Author Archives: Julia

Hello, Kelbourne Woolens Skipper.

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Meet the latest from Kelbourne Woolens, a soft, versatile cotton in 16 colors!

Kelbourne Woolens Skipper:

  • sport weight
  • 4ply
  • 100% unmercerized Tanguis cotton
  • 137 yds/50g
  • $8.50 each

When developing their first 100% cotton yarn, the Kelbourne Woolens team was thoughtful in selecting Tanguis cotton from Peru, an economical and environmentally friendly choice. Tanguis cotton was developed to be more resistant to cotton wilt, and thus requires less water to grow in Peru’s climate. The fiber is absorbent, moisture wicking, and resists pilling, due to a “long, but not too long, staple fiber length,” in the words of the folks at KW.

What to make with Skipper? Here are some pattern ideas in adult sizes:

Soft, smooth, machine washable cotton is ideal for baby things, too – here are a few patterns to consider:

Look for Kelbourne Woolens Skipper in the sport weight section here at HYS, along with Mojave, KW’s cotton/linen blend!

Textured Knits, by Paula Pereira.

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The latest book from Laine is Paula Pereira’s Textured Knits ($50), an enticing collection of 20 garments and accessories.

Paula Pereira’s love of texture is clear from the designs she’s published on Ravelry and those we’ve seen in Laine Magazine, Pom Pom Quarterly, Amirisu, and Making over the years.

This beautifully photographed book is full of intriguing textural combinations – knits embellished with a bit of crochet, embroidery, or even weaving.

“In every pattern in this collection there is a textured accent, bringing a 3D aspect to the fabric,” writes Pereira. “Sometimes it is a delicate detail, other times it is the overall texture!”

I was especially taken with the stitch pattern on her “Cobogó” cardigan, knit with Brooklyn Tweed Shelter.

We may not have every yarn called for in Textured Knits, but we’re always happy to help you find the perfect substitute!

Textured Knits is $50 – look for it here at our shop, among the latest publications, like Mouche & Friends, Making Memories, 52 Weeks of Socks, Vol. II, Knitted Kalevala, The Knitted Fabric, Traditions Revisited, and more. We’re also happy to take your order online for local pickup or shipping!

Back in stock: Isager Japansk Bomuld.

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Our most recent Isager order included a bundle of Japansk Bomuld, a lustrous lace weight cotton tape.

Isager Japansk Bomuld:

  • lace weight
  • flat tape
  • 100% cotton
  • 344 yards, 50 g
  • $15 each

Japansk Bomuld has been around for about five years, but remains one of the most unique plant fiber yarns in our shop. The knit fabric is crunchy and cool to the touch, ideal for spring and summer tops and accessories.

I used 3 shades of Japansk Bomuld to knit a Churchmouse “Alexandra’s Airplane Scarf” as a shop sample, a trio that made high contrast stripes towards the middle of the scarf, and low contrast at one end.

Though the Isager Japansk Bomuld palette is small, there are plenty of intriguing color trios available – here are a few to consider.

What else to knit with Japansk Bomuld? Hold it together with Silk Mohair for Midori Hirose’s “Ranunculus” or Ragnhild Vaaland’s “Blink” pullover, or hold 3 strands together for PetiteKnit’s “French Market Bag.”

Look for Isager Japansk Bomuld in the lace weight section here at HYS!

Mouche & Friends: Seamless Toys to Knit and Love, by Cinthia Vallet.

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Cinthia Vallet’s charming debut book is here – let’s page through Mouche & Friends: Seamless Toys to Knit and Love ($34).

This delightful collection includes instructions for 12 knitted toy animals, along with pleasingly intricate garments and accessories for each.

Cinthia Vallet’s toy-making process is unique and totally seamless, and she walks you through the techniques step-by-step.

Come by the shop to get a closer look at Mouche & Friends: Seamless Toys to Knit and Love, or order online for local pickup or shipping. Hope to see you at the shop!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Nightshade.

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The Koigu Collector’s Club continues! Each month, we’ll receive 21 skeins of KPPPM in a limited edition color dyed especially for a select group of local yarn stores that carry Koigu. KPPPM is a fingering weight superwash merino, hand-dyed in vibrant colors by mother/daughter team Maie and Taiu Landra on their farm outside of Toronto, Canada.

Koigu KPPPM:

  • fingering weight
  • hand dyed, variegated
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 175 yards/50 g
  • $15.50 each

Nightshade is a deeply saturated mix of eggplant and navy, with lively streaks of gold, orange, and cobalt.

Anne recently knit Amy Christoffers’ “Pressed Flowers Hat” with Koigu and Neighborhood Fiber Co. Capital Luxury Sport, a soft and springy blend of merino, cashmere, and silk.

Kelbourne Woolens Andorra would work well as the main color, too – it’s also sport weight, a  blend of merino and highland wool, with a touch of mohair. Here are “Pressed Flowers Hat” color combinations pairing Nightshade with both Capital Luxury Sport and Andorra.

I couldn’t stop there, of course – it’s too fun to play the color game!

If any of these combinations speaks to you, you can order online for local pickup or shipping. Prefer to shop in person? Look for Koigu KPPPM in the fingering weight section here at our shop, along with many others! We’re here from 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays; masks required for entry.

Making Memories: Timeless Children’s Knits, by Claudia Quintanilla.

