New crochet books.

Posted by Julia on December 1, 2014

We got three new books this week, all for crocheters.

Tracy Lord’s Big Book of Granny Squares is full of variations on the classic crochet motif, combining colors, textures and stitch patterns for 365 unique squares.

Also new this week: Cozy Toes for Baby and The Big Book of Little Amigurumi, featuring adorable crocheted slippers and stuffed critters, respectively.

Come to the shop to browse our books and plan your next project; look for the latest publications on the teacart in the front room. See you there!

Hello, Schacht.

Posted by Julia on November 28, 2014

Every year at TNNA, we look out for surprising new things, things we didn’t know we were looking for until we found them. This past May, we were wandering the aisles at market when we spied a handweaver’s booth that piqued our curiosity. Before I knew it, we were placing an order with Schacht, dipping our toes in the shallow end of a whole new craft: weaving.

Schacht Spindle Co. has been designing and producing handweaving and handspinning equipment in Colorado since 1969. They make spinning wheels, yarn winding tools, and all kinds of looms, from little pin looms to rigid heddle looms to magnificent table and floor looms.

We’re thrilled to announce that the Hillsborough Yarn Shop is now a Schacht dealer, and we’ve started small, stocking our shelves with Zoom Looms, Cricket Looms, and some Cricket accessories. We also selected some books and dvds on the subject, dedicating a cubby to weaving resources. There are kits for the Zoom Loom, too, for making little stuffed creatures out of woven squares.

Keep your eye on the blog for a closer look at the Zoom Loom and the Cricket Loom in the coming weeks. Come by the shop to see our new little weaving section, and get started weaving with one of these simple looms. Already a weaver? Tell us more about your craft: what products you’d most like to see on our shelves, what yarns you love to work with, what books you’d recommend. We’re happy to special order anything in the Schacht catalog, as well–let us know what you’re looking for. See you at the shop!

Weekenders Trunk Show.

Posted by Julia on November 26, 2014

It’s been a season of trunk shows here at the shop. Since September, we’ve shown garments from Shibui, Hanne Falkenberg, and Swans Island, inspiring knitters along the way. I’m happy to report that our next trunk show has arrived!

Here is a trunk show from Fibre Company, featuring all five garments from the Weekenders pattern collection, three hats and two cowls. Each of the accessories in this collection are knit with just one skein of Fibre Company Canopy Worsted, a soft and lustrous blend of merino, alpaca, and bamboo.

An accessory show like this one seems especially well-suited to the season, as many of us are planning small projects to give as holiday gifts. A skein of this special yarn and a copy of Weekenders would make a great gift for a knitter, too.

Come by during the Trunk Show to see the garments for yourself and plan your next project. We’re closed Thursday, November 27th, for Thanksgiving, but we’ll have the Weekenders Trunk Show on display until December 17th. Have a great holiday; see you at the shop!

Interweave Knits.

Posted by Julia on November 24, 2014

The Winter 2015 issue of Interweave Knits is here, full of the cozy-looking garments and accessories we associate with the season.

There’s a feature in this issue on the best yarns for fair isle knitting, along with a tutorial on steeking. Many knitters cringe at the thought of cutting their knitting, but if you plan ahead, steeks are nothing to be afraid of.

Look for this issue of Interweave on the teacart in the front room, just ahead as you enter the shop. You’ll find it among the newest books and magazines, a great place to look for knit and crochet inspiration. See you there!

Hello, Rasta.

Posted by Julia on November 21, 2014

Every so often, we get a request for Rasta, a Malabrigo yarn we haven’t carried before. This week, we answered that request with a Malabrigo order; we’re now proud to have Rasta on our shelves!

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. Seeking Rasta inspiration? Check out Malabrigo’s two latest books.

That’s Rasta on the cover of Malabrigo Book 6, which features patterns for all manner of Malabrigo yarns, from Finito to Rios.

Malabrigo Book 7 is nothing but Rasta. Hats in Rasta, mitts in Rasta, all manner of cozy, instant-gratification garments and accessories in 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.

New books.

Posted by Julia on November 19, 2014

It’s been a busy season for new books here at the shop. Every couple of days, I find myself once again rearranging the teacart to make room for another stack of books.

The folks at Interweave have been particularly hard at work this fall, publishing a wide range of knitting books.

Some focus on particular styles or themes, like First Frost, Graphic Knits, and Knitting Wizardry, while others dive into a single technique or kind of garment, like No-Sew Knits, Twigg Stitch, and Fresh Knitted Accessories.

