Author Archives: Julia

Back in stock: Isager Alpaca 2.

Posted by on

Isager Alpaca 2 has long been a favorite here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. There always seems to be a steady demand for this fuzzy blend of merino and alpaca, beloved for its soft hand and harmonious color palette. A very large box of the stuff arrived with the brand new Isager Sock Yarn, bringing some bestselling colors back into stock and adding a few new shades, too!

Isager Alpaca 2:

  • light fingering weight
  • 50% alpaca, 50% merino
  • 275 yards/50 g
  • $12 each

Our seasoned “Stole” sample has hung on the wall for years now, yet it regularly catches the eye of knitters seeking a soothing, repetitive project, one that’s easy to execute, but with graceful results.

Here are some other pattern ideas for Alpaca 2!

Look for Alpaca 2 in the fingering weight section here at our shop! We love Isager yarns and carry a lot of them – Silk Mohair, Spinni, Alpaca 1, Alpaca 3, Tvinni, Highland Wool, Jensen, Sock Yarn, and more.

Yarn ideas for “Inclinations Cowl,” by Andrea Mowry.

Posted by on

Andrea Mowry’s latest design and knit-along has us playing the color game… “Inclinations Cowl” is designed to look like an asymmetrical triangular shawl when worn, but slips over the head easily. Like her “Inclinations Shawl” before, it’s all in half fisherman’s rib, which makes a bouncy, easy to knit fabric.

“Inclinations Cowl,” by Andrea Mowry, photo © Andrea Mowry

Mowry calls for two shades of yarn, 360 yards each, though the pattern lends itself to using up smaller quantities of yarn in multiple colors – check out the projects on Ravelry to get a sense of the possibilities!

Here are a few ideas from our own sport weight section here at the shop.

  • Kelbourne Woolens Andorra: sport weight, 60% merino, 20% highland wool, 20% mohair, 185 yards/50 g; $12 each
  • Malabrigo Arroyo: sport weight, hand-dyed, 100% superwash merino wool, 335 yards/100g; $20 each

  • Ewe Ewe Sporty: sport weight, 100% superwash merino wool, 145 yards/50 grams; $11 each
  • Alchemy Sanctuary: sport weight, hand-dyed, 70% wool, 30% silk, 125 yards/50g; $34 each

  • Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light: sport weight, 50% wool, 50% alpaca, 144 yards/50 g; $8 each
  • Schoppel-Wolle Zauberwolle: sport weight, marled, self-striping, 100% merino wool, 273 yards/100 g; $23 each

Swing by the shop or reach out if any of these combinations catches your eye – we’re happy to help calculate yardage or answer any questions that come up as you plan an “Inclinations Cowl” of your own!

HYS Color Club: Summer!

Posted by on

The HYS Color Club continues, and we’re opening it up for Summer signups!

HYS Color Club is a subscription of thoughtfully curated accessory projects for knitters who like surprises and love working with color! We’ll pair yarns and patterns to keep you entertained all year long, creating custom colorways for each project. Each season includes two projects (one smaller, one larger), and a few other surprises along the way.

HYS Color Club, April: Shibui Pebble + Jane Vanselous’ “Duality” + cocoknits tape measure.

Patterns: Expect accessory patterns from a variety of designers, a mix of mitts, shawls, hats and scarves. Each project will use at least two colors – think stripes, marls, fair isle, mosaic, and more!

Fiber: We love working with wool, so there’ll be plenty of it, and all kinds – sometimes superwash, sometimes hand-wash only, sometimes blended with other fibers, like cashmere, alpaca, or silk.

HYS Color Club, May: BC Garn Loch Lomond + Amy Christoffers’ “Pressed Flowers Shawl” + MDK Field Guide.

Gauge: The yarns will vary in gauge, from lace weight up to DK.

Color: Choose from four color palettes – warm, cool, neutral, or surprise; select a second palette if you’d like a bit more variety throughout the season.

Price, terms and timing:

Cost for HYS Color Club: Summer, local pickup option: $160

Cost for HYS Color Club: Summer, USPS shipping option: $185

Prepay for the first season by Saturday, June 18th, and expect an email in July letting you know that your HYS Color Club order is ready for pickup or shipping. All HYS Color Club sales are final, no returns or exchanges; discounts do not apply.

  • Summer: 1 smaller project in July, 1 larger project in August
  • Autumn: 1 smaller project in October, 1 larger project in November

Sign up for HYS Color Club: Summer using our online order form, answering the following questions:

  • Choose one or two color palettes: warm, cool, neutral, or surprise
  • Ravelry username:

We can’t wait to share what we’ve been cooking up for the HYS Color Club, but each project is a surprise… sign up for Summer by June 18th to join the club!

