Back in stock: Ewe Ewe.

Posted by Julia on January 7, 2014

Ewe Ewe Wooly Worsted has become a staple here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, admired for its softness, easy-care, and steadily growing selection of solid colors. Ewe Ewe’s pattern support covers a range of projects, from baby blankets to small accessories to adult sweaters, a variety of garments that show the versatility of this plush yarn. Last week, we received a large box from Ewe Ewe, nearly doubling our inventory of the stuff, and bringing every missing color back to this basket.

Anne and I have used Ewe Ewe Wooly Worsted for two shop samples. Anne made two “Boston Whaler” hats with just two skeins of Wooly Worsted, inverting the colorway for the second hat. The pink-on-indigo version stayed here at the shop, while the indigo-on-pink hat went to her granddaughter, of course.

Now that Ewe Ewe comes in 20 colors, there are plenty more color combinations to play with, which of course is what I found myself doing as Rosi and I unpacked the yarn.

Ewe Ewe has lots of other patterns that call for two colors or more, including the “Easy as ABC Top-Down Raglan Baby Sweater,” the “Layer Cake Cowl,” and the newly released “Fireside Wristlets,” a free pattern for simple ribbed mitts. If you’re not in the market for a baby hat, but you still want to play the Ewe Ewe color-combining game, consider these!

Our second Ewe Ewe Wooly Worsted sample is the “Wearever Wrap,” a colorful triangular shawl that I crocheted in just a few afternoons at the shop. When I saw the sample “Wearever Wrap” at market in June, I knew I’d like to make one for the shop, and selecting six colors was half the fun.

I used an H hook (5 mm), which was smaller than recommended in the pattern, and still it blocked out to a nice, generous size.

Come by the shop to flip through the Ewe Ewe pattern binder, admire Wooly Worsted in all 20 shades, and plan your next project!

Back in stock: Yarn Hollow Photograph.

Posted by Julia on October 27, 2013

I was delighted to unpack a big box at the shop this week from Michigan yarn company Yarn Hollow. We carry one Yarn Hollow yarn, Photograph, a worsted weight Bluefaced Leicester wool that is hand-dyed in tonally variegated colorways, and it was that gorgeous yarn that filled this box. We’d had a special request for a particular color, which was all the excuse we needed to pick out a few other new colors and fill up on those that were running low.

There are very few patterns written expressly for this yarn, but it would be a perfect substitute for any wooly worsted weight yarn that a pattern might call for. Consider the Swans Island patterns that call for their worsted weight Organic Merino, or Berroco’s sizeable collection of free patterns calling for worsted weight yarns. Many of the single patterns in our pattern binders at the shop call for worsted weight yarns as well.

If you’re planing a project that will take more than one 250 yard skein to complete, remember that all hand-dyed yarns vary from skein to skein, even within the same dyelot. To mitigate the difference, try alternating skeins–working two rows from one ball, then two rows from another ball, back and forth to blend them together.

Come by the shop to admire Yarn Hollow Photograph and consider it for your next project!

New from the Fibre Company.

Posted by Julia on September 20, 2013

About a year ago, we introduced Acadia, a beautiful and unique dk weight yarn from the Fibre Company, a small yarn company out of Pennsylvania. We were dazzled by their array of natural fiber yarns when we saw them at TNNA, but limited ourselves to just one yarn in a small selection of colors, not knowing if our knitters and crocheters would fall for the yarn as hard as we did. In a quick succession of reorders that brought more and more new colors and project ideas to the shop, it became clear that the Fibre Company would be heartily embraced at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. We allowed ourselves to go a little further this year, bringing in three additional Fibre Company yarns. The first two are here, and the third is expected in early October. Say hello to Fibre Company Savannah and Canopy Worsted!

Savannah is a sport weight blend of 50% wool, 20% cotton, 15% linen, and 15% soya, which is spun and dyed in the US. The wool content gives elasticity to all those plant fibers, and each fiber takes the dye a little differently, giving the colorways a rustic heathered look. We think Savannah is a perfect blend of fibers for our Southern climate, suitable for all-seasons garments and accessories.

