Author Archives: Julia

Hello, Acadia.

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We are happy to announce that we now carry the Fibre Company’s Acadia.

Acadia is a dk weight yarn made of merino wool, alpaca, and silk. The silk fiber takes the dye differently than wool and alpaca, and stands out from those fibers, creating a tweedy, rustic look. The feel of this yarn is far from rustic, however; Acadia is just as soft as its fiber content suggests.

We have a couple of patterns from the Fibre Company for Acadia, and of course it could also be used in most any pattern calling for dk weight yarn. Rosi knit a shop sample in Acadia–“Quaking Aspen,” a shawl pattern available as a free download from the Fibre Company. The ends were just woven in as the yarn arrived at the shop, and now the shawl is blocking, getting ready for its HYS debut. Look for photos of the “Quaking Aspen” shawl on the blog soon, and come by the shop to see Acadia in person!

Interweave Knits.

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The Winter 2012 issue of Interweave Knits is a pretty one, cozy with cables and colorwork, full of patterns for sweaters and cold-weather accessories.

One of these patterns, Cirilia Rose’s “Horseshoe Janie,” calls for Schulana Lambswool, a Hillsborough Yarn Shop favorite.

Find Interweave Knits among the newest magazines and books on the teacart.

Hello, Alchemy.

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We are delighted to announce that we now carry two Alchemy yarns: Silken Straw and Sanctuary.

Before we went to market in June, looking for new yarns to bring into the shop, a friend pointed us to Alchemy, a company known for their exquisitely hand-dyed silks and silk blends. That recommendation along with Clara Parkes’ glowing reviews of Alchemy Yarns meant that we had to take a look.

What we saw at Alchemy’s booth at TNNA was a riot of color and texture, a tempting array of unusual yarns and knitted garments. We spoke with Gina and Austin Wilde, the creators of Alchemy Yarns, about their fibers and dyeing process, and were delighted by their passion for both. We were particularly wowed by Silken Straw, a sport weight ribbon made of silk which, yes, feels stiff, like straw. Once Silken Straw has been knit up, washed, and worn, it softens somewhat spectacularly, and drapes in just the way you’d expect from a 100% silk yarn: beautifully. Silken Straw is a yarn like none other, and we’re thrilled to make it available at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop.

Our first Silken Straw project is this White Caps Cowl, a free pattern from the Purl Bee. Anne knit a shortened version, using just half a skein of Silken Straw and one skein of Habu Cotton Nerimaki Slub. The combination of fibers and textures makes an otherwise simple stockinette tube an intriguing accessory. I’ve been playing with color pairs, matching up the Alchemy with the Habu.

Sanctuary is a sport weight wool and silk blend that we ordered in just two colors, for they’re meant to be combined with Silken Straw in Alchemy’s shibori felted patterns. These unexpected wraps are knit in bold color blocks, then felted, which shrinks the parts knit in Sanctuary, but leaves the Silken Straw sections as they were. The result is something very special, a flat rectangle made into a sculptural garment by applying hot water and agitation.

We saw some finished shibori felted pieces at TNNA and had to bring the patterns into the shop, which meant ordering Sanctuary, too. Austin himself helped us select two colors that could go with most any of the ten colors we ordered in Silken Straw.

Come by the shop to see these delightfully unusual yarns from Alchemy! We’re just tickled to have them. Read all about Alchemy Yarns on their website, where they’ve written more about their thoughtful, labor-intensive dyeing process.

Another knit from Wearwithall.

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Almost a year has passed since we received our first shipment of the glorious String Theory Selku, a sport weight blend of merino and silk, hand-dyed in vivid, memorable colorways. Almost a year, and yet I cast on for a shop sample in Selku only a fewweeks ago. Why the delay? There’s no real excuse, except that Anne and I wanted it to be a Worthy shop sample. We searched Ravelry for shawlettes, scarves, hats, and mitts in sport weight yarns. It’s not like there aren’t any, but somehow we didn’t find what we were looking for. I started a garter stitch something, but it just wasn’t doing justice to this very special yarn. Finally, we found something of interest in Wearwithall, otherwise known as “the book with The Stole.”

Like The Stole, this pattern is simply named: Woman’s Hat. The gauge is right for the yarn, the lace patterning is simple to execute and lovely to look at, and the slouch shape showcases Selku’s elegant drape.

