New to our collection of Namaste bags: Cali Zuma in lime green.
Even newer: Skinny Mini notions cases. Small, sturdy, cute. Tuck a little pair of scissors in there, a handful of crochet hooks, a pack of stitch markers, a measuring tape; whatever you need with you.
And they come (of course) in the full range of Namaste colors. Find them near the Zuma bags in the second room. See you at the shop!
When you first enter the shop, the wall facing you is the one with most of our sock yarns. Over the past month or two, I’ve been slowly going through this corner of the shop, trying to bring more order to the sock yarns and getting as many baskets off the floor as space allowed. This past Thursday brought the biggest change for the sock wall: a new set of cubbies and a new shelving arrangement. What do you think?
Our intent was to make a little more room for movement, and to make it easier to see the embarrassment of riches that is our sock yarn collection. Anne and I keep drifting over to this part of the shop and just staring, then saying simply: “We have a lot of sock yarn.”
Come by the shop to check out the new set-up, and see all the sock yarn that was hidden in the corner, now brought to light!
Since I first wrote about Cascade 220 Superwash Sport back in February, it has become one of our best-selling yarns, in spite of the fact that we had no pattern support for it. It’s been a go-to for both knit and crocheted baby things, due to its stellar washability, and used for colorwork of all kinds, due to its wide spectrum of colors. Those who are comfortable designing their own sweaters, socks, and hats have used Cascade 220 Superwash Sport, and those who like to work from patterns have found that it makes a good substitute for yarns of all kinds, between a sport and a dk gauge. There have been many excuses to work with this yarn, and this week, we received a new book which promises 60 more.
Hats, mittens and scarves of many kinds, all made from Cascade 220 Sport, the hand-wash-only fraternal twin to Cascade 220 Superwash Sport. We actually don’t carry the 220 Sport, but as is so often the case, the 220 Superwash Sport makes an excellent substitute. The 220 Sport has slightly more yardage, so you’ll want to do a little math when you’re choosing 220 Superwash Sport yarn for these projects, but that’s the only caveat. Knit with Superwash Sport and your mittens wont felt onto your hands, and neither will your hats when they are accidentally thrown in the washing machine.
Here’s a peek inside the book:
And that’s only a tenth of it. Find it on the teacart, which is just brimming with fall knit and crochet inspiration.
The season of shop sample knitting continues unabated. As soon as the Linen Stitch Scarf sample was completed, I cast on for this next piece, a sample to show off two new things at once. The yarn is a new dk weight washable merino from Plymouth, and the pattern, Retro Scarf, is one we have both on its own and as a kit from designer Helen Hamann. Because of the scarf’s interesting construction, I thought I’d better show it in progress as well as finished. As of today, I’m about halfway done, and it looks like this:
Those three long strips will one day be braided, then joined together for a stretch, then separated again at the other end of the scarf. Interesting, no? The yarn is a pleasure to work with, a springy merino with excellent stitch definition.
I’d love to see the Retro Scarf made up in Helen Hamann’s alpaca yarn, for which the pattern is written–I bet that would make a lovely scarf. Check out the kits for yourself, if this project appeals, or if you’d rather substitute yarn, as I did for this sample, I’d be happy to show you a few options.
See you at the shop!
A customer and I were chatting recently about the joys of sock knitting. Specifically, we were waxing rhapsodic on the joys of simple sock knitting–not the intricate colorwork socks that I often daydream of, nor socks adorned with various combinations of cable twists and lace, but basic stockinette or ribbed socks. “Socks are friends,” she said, and by that I think she meant that socks need not be impressive to entertain and comfort the knitter. Simple socks can be worked up while watching a movie, or waiting at a doctor’s office, or any of the many other places we end up waiting, for that matter. When you reach for knitting to keep your hands busy, but not necessarily your mind, simple socks are often just the thing.
Interrupted is a sock pattern of my own design, which I hope will satisfy knitters looking for simple socks. Knit with the tempting Claudia Hand Painted Fingering yarn, these socks are simple enough to allow variegated colorways to shine and interesting enough to support a more subdued color.
The brightly-colored sock pictured above can be found at the shop, tucked into the cubby where the Claudia Hand Painted Fingering yarn lives. Come by the shop to inspect the sock in person, which should give you a good idea of how the yarn knits up: soft but sturdy. Download the pattern for free on Ravelry, and please let me know what you think!