Canopy Worsted is a light worsted weight blend of 50% baby alpaca, 30% merino wool, and 20% viscose from bamboo.

This blend of fibers makes for a lustrous, drapey fabric that still has great stitch definition for texture patterns.

Anne and I both worked on a Canopy Worsted swatch, and neither of us wanted to put it down. Yours truly has already acquired a sweaters’ worth, and put everything aside to cast on for said sweater. That said, Canopy Worsted is also well-suited to smaller accessories like scarves, cowls, hats, and shawls. For a more structured garment, like fingerless mitts, consider going down a needle size or two for a sturdier fabric.

We’re still suckers for Acadia, too–the Fibre Company made four new colors for Fall, all in neutral shades, and we ordered two bags in each color. They fill out the ever-growing Acadia spectrum nicely.

Come by the shop to see all these new yarns from the Fibre Company, and to plan your next project. We’re planning some exciting events featuring the Fibre Company in the coming weeks–stay tuned!

Back in stock: Swans Island.

Posted by Julia on September 8, 2013

Along with the brand new Swans Island Organic Washable DK, we also recently stocked up on our supply of Swans Island Organic Merino in both fingering and worsted weights. At market, Melissa from Swans Island showed us these two Dyer’s Choice Limited Edition colors, Orchid and Plum, and Anne, with a slight swoon, immediately ordered them in fingering weight.

They fit nicely into the now somewhat amazing palette of rosy pinks and reds that we currently have in stock in this yarn.

Aside from those two, the other colors we ordered were familiar ones, favorites that find their way into HYS shopping bags again and again, destined for lacy shawls and scarves, cozy cowls, and special sweaters.

Meanwhile, we also doubled our stock of Swans Island Organic Merino Worsted, filling in missing colors and making sure we had enough for the Fall season.

Swans Island Organic Merino are some of the squishiest, softest merino yarns around, and the natural dyes make for truly unique and beautiful colorways. Each skein is a thing of beauty, and the result of loving, hard work by the skilled craftspeople of Swans Island Blankets. If you haven’t treated yourself to a skein of it yet, consider doing yourself the kindness. One 525 yard skein in fingering weight is enough for a scarf or shawlette, and one 250 yard skein in worsted weight is plenty for a hat and mitts, or decent-sized cowl or scarf. Look to the Swans Island pattern binder for ideas and inspiration for how to use that special skein. See you at the shop!

New colors in Ewe Ewe Wooly Worsted.

Posted by Julia on August 25, 2013

We’ve haven’t been carrying Ewe Ewe Wooly Worsted for much more than a year, but already it feels like a staple at the shop. This worsted weight, machine-washable merino is good for so many things, and it’s one of the softest and well-behaved yarns of its kind that we’ve found. In fact, Clara Parkes called it “the Charmin of yarns” in her Knitter’s Review.

This fall, like last fall, Ewe Ewe has introduced new colors, rounding out their palette with a true black, a pale gray, pastel hues, and a vivid orange and blue.

As a designer and the owner of Ewe Ewe Yarns, Heather Walpole is always coming up with new ways for knitters and crocheters to use Wooly Worsted, so it’s no surprise that we also have a handful of new Ewe Ewe patterns to share. Its softness and easy-care make Wooly Worsted perfect for baby things and accessories for all ages, or any kind of garment that will get a lot of wear.

I started crocheting a sample Wearever Wrap for the shop when the new Ewe Ewe colors and patterns arrived; a few afternoons later, it’s done, and ready for blocking and tassels. Crochet is speedy, indeed. Here’s a peek.

Look for these and other patterns in the Ewe Ewe binder, and come by to see the latest shades of Ewe Ewe Wooly Worsted!

New colors in Berroco yarns.

Posted by Julia on August 18, 2013

This week brought big boxes of yarn from Berroco. The yarns are familiar–Ultra Alpaca Fine, Ultra Alpaca, and Lustra–but the colors are brand new, just introduced by Berroco for Fall.

