Show and tell: anniversary edition, part 2.

Posted by Julia on October 17, 2014

As you may remember from years past, or may have seen in our most recent email newsletter, October 18th marks the eight-year anniversary of the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. We are so grateful to all of you for your support over the years, for shopping and learning and sharing with us. We’ll celebrate another year in business in our usual way: an anniversary sale! From Friday October 17th – Sunday October 19th, everything in the shop will be discounted by 15%, with the exception of classes and that which is already discounted.

Here on the blog, I’m celebrating all of you with another batch of show and tell.

Joanne came in the other day with a colorful project to share. Above, she models her “Technicolor Cowl” knit in the decadent Alchemy Sanctuary, a velvety blend of merino wool and silk.

Paula’s needles have been busy lately; she recently brought in two finished projects to share with us! Above is her “Thicket” beret, from Alana Dakos’ Botanical Knits 2, knit in Fibre Company Acadia.

Paula also knit this “Mix No. 26” with Shibui Pebble, a different yarn, but a nice match for her “Thicket” beret. I love it in these low-contrast colors, a soft beige against wintry white.

Emily came in wearing this “Côte-Nord Cap,” a pattern by Amy Christoffers from last winter’s Interweave Knits, Winter 2014. She used a skein of the new Swans Island All American Worsted in a rich blue hue.

Thanks to everyone who starts and shares their projects at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop! We find your stitches so inspiring, and your support of the shop is so appreciated. Keep your eyes on the blog for another “show and tell” post soon, and visit us this weekend to take advantage of our Anniversary Sale!

(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!)

Show and tell: anniversary edition, part 1.

Posted by Julia on October 15, 2014

This week, as we celebrate the shop’s anniversary, we also celebrate the community of knitters and crocheters who have supported us over the years. We always love to see what you’re making with HYS yarns, and I love to take photos of your beautiful finished pieces to share here on the blog. I’ve amassed a big stack of them over the past couple of months, enough for three blog posts! Here’s the first batch.

Karen knit this “Yipes Stripes Cowl” in a class here at the shop, using five colors of Plymouth Galway in shades of orange, brown, and green. Then she used her leftovers to knit another. And another! With each cowl, Karen rearranged the color placement, showing just how different the same five colors can look depending upon how they’re laid out.

One of the great things about being in a class is that you can see up close how the same project looks in different colors and yarns. Sherri was in the same “Yipes Stripes” class with Karen, and knit this cowl with five shades of Mirasol Qina, a soft blend of alpaca and bamboo.

This next project also came out of a class here at the shop, one that focused on knitting fair isle tams. Check out Judy’s beautiful “Midnight Sun Tam,” knit in Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift!

Katherine is a gifted knitter, crocheter, and teacher here at the shop. She recently brought in a new sample for an upcoming class, the “Summer Dawn” cowl, crocheted in Fibre Company Meadow and Savannah.

Perfect for beginning crocheters looking for a next step, Katherine’s upcoming “Summer Dawn Crochet Cowl” class will teach how to crochet in the round and read crochet symbols and charts. Read all about it on our “Classes” page, where you can sign up if you like!

Thanks to everyone who starts and shares their projects here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop; we feel so honored to be a part of your creative process!

Knitscene and knit.purl.

Posted by Julia on October 13, 2014

We’ve been getting so many new magazines this month, I can hardly keep up!

First up, Knitscene, always a hot commodity here at the shop. This issue has lots of familiar yarns inside, from Shibui Cima to Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift.

I also spotted Shetland Spindrift in the latest issue of knit.purl, which used to be called knit.wear–another favorite magazine around here.

This issue of knit.purl is full of the wearable modern shapes and interesting knits that knit.wear was known for.

Come by the shop to browse the latest publications; we hope you find inspiration here!

New patterns from Swans Island.

Posted by Julia on October 11, 2014

Not long ago, we received a bunch of new patterns from Swans Island.

The “Axis Shawl” calls for two shades of Swans Island Organic Merino Fingering, which come together in a striped slip-stitch pattern against a background of soothing garter stitch. Lots of “Axis Shawls” are starting to pop up on Ravelry; look there for some interesting color combinations.

The “Northwoods Vest” and “Trail Ride Mitts” both make good use of Swans Island Organic Merino Worsted, and show how nice it looks in a cable pattern.

Most of our new Swans Island patterns call for their Organic Washable DK, which is soft and springy, with great stitch definition.

Swans Island makes this yarn machine-washable with a process called Ecowash®, which coats the yarn with an organic compound rather than stripping the scales from the fiber. This helps to prevent felting, making it easy-care for baby and children’s things.

Come by the shop to flip through the Swans Island pattern binder, which is full of inspiring uses for their special yarns!

Triangle Yarn Crawl.

Posted by Julia on October 9, 2014

The Triangle Yarn Crawl is a self-guided tour of local yarn shops, where knitters and crocheters get together and hop from one shop to the next, shopping, entering raffles, and seeing the full breadth of available fibers. They happen twice a year, and the time has come again: the Autumn 2014 crawl is coming up this weekend on October 11th and 12th!

Each local yarn shop has something special to offer, and we’re no exception: all 14 of our in-stock Mirasol yarns will be 25% off during the yarn crawl!

Mirasol yarns come in a wide range of weights and fiber combinations, from sport weight up to bulky, from organic cotton to luxurious alpaca and silk.

There’s a bag of goodies at each of the participating shops, a raffle prize full of yarn, patterns, and more.

Triangle Yarn Crawl sponsors like Cascade, Berroco, and Lantern Moon generously donated yarns and a needle case for the event, and we’ve tucked something special in the bag, too: 3 skeins of Shibui Pebble, and a copy of “Mix No. 32,” just in time to cast on and join the Shibui Fall Knit-A-Long on Ravelry!

