The Stole.

Posted by Julia on July 18, 2014

For over two years now, Theresa Gaffey’s “Stole” from Wearwithall has been a popular project here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop.

The “Stole” is a striped wrap, knit in simple, soothing ribbing with a deliciously soft fingering weight yarn: Isager Alpaca 2.

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! – See more at: https://hillsboroughyarn.com/2014/06/annual-inventory-sale-3/#sthash.dJjgZbBY.dpufThis was the first “Stole” we saw, knit by our friend and avid knitter Catherine (and modeled here by Anne’s mother, Phyllis), and it inspired many other knitters to make stoles of their own, in a wide variety of color combinations. It wasn’t long before Anne started one of her own.Anne had a pile of Isager Alpaca 2 on hand already, originally intended for Marianne Isager’s “Stars” pullover, from Inca Knits. She’d even begun knitting the thing, and made it partway into the first colorwork chart when she stalled. It just wasn’t the right project at the right time, so she was pleased to rip it out and put the yarn to work on Gaffey’s “Stole”: comforting, rhythmic knitting that showed off the yarn and colors to the fullest.

The first “Stole” we saw was this one, knit by friend and avid knitter Catherine (and modeled here by Anne’s mother, Phyllis), and it inspired many other knitters to cast on stoles of their own in a wide variety of color combinations.

For a while there, Anne and I could not stop playing the color game, moving skeins around into infinite groups of nine, amazed at how pleasing even the most improbable color combinations were.

It wasn’t long before Anne started a “Stole” herself.

Anne had a pile of Isager Alpaca 2 on hand already, originally intended for Marianne Isager’s “Stars” pullover, from Inca Knits. She’d even begun knitting the thing, and made it partway into the first colorwork chart when she stalled.

It just wasn’t the right project at the right time, so she was pleased to rip it out and put the yarn to work on Gaffey’s “Stole”: comforting, rhythmic knitting that showed off the yarn and colors to the fullest.

She worked on it intermittently, picking it up here and there, starting and finishing many other projects while the “Stole” stayed quietly on the needles, growing slowly but surely, a row at a time. Just last week, she finally bound off and blocked her “Stole,” and now it hangs proudly in the shop.

Rather than work each stripe to a specific measurement or number of rows, Anne knit until each ball of yarn ran out, then began the next color that suited her, using only 8 shades, rather than the suggested 9. It’s easy to adjust the thickness of the stripes or the size of the piece, making it narrower or wider than the pattern dictates. Anne’s “Stole” is decidedly wider, leaning towards blanket-sized, in fact.

Inspired to knit one of your own? July is a good time to do it! Our Annual Inventory Sale gives you a 15% discount on the yarn, book, and needles, everything you need to create a “Stole.” Come in to pick out your colors!

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!

KnitScene.

Posted by Julia on July 16, 2014

We’ve just received another new magazine: KnitScene’s Fall 2014 issue is here!

This issue focuses on texture patterns, tweeds, and scarves of all kinds–the cozy stuff of Fall knitting.

Familiar yarns always catch my attention as I’m flipping through a new magazine. Hey there, Savannah, Shetland Spindrift, and Pebble.

A stack of knitting and crochet magazines makes fun, inspiring summer reading. Come by the shop during July to get them at 15% off thanks to our Annual Inventory Sale!

Seven years and counting.

Posted by Julia on July 14, 2014

Once again, we’ve won “Best Yarn Shop” in the News of Orange County’s Reader’s Choice Awards. We’re so proud to have seven years’ worth of “Best Yarn Shop” awards hanging in our window!

Thanks so much to all who voted, and to everyone who supports the shop!

Vogue Knitting.

Posted by Julia on July 12, 2014

The Early Fall issue of Vogue Knitting is here!

The Early Fall issue is early, indeed, arriving as it does in mid-Summer. That makes it a perfect diversion for hot days, however, a reminder that one day, cool weather will come again. We’ll knit in anticipation.

In this issue, Deborah Newton talks pockets, and plenty of patterns await your eager needles, from fine-gauge sweaters to neckties to inventive openwork.

Look for this latest issue of Vogue Knitting on the teacart, which is currently heavy with new publications. July is a great time to load up on inspiring books and magazines–everything is 15% off, all month! 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!

Show and tell: Shibui and more.

Posted by Julia on July 9, 2014

I’m always collecting photos of the beautiful finished pieces knitters and crocheters bring in to share with us, garments that started their lives as HYS yarns. Time for another round of show-and-tell!

Conny keeps her hands and needles busy, and has started and completed two shawls this past month with yarns from our shop. This one is Judy Marples’ “Sonetto Shawl,” knit in Mirasol Tupa.

Conny also knit up this feather and fan shawl using Jade Sapphire Silk/Cashmere held together with Shibui Silk Cloud. Both yarns are lace weight, but the Jade Sapphire is variegated while the Shibui is solid. The combination makes the overall color of the piece more cohesive and gives it depth.

Emily has also been knitting with Shibui yarns, mixing colors and seeing what happens. She brought in this lace scarf that she made with not two, but three yarns held together: two shades of Shibui Cima and one Silk Cloud, all in green.

It’s always a bit of an experiment to hold yarns together; how will the colors behave? Which one will be dominant, or will they blend to look solid? I love seeing the before and after like this, and I’m amazed at how well these three greens play together.

Debbie brought in this chevron striped baby blanket, knit in Berroco Modern Cotton, the first of three baby blankets on her current to-knit list. Modern Cotton is a great choice for a blanket–soft, washable, and affordable–and Debbie’s color combination is just lovely.