Ultra Alpaca Fine is a fingering weight blend of wool, alpaca, and nylon. Its fiber content and gauge suggest socks, but Ultra Alpaca Fine is equally at home in larger garments, and especially shines in openwork scarves and shawls. The alpaca content gives it a bit of a fuzzy halo, something to keep in mind if you’re planning a project that requires sharp stitch definition–those fuzzy fibers can obscure delicate texture patterns a bit. That said, those fuzzy fibers also give the finished fabric softness and warmth. These 9 new colors really brighten the Ultra Alpaca Fine palette, and beg to be combined; perhaps a Stripe Study Shawl, or Selbu Modern tam.

Ultra Alpaca is a staple around here, an affordable worsted weight blend of alpaca and wool that comes in a multitude of colors. It’s a warm and wooly yarn, great for sweaters, hats, shawls and scarves. One of our teachers, Katherine, recently picked up some Ultra Alpaca to make the Guernsey Wrap, a happy pairing of yarn and pattern; I can’t wait to see how it comes out.

Many of the best-loved shades in Ultra Alpaca are heathered, colors which read solid from a distance but on closer inspection are subtly mottled with fibers of different hues. The latest shades in Lustra are all heathered, adding depth to these shiny, fuzzy skeins.

Lustra is a single-ply aran weight yarn, a 50/50 blend of wool and Tencel, a plant fiber derived from tree bark. It’s the Tencel that makes Lustra so lustrous, a quality that has drawn knitters and crocheters to this yarn for as long as we’ve stocked it. Like all single-ply yarns, Lustra is a little delicate, and will pill or shed fibers more quickly than plied yarns. That makes it ideal for garments that don’t get a lot of hard wear, like a cowl, scarf, or shawl; a Honey Cowl, Saroyan scarf, or Springtime Bandit shawl would be lovely made up in Lustra. Arm yourself with a Lilly Brush and you can better care for your cuddly soft single-ply garments.

Come by the shop to see these favorite yarns in brand new colors, and begin planning your next project. See you there!

Crystal Palace Merino 5: now on sale!

Posted by Julia on August 14, 2013

UPDATE: As of 11/19/2014, we are totally sold out of Crystal Palace Merino 5!

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We have many machine-washable, worsted weight wools at the shop because they’re good for so many things. Knitters and crocheters alike often turn to machine-washable, worsted weight wools for blankets, baby things, sweaters for children and adults, toys, and accessories that get lots of wear, like hats, scarves and mitts. One of the many machine-washable, worsted weight wools we carry is now on sale at a 25% discount: Crystal Palace Merino 5.

Merino 5 is a springy superwash merino wool that suggests a gauge of 5 stitches to the inch, and comes in both solid and variegatd colorways. The yarn is plump and round due to its many-plied structure, which gives it excellent stitch definition for texture and cable patterning. Crystal Palace offers a variety of free patterns for Merino 5 on their website–click here to see a list, then scroll down to the Merino 5 section. Myself, I’m eyeing this basket of yarn with colorful crocheted blankets in mind. A simple granny square or even hexagons, maybe a ripple stitch… Come by the shop to snag some Merino 5 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!

Show and tell: shawls and stoles.

Posted by Julia on July 24, 2013

This past week has been an abundant one for show and tell at the shop; there is so much to share that I’ll divide it up into two posts. Today, I’ll focus on shawls and stoles, for a great deal of them have found their way into the shop lately.

Here’s Margaretta’s completed Color Affection in three shades of Titus, a shawl that has inspired many knitters to create Color Affections in their own three-color combinations of Titus. I made one myself, which recent visitors to the shop may have seen hanging on the wall.

Margaretta used the first three shades of Titus that were available, Dark, Original, and Light, which make a gentle gradient from dark gray to light brown to pale beige. As a lover of neutral colors, this Color Affection really appeals to me; I can’t wait to see all the others that I know are in progress or soon to be started!