We also recently received Margaret Radcliffe’s newest book, The Knowledgeable Knitter, a compendium of tips and tricks for every stage of the knitting process. Radcliffe takes you from thoughtful pattern-, yarn-, and needle-selection to modification, fit, and finishing.

Come by the shop to browse our ever-growing book selection and pick a new title for yourself or for a friend–books do make excellent gifts, after all. We’re offering a special 15% discount on all in-stock books and magazines during Ladies Night Out this Thursday, November 20th, and we’ll be open til 8:00 pm that night. Many other Hillsborough merchants and restaurants will have specials that night as well; come out and explore downtown Hillsborough!

Hello, Rowan.

Posted by Julia on November 17, 2014

We’re thrilled to announce that we now carry two yarns from Rowan: say hello to Pure Wool Worsted and Wool Cotton!

Pure Wool Worsted is a superwash, worsted weight wool that comes in a wide range of colors, including subtle heathered shades that we don’t often see in superwash yarns. Each 100 gram skein boasts 219 yards, enough to knit a hat, small scarf or pair of mittens.

There are so many uses for medium weight, machine-washable wools, from sweaters and accessories to blankets and baby things, and we carry many yarns like these for exactly that reason. So far, Pure Wool Worsted is the most affordable, however, and we love finding sources for high quality fiber at a reasonable price.

We put Pure Wool Worsted to the test on our needles and in Anne’s washing machine, and it came out looking good: stitch definition crisp, gauge unchanged, fabric softened. Look for this machine-washed swatch at the shop and feel for yourself.

Wool Cotton is a dk weight blend of merino wool and cotton, also machine-washable. Each 50 gram skein has 123 yards, enough to knit a baby hat or short pair of fingerless mitts.

Working with Wool Cotton, we were impressed by the smooth, obedient quality of the yarn, and pleased to see it come out of the washing machine looking like new.

Cotton and wool make a lovely fiber blend for our climate, particularly in a dk weight. I can see Wool Cotton in the same wide variety of projects that suit Pure Wool Worsted: sweaters large and small, baby blankets, hats, mitts, shawls, and cowls. Look for more project ideas and pattern inspiration on the HYS Pinterest page, and come by the shop to plan your next project with Rowan yarns!

Back in stock: Jitterbug.

Posted by Julia on November 14, 2014

Yesterday we unpacked a big box from Colinette Yarns, stuffed full of Jitterbug.

Colinette ships their yarns to us in wild bunches of untwisted hanks, making for a dramatic entrance. From there, we twist them up into the hanks you see on our shelves.

Jitterbug is one of my favorite sock yarns, a tightly-plied superwash merino that’s hand-dyed in a range of semi-solid and variegated colorways. Anne is a big fan of Jitterbug, too, though she’s used it for larger garments, like sweaters and vests.

Jitterbug is equally well-suited to baby things, being machine-washable and brightly-colored. I found a ton of adorable “Baby Surprise Jackets” knit in Jitterbug on Ravelry, along with “Little Sister’s Dresses,” “Garter Stitch Baby Kimonos,” and “Saartje’s Bootees.”

Head to the HYS Pinterest page to see more projects and patterns for Jitterbug, and head to the shop to see the yarn for yourself!

Swans Island Trunk Show.

Posted by Julia on November 12, 2014

We’re delighted to announce that our next trunk show of the season has arrived, featuring garments from Swans Island!

We’ve got six garments on display here at the shop until November 23rd: Bristol Ivy’s “Offshore V-Neck,” Alicia Plummer’s “Arrowhead Shawl,” Leah B. Thibault’s “Breakwater Pullover,” Michele Rose Orne’s “Celtic Mitts,” Stacey McCrea Warner’s “Spindrift Cowl,” and Isabell Kraemer’s “Audrey Cardigan.”

Most of these garments are knit in Swans Island All American Worsted, a 2-ply woolen-spun blend of 75% Rambouillet wool and 25% alpaca. Since we first introduced this yarn in September, we’ve been through several reorders, accumulating a few new colors here and there. We now have every available color in All American Worsted!

Come by the shop before November 23rd to see and try on these garments and accessories, and consider Swans Island All American Worsted for your next project!

New from Jul.

Posted by Julia on November 10, 2014

We were delighted to unpack a shipment of shawl pins and closures from Jul this week.

Shawl pins are temporary closures designed to keep a shawl or scarf in place, or close a buttonless cardigan. We have several styles in stock to suit a variety of knit or crocheted garments.

We also replenished our supply of French Curves, unique closures that screw into knitted fabric at two points, and can then be fastened or unfastened by twisting the leather.

Come by the shop to see them in action on our sample “Range Wrap.” See you there!