Tag Archives: sweaters

Back in stock: Brooklyn Tweed Dapple.

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Dapple was one of the brand new yarns we brought in last year, Brooklyn Tweed’s first departure from wool – a DK weight blend of organic cotton and merino. It’s been popular here at our shop, so we jumped as soon as BT had more in stock. Delighted to report that we now have a fresh supply on hand!

Brooklyn Tweed Dapple:

  • DK weight
  • woolen-spun, tonally dyed
  • 60% merino wool, 40% organic cotton
  • 165 yards/50 g
  • $15.25 each

Dapple is tonally dyed, meaning skeins in the same colorway differ from one another even in the same dye lot. Some are lighter, some are darker, some almost look marled! This isn’t immediately apparent when looking at one skein of Dapple at a time, so I’ve laid out big groups in a few colorways to give a better sense of the variety. You can see each color laid out this way on our first Dapple blog post, and lots of pattern ideas on our second.

Tamy Gore recently published a gorgeous colorwork pullover designed for Dapple, “Graphic Elements.” When our big box of Dapple arrived, this sweater was exactly where my mind went – here are some color combinations to get you started planning your own!

Tamy Gore’s lovely original colorway is shown above, and below are those I put together – I’ve named them for some of the basic elements of graphic design, all concepts we see again and again in the knitting world.

Order Dapple online for local pickup or USPS Priority Mail Shipping – thanks again for your support and understanding as we remain closed to walk-ins!

New year’s eve.

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What are you working on as 2020 comes to an end? Anne and I have closed up shop for the day, and we’ll be closed tomorrow, Jan. 1, as well. Now’s the time for rest, year-end contemplation, and knitting, of course – here’s a peek at our current projects.

Anne has been busy stitching for her grandchildren all year, and is closing in on this intricate lace pullover, “Leaf Sweater for Kids.”

She’s using a semisolid shade of Malabrigo Sock, which shows off the lace pattern beautifully. I’m looking forward to seeing it after blocking!

I’ve started another “Stasis” pullover, a replacement for one of my most loved sweaters, which I’ve worn out and mended several times – you can see it here, in a long ago show-and-tell blog post. For my second “Stasis,” I’m using a marled shade of Brooklyn Tweed Loft as my main color, and assorted bits and pieces of Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift for my contrast colors. It took a bit of sketching and swatching to get to this particular arrangement of colors, which was good fun in and of itself. Below are my first and second drafts, and above is what I settled on.

 

Your kindness and support have meant the world to us this year – wishing health and happiness to you and yours in 2021!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Comfy Cozy and Admit One.

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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. This month, we got not one, but TWO new colorways!

Koigu KPPPM:

  • fingering weight
  • hand dyed, variegated
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 175 yards/50 g
  • $15.50 each

Comfy Cozy is dyed on KPPPM, Koigu’s classic fingering weight merino that we’ve come to know so well throughout the Collector’s Club.

Koigu Sparkle:

  • fingering weight
  • hand dyed, variegated
  • 94% merino wool, 6% lurex – silver metallic
  • 164 yards/50 g
  • $15.50 each

Admit One is a playful pastel colorway with streaks of brighter shades and a silver shimmer. It’s dyed on Sparkle, Koigu’s metallic cousin to KPPPM.

What to make with all these Koigu Collector’s Club colorways? Just as we have two new colorways, we also have two pattern suggestions with color combinations – Anne and I each had an idea this time, and we both happened to pair up Koigu with a Brooklyn Tweed yarn!

Ankestrick’s new “Sydvester” pullover caught Anne’s eye, an intriguing slip stitch pattern combining fingering and worsted weight yarns. She suggests Brooklyn Tweed Shelter and Koigu for this project, her interest piqued by the interplay of rustic heathers and playful variegates.

I had Francoise Danoy’s “Ocean Pathways Cowl” in mind for the following combinations.

For this pattern, I selected three shades of Koigu KPPPM or Sparkle for the contrast colors, and a darker shade of Brooklyn Tweed Peerie for the background color.

Order online to snag any of the Collector’s Club colorways pictured above, with or without their Brooklyn Tweed counterparts! They’re all available for local pickup or shipping while supplies last.

Ready Set Raglan.

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Ready Set Raglan is here!

This new book from Pom Pom Press is all about raglan-sleeve pullovers, complete with patterns, tutorials, and inspiring modifications.

