New colors in Cumbria Worsted.

Posted by Julia on May 27, 2016

Fibre Company just added four fresh new shades to Cumbria Worsted!

Cumbria Worsted is composed of 60% merino wool, 30% masham wool, and 10% mohair. The soft white merino is blended with the dark gray masham, creating a natural heathered base color over which all the other colorways are dyed.

How to use Cumbria Worsted? Look for worsted weight patterns where stitch definition and structure are important; think cables, texture patterns, hardy sweaters and heirloom blankets or shawls.

Consider Hannah Fettig’s “Coastal Pullover,” Courtney Kelley’s “Seascale” gansey, Kate Gagnon Osborn’s “Clawthorpe” pullover, “Rockcliffe” scarf and “Seathwaite” hat, and Alana Dakos’ “Four Seasons” shawl, to start with. Keep digging, and you’ll likely end up with a long wishlist of patterns perfectly suited to this yarn. Let us know what you find!

Cumbria Worsted has only been around since August of 2015, but already feels like a staple in our worsted weight section. It’s even spawned a finer weight, the dreamy Cumbria Fingering. I’ve had the pleasure of knitting with both Cumbria yarns, and I’m eager to return to this smooth and sturdy yarn for future projects.

Come by the shop to see the new Cumbria Worsted colors and plan your next project!

Prince of Purple.

Posted by Julia on May 22, 2016

Last month, we were saddened by the death of Prince, a bold and innovative musician, songwriter, and producer whose work I respect so much. He has since been memorialized in many ways, and we were surprised and delighted to find one such tribute coming from the world of yarn: Dream in Color created a gradient set in shades of purple, Prince’s signature color. Anne put in a request for as many as we were allowed to order, just 12 for this limited edition run, and I’m happy to report that they’re here!

These Prince of Purple gradient sets are composed of ~1125 yards of Dream in Color Smooshy, a fingering weight superwash merino. Those ~1125 yards are divided into five 2 oz skeins, each one a successively darker shade of purple. There’s enough here for a generous shawl or two, or perhaps even a short-sleeved sweater. Consider Kirsten Kapur’s “Seastripes,” Olga Buraya-Kefelian’s “Aranami Shawl,” Melanie Berg’s “The Joker and the Thief,” Ambah O’Brien’s “Inara Wrap,” or Diana Walla’s “Vasa.” Some of these patterns call for just two colors, while others want six or more, but if you’re creative with your color placement, any of them could work with just these five. Or select a complementary shade in another fingering weight merino to frame them–a pale gray, perhaps, a wild yellow, or good old black.

Come by the shop to snag a Prince of Purple gradient set of your own, or pick one up for a Prince- or purple-loving knitter in your life! We’re also happy to ship anywhere in the US; call us at (919) 732-2128 if you’d like to order a set from afar.

Going-to-Market Sale spotlight: Fibre Company Savannah.

Posted by Julia on May 15, 2016

From May 10th – June 5th, we have Fibre Company Savannah, Colinette and Schulana yarns discounted during our Going-to-Market Sale: single skeins are 30% off, or 40% off when you buy 10 or more! Throughout the sale, I’ll be highlighting some of these yarns and giving ideas for what to make with them. Today: spotlight on Fibre Company Savannah.

Savannah is a sport weight mix of wool, cotton, linen, and soy, a nice combination of elastic animal fiber and cool plant fiber. Each of those fibers takes the dye differently, giving this yarn a rustic heathered look.

There are loads of lovely patterns out there calling for Savannah, from baby things to hats, shawls, and cowls. “Sweet Bunting” is a yoked baby sweater; “Norie” is a textured lace hat, and “Schieffelin Point,” “Currituck Shawl” and “Wicker Cowl” are all free accessory patterns from Kelbourne Woolens, distributors of Fibre Company yarns. Look for more on our “Sport weight” board on Pinterest!

Fibre Company Savannah is a favorite of ours, and we were sad to learn that it’s no longer manufactured. The Fibre Company folks are busy finding a new mill to spin Savannah, and hope to reconfigure and reintroduce this yarn one day. Til then, come and get what’s left of our Savannah stash at 30% off, or 40% off when you buy 10 skeins or more!