I finished this shop sample recently, “Mix No. 26,” a scarf knit with two strands of Shibui Pebble held together. The chevron pattern looks like stranded colorwork, but is in fact a slip stitch pattern, so that only one color is at work on any given row. Come by the shop to see it for yourself; there are so many enticing colors to choose from in Pebble!

Ruth wore her “Diamanten” shawl in last Sunday, a beautiful lace garment knit with Shibui Cima and Grignasco Kid Seta held together throughout. I was sorry to miss this shawl in action, but Anne snapped this photo for me so I could share it here on the blog. Well done, Ruth!

Thanks to everyone who starts and shares their projects at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop! We feel lucky to be surrounded by such creative people.

Botanical Knits 2.

Posted by Julia on July 7, 2014

Last year, Alana Dakos published Botanical Knits, a collection of garments and accessories inspired by trees and foliage. As soon as we heard there was a sequel afoot, we preordered a big stack of them for the shop. At last, it’s here: Botanical Knits 2!

The cover project, naturally, was the first to catch my eye, a shawl knit in Fibre Company Meadow and Shibui Cima, two favorites around here.

Botanical Knits 2 is exactly what we’ve come to expect from Alana Dakos, a book as beautifully designed as the patterns inside.

Come by the shop to pick up copies of Botanical Knits and Botanical Knits 2, and get 15% off during the month of July! Look for Botanical Knits 2 on the teacart, surrounded by new and inspiring books and magazines. See you at the shop!

A reminder: all sales are final on discounted items. There can be no returns or exchanges, nor special orders–the discount applies only to what we currently have in stock. Thanks!

Work in progress: Charlie’s sweater.

Posted by Julia on July 5, 2014

Here on the blog, I like to share finished projects that started their lives as HYS yarns. The works in progress are often just as interesting, however, shining a light on the process that we all love so well. Here’s one such project.

Some months ago, Polly came in wanting to knit a sweater for a good friend’s grandchild. She had a specific vision for the sweater, so specific that she had no choice but to design the thing herself. Thinking, “the sun rises and sets with Charlie,” she got to work.

Armed with Ann Budd’s Knitter’s Handy Book of Patterns, she selected four shades of Ewe Ewe Wooly Worsted and got swatching. Budd’s book gives a range of projects in a range of sizes and gauges, making it a good source for a “blank slate” type of sweater pattern, ready to be embellished. She charted out the text and the sun on graph paper, then knit them in as intarsia motifs, centering them within the total number of stitches on the front of the sweater.

Her last step before piecing the sweater together was to crochet the rays of the sun onto the front. She emailed us this picture of the finished garment, washed and ready for giving.

Thanks, Polly, for sharing your process with us!

New American Knits.

Posted by Julia on July 3, 2014

Meet the newest book to arrive on our teacart: Amy Christoffers’ New American Knits.

Inspired by American artists like Georgia O’Keefe, Richard Serra, and Jasper Johns, Christoffers has designed a collection of sweaters and accessories to knit and wear.

The wearability of these garments was clearly first and foremost in Christoffers’ mind; they all look like wardrobe staples, comfortable and timeless.

Many of these designs are made in yarns we carry at the shop, favorites, no less–the likes of Swans Island Organic Merino Worsted, Fibre Company Acadia and Savannah, Berroco Ultra Alpaca, and Sincere Sheep Equity Sport.

Look for New American Knits among the newest books and magazines at the shop, and come in during July to get it at 15% off!

A reminder: all sales are final on discounted items. There can be no returns or exchanges, nor special orders–the discount applies only to what we currently have in stock.

Annual Inventory Sale!

Posted by Julia on June 30, 2014

As many of you know, July is our annual inventory sale month. From the 1st to the 31st, everything in the shop is discounted by 15%, with the exception of classes and yarns that have already been discounted. If you’ve had your eye on a special skein, or have been planning a big project or two, now is the time to take the leap!

Pick up a kit, stock up on your favorite needles and hooks, treat yourself to an exciting new book or two, or snag the makings of a Summer Sweater at the sale price. Have you played with any of the Shibui yarns we keep raving about, or challenged yourself to a fair isle tam? Give yourself permission, it’s on sale.

Whatever it is you’ve been wanting, come by the shop anytime during the month of July to get 15% off your purchase!

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!

Fibre Company Trunk Show: Summer Sweaters.

Posted by Julia on June 29, 2014

We’re so excited to announce that we’ve just received a Trunk Show featuring Fibre Company yarns and patterns. The Summer Sweater collection will be on display here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop until July 20th, and we have all the yarns and patterns to make these garments your own!

The Summer Sweater collection consists of six garments knit in Fibre Company’s most warm-weather-friendly yarns, Savannah and Meadow. Each yarn is composed of both plant and animal fibers, giving the finished fabric a nice blend of elasticity and drape.

Savannah is a sport weight mix of wool, cotton, linen, and soya, and Meadow is a blend of merino, llama, linen, and silk spun into a lace/fingering weight yarn.

We have shawls made in each one of these yarns, but they are just as well suited to sweater-making, and it’s a treat to see that in person. Trunk shows like these are a unique opportunity to touch and try on for size before you cast on for a project.

“Sonora” is my favorite, a simple tee with cap sleeves that I’m sure I’d wear all the time. This collection offers a range of tees and tanks, with different color and texture patterns making each one unique.

Come by the shop before July 20th to admire the Summer Sweaters Trunk Show, try them on for size, and plan one for yourself!