Baa Ram Ewe, now on sale!

Posted by Julia on July 6, 2023

Everything in the shop is 15% off during July, our Annual Inventory Sale month, but there are a few items we’ve marked down even further – including every yarn we carry from Baa Ram Ewe, now 40% off!

We’ve been carrying Baa Ram Ewe here at the shop for over a decade, and we’ve always loved working with their breed specific wools, which were thoughtfully produced and sourced entirely in the UK. Both Titus and Winterburn DK are now discontinued, so we’re sending them off with a sale!

Baa Ram Ewe Titus: fingering weight, 50% Wensleydale longwool, 20% Bluefaced Leicester, 30% UK alpaca, 350 yards/100 g, $29 each; $17.40 on sale
- Pattern ideas: Ysolda Teague’s “Ishbel,” Kate Davies’ “Paper Dolls,” Veera Välimäki’s “Color Affection”

Close up on Veera Välimäki’s “Color Affection,” knit with Baa Ram Ewe Titus

Baa Ram Ewe Winterburn DK: DK weight, 50% Bluefaced Leicester, 50% Masham, 252 yards/100 g, $29 each; $17.40 on sale
- Pattern ideas: Churchmouse “Vineyard Cowl & Beanie,” Thea Colman’s “Herbsaint,” Caitlin Hunter’s “Soldotna Crop”

Churchmouse “Vineyard Cowl & Beanie,” knit with Baa Ram Ewe Winterburn DK

Come by during July to get a great deal on Baa Ram Ewe and all your favorite yarns, needles, notions, books and magazines! We’re open from 11am – 5:30 pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays; masks required for entry.

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

Sale of the Week: Baa Ram Ewe Titus!

Posted by Julia on May 1, 2020

Though we’re keeping our doors closed during May, we’re still virtually open for mail orders, and we want to offer something fun during this uncertain time. Throughout May, we’ll have a special sale each week – 15% off a featured yarn, our Sale of the Week!

Our next Sale of the Week is 15% off Baa Ram Ewe Titus, from May 1 – 7!

Titus is a fingering weight blend of alpaca, wensleydale, and bluefaced leicester wools, sourced and spun entirely in the UK. We’re proud to have been the first US stockist of the stuff, back in 2012 when it came in just one color. Clara Parkes described it as having “the drape and softness of a sleeping cat,” which captured our imagination almost as much as the story of the yarn. Titus is an attempt to revive Britain’s diminishing textile industry by relying on UK-sourced wools and UK yarn manufacturers. Considering North Carolina’s own textile history, this story resonated, and it wasn’t long before we had boxes of Titus coming into the shop. Since then, Titus has been warmly embraced by knitters, crocheters, and weavers all over the world, and the palette has expanded considerably.

Each 100 gram skein has 350 yards, enough for a hat, cowl, or pair of mitts. Usually, skeins are $29 each; at 15% off, they’re $24.65 each.

We’ve seen so many beautiful garments and accessories knit in Titus over the years – here are a few ideas:

“Carpino,” by Carol Feller – a mesh-lace pullover using 3 – 5 skeins of Titus

“Bousta Beanie,” by Gudrun Johnston – a colorwork hat using 1 skein each of Titus in 3 colors

“Whitlam Cowl,” by Jo Spreckly – a lace cowl using 1 skein of Titus

“Minetta,” by Kirsten Kapur – a cabled cardigan using 3 – 6 skeins of Titus

“Dexter,” by Isabell Kraemer – a raglan cardigan using 3 – 5 skeins of Titus

“Color Affection,” by Veera Välimäki – a striped short-row shawl using 1 skein each of Titus in 3 colors

Get in touch with us by May 7 to get 15% off Baa Ram Ewe Titus – thanks so much for continuing to support our small business!

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

Hello, Dovestone Natural Chunky.

Posted by Julia on October 27, 2017

Another exciting new yarn has arrived to entice us: meet Dovestone Natural Chunky!

Dovestone Natural Chunky is the latest from Baa Ram Ewe, a small yarn company out of Yorkshire. Their noble aim is to revitalize the textile industry in their region by sourcing and spinning their yarns entirely in the UK.

