Back in stock: Malabrigo Rasta.

Posted by Julia on November 23, 2015

Just in time for cold weather, we’ve restocked Malabrigo Rasta!

Rasta is a soft, squishy, single-ply merino wool that knits up quickly on US 13 – 17 needles.

Each 150 gram skein has 90 yards, which may not sound like a lot, but those 90 yards go a long way at 2 or 2.5 stitches per inch.

Rasta is perfectly suited to cold-weather accessories: hats, scarves, cowls, and the like. Anne knit this simple seed stitch cowl with one skein of Malabrigo Rasta.

Come by the shop to pick up a skein or two of Malabrigo Rasta for your last-minute holiday gift-knitting! See you there.

Technicolor cowl.

Posted by Julia on November 18, 2015

For the past year or so, Nancy Leuer’s “Technicolor Cowl” has been a popular project here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. Calling for eight 50-yard mini-skeins of Dream in Color Classy, it’s a simple but entertaining project with a focus on color.

This cowl is knit in the round, with stripes of stockinette and reverse stockinette that make a squishy, textured fabric from this springy superwash merino yarn.

I knit the sample “Technicolor Cowl” that hangs over the worsted weight section, and it’s caught many an eye, inspiring knitters to put together their own color combinations. We’ve been lucky to capture some of them and share them here on the blog in show and tell posts.

Here’s Joanne in her “Technicolor Cowl,” knit in eight shades of Alchemy Sanctuary. With a wide variety of colors, from pastel to earth tones to vivid blue and orange, Joanne’s cowl is technicolor, indeed. Josie, shown below in her cowl, took a similar approach, using Dream in Color Classy and Malabrigo Rios.

This pattern looks more subdued, but just as good in fewer colors, too. Debbie knit the “Technicolor Cowl” below in just three shades, with two skeins of green and three skeins each in gold and rust.

The pattern is free when you purchase eight Dream in Color Classy mini-skeins for the project, which I’m happy to report are back in stock. We now have two cubbies full of the stuff!

Dream in Color produces the Classy mini-skeins only occasionally, and the color selection is different every time. I was pleased to see a nice range of teals and blues in this batch that had been absent in the last two rounds of mini-skeins.

Look for Dream in Color Classy mini-skeins in the worsted weight section, and have fun picking colors for a “Technicolor Cowl” of your own!

Back in stock: Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere.

Posted by Julia on November 16, 2015

Every year at TNNA, we visit the Dream in Color booth and pick out a new palette of Smooshy with Cashmere. Their selection of colors is overwhelming, ever-expanding, and cannot be contained by a color-card, so we wait to order until we can see them all in person.

Anne and I were delighted when a box arrived last week from Dream in Color, bursting with ten new shades of Smooshy with Cashmere and another special something that I’ll save for a later blog post.

Smooshy with Cashmere is an aptly-named blend of 70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, and 10% nylon. It’s hand-dyed in variegated and semi-solid colorways, deliciously soft and squishy, perfect for next-to-skin wear. It makes an amazing pair of socks or a special scarf, shawl, or cowl. Look for pattern ideas on our “Fingering weight” board over on Pinterest.

Look for Smooshy with Cashmere in the fingering weight section, and keep it in mind when an especially luxurious pair of socks is needed. See you at the shop!

Hello, Lang Merino+ Color.

Posted by Julia on November 11, 2015

Another new yarn has found a home here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop! Meet Lang Merino+ Color.

Merino+ Color is an aran weight superwash merino wool, smooth, springy, soft, and self-striping. It comes in nine different colorways, a nice variety. Some. are subdued and painterly, while others are playful and bright.

Each 100 gram ball boasts 197 yards, plenty for an adult-sized hat, pair of mitts, or small cowl.

I knit this modified version of Wendy Johnson’s free “Easy Broken Rib Cowl” with just one ball of Lang Merino+ Color, shortening the circumference by casting on fewer stitches than called for.

Come by the shop to try on the sample for size; if you’d like to make one like it, make a note to cast on 192 stitches. If you’d prefer the cozier, larger size shown in the pattern, pick up a second skein and follow the pattern as written.

