New colors in Canopy Worsted.

Posted by Julia on August 22, 2014

Along with a brand new yarn from Fibre Company, we’ve also received new colors in their Canopy Worsted, a blend of merino, alpaca, and bamboo. Just one 200 yard skein makes a hat or cowl, as the Kelbourne Woolens Weekenders collection taught us. I see knitters treat themselves to a skein of Canopy Worsted now and then, and many of them come back for more. We’ve come back for more Canopy Worsted, too, unable to resist five new shades in this tempting yarn.

I love seeing how these new colors fit into our existing color palette, looking at home among their brothers and sisters.

Anne’s “Cumberland” cowl is here at the shop, another one-skein project in Canopy Worsted. Come by to try it on, and get a good sense of how the yarn knits up in a texture pattern.

For other Canopy Worsted pattern ideas, consider the new Knightsbridge Collection; any of those garments and accessories would look just as incredible in Canopy Worsted. Follow us on Pinterest for even more pattern inspiration! See you at the shop.

Hello, Knightsbridge.

Posted by Julia on August 20, 2014

Fibre Company’s newest yarn is here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop! Meet Knightsbridge.

Knightsbridge is a soft and fuzzy blend of llama, merino, and silk, a light worsted weight yarn that knits up comfortably between 5 and 5.5 stitches per inch.

The colors are heathered, the fibers dyed and lightly blended before spinning.

The sweaters, vests, and accessories that make up the Knightsbridge pattern collection were some of the more memorable garments we saw at TNNA.

I love classic-looking sweaters like these, and they look entertaining to knit, too.

Knightsbridge renders cables and other texture patterns surprisingly well for such a soft yarn; I’m really impressed with how it behaves on the needles as well as in knitted fabric.

Come by the shop to meet Knightsbridge and plan your next project!

Work in progress: Charlie’s sweater.

Posted by Julia on July 5, 2014

Here on the blog, I like to share finished projects that started their lives as HYS yarns. The works in progress are often just as interesting, however, shining a light on the process that we all love so well. Here’s one such project.

Some months ago, Polly came in wanting to knit a sweater for a good friend’s grandchild. She had a specific vision for the sweater, so specific that she had no choice but to design the thing herself. Thinking, “the sun rises and sets with Charlie,” she got to work.

Armed with Ann Budd’s Knitter’s Handy Book of Patterns, she selected four shades of Ewe Ewe Wooly Worsted and got swatching. Budd’s book gives a range of projects in a range of sizes and gauges, making it a good source for a “blank slate” type of sweater pattern, ready to be embellished. She charted out the text and the sun on graph paper, then knit them in as intarsia motifs, centering them within the total number of stitches on the front of the sweater.

Her last step before piecing the sweater together was to crochet the rays of the sun onto the front. She emailed us this picture of the finished garment, washed and ready for giving.

Thanks, Polly, for sharing your process with us!

Post-Market Sale spotlight: Ella Rae Classic Wool.

Posted by Julia on June 2, 2014

From Friday May 23rd through June 29th, we will have select yarns discounted during our Post-Market Sale: single skeins will be reduced by 30% and full bags of 10 will be 40% off! Throughout the sale, I’ll be highlighting some of these yarns and sharing ideas for what to make with them. Today: spotlight on Ella Rae Classic Wool.

Ella Rae Classic Wool is aptly-named, an obedient worsted weight wool with 219 yards on each 100 gram ball. It’s not superwash, so it will happily felt when exposed to moisture, heat, and agitation, making it perfect for felting projects from slippers and hats to bowls and bags.

Classic Wool is smooth and tightly plied, giving it excellent stitch definition for all kinds of patterning. It seems particularly well-suited to cable-knitting; Marsha used it to knit this sample “Fine Fella” hat.

I recently created a new Pinterest board that shows projects made in our Post-Market Sale yarns, and there I discovered that Ella Rae Classic Wool is often used as a substitute for Shelter in Brooklyn Tweed patterns like “Levenwick,” “Guernsey Wrap,” and “Brownstone.” The Brooklyn Tweed and Wool People collections are amazing resources for patterns in worsted weight yarn; most of them are available as Ravelry In-Store Pattern Sales, so make a note of which ones you like and we’ll be happy to print a copy for you when you buy them at the shop, and save a digital copy in your email, too.