Dovestone Natural Chunky is made of the same good stuff as Dovestone DK and Dovestone Natural Aran: 50% bluefaced leicester, 25% masham, and 25% wensleydale wools, spun into a soft and fuzzy single ply. It’s delightfully wooly, quick to knit at a suggested gauge of 3.5 stitches per inch, and comes in 5 undyed colors, the natural shades of the sheep.

There’s a beautiful new book to go with it, too – Learn to Knit at Home, by Alison Moreton.

Aimed at new knitters, it covers the basic stitches and techniques, then offers a variety of beginner-friendly patterns for accessories, home goods, and even a few garments, all knit with Dovestone Natural Aran and Chunky.

Learn to Knit at Home is a reminder of how very beautiful simple knits and purls can be. It would make such an excellent gift for an aspiring knitter, along with a few balls of Dovestone yarn to work with!

Come by the shop to see what’s new from Baa Ram Ewe, and to peruse their other yarns, as well. See you there!

New colors from Baa Ram Ewe.

Posted by Julia on February 2, 2017

The folks at UK yarn company Baa Ram Ewe dreamed up three new colors for their Titus and Dovestone DK yarns, and I’m happy to report that we now have them on our shelves here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop!

For pattern ideas, look to Carol Feller’s Dovestone Hills booklet, Kate Davies’ Buachaille, and our “DK weight” board on Pinterest. I think Dovestone DK is a particularly good sweater yarn; I made an “Epistrophy” cardigan with it absolutely loved the combination of pattern and yarn. Also consider Isabel Kraemer’s “Ready for fall” pullover, Churchmouse’s “Library Vest,” and tincanknits’ “Clayoquot” pullover.

The two yarns take the dye differently, coming out heathered in Dovestone DK, but bright and clear in Titus.

Titus is a fingering weight blend of 50% wensleydale wool, 30% alpaca, and 20% bluefaced leicester wool.

There’s plenty of pattern inspiration for Titus to be found on our “Fingering weight” Pinterest board, of course, and we’ve seen some beautiful Titus projects here on the blog over the years.

Come by the shop to see the full range of colors in Baa Ram Ewe Titus, Dovestone DK, and Dovestone Natural Aran. See you there!

New colors in Baa Ram Ewe Titus.

Posted by Julia on November 2, 2016

Yes, those four new shades in Dovestone DK also came in Titus, Baa Ram Ewe’s signature yarn.

Titus is a fingering weight blend of alpaca, wensleydale, and bluefaced leicester wools, sourced and spun entirely in the UK. We’re proud to have been the first US stockist of the stuff, back in 2012 when it came in just one color. Since then, Titus has been warmly embraced by knitters, crocheters, and weavers all over the world, and the palette has expanded considerably. Here’s just a sliver.

Beyond this group of colors, there are a range of blues, neutrals, pastels, and others. This growing collection of shades makes me think colorwork, my favorite knitting technique. To that end, I’m happy to report that we recently got two new colorwork sweater patterns designed for Titus by Marie Wallin.

Look for even more Titus inspiration on our “Fingering weight” Pinterest board. Come by the shop to see the full selection of Titus, and three shop samples knit with this special stuff to give you a tangible sense of the possibilities!

Dovestone DK: new colors, Yorkshire Shores, show and tell.

Posted by Julia on October 31, 2016

Our recent shipment from Baa Ram Ewe contained more than just the new Dovestone Natural Aran. We also got four new shades of Dovestone DK, a blend of masham, wensleydale, and bluefaced leicester wools.

Playful red, orange, and purple brighten up the palette, while a mossy green fills out the selection of darker shades.

We also got a beautiful new book from Baa Ram Ewe called Yorkshire Shores, filled with gansey-inspired garments and accessories knit in Dovestone DK.

Between Yorkshire Shores, Carol Feller’s Dovestone Hills, the Landmark Collection and Dovestone Smallholding, we are bursting with uses for Dovestone DK, a yarn that has become a real favorite of ours. In fact, Anne and I both recently finished projects with Dovestone DK. Here’s Anne’s “Fancy Hen,” a gift for her youngest granddaughter. You may recall that I knit one last year as a gift for my niece; this is such a fun pattern that I’d like to knit another. I love the colors Anne chose for her hen!

