Author Archives: Julia

Wearwithall.

Posted by on

A new book, recommended by a friend, has arrived at the shop.

Wearwithall is a collection of patterns by the people at The Yarnery, a yarn shop in Saint Paul, MN. The book has a nice range of projects, including hats, socks, sweaters for babies and children as well as adults, and an eye-catching striped stole.

This stole, designed by Theresa Gaffey, is made from the exquisite Isager Alpaca 2 yarn, a fingering weight blend of wool and alpaca. It’s construction is simple, letting the brightest colors from the muted Isager palette do the talking.

Take a closer look at Wearwithall next time you’re in the shop. Be sure to visit the Alpaca 2 as well, and as you do, just imagine curling up in a cozy Alpaca 2 stole. Hard to resist, no?

Local Color Hues.

Posted by on

A brand new batch of roving for spinning and felting has just arrived at the shop, hand-dyed by local fiber artist Lorin Fields.

 
This 100% merino roving from Local Color Hues is buttery soft, and comes in super-saturated semisolid colorways. I’m not a spinner, myself, but these are extremely tempting little bundles of fiber nonetheless. I imagine that it would be a pleasure to work with, and could be transformed by a spinner into some really special yarn.

Come by the shop to see Local Color Hues roving up close. You’ll find it tucked in the Local Yarns corner, next to wool roving from Brightside Wool.

Pop Knitting.

Posted by on

An inspiring new book has landed at the shop. Pop Knitting: Bold Motifs Using Color and Stitch, by Britt-Marie Christoffersson is a collection of graphic, modern-looking stitch patterns.

Christoffersson combines color and texture in surprising ways, making the book itself a thing of beauty.

The sweaters shown alongside many of these motifs make use of them in beautiful and often pleasantly strange garments. The results are fascinating and exciting, whether they appeal to your personal taste or not.

Come to the shop to take a closer look at Pop Knitting; you’re sure to find some inspiration there.

Hello, Ewe Ewe.

Posted by on

Once again, Clara Parkes inspired us with a recent Knitter’s Review. She never fails to peak our interest. Sometimes it’s a tool, sometimes a book–this time, it’s yarn, from a new company called Ewe Ewe.

Ewe Ewe Wooly Worsted Washable is a squishy, soft yarn which is well described by its alliterative name. With 95 yards of machine-washable merino wool in each 50 gram ball, Wooly Worsted Washable is an excellent choice for accessories and baby things.

The color palette is limited but vibrant, and the pattern support makes good use of it in stripes and colorwork.

This yarn is a pleasure to knit with, with brilliant stitch definition and a springy texture. “It knits itself,” Anne has often remarked since Ewe Ewe’s arrival, and she should know. This baby hat was completed in less than 24 hours, with enough yarn left over to make another with the colors inverted.

Come by the shop to pet Ewe Ewe Wooly Worsted Washable, and remember it for baby- and gift-knitting. Find it on the teacart, and find Ewe Ewe patterns in our recently reorganized pattern binders.

Hello, Bluestocking.

Posted by on

Surprise, surprise: I have some new yarn from String Theory to share. Say hello (again) to Bluestocking, a soft, sturdy fingering weight yarn composed of 80% Bluefaced Leicester wool and 20% nylon.

If it seems like we’re ordering from String Theory weekly, it’s because we are. Anne and I love this yarn, and it’s clear you all do, too, at the rate it’s disappearing from our shelves! While Caper Sock has been ordered and reordered several times, we hadn’t shown the same love to Bluestocking until this past week.

Anne started a pair of Bluestocking socks, couldn’t keep her hands off them, and suddenly we were on the phone with the wonderful people at String Theory Hand Dyed Yarn, in Blue Hill, Maine. Much to Anne’s dismay, I suggested we start small, to the tune of six colors. When we sold half of them on the day they arrived, it was clear that I was wrong and Anne was right: Hillsborough Yarn Shoppers have enough love for both Caper Sock and Bluestocking. We ordered more.

I’ve got a skein of the stuff waiting for me at home, and it is torture not to cast on immediately. Care to torture yourself in a similar fashion? Come by the shop and witness the glory of all of String Theory’s yarns. See you there!

Extra Yarn.

Posted by on

A phrase I’m always delighted to hear at the shop is “I brought some show and tell.” Fascinating things are pulled from purses and knitting bags: projects in progress and recently completed, intriguing patterns, years-old handed-down hand-knits, and sometimes most interesting–books. A knitter brought this one in for show and tell a few weeks ago, and immediately, we knew we had to stock it here at the shop. Then Clara reviewed it, and the point was driven home. We placed the order, and Extra Yarn now lives here with us.

Extra Yarn is a children’s book, but its knitterly subject matter and gorgeous illustrations make it equally appealing to adults.

Come by the shop to flip through this sweet storybook. You’ll find it on the teacart, perfectly at home among the newest grown-up knitting books. See you at the shop!

Vogue Crochet.

Posted by on

Another new magazine has found its way to the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, this time with crocheters in mind.

The latest issue of Vogue Knitting is a special one for those who make fabric with hooks rather than needles. Vogue Crochet is full of crocheted garments and accessories, from sweaters to skirts to jewelry.

Take a closer look next time you’re in the shop.

Knitbot Essentials.

Posted by on

Last week, a sweetly-packaged bundle of books arrived at the shop.

Quince & Co. has just published a collection of knitting patterns by Hannah Fettig, co-author of last fall’s beautiful Coastal Knits. Say hello to Knitbot Essentials.

Inside, you’ll find simple cardigans, pullovers, and accessories that look comfortable and easy to wear.

The patterns are shown in Quince & Co. yarns, but written with yarn substitution in mind, making it easy to figure out what yarns will work well for each pattern, and how much you’ll need. Fettig also provides an excellent section on how to achieve drape in knitted fabric, demystifying the gauge of her patterns, which is often larger than what you’d typically expect from the yarn.

Anne has already swatched her beloved sweater’s-worth of Malabrigo Finito to get gauge for Fettig’s Lightweight Pullover (above).

Copies of Knitbot Essentials have been quickly disappearing, but have no fear–a new shipment of them is expected this week. Come by to take a closer look at this truly tempting collection.

Reorganizing the pattern binders.

Posted by on

About a year ago, I wrote about our collection of single-pattern binders. What I said then is just as true now: they are a great resource for those seeking just one pattern, rather than a book. When you want to make a hat, but you’re not interested in making twenty hats, a single pattern is an economical choice. With this in mind, I’ve been reorganizing the pattern binders, that they might become easier to navigate.

I’ve taken the patterns out of their big heavy binders, sorted them, and divided them up into smaller binders. Where once there was a “Hats and Gloves” binder, there’s now one marked “Hats” and another marked “Mittens, Gloves, and Fingerless Mitts.” The two overstuffed “Babies” binders have become “Baby Sweaters,” “Baby Accessories,” “Children’s Sweaters,” and “Children’s Toys.” Most satisfying to my organizing impulse: the giant, heavy “Socks” binder has been divided into “Basic Cuff-Down Socks,” “Patterned Cuff-Down Socks,” and “Toe-Up Socks.”

We even sorted out the crochet patterns and gave them their own binder.

Next time you’re seeking a new project, don’t forget to flip through the pattern binders!