Look for Merino+ Color in the aran weight section here at the shop. See you there!

Araucania Toconao: now on sale!

Posted by Julia on November 4, 2015

UPDATE: As of 4/22/2016, we are totally sold out of Araucania Toconao!

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Another discontinued yarn has moved to the Sale Trunk here at the shop: Araucania Toconao. It’s a lovely springy yarn, but since it’s no longer manufactured, we’re now offering it at a deep discount of about 30% off the original price!

Toconao is an aran weight merino wool, soft and smooth, with sharp stitch definition. It’s hand-dyed in mostly semi-solid colorways, so alternating skeins is a good idea if your project requires more than one skein.

One 139 yard skein makes a hat or a pair of “Fetching” mitts, two makes a small “Oats” or “Honey Cowl;” pick up a third skein for a generous cowl or scarf. Look for more pattern ideas on our “Aran weight” board over on Pinterest!

Though we’re sad to see good yarns go, we love sharing them with you at a discounted price. Come by to pick up some Toconao at a great price before it disappears!

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!

Hello, Rowan Pure Wool Superwash DK.

Posted by Julia on October 17, 2015

Rowan’s newest yarn has arrived at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop! Meet Pure Wool Superwash DK.

We’ve long been searching for a good quality superwash wool in DK weight, one that comes in loads of colors and at a reasonable price, and this yarn is it. Last fall, Rowan met a similar need with their Pure Wool Superwash Worsted, and this yarn is very much a thinner version of the same good stuff.

Superwash DK weight wools like this one are good for all kinds of projects, from accessories to home goods to garments. One 145 yard ball would make a nice pair of mitts, like the Churchmouse “Welted Fingerless Gloves,” or for that matter, my own “Welting Fantastic Mitts.” Baby and children’s things are also a good fit for Pure Wool Superwash DK; I’ve made “Milo” a couple of times using Rowan Wool Cotton, and this yarn would make a nice wintry version of the same little vest.

For adult sweaters, Martin Storey’s Easy DK Knits is a collection worth checking out. Rowan sent along a sample of the cover sweater, “Barbican,” a garter stitch pullover with drop stitch patterning at the bottom edge. Come by the shop to see it in person, and get a tangible sense of how this yarn works up. Easy DK Knits uses a variety of knitting techniques to make relatively simple sweaters, including texture patterns, cables, and beginner-level colorwork.

In addition to these patterns, consider Rowan’s recently-announced Fall Knit-Along, featuring this very yarn, and hosted by designer Amy Herzog. Herzog is a prolific sweater-designer, and one who cares deeply about how those sweaters fit the knitters who make them. Her Options Knit-Along will guide you through the creation of a highly-customizable sweater knit in Rowan Pure Wool Superwash DK, from choosing a size to making modifications to finishing. There’s a textured pullover option and a striped cardigan option, and it looks like there’ll be other options within each of those. Read more about it on her website, where you can download the shopping list and get ready to start the Rowan Options Knit Along this Monday, October 19th!

Look for Rowan Pure Wool Superwash DK in the DK weight section of the shop, where we’re happy to help you plan your next project. See you there!

Swans Island Trunk Show.

Posted by Julia on October 14, 2015

Our next trunk show of the season has arrived, featuring garments from Swans Island! We’re offering a 10% discount on all in-stock Swans Island yarn during the show, so come by soon to see it for yourself.

We’ve got six garments here on display until November 1st, five sweaters and a hat and mitt set. All of them are knit in Swans Island’s newest yarn, All American Sport, a delightfully springy 100% Rambouillet wool that’s hand-dyed in a wide range of colors.

These are just a few of the patterns from Swans Island’s All American Sport Collection, which features many different applications of two-color knitting. I’ve got Isabell Kraemer’s “Kaarina Pullover” on my needles now, and can hardly wait to wear it. Be sure to peruse our complete selection of patterns for All American Sport while you’re here admiring the trunk show!

Come in to see and touch garments made in this yarn for a good sense of how it works up, and enjoy a 10% discount on all in-stock Swans Island yarn during the show!