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The latest book from Laine Publishing is here – let’s look inside Making Memories: Timeless Children’s Knits, by Claudia Quintanilla!

Making Memories: Timeless Children’s Knits ($43) is a sweet collection of 25 baby and children’s knits, sized from newborn to 10 years.

Inside you’ll find cardigans, pullovers, socks, mittens, and blankets, often shown in multiple colors and sizes.

I spotted some familiar yarns while paging through the book – Isager Silk Mohair, Jensen, and Spinni, and Tukuwool Fingering, to name a few – but we are always happy to help find the perfect substitute for any pattern.

 

Look for Making Memories: Timeless Children’s Knits here at HYS, along with a slew of new books and magazines! We’re open from 11am-5:30pm, Tuesdays-Saturdays; masks required. You can also order online for local pickup or shipping – just fill out our online order form!

Hello, Sandnes Garn Sunday!

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Meet our newest arrival, Sandnes Garn Sunday!

Sandnes Garn Sunday:

  • fingering weight
  • 100% merino wool
  • 257 yards/50g
  • $10.50 each

Anne has carried some things from Sandnes Garn since opening the Hillsborough Yarn Shop back in 2006, but PetiteKnit has brought this classic Norwegian yarn company back to our attention.

What to knit with Sunday? Anne just swatched for a “Friday Tee,” by PetiteKnit, a striped, broken rib top in 2 colors.

Here are some more pattern ideas for Sunday:

Look for Sunday in the fingering weight section here at our shop! We’re open from 11am-5:30pm, Tuesdays-Saturdays; masks required for entry.

Simply Shetland Hapkerchief KAL!

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We are excited to announce that Gudrun Johnston and the Simply Shetland team are hosting their first ever Knit-Along!

Gudrun Johnston’s “Hapkerchief,” knit with Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift in Colorway 1

The Hapkerchief Knit-Along is open to knitters worldwide, starting on June 2 and running through June 30 only on Instagram – follow @simply_shetland on Instagram for details about prizes and how to participate.

Gudrun Johnston’s brand new “Hapkerchief” is the featured pattern, a quick, 4-color cowl knit with Jamieson’s of Shetland Spindrift that introduces Shetland-inspired techniques in a modern, approachable way. Perfect for the adventurous beginner and beyond!

Johnston’s pattern shows the “Hapkerchief” in three Jamieson’s of Shetland Spindrift colorways, all of which use a mix of light, medium, and dark shades for a balanced look.

Gudrun Johnston’s “Hapkerchief,” knit with Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift in Colorway 2

Gudrun Johnston’s “Hapkerchief,” knit with Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift in Colorway 3

I knit up a sample “Hapkerchief” myself, in a colorway Anne and I put together.

Gudrun Johnston’s “Hapkerchief,” knit with Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift in our own HYS palette

I learned a few things along the way – the German twisted cast-on, a wrap-and-turn technique for working garter stitch in the round without purling, and a purled i-cord bind-off. All of those techniques and more are shown clearly in Johnston’s video tutorials, so you’ll have plenty of support as you knit along!

Look for these “Hapkerchief” yarn bundles here at the shop, and purchase the pattern separately on Ravelry. We have over 150 shades of Spindrift on hand if you want to make your own color combination, of course – can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Dream in Color Pop-Up Club: assigned pooling, May 2023.

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Dream in Color’s Pop-Up Club is back! Every month, we’re getting a special new colorway from Dream in Color, a Tucson-based producer of small batch hand-dyed yarns. There’s a special theme this time: assigned pooling, a clever way of showing off hand-dyed yarns like these. May’s new limited edition colorway is here while supplies last!

What is assigned pooling? As designer Dawn Barker describes on her blog, assigned pooling is a technique where “different stitches are assigned to the color changes within the skein. In other words, knit the background color of the yarn using one stitch and then stop and make a special texture stitch when the accent color occurs.”

Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere:

  • fingering weight
  • 70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, 10% nylon
  • 400 yards/100g
  • $34 each

May’s special colorway is mostly turquoise, with a bold streak of red and cream that pops up regularly as you knit through each skein.

Dream in Color dyer Veronica knit Ambah O’Brien’s “Sweet Li’l Scarfette” with it, modifying the stitch pattern a bit for this special skein – head to her Instagram for a video tutorial!

Curious about what else you can do with assigned pooling? Check out these patterns!

Look for Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere in the fingering weight section here at our shop!

Laine Magazine, No. 17.

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Let’s look inside the new issue of Laine!

Laine Magazine is a publication out of Finland, a knitting and lifestyle magazine with a love of natural fibers as its focus, and a reputation for beautiful designs and artful photography. This issue is full of summer stitching inspiration!

Over the years, Laine has introduced us to many knitwear designers and yarns from all over the world, a trend that continues in this issue – contributors are based in Taiwan, France, Norway, Catalonia, Chile, Denmark, the US, and Finland, of course.

Beyond the knitting patterns, there are seasonal recipes and plenty of good reading, including a profile of designer Cinthia Vallet, who penned Laine’s recent book of hand knit toys, Mouche & Friends.

Laine magazines are $30 each – come by the shop or order online for local pickup or shipping! We also have Laine No. 8 and No. 13 (marked down to 50%, no less!), along with Laine’s recent books, Knitted Kalevala, The Knitted Fabric, and Traditions Revisited. See you at the shop!