Save 30% on single skeins of Ella Rae Classic Wool during our Post-Market Sale, or 40% on bags of 10. Come soon for the best selection–see you there!

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!

Even more Malabrigo.

Posted by Julia on March 4, 2014

A few weeks ago, Anne and I were thrilled to unpack two giant boxes from Malabrigo, stuffed with Rios and Mecha, two super-soft superwash merino wool yarns in worsted and bulky weight, respectively. We had written to Malabrigo some months ago with a dream list of all the colors we’d love to have in each yarn, knowing that they wouldn’t all be available at once. These are well-loved yarns, and as such, we often have to wait a while for our orders to be fulfilled. Imagine our surprise and delight when a second mammoth Malabrigo order was shipped our way last week!

We have better stock in Rios and Mecha right now than we have ever had to my memory, so if these are yarns you love, come by the shop and enjoy the full cubbies. They’re already going fast, though, due to that particular Malabrigo combination of beauty, softness, easy-care, and good value. If you’re hoping to put your hands on specific colorways, feel free to call ahead and check that we still have them in your desired quantity.

For pattern ideas, check out the “Inspiring Stitches” board on our Pinterest page, where you’ll find patterns for all kinds of HYS yarns, including Malabrigo Rios and Mecha. See you at the shop!

Hello, Berroco Modern Cotton.

Posted by Julia on February 25, 2014

Meet Modern Cotton, a brand new yarn from Berroco!

Modern Cotton is a worsted weight blend of 60% cotton and 40% rayon, perfect for warm-weather knit and crochet projects, or year-round for those allergic to wool. Modern Cotton is soft in the hand with excellent stitch definition, qualities that this little cabled sweater illustrates nicely. You’ll find it at the shop, hanging on the wall above the worsted weight yarns.

The pattern is “Diggory,” from Berroco booklet #345, which puts this brightly-colored, easy-care yarn to good use in all manner of baby and children’s garments.

Modern Cotton is also a very good value, with a relatively low price tag for the yardage. That along with its soft feel and machine-washability made me think blankets. The range of colors both neutral and bright brought to mind the Purl Bee’s delightfully simple garter stitch baby blanket pattern, “Super Easy Crib Blanket,” a riot of color in seven shades.

Berroco has also released some free patterns for Modern Cotton, like the lacy “Saurey” baby blanket, and two women’s sweaters: “Joyce” and “Sanpoku,” a tee and a cardigan, respectively. Norah Gaughan used Modern Cotton in her most recent Berroco booklet. Modern Cotton will do well in any pattern calling for worsted weight yarn where the drape of plant fibers is welcome. Check it out when you’re next at the shop, along with the “Diggory” sample, which can give you a good sense of how the yarn behaves in knitted fabric. See you there!

Weekenders.

Posted by Julia on February 12, 2014

The Fibre Company have just published a new collection of 5 accessory patterns, each of which calls for just one skein of the luxurious Canopy Worsted. Say hello to Weekenders.

Canopy Worsted is a soft and slightly shimmering blend of 50% alpaca, 30% merino wool, and 20% bamboo, with 200 yards to each 100 gram skein.

The bamboo gives it a gentle drape, and the alpaca gives it a soft halo, but it maintains a crisp stitch definition that does well in cables and texture patterns.

The hats and cowls of Weekenders make good use of Canopy Worsted’s many positive qualities.

Anne and I can both attest that Canopy Worsted is delightful in the hands and on the needles–I treated myself to a sweater’s worth last Fall, and Anne can’t seem to take off her “Cumberland” cowl. In fact, she recently started making one for her mother. It’s a special skein of yarn, Canopy Worsted, and each of these patterns makes the most of just one skein.

Come by the shop to pick up a copy of Weekenders and a skein or two of Canopy Worsted! See you there.

Back in stock: Malabrigo Rios and Mecha.

