Author Archives: Julia

Back in stock: Kelbourne Woolens Perennial.

Posted by on

We’ve got a fresh supply of Kelbourne Woolens Perennial, a super soft merino/alpaca blend that comes in juicy bright colors!

Kelbourne Woolens Perennial:

  • light fingering weight
  • 60% superwash merino, 25% Suri alpaca, 15% nylon
  • 497 yards/100g
  • $26 each

The folks at Kelbourne Woolens have designed Perennial to be something of a staple: soft from the alpaca but sturdy from the nylon, easy care on account of the superwash merino, suitable for all kinds of projects.

We’ve seen beautiful sweaters, shawls, and baby things made in Perennial – here are some pattern ideas!

Look for Perennial here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, along with these other Kelbourne Woolens yarns – Camper, Cricket, Andorra, Mojave, Scout, Germantown, Lucky Tweed, and Germantown Bulky!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Nomad.

Posted by on

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

This month’s limited edition shade is Nomad, with speckles of brown, deep green, and bright blue on a cream background. We have so many fingering weight yarns that could pair well with this shade, whether you’re seeking high or low contrast, solid or variegated.

What to make? Here are some pattern ideas for mixing many colors!

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.

Back in stock: Brooklyn Tweed Arbor.

Posted by on

We’re delighted to have a fresh batch of Brooklyn Tweed Arbor on our shelves!

Brooklyn Tweed Arbor:

  • DK weight
  • 100% Targhee wool
  • 145 yards/50 g
  • $18.75 each

This shipment brought us ten of the most popular shades of Arbor, from moody neutrals to saturated earth tones. You can see all of the colors Arbor comes in on the Brooklyn Tweed website – we have most of them here at the shop, and will happily check on any colors and quantities you’re seeking!

Arbor is known for its springy elasticity, soft hand, and stellar stitch definition. We’ve seen so many incredible garments made with Arbor over the years – here are some of the most popular patterns:

Look for Arbor in the DK weight section here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, along with lots of other Brooklyn Tweed yarns – we have Tones and Tones Light, Dapple, Peerie, Loft, Shelter, Quarry, and more!

Show and tell: PetiteKnit patterns.

Posted by on

It’s been far too long since I shared show-and-tell here on the blog, though it’s an ongoing part of our daily Instagram posts – let’s see what folks have been making with yarn from our shop!

PetiteKnit has become one of the most-mentioned knitwear designers here at our shop. Almost every day, at least one knitter comes in shopping for, working on, or wearing a PetiteKnit design. Here are some of the PetiteKnit projects I’ve captured lately!

Margaretta is a fan of PetiteKnit – here are her two most recent sweaters, “Ingrid Sweater Baby” in Berroco Ultra Wool above, and “Moby Sweater” in Isager Jensen and Silk Mohair below.

Morgan knit this “No Frills Sweater” with Brooklyn Tweed Loft and Isager Silk Mohair held together throughout – the result is lovely, a perfect balance of structure and softness.

Michele came in wearing her first PetiteKnit sweater, “Sycamore Sweater,” and reports that the pattern was detailed and well written – she used Isager Jensen, Spinni, and Shibui Tweed Silk Cloud in this striking garment.

I knit my first PetiteKnit pattern recently, too, though it’s a far simpler design – here’s the “Sophie Shawl” I knit as a shop sample in Fibre Co. & Make Aran. The size small makes a such a nice scarf, wrapped around and tied like a kerchief, that I decided to make one for myself, too!

Thanks to Margaretta, Morgan, and Michele for sharing their work with us! We love to see what you make with our yarns, and can’t wait to see what comes off your needles next.

A Knitting Life: Back to Tversted, by Marianne Isager.

Posted by on

This week, as a new year begins, we welcome a beautiful new book by Marianne Isager, A Knitting Life: Back to Tversted ($47).

Marianne Isager is a knitwear designer and co-owner of Isager Yarns, based in Denmark. In this new collection, the first in a series of three, she looks back on her first 20 years in the industry. Through prose and photos, she tells the story of inheriting Ase Lund Jensen’s yarn company and workshop, and combining family life and knitting life in the small village of Tversted.

Tversted is where all the new knitwear designs in this book were photographed, a striking landscape of sea, dunes, and flora that inspired her use of color, texture, and structure.

The patterns in A Knitting Life: Back to Tversted are thoughtfully updated from Marianne Isager’s earlier designs, drawing on techniques she has returned to again and again throughout her design career.

As ever, Isager loves to mix and match various yarns for unique color and fiber blends. In this book, she includes a full-size photo of the swatch for each project, so you can see some of this yarn blending in closer detail.

A Knitting Life: Back to Tversted is $47, and available here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, along with a wide selection of Isager yarns – you can also order online for local pickup or shipping. Hope to see you soon!

Goodbye, Shibui Knits – 40% off!

Posted by on

As many of you have already heard, Shibui Knits is no more, and though we’re sad to see them go, we’re happy to offer you a discount – 40% off all in-stock Shibui yarns and patterns!