I finished the hat on Saturday, and while I’m not a hat-wearer myself, I’m very pleased with the results. The only change I made to the pattern was to work the lace chart four times instead of the called-for five; the hat was looking deep enough to my eye at four. Come by the shop to try it on for yourself, pet the Selku, and look through Wearwithall if you haven’t yet. See you there!

New from Knitter’s Pride: Karbonz dpns.

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Over the weekend, we received a shipment of brand new double pointed needles from Knitter’s Pride: Karbonz, so named for the carbon fiber they’re made of.

Carbon fiber is smooth, lightweight, and strong enough to bend without breaking. The slight flexibility of carbon fiber allows Knitter’s Pride to produce these needles in teeny tiny sizes without fear of them snapping as you’re knitting. We have 6″ dpns in stock from US 000 to US 4. Double point enthusiasts, come by the shop to get a set of Karbonz, and let us know how you like them.

Swans Island Trunk Show.

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The Swans Island Trunk Show is here!

For the next couple of weeks, we have sweaters, accessories, a baby blanket, and the incredible Swans Island Coat on loan from Swans Island.

Most of these are made in their Organic Merino Worsted, and some in Organic Merino Fingering. Both yarns make soft fabric that drapes beautifully, with excellent stitch definition. We also have new patterns to give you even more ideas of how to use this special yarn.

Come by the shop to see these beautiful garments while they’re here, and to see how the Swans Island yarns behave when knitted up. See you at the shop!

Amimono: the Bird/Little Bird Collection.

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Yesterday a box from Isager arrived, bearing not only the usual few bags of Isager yarns that needed restocking, but also the newest pattern collection from Danish designer Helga Isager.

This is Helga Isager’s fourth Amimono booklet, comprised of two pattern collections: the Bird Collection has garments and accessories for women, and the Little Bird Collection has garments for children.

All of the above are made in Isager yarns, naturally. Often, two different Isager yarns are held together to create a different gauge, texture, or color.

 

Look forward to a trunk show featuring garments from Amimono: the Bird/Little Bird Collection! It’s scheduled to arrive in mid-December, and we’ll be sure to let you know on the blog and on Facebook as soon as it arrives. In the meantime, come by the shop to see the book and plan your next project!

Show and tell.

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Katherine came into the shop a few weeks ago with this beautiful bit of show and tell: a fair isle hat made with her fingering weight leftovers in Isager and String Theory yarns. This is her first attempt at stranded colorwork, a pattern called Edith the Hat. I’m impressed, not only with the color knitting technique, but also with this good use of leftovers. Let not a single precious yard of Alpaca 2 go to waste!

Another knitter brought a recently-completed sweater to show off, made with the last skeins of Berroco Jasper that were left in our sale trunk. There wasn’t enough in one self-striping colorway to make a whole sweater, so she carefully placed two agreeable colorways in different parts of one sweater to a delightful colorblock effect. Resourceful, no?

Victoria treated us to some woven show and tell this past week. Take a look at this incredible scarf, made in Louisa Harding Grace Silk & Wool and Lana Grossa Chiara. We see far more knitting and crocheting than weaving at the shop, so this was particularly exciting. Woven fabric and knitted fabric are so different from one another, and it was great to see how familiar yarns behaved in this unfamiliar-to-me technique. I can’t wait to see the next piece off her loom!

Thanks to all who bring their completed works to the shop to share with us! I look forward to bringing more of it to the blog soon.

Interweave Crochet Accessories.

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Here’s a new magazine full of crochet patterns for hats, scarves, cowls, mitts, and the like: Interweave Crochet Accessories.

I noticed a lot of interesting crocheted colorwork in this issue, along with a mix of texture patterns and motifs.

Find Interweave Crochet Accessories on the teacart, surrounded by the latest knitting and crochet books and magazines. We hope you find inspiration in these pages!

Ewe Ewe Trunk Show.

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We’re delighted to share our latest Trunk Show with you: a bundle of garments made up in Ewe Ewe Wooly Worsted Washable.

We’re not short on worsted weight, washable wools at the shop, but this one in particular has become a Hillsborough Yarn Shop favorite for accessories and baby things in rich solid colors.

It’s incredibly soft, obedient on the needles, and comes with plenty of pattern support. Along with the Ewe Ewe Trunk Show, we got lots of Ewe Ewe patterns in, and extra yarn in every available color.

Come by the shop to see, touch, and try on this collection of hats, cowls, sweaters, mitts, and baby things, and to plan your next project in Ewe Ewe Wooly Worsted Washable!