It’s a follow-up to Pom Pom’s excellent beginner book, Knit How, and invites improving knitters to take another step forward in their knitting skills.

The patterns are beautiful in their simplicity, which also makes them a blank slate for modifications – the section on “Variations and Adjustments” will see you through different sleeve and body lengths, necklines, and more, while the “Exploring Color” chapter covers stripes, marling, and color combinations.

Any knitters on your list this holiday season? Ready Set Raglan makes an excellent gift. Copies are $26.50 each – order online for local pickup or shipping!

Soldotna Crop + Isager Jensen.

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Caitlin Hunter’s “Soldotna Crop” hasn’t faded in popularity since it first came out last year. With over 5,000 projects on Ravelry, it’s no wonder we get frequent requests for “Soldotna” yarn ideas! Here’s one – the delightfully toothy Isager Jensen.

Isager Jensen:

  • DK weight
  • solid and heathered colors
  • 100% Danish wool
  • 275 yards/100 g
  • $28 each

Isager Jensen is perfectly suited to stranded colorwork. Like Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift, another favorite colorwork yarn of mine, Jensen is not the softest fiber in our shop, but it’s sturdy and full of character, sure to wear well for years to come. A couple of years ago, I used Jensen to make Lori Versaci’s “Summer Fog” vest and loved every stitch – it left me wanting to work with this yarn again!

Jensen’s color palette was initially developed back in the 1970’s by Danish designer Ase Lund Jensen, who was inspired by the rich and complex shades of natural dyes. I named these “Soldotna Crop” colorways for natural dye plants, though none were used to dye this particular yarn.

Jensen’s generous yardage means that only 4-6 skeins are needed for Hunter’s “Soldotna Crop,” depending on what size you’re making. Order online if one of these colorways sparks your curiosity, or if you’d like to see a special combination just for you! We’re happy to help you plan your next project, and can ship your order or hold it here at the shop for local pickup.

Tweed Silk Cloud + Verve!

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For as long as we’ve stocked Shibui yarns here at the shop, we’ve been admirers of Shellie Anderson’s designs. She was an in-house designer Shibui for some years and still loves to work with their yarns, creating garments that look simple, but feature thoughtful details to “challenge and delight the knitter,” in her words.

© Shellie Anderson

“Verve” is one such design, a lightweight colorblock top knit with Shibui Tweed Silk Cloud. The loose-fitting tee is knit all in stockinette stitch, showing off this luxurious lace weight yarn in five or six colors.

  • Sizes: A (B, C, D, E)
  • Finished dimensions: 46 (52, 58, 64, 68)″ bust circumference

I put together three colorways for “Verve,” the first of which is based on Anderson’s own sample version. Each colorway is shown in two variations – one with five colors, for sizes A-C, and one with six colors, for sizes D-E. I named them with the word “verve” itself in mind, conjuring the enthusiasm and boldness it suggests.

 

Each 25 gram skein of Tweed Silk Cloud has 191 yards, and is composed of 65% silk and 35% mohair. Skeins are $23 each, or $25 for special Julie Hoover colors.

Head to Ravelry to download Shellie Anderson’s “Verve,” and use our online order form to request five or six skeins of Tweed Silk Cloud to knit one of your own!

Lopi “Weatherman” kit & Berroco 123 DropShip.

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For the past few weeks, we’ve been participating in Berroco’s 123 DropShip program, which some of you have already taken advantage of – thanks so much for your orders!

This program allows you to order any Berroco yarn from us, even those we don’t usually carry, and Berroco will ship them directly to you. This makes a much wider variety of yarns available through our shop, and the price for shipping is just $7. The caveat is that Berroco DropShip sales are final, no returns or exchanges. Browse Berroco’s website to see what’s available, then head over to our online order form to place your requests!

 

Berroco also distributes Lang and Lopi yarns, which means they are also available through Berroco’s DropShip. One of them is featured in Berroco’s Project of the Week: G. Dagbjört Guðmundsdóttir’s “Weatherman,” a colorwork yoke pullover knit with Ístex Léttlopi, a classic Icelandic wool.

Choose from three colorways – Ocean, Snow, and Leaves – and three sizes:

  • 35″ chest circumference, 14 balls Léttlopi – $77 + $7 shipping
  • 39″ chest circumference, 15 balls Léttlopi – $82.50 + $7 shipping
  • 42.5″ chest circumference, 16 balls Léttlopi – $88 + $7 shipping

 

If you’d like to make a “Weatherman” pullover of your own, place an order through our website, making sure to include your preferred colorway and size. Individual balls of this rustic single-ply wool are also available in a rainbow of colors, if you have another project in mind – Léttlopi is a yarn we’ve often wondered about carrying here at the shop, so we’re looking forward to your feedback!