My own Dovestone DK show-and-tell is “Epistrophy,” a cardigan from Kate Davies’ Yokes.

I’m so pleased with this sweater. The yarn was a delight to work with, every stitch, the pattern well-written, and the construction of this sweater and sweaters like it is one I always find so satisfying to execute: bottom-up, in the round, looking forward to the fun colorwork all along, then finished with a steek and special buttons.

Come by the shop to get a closer look at Dovestone DK and all the patterns and books that go with it, and as soon as the weather cooperates, you’ll find me there with this sweater on. See you soon!

Hello, Dovestone Natural Aran.

Posted by Julia on October 28, 2016

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

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.

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.

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!

New colors from Baa Ram Ewe.

Posted by Julia on February 6, 2016

The folks at UK yarn company Baa Ram Ewe dreamed up two new colors for their Titus and Dovestone DK yarns, and I’m happy to report that we now have them on our shelves here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop!

The two yarns take the dye differently, coming out bright and clear in Titus, but deeper and heathered in Dovestone DK. “Lotherton” is a bright turquoise, and “Rhubarb” is a hot pink.

These new shades are definitely the boldest we’ve seen from Baa Ram Ewe, yet they fit nicely into the color palette, offering new opportunities for high-contrast color combinations.

Dovestone DK is a dk weight blend of 50% bluefaced leicester, 25% masham, and 25% wensleydale wools, all sourced and spun in the UK. It’s a nice big 100 gram hank with 252 yards, plenty for a hat, pair of mitts, or small cowl. For pattern ideas, look to Carol Feller’s Dovestone Hills booklet, Kate Davies’ Buachaille, and our “DK weight” board on Pinterest.

Titus is a fingering weight blend of 50% wensleydale wool, 30% alpaca, and 20% bluefaced leicester wool. There’s plenty of pattern inspiration for Titus to be found on our “Fingering weight” Pinterest board, of course, and we’ve seen some beautiful Titus projects here on the blog over the years, but we wont turn our nose up at new patterns for Titus, either.

Titus Mini Knits is a collection of accessories knit and crocheted in Titus, from mitts and socks to hats and cowls. CoopKnits Toasty Vol. 2 is another round of accessories in Titus from designer Rachel Coopey, whose colorwork patterns look like such fun.

Come by the shop to see all the new goodies from Baa Ram Ewe, and consider Titus or Dovestone DK for your next project!

Hello, Baa Ram Ewe Dovestone DK.

Posted by Julia on September 8, 2015

Baa Ram Ewe’s new yarn has arrived! Meet Dovestone DK.

The masham is naturally dark brown, and just as in Fibre Company Cumbria and Swans Island All American Worsted, the light and dark fibers combine to create a gray base over which all the other colorways are dyed. It complicates the colors in a pleasing way, adding depth and a slight heathered quality.

Baa Ram Ewe has released some simple accessory patterns for Dovestone DK, showing how nicely it behaves in stripes and stranded colorwork, along with lace and crochet.

They also enlisted the help of designer Carol Feller, whose new booklet Dovestone Hills is named for the yarn used within.

Myself, I’ve been anxious to use Dovestone DK for an “Epistrophy” cardigan, from Kate Davies’ Yokes. We saw one hanging in the Baa Ram Ewe booth at market and I’ve been smitten ever since.

Check out our “DK weight” board on Pinterest for more pattern ideas, and come by the shop to see Dovestone DK for yourself!

Baa Ram Ewe Trunk Show!

Posted by Julia on April 3, 2015

We’re delighted to be hosting a Baa Ram Ewe Trunk Show, featuring garments from Rachel Coopey’s Coop Knits Toasty Vol. 1!

All of these accessories are knit with Baa Ram Ewe Titus, a fingering weight blend of alpaca, Wensleydale, and Bluefaced Leicester wools, sourced and spun entirely in the UK.

This collection shows how well Titus behaves in a variety of stitch patterns, from smooth stranded colorwork to texture patterns, cables, and lace.

Come by the shop during April to admire the Baa Ram Ewe Trunk Show and pick out a few skeins of Titus for your next project!