Author Archives: Julia

Hello (and welcome back), Malabrigo Sock.

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It’s been a long wait, but at last, our shipment of the ever-popular and often asked-after Malabrigo Sock yarn has arrived. We’d gotten down to one lonesome skein of the stuff!

As of yesterday morning, that sad last skein was once again surrounded by friends.

The Malabrigo Sock yarn is a fingering weight superwash merino wool, coming in 27 variegated or semisolid colorways. Like other yarns by Malabrigo, the Sock is sought after not only for its beautiful colors, but also its incredible softness. At the shop, we have a Clapotis on display made in Malabrigo Sock (apparently a popular choice for this extremely popular pattern), an excellent way to show the yarn off.

Of course, I couldn’t leave without a skein for myself. Socks are the plan. I can’t wait to cast on.

If you’ve never tried this yarn before, come by the shop to try on the Clapotis, look at all the beautiful colors (while they’re still in stock!), and consider it. If you’re one of the many who has called or come in looking for it, I expect to see you at the shop shortly after you see this post, ready to grab a skein or two off the shelves!

Visitors.

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I’m sure Anne is having a delightful time in Denmark, but I know she’ll be truly jealous of what I got to do today at the shop. Her grandsons came by for a short visit, and with Anne out of town, Rosi and I got a chance to cuddle them with no grandmotherly interruption.

(Thanks for the picture, Beth!)

Since she promised to share Denmark pictures with us, I thought I’d share this picture with her, since of course I’m sure she’s finding time to keep up with the blog while she’s out of the country at an invitation-only knitting workshop with an internationally famous designer. Of course.

Katia Fabula. Again.

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 Katia Fabula, a super bulky, superwash, super-soft merino wool, has been a popular choice for hat-making (not least because our Fabula sample is, ahem, a hat). It’s thickness, softness, and washability all conspire to make this a quick, cozy, easy-care yarn for accessories. A common question from knitters, though, has been, “Are these all the colors?” Since it was a new yarn for us, we’d selected only three colors to carry at the shop: a blend of neutral colors, a reddish purple, and a pinkish purple. Now that Fabula has been successful, when it was time to reorder, we picked a new color to add to our collection: blues.

I think it rounds out our small color selection nicely. Unfortunately, we just don’t have enough room to stock every color it comes in, but it’s nice to add a new color every once in a while. Next time you’re looking to make a quick cold-weather accessory, remember Fabula!

Lakedale Shawl class.

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I’ve just posted a new fall class on the website, a 3 session class focused on a pattern from Malabrigo Book 3: the texured, ruffled Lakedale Shawl. The pattern calls for Malabrigo sock yarn (which, by the way, is finally scheduled to be back in stock at the shop sometime this week…!), but Katherine, who will teach the class, made hers in one of my favorites: Marion Foale 3 ply wool, held doubled throughout.

This shawl is currently on display in the shop, so if you’re thinking about taking the class, come and touch it, admire it, try it on.

Check out other beautiful renditions of the Lakedale Shawl on Ravelry. We have many other exciting classes scheduled, so if this one isn’t quite what you’re looking for, check out our website to see what else is slated for the fall. Learn to knit the February Lady Sweater or a cute pair of cabled mittens, or learn to knit, period–we have beginner classes, too. Marsha is also teaching a series of fantastic one-session troubleshooting-type classes on reading your knitting, fixing mistakes, and unraveling the mystery that is gauge. And: there are more classes coming that are only in the planning stages now. Stay tuned, friends. See you at the shop!

Shawl pins.

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I spent a good bit of the afternoon last Thursday putting a new batch of shawl pins on display.

Like buttons, shawl pins are a small detail that make a big impact on your finished project. These particular shawl pins from Shaune Bazner are lightweight, to prevent stretching your knit or crochet shawl, and range from simple to ornate in a variety of colors. If you’re looking for that finishing touch for a recently completed shawl, consider these.

Crochet Traditions.

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A new magazine has arrived at the shop, something special for the crocheters among us.

Crochet Traditions is the crochet equivalent to the popular PieceWork special issue, Knitting Traditions. Like Knitting Traditions, Crochet Traditions places traditional techniques in a historical context, providing wonderful reading material as well as project ideas. Find it with the other newest books and magazines on the teacart.

Kauni swatches.

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Since we first got Kauni in stock, we’re forever reordering it. Its long, slow gradation of colors is eye-catching, indeed, and has caught the attention of many. With our most recent order of Kauni, though, we got a little something extra.

People often ask us, “So, what does this yarn do?” They can sense that something special is happening in each skein, but it can be difficult to visualize exactly how the colors are going to play out in a gradually self-striping yarn like Kauni. Anne, understanding that a before-and-after might be necessary, ordered us this handy book of swatches, showing what each colorway looks like when it’s knit up. Like so:

If you’ve been considering a skein of Kauni but need a more concrete idea of what exactly it does, come on in and play with these swatches.

Isager adoration.

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As you know, we at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop are big Isager fans. We stock many books by designer Marianne Isager, from perennial shop favorite Japanese Inspired Knits to Inca Knits, Classic Knits, and Knitting Out of Africa. We are also quite enamored of her daughter, Helga Isager, whose designs are collected in a series of booklets called Amimono. We keep all the Isager pattern books together, wedged between baskets of Isager yarns, which themselves are quite special: lightweight, delicate yarns of many fibers, designed to be held double or triple when a larger gauge is desired.

If you’ve been to the shop lately, you’ve likely seen Anne hard at work on one of Helga Isager’s designs from the latest Amimono collection, a lightweight wool top with unusual construction.

And, if you’ve been to the shop lately, you’ve likely heard that Anne has been invited to Denmark to attend a small workshop with Marianne and Helga Isager. Your jaw has likely dropped. Anne is leaving for her trip to Denmark in under a week, and could not be more excited. I’m almost as excited as she is just to hear all about it upon her return.

We can’t all go to Denmark, unfortunately, but there is a bit of new Isager goodness in the shop this week. We received a box of Isager Alpaca 1, a 2 ply laceweight made of 100% alpaca, soft and delicate, with a fuzzy halo. For as long as we’ve had Alpaca 1 in the shop, we only stocked it in black and white. I don’t know how we held out for so long, but this week, we opened up the Alpaca 1 spectrum to include a rainbow of colors.

A beautiful sight, to be sure, but even more remarkable to touch. Come by the shop to pet the Alpaca 1 and pore over the Isager pattern books if you haven’t yet. Helga and Marianne Isager are truly unique knitwear designers, worth a look even if you don’t plan to knit their patterns. See you at the shop!

A gentle reminder.

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July is coming to a close, friends. The end of the month may mean many things to many people, but we can all come together on this one: the end of July brings the end of our July sale. I trust that you have all spent the last three weeks meticulously planning your next several knitting or crochet projects in order to save 15% on the yarn required to complete them. Right?

But really. There’s one week left in the month, and if you’d been planning to do a little sale-shopping, but put it on the back burner, it’s time to move it to the front. Hope to see you soon!

From Lantern Moon.

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Several times we’ve ordered these small drawstring project bags from Lantern Moon, embroidered with frolicking sheep. Several times we’ve sold out of them quickly. If you’ve seen these frolicking sheep and wanted one of your own, you’re in luck. As of this week, they’re back in stock, in a bright turquoise and a rich purple.

Also from Lantern Moon, but brand new to the shop: buttons! Shiny, unusual buttons, whose charm is hard to capture with a camera.

Come to the shop to take a look. See you soon!