Author Archives: Julia

Show and tell: scarves and cowls.

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It’s time for more show and tell! Here are some finished pieces that began their lives as HYS yarns. They all happen to be neckwarmers of one kind of another: scarves and cowls.

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Allison has been churning out Spectra scarves for a while now, and is particularly fond of Kauni Effektgarn in color EQ for this project. EQ is perhaps the most colorful Kauni colorway, a bright and sunny rainbow spectrum, shifting from red to orange to yellow to green to blue to purple.

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Allison used EQ as both the main and contrast colors in this project, and recommends staggering it so that the main color is one or two shades ahead of the contrast color in the sequence. This keeps the colors from overlapping, so you wont find yourself with, say, orange as both the main and contrast color at any point in the knitting. This particular scarf weighed 115 grams, so it’s entirely possible to knit this from one skein of Kauni Effektgarn, with some winding and rewinding.

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Margie recently finished these two scarves, knit in Malabrigo Sock and Prism Saki, respectively. The pattern is “Favorite Scarf Ever,” a free download from Ravelry, and its simple chevron pattern shows off variegated yarns to the fullest.

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Speaking of chevron patterns: Cecilia came in last week wearing this beautiful cowl knit in Gina, a soft self-striping wool from Plymouth. She’d picked the colorway to match her new coat, and has since come back for a different yarn to make a coat-matching hat; I’m looking forward to seeing the whole get-up!

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Mary’s needles have been busy lately, and she had three projects to show off since last I shared show-and-tell photos on the blog. Above are her two Twist scarves knit in Malabrigo Mecha, one completed, and one halfway there. She’s sailing through these one-skein scarves, planning to give them away as holiday gifts–an excellent plan for a quick knit like the Twist scarf.

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Here’s Mary’s second Simple Shibori Cowl, knit in Alchemy Silken Straw and Sanctuary. It’s so satisfying to see this cowl made up in different colorways, and to see the transformation that occurs when they’re felted. This one is made with Silken Straw in color “Belladonna” and Sanctuary in “Ace of Spades,” a subtle, elegant combination.

Thanks to everyone who starts, works on, and shares their projects at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop! We love to see what’s coming off your needles and hooks.

Fibre Company Yarn Tasting.

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On Sunday, we hosted a yarn tasting featuring four yarns from the Fibre Company.

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It was the last day of the Fibre Company Trunk Show, and as the yarn tasting attendees filed in, the 8 shawls and scarves that make up the Allium Collection came down from their hangers to be petted, admired, and tried on. I also passed around my not-quite-complete Crow’s Nest Cardigan in Canopy Worsted to give a sense of the yarn’s drape and stitch definition.

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In between sips of mimosas and bites of bagels, these knitters and crocheters worked up swatches in Meadow, Savannah, Acadia, and Canopy Worsted, sharing pattern ideas as they stitched. We have a binder at the shop full of patterns from the Fibre Company, and I collected a list of independently-designed patterns that use these yarns as well:

They’re all available as Ravelry In-Store Pattern Sales, which means you can buy them from us at the shop, where we’ll print a copy for you and make sure that a digital copy is also saved in your email or Ravelry pattern library.

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We pulled out our Fibre Company color-cards so everyone could see any colors that we didn’t have in stock–for example, many of the available shades in Meadow, which has been popular enough to merit two reorders in the two weeks since it first arrived at the shop. When I left the shop on Sunday, we were down to just 9 skeins. (Don’t worry–there’s more coming!)

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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. After such a positive yarn tasting event, it’s safe to say that we at HYS are big fans of the Fibre Company. Come by the shop to see all our Fibre Company yarns and consider them for your next project, and stay tuned for more yarn tastings in the future!

Three new books.

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Three new books arrived from Interweave this week: Knitting Outside the Swatch, by Kirstin Omdahl, Op-Art Socks, by Stephanie van der Linden, and Cozy Knits: 50 Fast & Easy Projects from Top Designers.

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Kristin Omdahl’s Knitting Outside the Swatch presents 40 knitted motifs with ideas for how to join them together in various ways to various ends.

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These motifs could become garments, blankets, embellishments, or edgings–knitter’s choice.

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Stephanie van der Linden’s Op-Art Socks: Creative Effects in Sock Knitting is a collection of sock patterns featuring knitted optical illusions. Adventurous sock-knitters, take note!

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Cozy Knits is all about knitted accessories like hats, scarves, mittens, which use a wide variety of techniques.

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As varied as the patterns are, the yarns called for are all worsted or bulky weight, making for quick knitting and, as the title suggests, warm and cozy results.

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Come by the shop to take a peek at these newest publications and get started on your next project! Remember, our Anniversary Sale is on through this Sunday, October 20th–everything in the shop is 15% off!

 

(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!) 

Anniversary Sale!

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As you may remember from years past, or may have seen in our most recent email newsletter, October 18th marks the seven-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 18th – Sunday October 20th, everything in the shop will be discounted by 15%, with the exception of classes and that which is already discounted. This is the time to treat yourself to some exciting new yarns and save on that big project you’ve been wanting to start this fall. Maybe you’ve had your eye on a book, or a Wool Tree (yes, we just got them back in stock!), or try a needle-felting kit–those are all discounted, too.

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Come by the shop during the sale and let us thank you in person, in a tangible way!

(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!) 

knit.wear.

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The new issue of knit.wear is here!