We are so sad to say goodbye to Shibui, a company whose luxurious yarns and distinctive design aesthetic have been a part of our shop for 10 of our 16 years in business. Over the years, we hosted Shibui trunk shows and mix parties, eagerly anticipated their new yarns and colorways each season, and knit many of their patterns. Now, after a tough couple of years, the folks at Shibui have decided to close up shop, and we’re sending them off with a sale.

As of now, we have over a dozen different Shibui yarns, some in many colors and some in a dwindling few, some in sweater quantities and others in short supply. The best way to see them is to come in and shop around – we’ve created three sale sections especially for Shibui.

We have a small selection of Shibui kits at 40% off, too – look for these near the sale trunk!

Come by to pick up your favorite Shibui yarns before they’re gone for good, and shop early for best selection! We’re open from 11am – 5:30 pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays; masks required for entry.

Just a reminder–all sales are final on discounted items; there can be no exchanges, returns, or special orders. Thanks!

52 Weeks of Easy Knits.

Posted by on

52 Weeks of Easy Knits ($50) is the latest book from Laine, an inspiring tome packed with 52 approachable patterns for garments and accessories. Let’s take a look inside!

This is the third in Laine’s ambitious 52 Weeks series, and instead of focusing on a particular kind of garment, it invites knitters of all skill levels to cast on for pleasing, uncomplicated projects.

The book begins with an introduction to yarn choice, pattern reading, cast-ons, bind-offs, finishing – all manner of techniques.

The patterns themselves are fun, modern, and varied. You’ll find colorblock cardigans, slip stitch socks, bobbled shawls, striped scarves, ribbed beanies, textured mittens, and more within these pages.

You can see them all on Ravelry, a virtual way to browse the book; the list of designers is impressive, including Isabell Kraemer, Sylvia Watts-Cherry, Veera Välimäki, Jonna Hietala, Paula Pereira, George Cullen, Meiju K-P, among many others.

52 Weeks of Easy Knits is $50, not a bad price for 52 patterns – look for it here at the shop, or order online for local pickup or shipping!

Koigu Collector’s Club: The Wool Shed.

Posted by on

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

The Wool Shed is a variegated mix of greens with subtle flourishes of raspberry, auburn, and cream.

“Pressed Flowers Hat,” by Amy Christoffers. Photo © Amy Christoffers

Anne has had her eye on Amy Christoffers’ “Pressed Flowers Hat” for a while now, so when this Collector’s Club colorway came in, I thought I’d put together some color combinations. 

I’ve paired Koigu KPPPM with semisolid shades of Neighborhood Fiber Co. Capital Luxury Sport, a blend of merino, cashmere, and silk that is relatively new to our shop. One skein of each should make two hats, with NFC Capital Luxury Sport as the main color and Koigu KPPPM as the contrast color.

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.

Dream in Color Pop-Up Club: December 2022.

Posted by on

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. December’s new limited edition colorway is here while supplies last!

Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere:

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

December’s special colorway is vibrant and variegated, a mix of turquoise, cobalt, purple and ice blue.

Variegated skeins like these are beautiful on their own – one skein makes a “Sockhead Slouch” hat or “Reyna” shawl – but they always inspire me to create color combinations. Here are a few I put together with the “Temperance Shawl” in mind, a three color garter stitch and eyelet pattern that works well in low, medium, and high contrast color combinations.

Isager Sock Yarn: fingering weight, 40% Easy Wash alpaca, 40% Easy Wash merino wool, 20% recycled nylon, 423 yards/100g; $20 each

  • Malabrigo Ultimate Sock: fingering weight, hand dyed, variegated and semi-solid colorways, 75% superwash merino wool, 25% nylon, 420 yards/100g; $20 each
  • Kelbourne Woolens Perennial: light fingering weight, 60% superwash merino, 25% suri alpaca, 15% nylon, 497 yards/100 g; $26 each

Look for Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere in the fingering weight section here at our shop! We’ll be closed December 24-26, then reopening at our regular business hours, 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesday – Saturday. You can still order online for local pickup or shipping, as well.

Laine Magazine, No. 16.

Posted by on

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 was photographed in Helsinki, and includes an article about the Craft Museum of Finland.

Issue 16 features patterns from an amazing group of designers from all over the world, the likes of Dee Hardwicke, Rosa Pomar, Fiona Alice, Eri Shimizu, and more.

Beyond the knitting patterns, there are seasonal recipes and plenty of good reading, including this piece about caring for your handknits. Need any Eucalan wool wash, or coconuts mesh laundry bags, or sweater brushes? We’ve got it all!

Laine magazines are $30 each – come by the shop or order online for local pickup or shipping! We also have Laine No. 8, No. 10, No. 11, No. 12, No. 13, and No. 15 in stock, along with Laine’s recent books, Knitted Kalevala, The Knitted Fabric, 52 Weeks of Easy Knits, and Traditions Revisited. See you at the shop!