For the past month or two, Anne and I have been working on shop samples at an accelerated rate. As new yarns and kits arrive for fall, new ideas for showing them off are coming to us faster than we can knit them up. Eventually, though, we do finish them, and then proudly display them with the yarn, offering a tangible example of that yarn’s potential. Here is one such project, the Linen Stitch All Knit Scarf, which Anne and I passed back and forth, each knitting a few rows here and there until it was completed.
The Linen Stitch All Knit Scarf is available as a kit from Schaefer Yarn, and includes the pattern and three 2oz skeins of Schaefer Heather, a fingering weight blend of superwash merino, silk, and nylon. Worked in linen stitch in the round, this scarf has a woven look to it and a simple but unusual construction.
Around and around you go, never having to purl, and then at the end a small portion of your knitting is unraveled and braided to create fringe.
As I’ve mentioned here before, Schaefer Yarn names their variegated colorways after memorable women, from Elizabeth Zimmermann to Gloria Steinem to Jane Addams. Not only does each skein honor a memorable woman, each of the six color combinations honors a memorable female fiber artist: Sheila Hicks, Anni Albers, Diane Itter, Lenore Tawney, Magdalena Abakanowicz, and Claire Zeisler.
Come by the shop to try on the scarf and see these beautiful colors in person, and don’t resist the urge to get lost on google image search, exploring the work of the incredible artists these kits are named for.
New to the shop this week: Interweave’s yearly reminder to start working on holiday gifts before it’s too late. The 2011 issue of Holiday Gifts is full of ideas, from hats and mitts like those pictured on the cover to socks, scarves, shawls, children’s things, and other garments. Here, take a look inside.
Find it on the teacart!
Yes, I know I’ve already gushed at length about the Marion Foale 3 ply wool. But we got something really special in the mail last week: a handknit sample from Marion Foale Knitting Collection 1, a sweater named Isobel.
This picture hardly captures the color, and certainly obscures the detailed work that went into this piece. You just have to see it in person. The yarn is soft and light, the finishing work is immaculate, and it brings to life a pattern that is undeniably intriguing in the book. Yet another reason to pick up Marion Foale’s Knitting Collection 1, and a fantastic illustration of how her yarn knits up: beautifully.
We were approached recently by a woman who, as a former sheep owner, had an excess of unspun wool. She showed Anne a few puffs of roving, dyed in a handful of solid hues, and explained that this one was 100% Shetland wool, while that one was a blend of Cotswold and Shetland, with some Lambswool mixed in. Anne petted the roving as the woman asked, would you like to carry it at the shop? Why, yes!
We have only a modest selection of wool for spinning at the shop, namely Great Adirondack’s hand-dyed Blue Faced Leicester, so we were only too happy to take on a small selection of locally produced roving. Look for Brightside Wool roving right alongside the Great Adirondack roving, near the desk.
With August comes the new Fall yarns, and here is one of our most exciting acquisitions of the season: Claudia Hand Painted Yarns, out of Harrisonburg, VA. Anne fell in love with a silk sweater she saw at TNNA in June, and the rest is history, which is to say, the makings of that silk sweater are now in the shop. We’ve put kits together with 2 skeins of the Claudia Hand Painted Silk Lace in different but complimentary colorways, which are held together throughout the knitting of either a cardigan or a t-shirt. The kits include the yarn, the pattern, and a Hillsborough Yarn Shop project bag.
Obsessive sock knitter that I am, though, the real excitement for me is the Claudia Hand Painted Fingering yarn. Made of 100% extra fine merino, hand painted in bright variegated colorways, this yarn is squishy and soft but tightly plied, which should make for luxurious but long-wearing socks.
I’ve already knit a sample sock for the shop with this yarn, so you can get a feel for how it knits up. The pattern for said sample sock is forthcoming–a pattern of my own design, which I’m excited to release into the world as soon as I’m done editing it. Til then, you’ll be delighted to know that there are many wonderful free patterns for Claudia Hand Painted Fingering yarn. If you’re looking for a way to use this yarn, try Skew, Herringbone Rib Socks, or Roll Top Socks, ankle socks which actually take only one 50 gram skein. The Claudia Hand Painted Fingering yarn is about equivalent to Koigu in weight and yardage, so it’s a perfect substitute if any patterns for Koigu should happen to catch your eye.
Come by the shop to see Claudia Hand Painted yarns in person, to squeeze some skeins and admire the vivid colors!
