Hello, Swans Island All American Worsted.

Posted by Julia on September 5, 2014

We’re delighted to announce that Swans Island’s newest yarn has arrived at the shop: meet All American Worsted!

All American Worsted is a 2-ply woolen-spun blend of 75% Rambouillet wool and 25% alpaca. There are 210 yards on each 80 gram skein, every bit of which was grown, processed, spun, and dyed in the USA.

All the colors begin with this shade of gray, the natural color of the Rambouillet and alpaca blend. The gray skeins are then dyed with low impact acid dyes, giving each hue a rich heathered quality.

“Woolen-spun” means that the yarn is spun from fiber that has been carded, but not combed. The carding process organizes the fibers to some degree, but they are not as smoothly aligned as combed fibers, giving woolen-spun yarns a rustic look.

Woolen-spun yarns like All American Worsted are also quite lofty, making them more versatile in terms of gauge. Swans Island suggests a gauge of 4.25 stitches per inch, which we’d consider aran weight, but All American Worsted is happy at a range of gauges. After washing, the fibers bloom to fill whatever space your needles have given them. The bottom section of the little swatch below was knit at 4.5 stitches per inch on a US #8; from there, I switched to a US #9, and the gauge is about 4 stitches per inch.

I knit Stephen West’s “Dustland Hat” at 5 stitches per inch on a US #7, and the fabric is sturdy but supple. All American Worsted renders these knit/purl texture patterns beautifully, and I don’t doubt that it will perform just as well in cables, lace, and colorwork.

For pattern ideas, check the Swans Island binder here at the shop. Their Organic Merino Worsted is comparable, so patterns that call for that yarn will do just as well in All American Worsted. Also, check your Ravelry queue for any patterns calling for Brooklyn Tweed Shelter–I know I am! Of all the yarns we ordered at TNNA this year, this is the one I’ve been perseverating on the most. Any of the Brooklyn Tweed patterns would be stunning in Swans Island All American Worsted, but for myself, I’ve boiled it down to three favorites: “Bray,” “Wheaten,” and “Little Wave.”

Come by the shop to meet this gorgeous yarn in person, and plan your next project! Look for Swans Island All American Worsted in the aran weight section, near the Swans Island Organic Merino Worsted. See you there!

Back in stock: Mountain Colors Bearfoot.

Posted by Julia on September 3, 2014

We just got a new batch of Mountain Colors Bearfoot!

Bearfoot is a fingering weight blend of wool, mohair, and nylon that is well-suited to sock-knitting, among other things. One 400 yard skein is enough for a pair of socks, gloves, or fingerless mitts, a hat, scarf, or small shawlette. A Ravelry search turned up plenty of pretty “Hitchhiker,” “Traveling Woman,” and “Ishbel” shawls made in Bearfoot.

As I wrote last year, Bearfoot asks to be hand-washed with a bit of vinegar to prevent the bleeding that sometimes comes with richly saturated colors like these, and then as now, I think this special treatment is not too much to ask. Hand-knit socks are special, and will last longer and wear better if cared for as such.

Come by the shop to pick up a skein or two or Bearfoot for your next project!

Vogue Knitting.

Posted by Julia on September 1, 2014

The latest Vogue is here!

This Fall 2014 issue is packed with sweater patterns, using a variety of techniques from cables to colorwork. Ready-to-wear clothing designer Eileen Fisher contributes a pattern, as well.

Meg Swansen’s column discusses the process of updating Elizabeth Zimmermann’s classic Knitting Workshop, a beloved book that will always have a home on our shelves here at the shop as well as in my home library.

Come by the shop to browse the latest magazines and books, or plunge instead into the good old Elizabeth Zimmermann collection–wherever you find inspiration. See you there!

Dream in Color Classy mini-skeins.

Posted by Julia on August 30, 2014

Dream in Color Classy is a worsted weight superwash merino, hand-dyed in Chicago, IL. We just got a bundle of it here at the shop, but not in the usual 250-yard skeins. No, this time, we got a box full of 50-yard mini-skeins, and a fun pattern to suit them.

The pattern is Nancy Leuer’s “Technicolor Cowl,” a simple striped infinity scarf that calls for eight Classy mini-skeins.

When the mini-skeins arrived, I was given the enviable task of knitting a sample “Technicolor Cowl” for the shop, which meant that I got to pick eight colors from the 20+ colors we’d received. Everyone in the room was soon creating colorway after colorway, from the monochromatic to the wildly disparate.

It’s a delightful creative exercise, the “Technicolor Cowl” color game, and we didn’t want to deny anyone the opportunity to play along. Rather than pack them up into kits, we’re encouraging you to create your own colorways.

I settled on the following combination, somewhat reminiscent of Anne’s “Wisdom Wrap,” with its purples, greens, and dark grays.

This is a quick, nearly-mindless knit, one which requires little to no counting, not even an end-of-round stitch marker. The only stitches in play are knit and purl, and the project is going quickly and smoothly on my sharp and slick Addi Rocket needles.

Come by the shop to pick eight colors for a “Technicolor Cowl” of your own!

New from Shibui.

Posted by Julia on August 28, 2014

The newest colors and patterns from Shibui have arrived at the shop!