Paula and Kristin came in last week, each with a Stole on the needles. Both are made in Isager Alpaca 2, a cuddly fingering weight blend of merino wool and alpaca. Over the past year, Anne and I have seen so many beautiful colorways come together as knitters select yarn for the Stole, which uses an incredible nine colors total. What still surprises me is how different each stole can look from the next, though they all draw from the same 20-color palette. Paula’s Stole, above, is subdued and calming to the eye, while Kristin’s, below, is vibrant and bold.

Here are two shawls that Barbara crocheted in a recent Triangular Crochet Shawl class at the shop, using the 8 Hour Shawl pattern, available as a free download from Ravelry.

Having just graduated from Beginning Crochet not long ago, Barbara is on a roll, planning another two crochet shawls in the same yarn she used here, the beloved Malabrigo Rios. Soft, springy, colorful, worsted-weight, and machine-washable, Rios is a great choice for all kinds of knit and crochet projects, from shawls and scarves to sweaters, hats, mitts, blankets, and baby things.

Thanks to these knitters and crocheters for sharing their work with us! If any or all of these projects inspire you, come by the shop to get some Titus, Isager Alpaca 2, or Malabrigo Rios for shawls and Stoles of your own. Our Annual Inventory Sale is on through July 31st, so come in soon to take advantage of the 15% discount on everything we have in stock. Additionally, we have a Beginning Crochet class coming up soon, if any knitters out there are inspired to try another craft; read more about it and all our classes on our website. See you at the shop!

Just a reminder–all sales are final on sale items; there can be no exchanges, no returns, nor will we special order. Discount applies only to in-store purchases. Thanks!

New from Plymouth.

Posted by Julia on May 5, 2013

We recently unloaded a big box from Plymouth, full of new yarns, patterns, and notions.

Gina is a new yarn for us here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, a soft, self-striping, worsted weight wool. We got eight colorways and a handful of patterns to give you ideas for how to use this yarn.

Sakkie is another new yarn, a lustrous, sturdy sock yarn composed of 40% merino wool, 40% mohair, and 20% nylon. Anne picked a few solid colors and a few variegated colors.

Sakkie is intended for socks, what with its tight twist and strong fibers, but a quick glance at Ravelry reveals that knitters are also using it for shawls, scarves, hats, and mitts. How would you use this fingering weight yarn?

We also got a few new patterns for good old Galway, a worsted weight wool that comes in all kinds of colors. Look for these in the binder marked “Men’s Sweaters and Vests,” and come by to see all the new goodies from Plymouth. See you at the shop!

Hexagonal Market Bag Knit-Along.

Posted by Julia on May 1, 2013

Now that Anne and I have both completed our Gemini sweaters, we’re ready for another knit-along. In keeping with the warm-weather knitting theme, we’re making market bags.

Our pattern is Laura Dianiska’s Hexagonal Market Bag, a free pattern on Ravelry. It calls for approximately 400 yards of worsted weight cotton; a perfect choice for a sturdy, workaday bag to fill with produce at the grocery store. Anne is using Louisa Harding’s Nautical Cotton, a 100% mercerized cotton yarn, and I’m using Plymouth’s Linen Isle, a blend of cotton, rayon, and linen.

We got started on Saturday, beginning with the hexagonal garter stitch base of the bag. Once the base was completed, we picked up stitches around the edge and began the oh-so-simple mesh lace pattern that makes the bag so stretchy.

Want to make a Hexagonal Market Bag of your own? Join us in this informal Knit-Along. Any sturdy plant fiber yarn should do; Nautical Cotton comes in all kinds of colors, and we have a nice selection in Linen Isle, too. Then there are the rest of the worsted weight plant fibers–Berroco Linen Jeans, Brown Sheep Cotton Fleece, Mirasol Wach’i, Online Linie 12 Clip, Queensland Bebe Cotsoy, and more. Come by the shop to see all the choices, and to see how Anne and I are progressing on our bags. We’ll also be posting on the Ravelry HYS group with any lessons learned along the way, just as we did while we were making our Gemini sweaters. See you at the shop!