Posted by Julia on February 5, 2014

Malabrigo is a small yarn company out of Uruguay that is well known for its soft merino yarns, and their vivid, hand-dyed colorways. Many designers publish patterns with Malabrigo yarns, and a quick Ravelry search reveals that many thousands of knitters and crocheters have made projects with these yarns at one time or another. We know plenty who return to Malabrigo again and again, not only because of their good quality but also their good value. The combination of “small company” and “big exposure” means that we sometimes have to wait a while for our orders to be fulfilled, but it’s always worth the wait. Behold: a new Malabrigo shipment, bursting with tempting bags of Rios and Mecha!

Rios is Malabrigo’s worsted weight superwash merino, a yarn that’s hard to keep in stock because it does so well in so many kinds of projects.

Baby blankets, mittens and scarves, slipper socks, hats and headbands, garments for children, crocheted shawls and cabled sweaters–I’ve seen Rios put to good use in all those projects and more.

Mecha is Malabrigo’s newest yarn, a single-ply, bulky weight, superwash merino. Since we first received it in September, it’s become a popular choice for cozy and quick-knitting accessories, cowls in particular.

Maybe it’s the incredible softness of the yarn that makes people want to wear it right around their necks. Consider the following free patterns if you, too, are itching to make a cowl in Mecha: “GAP-tastic Cowl,” “Bandana Cowl,” and “Drop Stitch Cowl.” Suppose you’d rather knit a shawl, or a hat: try “Distinction,” “Thorpe,” or the “Ardelle Hat,” also free downloads from Ravelry. Visit and follow us on Pinterest for even more inspiring ways to make use of all the yarns you’ll find at HYS.

Come by the shop to see our selection of Malabrigo yarns, and come soon if you’re after some color or kind in particular–Rios and Mecha do tend to sell out quickly!

New colors in Berroco Maya.

Posted by Julia on February 1, 2014

Last April, we ordered our first bundle of Berroco Maya, a worsted weight blend of cotton and alpaca spun up into a stretchy, lofty chainette. We were delighted to learn that Maya now comes in a wider range of colors, and ordered another bundle twice the size of last year’s.

There are many pleasant qualities that set Maya apart. The combination of cotton and alpaca is soft and light, thanks in part to its chainette construction. A chainette yarn is basically a knitted tube, and the inherent stretchiness of knitted fabric transforms that mostly-cotton fiber into smooth and stretchy yarn. It also creates a loftier yarn than plant fibers usually offer, much lighter in weight than we might normally expect from a worsted weight cotton yarn. And have I mentioned: Maya is machine-washable, which makes it ideal for baby and children’s things, especially for those who live in warm climates or may be sensitive to wool.

Our big bundle of Maya also included a hand-knit sample of a lacy, cropped sweater from the latest Maya booklet.

We’re always delighted to have generous, garment-sized samples like these, because they give the best sense of how a yarn behaves in knitted fabric. Come on in and try it on for size, study the stitch definition, feel the weight and texture of the thing with your own hands.

While you’re at it, peruse the Maya booklets for pattern inspiration.

When you’re thinking warm-weather knitting, remember Berroco Maya. See you at the shop!

Berroco Touche: now on sale!

Posted by Julia on January 26, 2014

UPDATE: As of 11/19/2014, we are totally sold out of Berroco Touche!

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It’s always bittersweet news when yarns are discontinued. On the one hand, we’re sad to see good yarns go. On the other, we’re happy to announce that said yarn is now on sale. We’re now offering Berroco Touche at over 30% off!

Touche is a worsted weight blend of cotton and rayon, which come together to make a soft, machine-washable yarn that is far from stiff–a complaint we sometimes hear about mercerized cottons. Touche is perfect for the wool-averse among us, as well as for baby and children’s things. I’ve also seen it made up into a lightweight summer top. Check out Berroco’s large collection of free knit and crochet patterns for Touche ideas; their website allows you to sort patterns by gauge, making it easy to substitute Touche for other worsted weight yarns.

Last year, I made this baby hat using one skein of Berroco Touche, with guidance from the Super Simple Hat Calculator. It’s a simple thing, just a roll brim hat knit in stockinette and finished with a little i-cord knot at the top. A quick knit, and a sample that gives a good sense of how Touche behaves in knitted fabric. Come by the shop to snag some Touche at this great price while it’s still in stock!

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!