A reminder: all sales are final on discounted yarn. There can be no returns or exchanges, nor special orders–the discount applies only to what we currently have in stock. Thanks!

Going-to-Market Sale spotlight: Colinette Jitterbug.

Posted by Julia on May 10, 2016

**************** As of May 30, 2017, we are totally sold out of Colinette Jitterbug ****************

From May 10th – June 5th, we have Colinette and Schulana yarns discounted during our Going-to-Market Sale: single skeins are 30% off, or 40% off when you buy 10 or more! Throughout the sale, I’ll be highlighting some of these yarns and giving ideas for what to make with them. Today: spotlight on Colinette Jitterbug.

Jitterbug has been a well-loved yarn here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, and I expect it to be one of the first to sell out during our Going-to-Market Sale. This fingering weight superwash merino is tightly-plied, making it sturdy enough for socks, but soft enough for shawls or baby things. It’s on the robust end of fingering weight, so it still makes a substantial fabric at a larger gauge; knit it tightly for hard-wearing socks or mittens, or go up a few needle sizes for a softly draping fabric.

Consider Elizabeth Zimmermann’s classic “Baby Surprise Jacket,” Martina Behm’s “Hitchiker,” or the “Simple Sock Pattern” that comes printed on the Jitterbug label. Look for more pattern ideas on our “Fingering weight” Pinterest board!

Come by the shop to pick up some Colinette Jitterbug before it disappears, and be sure to check out all our other discounted yarns during the Going-to-Market Sale!

A reminder: all sales are final on discounted items. There can be no returns or exchanges, nor special orders–the discount applies only to what we currently have in stock. Thanks!

Swans Island Limited Edition Ikat.

Posted by Julia on April 25, 2016

There’s a brand new, limited edition color in Swans Island Natural Colors Merino Fingering, and we’re delighted to have it here at the shop! These unique blue and white skeins are hand-dyed with natural indigo using an Indonesian dyeing technique called Ikat. Hanks of undyed merino wool are tied tightly with cord, and the portions of the skeins that are wrapped resist the dye, creating a variegated colorway.

Indigo is a pigment rather than a dye, so you can expect to find blue streaks on your hands after knitting with indigo-dyed yarns for a while. Rest assured, it comes off easily with soap and water, and wont continue to crock once you’ve washed your finished project, rinsing til the water runs clear. I’ve written about indigo-dyed yarns here on the blog before; click here to read more.

Each 100 gram skein of this yarn boasts 525 yards, plenty for a pair of mitts, a hat, scarf, or shawl. Patterns with simple stitch patterns will allow this colorful yarn to shine; think “Sumatra Mitts,” “Hitchhiker,” or “Ahull.”

Look for a special Ikat-dyed skein tucked into our basket of Swans Island Natural Colors Merino Fingering. See you at the shop!

Hello, Echoview Fiber Mill.

Posted by Julia on March 12, 2016

We’re always on the lookout for locally-sourced yarns, and we’ve already brought a few in this year: Shenandoe Farm and Cutthroat Yarn. I’m delighted to announce that we found another, and that we now carry kits from Echoview Fiber Mill, in Weaverville, North Carolina!

Echoview Fiber Mill is exactly what it sounds like: a fiber processing mill where yarns are made, along with a variety of readymade machine-knits. What sets them apart is their commitment to domestically-sourced fiber and environmentally sound practices; in 2013, theirs was the first manufacturing mill to receive Gold LEED Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

We have two Echoview Knit Kits to choose from, the “Espen” hat and the “Gimli Slouch and Mitts.” The “Espen” kit features a 100% merino wool naturally dyed in what Echoview calls “Coolidge Red,” a replica of a shade once produced at Asheville’s Biltmore Industries in the early 1900’s.

The yarn inside the “Gimli” kit is a DK weight blend of merino and silk with a rustic tweedy look but a soft texture.

Anne also ordered a machine-knit Echoview Fiber Mill blanket to decorate our sofa here at the shop, something to be sure and pet next time you’re here. We’re happy to special order one for you, too; we have sample swatches of all the available colors.

Come by the shop to see these Echoview Fiber Mill Knit Kits for yourself, and to plan your next project!