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knit.wear is a relatively new knitting magazine from Interweave that has quickly acquired something of a following. It’s always full of stylish, modern garments, and we know knitters who look forward to every issue.

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This issue also has some interesting design- and technique-focused articles, and a piece on pilling by Clara Parkes of Knitter’s Review.

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Come by the shop to snag a copy of knit.wear and plan your next project!

Hello, Meadow.

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We’re delighted to announce that Meadow has arrived! This newest yarn from the Fibre Company is featured in our upcoming Fibre Company Yarn Tasting, as well as our current trunk show: the Allium Collection, 8 shawls and scarves knit in this delicious yarn.

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Meadow, like many Fibre Company yarns, has an unusual and carefully-crafted fiber composition: 40% merino wool, 25% baby llama, 20% silk, and 15% linen. Each of these fibers brings its own unique characteristics to the yarn in terms of drape, texture, and color, and the result is a lightweight fabric that is soft to the touch and holds its shape even at a looser gauge than is suggested on the ball band. It’s between a lace and a light fingering weight, with a generous 545 yards in each 100 gram skein.

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We also have all 8 patterns from Grace Anna Farrow’s Allium Collection, which use Meadow in a variety of techniques, from simple garter or stockinette stitch to stripes, short rows, lace, and colorwork.

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Usually, when we order a brand new yarn for the shop, we begin with a small selection of colors. When it came to Meadow, we couldn’t help ourselves–we had to have every single color the Fibre Company makes. One of them is missing from this photoshoot because we sold out of it as soon as it arrived, but don’t fret, it’s on order!

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Come by the shop to see Meadow and all the other Fibre Company yarns we carry, and do so before October 20th to play dress-up with the trunk show!

Romney Ridge Farm Needle-Felting Kits.

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At TNNA this past June, something unusual caught Anne’s eye: a collection of tiny needle-felted animals, made from wool roving. She was particularly taken with a little sheep, and spent one of our exhausted hotel-room evenings making one herself. Having never needle-felted before, and with written instructions alone, Anne created this little guy in about an hour.

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These needle-felting kits come from Romney Ridge Farm in Maine. We couldn’t stop at sheep alone–not when there were chickens and songbirds and pigs to be had.

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Come by the shop to pick up a needle-felting kit of your own, and before you know it, you’ll be felting a tiny menagerie!

Triangle Yarn Crawl.

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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 2013 crawl is coming up soon on October 12th and 13th!

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Each local yarn shop has something special to offer, and we’re no exception: all of the books we currently have in stock will be 20% off during the weekend of the Triangle Yarn Crawl! Indulge in some of the latest publications, or pick up a handy resource you’ve been needing. If you’re looking for recommendations, Anne and I are more than happy to oblige–we love our books almost as much as we love our yarns

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There’s a Lantern Moon basket like this at each of the participating shops, a raffle prize filled with goodies. Along with yarns generously donated by Triangle Yarn Crawl sponsors, the Hillsborough Yarn Shop prize will also include a small Swans Island tote, a skein of Swans Island Natural Colors Merino Silk, and a pattern to go with.

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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! 

The newest books.

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Right as you walk into the shop, the first surface that’s likely to catch your eye is covered in books and magazines.

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It’s an antique teacart, which also holds our swift and ball-winder. When we refer to “the teacart,” that’s what we’re talking about–the place for the newest knitting and crochet publications. Every week, if not every day, some new book arrives and we make room on the teacart, rearranging things, shelving what’s been out for a few weeks. Lately, we’ve been inundated with new publications, faster than this blog can keep up! Here are some of the latest publications:

  • Extreme Double Knitting, by Alasdair Post-Quinn
  • Fair Isle Style: 20 Fresh Designs for a Classic Technique, by Mary Jane Mucklestone
  • 50 Yards of Fun: Knitting Toys from Scrap Yarn, by Rebecca Danger
  • Knitting in Circles, by Nicky Epstein

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  • Mollie Makes Crochet: 20+ Cute Projects for the Home, Plus Tips and Tricks
  • Beastly Crochet: 23 Critters to Wear and Love, by Brenda K.B. Anderson

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  • Scarf Style 2: Innovative to Traditional, Fresh Designs to Knit, by Ann Budd
  • Knitting Architecture: 20 Patterns Exploring Form, Function, and Detail, by Tanis Gray

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Come by the shop to peruse these newest books, and our not-so-new books, too! There’s a lot to choose from, and we hope you find inspiration there. See you at the shop!

Fibre Company Trunk Show!

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We are delighted to announce that we’re hosting a Fibre Company Trunk Show, now through October 20th!

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These 8 shawls and scarves make up designer Grace Anna Farrow’s Allium Collection.

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All are designed for and knit with Fibre Company’s newest yarn, Meadow, a lace weight blend of merino wool, llama, silk, and linen. This bewitching combination of plant and animal fibers is typical of the Fibre Company, who seem to always be seeking new and interesting fiber combinations.

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The yarn itself is scheduled to arrive soon, along with all 8 patterns of the Allium Collection–though they are also available as Ravelry In-Store Pattern Sales, so we can always get you a copy that way.

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Come by the shop to see the Allium Collection for yourself, and if you’d like to sample Meadow and three other Fibre Company yarns, sign up for the upcoming Fibre Company Yarn Tasting! It promises to be a delightful and inspiring morning of stitching, sipping, and munching. We’d love to see you there!