We’re lucky to live in such a fiber-friendly part of the world, with so many choices available to us, and the Triangle Yarn Crawl is a great time to see all of those choices. Come see us as you’re crawling along!

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!

Shibui Mix Party.

Posted by Julia on October 7, 2014

On Sunday, we hosted a Shibui Mix Party.

In preparation for the event, I’d moved all our Shibui yarns into the spotlight, towards the center of the room, where we all gathered around to admire them and plan projects.

We tried on garments from the Monochrome Trunk Show, then plotted color and yarn combinations.

Mix Party attendees sampled all five of the Shibui yarns that we now carry, including the newest, Maai.

In between sips of mimosas and bites of bagels, knitters and crocheters worked up swatches in all manner of Shibui yarns and yarn combinations, sharing pattern ideas as they stitched. I passed around a few new swatches Amy and I knit for the shop, showing what happens when Maai is combined with other Shibui yarns.

It was a delightful morning, spent chatting and laughing with a great group of people, enjoying each other’s company as much as the yarns. If you’re sorry to have missed the Mix Party, get in touch with us–we’re happy to email you a heads-up when the next one is scheduled. In the meantime, come by the shop to see all things Shibui!

Hello, Maai.

Posted by Julia on October 5, 2014

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of Shibui’s latest yarn, Maai.

Maai is a dk weight blend of alpaca and merino, soft and lofty due to its chainette construction. This yarn has tremendous elasticity, making it a pleasure to work with and surely a pleasure to wear.

Shibui’s yarns are designed to be mixed together, held two or three strands at a time to create bespoke yarn blends. For that reason, they’re dyed in closely matching colorways.

We’re delighted to add Maai to our selection of Shibui yarns, which have become favorites over the past year. I can’t wait to see how Maai behaves when knit together with Silk Cloud, Cima, Pebble, or Linen!

Maai is happy to be knit just as it is, however; Anne made this sample scarf using a single strand of Maai and the result is absolutely decadent. The pattern, “M.1,” is free when you buy Maai for the project; 3 skeins makes a scarf this size. Check out our “Inspiring Stitches” board on Pinterest for more ways to use Maai!

A photograph can’t do this yarn justice; you must come in and touch. See you at the shop!

Hello, Ultra Alpaca Chunky.

Posted by Julia on October 2, 2014

Meet the newest yarn from Berroco, Ultra Alpaca Chunky.

A bulky weight blend of wool and alpaca, Ultra Alpaca Chunky is the newest addition to Berroco’s Ultra Alpaca line.

Each 100 gram skein boasts 131 yards, enough for a hat or a pair of mitts. With a suggested gauge of 3.5 stitches per inch on a US #10, this is instant gratification yarn, perfect for cozy accessories and warm, jacket-like sweaters.

Berroco booklet #349 features patterns for Ultra Alpaca Chunky, a collection of accessories and garments.

A sample of one of these patterns, “Duchamp,” now hangs at the shop, knit in a cheery red.

“Duchamp” is a textured shawl, a modular knit whose construction is sure to keep you interested as you stitch.

Look out for this free pattern tucked into the Ultra Alpaca Chunky cubby–a cozy textured scarf, knit with just 3 skeins.

Come by the shop to see Ultra Alpaca Chunky and plan some instant gratification knitting of your own!

Back in stock: Ultra Alpaca and Ultra Alpaca Fine.

Posted by Julia on September 30, 2014

These mighty big boxes arrived from Berroco last week, with over 30 pounds of Ultra Alpaca yarns in each one. New colors made up some of the weight, as did some old favorites; the rest was a new yarn entirely, but that’s for another post. The unpacking, sorting, storing, and displaying took Anne and I most of a day!

Good old Ultra Alpaca. This 50%/50% blend of wool and alpaca is a classic, with the structure and elasticity of wool and the drape, halo, and softness of alpaca.

It comes in reasonably-priced, 100 gram hanks with 219 yards each; enough yarn to make a small scarf, a hat, or a pair of mittens. Ultra Alpaca comes in a wide range of colors, from fun brights to classic neutrals; I’ve always particularly admired the heathered shades.

Ultra Alpaca is a great sweater yarn, too, as Mindy here can attest. A bit of show and tell: Mindy came in the other day, having heard about our big Berroco shipment, to show off her very first sweater, knit during a “Start Your First Sweater” class here at the shop. She used Ultra Alpaca in a heathered charcoal and a friendly top-down seamless cardigan pattern from our pattern binder. Look at the fabulous result!

We also got new colors in Ultra Alpaca Fine, 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.

Come by the shop to see all the new colors in Berroco Ultra Alpaca and Ultra Alpaca Fine, and keep them in mind for sweater, sock, and shawl-making this fall. Stay tuned for the newest Berroco yarn, or come by the shop to see it before it hits the blog!

Shibui Monochrome Trunk Show.

Posted by Julia on September 28, 2014

Yesterday, we were surprised and delighted to receive the Shibui Monochrome Trunk Show a few days early. Why wait? We put them right up on the wall, after petting them a bit.

The Monochrome Collection features designs by Kirsten Johnstone, all of which are knit with multiple strands of yarn at a time. There are many fun and useful things about trunk shows, like being able to play a bit of dress-up and try garments on for size, but one of the best aspects of a Shibui trunk show is seeing these yarn combinations in person.

It can be hard enough to imagine how a single yarn will behave as knitted fabric; throw two different colors or fibers into the mix and it can be a real leap of faith. That’s where our shop samples and swatches are most helpful–ah, this is how Cima and Silk Cloud work up together–and whole garments are even more illuminating.

Come by the shop before October 14th to see the Shibui Monochrome Trunk Show for yourself: try on the garments, browse the patterns, and plan your next project.

See you there!