Bristol Ivy Collection Trunk Show!

Posted by Julia on March 9, 2016

Another Fibre Company Trunk Show has arrived at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop! From now til March 20th, 2016, we’ll have the Bristol Ivy Collection on display.

All six of these sweaters were designed by Bristol Ivy for Fibre Company Cumbria yarns, three in Cumbria Worsted and three in Cumbria Fingering. Both yarns are composed of merino and masham wools with a bit of mohair, and while plenty soft, they are also quite sturdy.

These designs appear simple at first glance, mainly smooth stockinette trimmed with tidy ribbing, but each one has a clever detail or surprising design element–a bit of lace at the shoulder, a mesh panel at the back, and so on.

Don’t hesitate to ask us to take these sweaters off the wall for a closer look! They’re here to be admired up close and personal, tried on for shape and size. Though we don’t keep print copies of these patterns in stock, they are all available as Ravelry In-Store Pattern Sales, where we print a copy for you and a digital copy is stored in your email and Ravelry pattern library.

Come by the shop before March 20th, 2016, to see the Bristol Ivy Collection Trunk Show. We’re offering a 10% discount on Fibre Company Cumbria yarns during the Trunk Show, so come by soon to plan your next project!

A reminder: discount applies to in-stock Cumbria Worsted and Fingering as well as prepaid Cumbria Worsted and Fingering special orders. All sales are final on discounted yarn; there can be no returns or exchanges. Thanks!

A new kind of color card.

Posted by Julia on February 27, 2016

By now, you likely know how we feel about Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift: how perfectly suited it is for colorwork knitting, the vast selection of colors, and my fondness for knitting sweaters with it, in spite of–nay, because of!–its rustic texture.

I’ve loved watching our one little basket of Shetland Spindrift grow into three over the years, as more and more knitters work with this classic yarn and ask for more and more colors. We are only too happy to oblige!

Anne recently ordered a set of Shetland Spindrift mini-skeins, one in each available color. We’re not selling these mini-skeins; rather, they’ll live here at the shop and function as a kind of interactive color card.

We can’t keep all 200+ colors in stock, so we keep the Jamieson’s color card on hand to give you a sense of all that’s available for special order.

While the regular color card is a thing of beauty, and very useful indeed, one gets a better sense of any given color when one can see more of it. You may love that heathered green when you see just a little sliver of it, but find that en masse, it’s just a little too yellow for you. The mini-skeins are small, but they’re still bigger than the snippets on the color card, so when you’re picking out a color that we don’t have in stock, ask for the mini-skeins and get a bigger picture before you place your order.

The other nice thing about the mini-skeins is that you can move them around, line up the five colors you need for your colorwork tam or striped vest and see how they look together.

Here’s an example from Kate Davies’ Colours of Shetland, a book I often flip through, daydreaming about sweaters like this “Ursula Cardigan.” First I pulled a set of mini-skeins that resemble what’s shown in the pattern, just to see how they relate to one another. From there, I began playing with alternate colorways, making a couple with a gradient-like trio of contrast colors, and many more that my camera didn’t capture.

This is a very fun game to play, indeed. Next time you’re planning a colorful project in Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift, let us pull out the mini-skeins so you can play, too!

Back in stock: Malabrigo Mechita.

Posted by Julia on February 22, 2016

Anne and I breathed a sigh of relief when we opened a box from Malabrigo last week, full of Malabrigo Mechita.

Malabrigo Mechita is a single-ply superwash merino wool in fingering weight, and though it’s only been in production for about a year, it’s become a kind of staple here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. A busy winter season left us with a dwindling supply of the stuff, and we just didn’t feel right til the Mechita cubby was full again.

Suitable for shawls, scarves, and cowls, socks and mitts, baby things and lightweight hats, a skein or two of Mechita has great potential. If you’re itching to cast on with Malabrigo Mechita, consider “Danzig,” “Emiliana,” “Starshower,” “Jewel Dragon,” and “Autumn Rain.”

Look for Mechita in the fingering weight section here at the shop, and peruse our “Fingering weight” board on Pinterest for pattern ideas. We hope you find inspiration there, as well as among these colorful skeins of yarn!

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!