Their newest colorways are “Blueprint,” “Fog,” “Pollen,” and “Trail,” and we now have them in Cima, Pebble, and Silk Cloud.

We also got a new shade in Linen, a yarn that has been warmly embraced by knitters and crocheters alike since we first got it back in May.

We’re also excited to have two new pattern collections from Shibui, their Fall/Winter 2014 Mix Collection and the Monochrome Collection. The Mix patterns combine multiple Shibui yarns to create unique color and fiber blends.

I’m particularly excited about a few of the Monochrome patterns, and even more excited to announce that we’re hosting a Shibui Monochrome Trunk Show from October 1st – 14th!

Intrigued by Shibui yarns? Sign up for our upcoming Shibui Mix Party to sample five Shibui yarns. It’s a great opportunity to swatch and experiment with yarn combinations before you invest in a project’s worth of yarn. Come by the shop to peruse the latest patterns and check out the new colors, too. See you there!

Back in stock: Isager Alpaca 2.

Posted by Julia on August 26, 2014

The July sale carved a deep hole in our stash of Isager Alpaca 2, a soft and fuzzy fingering weight blend of alpaca and merino. Knitters and crocheters were planning sweaters, shawls, and stoles left and right, and Anne and I looked on nervously as our supply dwindled.

I breathed a sigh of relief when I unpacked a giant box of the stuff earlier this month; it just feels right when all the available colors of Alpaca 2 are nestled together in their basket.

We’ve seen numerous amazing projects in Alpaca 2 over the years. I’ve shared some here on the blog, colorwork sweaters like Michelle’s “Stasis” and Shelley’s “Summer in Tokyo,” stoles by Catherine, Kathie, Paula, Kristin, and Anne, and most recently, Betty’s lacy “Sonetto Shawl.” Check our “Inspiring Stitches” board on Pinterest for even more ideas. There are so many beautiful uses for this soft, special yarn; have you worked with it yet? If so, what have you made, or what are you itching to make?

Summer show and tell.

Posted by Julia on August 24, 2014

It’s time again for show-and-tell! Here are a few of the projects we’ve seen at the shop so far this summer. Summer knitting means something different to every knitter. Some folks put down their needles and hooks all summer long, but others stitch summer garments, sweaters for fall, smaller pieces that travel well, lightweight lace shawls, and more.

Here’s Ruth in her “Mix No. 19,” a color-blocked tunic knit with two strands of Shibui Silk Cloud held together throughout. In black and dark gray, this lustrous, fuzzy yarn makes an elegant garment.

Jorah came by the shop recently with show and tell: a pair of cabled socks he knit with some String Theory Bluestocking in “Java,” a rich brown colorway.

Betty recently completed this “Sonetto Shawl” with Isager Alpaca 2.

Our sample “Sonetto” is made in two colors, but one solid color makes an equally beautiful shawl, especially in such a soft and delightful yarn.

I recently finished my “Sonora,” a Courtney Kelley pattern featured in our recent Fibre Company Summer Sweaters Trunk Show. I used Berroco Maya, and knit a size that gave me about 3″ of negative ease instead of the 2″ of positive ease that the pattern suggests. As a result, it fits me snugly instead of loosely, exactly what I had in mind.

Last weekend, Amy brought in her “Baby Surprise Jacket” knit in Malabrigo Arroyo, a sample for her upcoming class on Elizabeth Zimmermann’s classic pattern. Come by the shop to see it for yourself, and act quickly if you’d like to take one of the last remaining spaces in the class!

Molly has been knitting sweaters for all her grandchildren this summer. Here’s a pair for her granddaughters, modified from a Debbie Bliss pattern so that they could be knit in the round instead of in pieces. She used a variety of DK weight superwash yarns from Sublime and Debbie Bliss, letting her girls choose the colors. I love the results!

Thanks to everyone who starts and completes their projects at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop! We feel so lucky to be part of your creative process.

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!

Back in stock: Smooshy with Cashmere.

Posted by Julia on August 17, 2014

Every year at TNNA, we visit the Dream in Color booth and pick out a new palette of Smooshy with Cashmere. Their selection of colors is overwhelming, ever-expanding, and cannot be contained by a color-card, so we wait to order until we can see them all in person. Here’s Anne perusing just one little section of Smooshy with Cashmere colors at market.

The order we placed this May has arrived, and the colors are even more vivid than I remembered. We picked a variety of colors, from brights to deep darks, and soft, muted shades.

Smooshy with Cashmere is an aptly-named blend of 70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, and 10% nylon. It’s hand-dyed in variegated and semi-solid colorways, deliciously soft and squishy, perfect for next-to-skin wear. It makes an amazing pair of socks or a special scarf, shawl, or cowl.

Can’t decide on just one color? Consider the following patterns, each of which uses two 100 gram skeins of fingering weight yarn in contrasting colors: Veera Välimäki‘s “Stripe Study Shawl,” Louise Zass-Bangham’s “Foolproof” cowl, or my own “North Arrow” scarf. Check out the “Inspiring Stitches” board on our Pinterest page for more pattern ideas!

Come by the shop to see and touch Smooshy with Cashmere for yourself, and pick a color or two for your next project!