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

Hello, Regia sock yarns.

Posted by Julia on October 12, 2015

We’re happy to announce that we now carry self-patterning sock yarns from Schachenmayr Regia!

These colorful skeins are dyed in such a way that the yarn creates a color pattern when you knit it in a small width or circumference, such as a scarf, pair of socks or mitts. No matter what stitch pattern you use, stripes or faux fair-isle colorwork come out as you knit, entertaining you as you knit even the simplest of projects.

The fiber content is a sturdy blend of 75% superwash wool and 25% nylon, to ensure that garments made in these yarns can hold up to the hard wear that socks typically endure.

Some of these colorways are from the Design Line by Arne & Carlos, and some are Pairfect. The Pairfect yarns are designed to make an identical pair of socks, and do so by marking the beginning of the color repeat with a yellow starter thread.

Look for Regia sock yarns in the fingering weight section of the shop!

Berroco Portfolio, Vol. 1.

Posted by Julia on October 5, 2015

This fall marks the 10th anniversary of Berroco’s now-classic Ultra Alpaca yarn, a soft and sturdy blend of wool and alpaca. To celebrate, they’ve published a beautiful pattern collection showcasing the full range of Ultra Alpaca, from the fingering weight Ultra Alpaca Fine to the bulky weight Ultra Alpaca Chunky. Take a peek inside Berroco Portfolio, Vol. 1.

Berroco Portfolio, Vol. 1 features patterns from independent knitwear designers, the likes of Bristol Ivy, Mary Jane Mucklestone, Martina Behm, and Thea Colman.

Berroco sent along a sample of Thea Colman’s contribution, a seamless cardigan with texture panels called “Rye.” The pattern photo shows it in a heathered green shade of Ultra Alpaca, and our sample is in a no less fetching red. Come by the shop to take a closer look, or try it on for size.

Ultra Alpaca is a rare blend of luxury and practicality, a quality yarn for a reasonable price. We’re celebrating its 10 year anniversary by putting bags and bags of it on our shelves, refilling favorite colors and adding some new ones, too.

Our stash of Ultra Alpaca Chunky has also grown, just in time for cold weather stitching.

Berroco Portfolio, Vol. 1 has a few great patterns for Ultra Alpaca Chunky, too.

Come by the shop to plan some cozy fall and winter projects, and consider Ultra Alpaca when you do. See you there!

Hello, Berroco Artisan.

Posted by Julia on October 1, 2015

Here at the shop, we’ve spent a few afternoons unpacking a truly huge order from Berroco. They sent an exciting new book, bags and bags of two of our favorite Berroco yarns, sample garments, and a brand new yarn for fall. Let’s start there: meet Artisan.

Berroco Artisan is a worsted weight blend of 80% merino wool and 20% silk, with 123 yards on each 50 gram skein. Artisan is dip-dyed for tonally variegated colors, which look as good in texture and lace patterns as they do in garter stitch or stockinette.

Anne and I passed this swatch back and forth a few times before we ordered Artisan for the shop, seeing how it stood up to a variety of stitch patterns and enjoying its springy feel along the way.

Berroco sent along this “Ceonothus” shawl, by Amy Christoffers, worked from the point up in an allover lace pattern. I’ve often admired Amy Christoffers’ designs, particularly for how she makes use of texture patterns, using them to cover entire garments and keeping the knitter interested along the way. “Ceonothus” looks like it would make a great pattern for a first-time lace knitter, and should work up relatively quickly in this worsted weight yarn.

The pattern, like all of Berroco’s Artisan collection, is available as a Ravelry In-Store Pattern Sale. This means that you can buy them at the shop, have us print a copy for you, and also know that a digital copy is saved in your Ravelry pattern library or sent to your email. Head to Ravelry to check out the other sweaters and shawls that Amy Christoffers designed for Artisan, and head to the HYS “Worsted weight” board on Pinterest for lots of other ideas. In particular, don’t miss “Memphre,” a free hat pattern for Artisan.

Look for Artisan in the worsted weight section at the shop, and look out for more new Berroco goodies on the blog soon!