norah Gaughan is a knitwear designer with a distinctive style and a taste for unusual shapes, often inspired by those found in nature. We have two sample sweaters hanging in the shop which illustrate this perfectly: Flower Child, which I’ve written about before, is from Volume 4 of Gaughan’s series for Berroco, and Eastlake, which is from Volume 3. Look for them next time you’re in the shop, as seeing them in person is a great improvement over seeing images on the computer. All eight of the Norah Gaughan collections are stunning and inspiring, especially for those seeking modern sweaters and interesting knits.

 But wait–make that nine.

This new collection, Norah Gaughan: Volume 9, is my favorite so far. It’s filled with cables and makes good use of many wonderful Berroco yarns that we stock, from the sport weight Ultra Alpaca Light to the super chunky Peruvia Quick. Here’s a peek inside at a few of the designs.


Find it on the teacart, along with the newest Fall magazines!

Isager adoration.

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As you know, we at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop are big Isager fans. We stock many books by designer Marianne Isager, from perennial shop favorite Japanese Inspired Knits to Inca Knits, Classic Knits, and Knitting Out of Africa. We are also quite enamored of her daughter, Helga Isager, whose designs are collected in a series of booklets called Amimono. We keep all the Isager pattern books together, wedged between baskets of Isager yarns, which themselves are quite special: lightweight, delicate yarns of many fibers, designed to be held double or triple when a larger gauge is desired.

If you’ve been to the shop lately, you’ve likely seen Anne hard at work on one of Helga Isager’s designs from the latest Amimono collection, a lightweight wool top with unusual construction.

And, if you’ve been to the shop lately, you’ve likely heard that Anne has been invited to Denmark to attend a small workshop with Marianne and Helga Isager. Your jaw has likely dropped. Anne is leaving for her trip to Denmark in under a week, and could not be more excited. I’m almost as excited as she is just to hear all about it upon her return.

We can’t all go to Denmark, unfortunately, but there is a bit of new Isager goodness in the shop this week. We received a box of Isager Alpaca 1, a 2 ply laceweight made of 100% alpaca, soft and delicate, with a fuzzy halo. For as long as we’ve had Alpaca 1 in the shop, we only stocked it in black and white. I don’t know how we held out for so long, but this week, we opened up the Alpaca 1 spectrum to include a rainbow of colors.

A beautiful sight, to be sure, but even more remarkable to touch. Come by the shop to pet the Alpaca 1 and pore over the Isager pattern books if you haven’t yet. Helga and Marianne Isager are truly unique knitwear designers, worth a look even if you don’t plan to knit their patterns. See you at the shop!

Julia shows and tells.

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I first wrote about the Shenandoe Farm angora goat yarn back in April, when I introduced the local yarns nook and waxed rhapsodic about this rustic,  undyed yarn. It wasn’t long after I finished that cabled hat that I started on a sweater out of the same yarn. Now that I’ve completed said sweater, I thought it might be time for some show and tell.

My sweater was inspired first by designer Anna Zilboorg, who described a method of sweater construction at a workshop in February that pretty much blew my mind. A seamless sweater, knit in flat pieces? With set-in sleeves, shaped simply, like drop-shoulder sleeves? I had to try it. Luckily, Nancy was teaching a class at the shop on this same method while I was wading through the process on my own, so I had a chance to pick her brain on the subject every other week. Not to mention, I eavesdropped on her students as they tackled their own Zilboorg-style sweaters. The side panels, made of stitches picked up at the armpit, were the topic of many a brainstorm session. For those curious: an armpit detail.

I can’t say how rewarding it is to take on a knitting challenge like this and come out with a finished garment, and how exciting to watch others do the same. I can’t wait to see Nancy’s students’ finished sweaters, as every one of them designed their own unique garment using different stitch patterns, yarns, and colors. That’s one of the pleasures of knitting classes, after all–to see the many variations that are possible for a given pattern or idea.

And what am I up to now? I’m challenging myself to another self-designed sweater, with another recently-raved-about yarn: Marion Foale 3-ply wool.