Thanks as always for continuing to support our shop – hope all are staying safe and enjoying some stitching.

Show and tell: Brooklyn Tweed Arbor.

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Time for another round of show and tell! We love to see what you all are making with yarn from our shop, and when I’m able, I take pictures so that I can share those projects here on the blog. Looking over my current collection of show and tell photos, I spotted a bunch in Brooklyn Tweed Arbor, which is currently 10% off as it’s featured in our BT Sample of the Month. With its sophisticated colors and superb stitch definition, Arbor is worth celebrating – here are a few great ways to use it!

Last year, Amy taught a couple of classes on Norah Gaughan’s “Geiger,” an intricately cabled and tailored cardigan knit with Arbor. Above is Amy in her completed garment, a perfect fit!

Leslie, Jane, and Linda also used Arbor for their own “Geiger” cardigans – bravo to all on completing these impressive sweaters!

Nancy also taught a sweater class featuring Arbor last year – above is her lovely “Newhaven” gansey, from Beth Brown-Reinsel’s classic Knitting Ganseys.

Above is April in her “#14 Arbor Cardigan,” another striking cabled cardigan designed by Norah Gaughan. She had some Arbor leftover and made the “Brioche Knots” hat below.

Emily recently made this pint-sized version of Andrea Mowry’s “Weekender” sweater for her daughter, taking advantage of Arbor’s smaller gauge to get the perfect fit.

Thanks to Amy, Leslie, Jane, Linda, Nancy, April, and Emily for sharing their Arbor projects with us, and thanks to everyone who starts their project with a trip to our shop! We can’t wait to see what comes off your needles next. If these talented knitters have inspired you, place an order during April to get Brooklyn Tweed Arbor at 10% off!

A reminder: all sales are final on discounted yarn. There can be no returns or exchanges. Thanks! 

Show and tell: Brooklyn Tweed Loft.

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Time for another round of show and tell! We love to see what you all are making with yarn from our shop, and when I’m able, I take pictures so that I can share those projects here on the blog. Looking over my current collection of show and tell photos, I spotted a handful in Brooklyn Tweed Loft, which has been featured in our BT Sample of the Month throughout March. With its heathered colors and rustic texture, Loft is worth celebrating – here are a few great ways to use it!

Kathryn designed and knit this “Bradshaw” cardigan for her son using Brooklyn Tweed Loft. This lightweight, woolen spun yarn beautifully shows the cables and gives this sweater a classic look. The pattern comes in a wide range of sizes, covering 0-6 months up to 10 years.

Above is Sidney’s “Perch,” designed by Gudrun Johnston, a triangular half hap featuring “old shale,” a classic lace pattern. I’m always pleased by the flecks of color that pop out of Loft when its knit up – in this case, they’re bright and festive against the overall dark brown color of the yarn.

Nancy knit Bristol Ivy’s “Bayard” hat with two shades of Loft, a high contrast color combination that blurs and blends a bit in one-row stripes and slipped stitches.

Thanks to Kathryn, Sidney, and Nancy for sharing their work with us, and thanks to everyone who starts their projects with a trip to the Hillsborough Yarn Shop! We can’t wait to see what comes off your needles next.

Shibui Spring 2020 patterns.

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Shibui recently released a pattern collection for Spring 2020 – let’s take a look!

This collection comes from Shellie Anderson, who was an in-house designer Shibui for some years and still loves to work with their yarns. She has a knack for creating garments that look simple, but feature thoughtful details to “challenge and delight the knitter,” in her words.

Most of these garments feature Koan, Shibui’s latest yarn, a linen and silk blend that’s perfect for warm-weather knitting.

Anne has “Calla” on her needles now, a striped tank with a bit of texture. She’s stretching a little by knitting in this bright aqua shade, which looks sharp with dark gray stripes.

There are so many fun combinations possible in Koan – below are a few I came up with, but I’m looking forward to seeing what others choose!

Patterns from the Spring 2020 collection are all available to purchase on Ravelry, and we have plenty of Koan in stock, along with many other Shibui yarns. Use our new form to Order Online – though our storefront is closed to walk-in traffic, we’re still here filling mail orders!