Hello, Isager Eco Baby.

Another new yarn from Isager! Meet Eco Baby.

Isager Eco Baby:

  • DK weight
  • undyed
  • chainette
  • 68% baby alpaca, 32% organic cotton
  • 164 yards/50g
  • $10 each

Eco Baby is a cousin to Eco Soft, both composed of baby alpaca and organic cotton, chain-plied into lofty, elastic yarns. Eco Baby is a smaller gauge, less fuzzy, and somehow even softer than Eco Soft!

“Field Sweater,” by Camilla Vad, photo © Camilla Vad

Like many of you, we first became aware of this yarn when we saw it in Camilla Vad’s “Field Sweater,” a pullover with a stunning texture pattern at the yoke, reminiscent of wheat sheaves.  There’s a “Field Cardigan,” too, along with “Field Mittens,” “Field Beret,” and “Field Slipover” – Eco Baby is a lovely choice for any of these patterns.

Anne gilded the lily on her “Field Slipover,” adding a strand of Isager Silk Mohair to her already soft Eco Baby. The result is a decadent, cuddly fabric with a fuzzy halo that still shows the texture pattern beautifully.

You have to touch this one for yourself – come by the shop to give it a squeeze!

Our supply of Isager Silk Mohair is at an all time high, with more colors than ever. Matching shades of Eco Baby and Silk Mohair blend together seamlessly, but these undyed shades can be livened up with colors of a similar value, as well. Here are some ideas!

There are so many more color combinations to try – look for Isager Eco Baby and Silk Mohair in the DK and lace weight sections, respectively. We can’t wait to see what you put together!

Hello, Isager Eco Soft!

We love all things Isager here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, and are excited to bring a new Isager yarn into the shop – meet Eco Soft!

Isager Eco Soft:

  • aran weight
  • 56% alpaca, 44% cotton
  • 137 yards/50 g
  • $9.50 each

Eco Soft’s construction is a little unusual – undyed alpaca fiber is blown into an organic cotton chainette tube, resulting in a beautiful tonal yarn with a stunning halo, the cotton core seeming to glow through the alpaca fuzz. Garments and accessories made with Eco Soft are soft, cuddly, and warm, but lightweight.

Bailey has cast on for PetiteKnit’s “Cloud Sweater,” an oversized drop-shoulder pullover with a rolled funnel-neck. She was able to get the pattern gauge (17 stitches = 4″) with Eco Soft alone, though if you’re seeking extra warmth, you can certainly add a strand of Silk Mohair.

What else to knit with Eco Soft? Here are a few ideas…

Look for Isager Eco Soft in the aran weight section here at HYS! We keep many other Isager yarns in stock as well, including Silk Mohair, Alpaca 2, Alpaca 3, Jensen, Boucle, and more…

Hello, High Rock Alpaca!

We are thrilled to introduce a new local yarn to our shop – meet High Rock Alpaca, from our friends Debbie and Jane!

Using alpaca fleece sourced in nearby Efland, NC, these luscious skeins are a mix of undyed ($30) and hand-dyed ($36), fingering and light fingering weights. There’s a bit of silk and merino wool mixed into the alpaca, adding softness and shine.

Each skein has about 200 yards, perfect for a small, special accessory – think “Scarf No. 3,” by My Favorite Things, or “Spiralucious,” by Anne Hanson. We have a couple of swatches in the basket so you can see how the yarn knits up on its own, and held together with a fingering weight wool.

Supplies of this special yarn are limited, and color selection will vary from these photos. Look for the High Rock Alpaca basket on your next visit to our shop!

Hello, Dovestone Natural Aran.

I’m delighted to announce the newest yarn here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop: meet Baa Ram Ewe Dovestone Natural Aran.

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Dovestone Natural Aran is made of the same good stuff as Dovestone DK: 50% bluefaced leicester, 25% masham, and 25% wensleydale wools, all sourced and spun in the UK. It’s soft but wooly, springy with a bit of drape, and comes in 5 undyed colors, the natural shades of the sheep.

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We picked up a sample skein of this lovely stuff from the Baa Ram Ewe booth at TNNA (thanks, Verity!), and had been mulling over what to make with it all summer. Other fall samples were planned and knit, but our precious skein of Dovestone Natural Aran had to wait until inspiration struck. Last week, Anne mused, “What about a pillow for the couch?” and that is exactly what I’m working on now. The pattern is “Snap, Crackle, and Pop,” a trio of knit pillows; “Snap” is what’s on my needles, and I’m enjoying every stitch.

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For more pattern ideas, look to The Dovestone Natural Aran Collection, which offers sweaters for adults and children, along with a few accessory patterns. Also check our Worsted and Aran weight boards on Pinterest, as I find this yarn knits up happily at either of those gauges.

See you at the shop!