Hope your weekend provided some good knitting time, too. See you at the shop!

Flower Child.

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Sometimes knitters come into the shop with something in mind. They have a pattern, they need some yarn. They have some yarn, they need a pattern. They have a problem, they need some help. They have an idea, they need some encouragement. Other times, though, knitters and crocheters make their way to the shop with nothing particular in mind, looking to be inspired. That’s why we have samples lining every square inch of wall that isn’t already occupied by yarn, books, needles, or hooks. “Flower Child,” designed by Norah Gaughan, is one of our samples that has caught the eye of many a knitter in search of inspiration. 
Just right for spring and summer, this top is knit in Berroco Pure Pima. Pure Pima is a dk weight cotton yarn that comes in many hues, from the subdued to the crayon-bright.
It’s the unusual construction that draws knitters to this sweater, a common trait among Norah Gaughan’s designs. This one comes from her Berroco collection, Volume 4, which we just got back in stock.
Because the pattern has been out for some time, many Ravelers have already completed and posted pictures of this sweater, likely offering many helpful hints. Long sleeves have been a common modification to the pattern. Take a look at what’s there, and come by the shop when you’re seeking inspiration!

Marion Foale.

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Something new has just settled in on the teacart.

Marion Foale, a British fashion designer, has just released a book of knitting patterns and a line of 3-ply wool yarn to go with it. The patterns are exquisite, finely tailored, and classic-looking. The yarn is soft and fine, a light fingering weight which Foale sometimes uses doubled or tripled in her patterns for different gauges. Take a peek inside:

Even if the patterns don’t move you, the yarn has plenty of potential. It’s the right gauge to substitute for many Marianne Isager designs, so if you’ve been poring over Japanese Inspired Knits, this gives you yet another option to consider where colors and textures are concerned. Meanwhile, I’ve been daydreaming about a sleeveless top, with red and white stripes, and this may well be the yarn for the job. You could even make socks with this yarn, as it’s machine washable.

Come by the shop to check it out!

Mission Falls baby sweaters.

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Happy Mother’s Day, folks. Speaking of which: look at what’s hanging in our window.

Two tiny baby sweaters, one in Mission Falls 1824 Cotton, and one in 1824 Wool. Perfect baby gifts for brand new mothers.

1824 Cotton.

As I mentioned before, the Mission Falls yarns are perfect for baby things. Each one is soft and machine-washable, and each comes in a range of subtle hues that look wonderful together. These sweaters, knit by myself and by Nancy, make for nice examples of the fine qualities of Mission Falls yarn. The fact that these two yarns are also currently on sale makes for another fine quality: these yarns are inexpensive.

1824 Wool.

The pattern is “Baby Sophisticate,” by Linden Down, a simple, well-written, free Ravelry download that calls for only three skeins of Mission Falls. Nancy and I both knit the 0-3 month size in only two skeins, making for incredibly quick knitting. If I had to make a gift for a baby in a hurry, I’d turn to this yarn and this pattern.

We’re busy cooking up a baby sweater class to take place sometime soon, for an intermediate knitter. If you’re interested, don’t hesitate to let us know. In the mean time, come by the shop to plan a Mission Falls baby sweater of your own!

Japanese Inspired Knits.

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Marianne Isager’s Japanese Inspired Knits is quite possibly the best-selling book in the history of the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. In the two years since it was published, we’ve taught several classes based upon it, carried more and more Isager yarns, and reordered the book countless times.

Recently, though, we managed to sell all our copies before we had a chance to reorder, resulting in a week or two without it. And wouldn’t you know it, those were the weeks I got the most requests for this particular book. Every couple of days, someone would point to Anne’s Carp sweater and say, “Where can I get the pattern for that?“

Once or twice, someone would come in from the street wondering about Nancy’s Fan sweater. “Do you have the pattern for the red sweater in the window?”

Well, everyone, I’m happy to report that Japanese Inspired Knits is back in stock. Sweater-knitters looking for interesting construction ought to have a look at this title (and these sweaters!) if they haven’t already. May we have it on hand forevermore.