Traditions Revisited: Modern Estonian Knits, by Aleks Byrd.

Posted by on

Let’s peek inside the newest book from Laine!

Traditions Revisited: Modern Estonian Knits is designer Aleks Byrd’s introduction to Estonian knitting techniques, a collection of richly textured garments and accessories.

Knitted fringe, braids, and bobbles adorn these colorful pieces, along with twisted stitches and roosimine, an Estonian inlay technique that creates the look of embroidery.

Traditions Revisited is $43 – look for it here at our shop, among the latest publications. We’re also happy to take your order online for local pickup or shipping!

Hello, Isager Sock Yarn.

Posted by on

Isager’s newest yarn is here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop – meet Sock Yarn!

Isager Sock Yarn:

  • fingering weight
  • 40% Easy Wash alpaca, 40% Easy Wash merino wool, 20% recycled nylon
  • 423 yards/100g
  • $20 each

Isager Sock Yarn is a soft and sturdy fingering weight yarn made primarily of Easy Wash alpaca and merino wool. An environmentally friendly alternative to superwash, Easy Wash is a treatment that makes animal fibers machine-washable without discharging hazardous chemicals in the process. Like Fibre Co. Amble, Isager Sock Yarn is fortified with recycled nylon for strength, making good use of an industrial byproduct that would otherwise be wasted.

Isager Sock Yarn is smooth and tightly plied, which is key for hard-wearing accessories like socks. I’m knitting a child-sized “Rye Light” sock as an Isager Sock Yarn sample for the shop, appreciating the stitch definition as I work.

Here are some sock patterns to consider, from basic beginner-level socks to intricate texture and color patterns.

Look for Isager Sock Yarn in the fingering weight section here at our shop!

HYS Color Club: Loch Lomond + Pressed Flowers.

Posted by on

The Spring season of HYS Color Club wraps up with a bigger project, a fun change of pace after April’s “Duality” scarf.

Club members got seven skeins of BC Garn Loch Lomond to knit Any Christoffers’ “Pressed Flowers,” a 2-color triangular shawl covered in mosaic stitch flowers.

“Pressed Flowers,” by Amy Christoffers, photo © Amy Christoffers.

A high contrast color combination is important for this project, ensuring that the pattern shows clearly. It was so fun to pick pairs for each of our Club members in these rich, tweedy colorways – I can’t wait to see their shawls take shape!

Of course, you can make a “Pressed Flowers” even if you didn’t join the HYS Color Club – just pick out two colors you love in Loch Lomond or another DK weight yarn.

BC Garn Loch Lomond: DK weight, 2 ply tweed, 100% wool, 170 yards/50 grams; $14 each. For “Pressed Flowers,” you’ll need 4 skeins in Main Color and 3 skeins in Contrast Color.

Come by the shop between 11 – 5:30 pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays to pick your own combination!

Back in stock: Binkwaffles!

Posted by on

We’re so happy to have a fresh supply of Binkwaffle bags on our shelves!

Binkwaffles are colorful, reversible, dumpling-shaped project bags. Knitters and crocheters love them because they’re both functional and whimsical.

Left to right: Bogolan, Candy Blue, Aiden

We have three colorways available in the small size, which is just right for toting a hat, sock, cowl, or pair of mitts in progress.

Small Binkwaffle bags are $48 each – hurry in if there’s a particular print you’d like to snag, these tend to sell quickly! We’re also happy to take your order online for local pickup or shipping – just fill out our online order form.

Laine Magazine, No. 14.

Posted by on

The newest issue of Laine Magazine is here!

Laine Magazine is a publication out of Finland, a knitting and lifestyle magazine with a love of natural fibers as its focus, and a reputation for beautiful designs and tantalizing photography.

This issue is inspired by Nordic summer nights, reflected in lightweight garments and accessories.

We may not have the very yarns called for, but we love finding just the right substitute!

Beyond the patterns, there are seasonal recipes and plenty of good reading.

Laine No. 14 is $30 each – come by the shop or order online for local pickup or shipping! We also have Laine No. 8, No. 10, No. 11, No. 12, and No. 13 in stock, along with some of Laine’s recent books. See you at the shop!

Dream in Color Pop-Up Club: May 2022.

Posted by on

Dream in Color’s Pop Up Club is back! Every month, we’re getting a special new colorway from Dream in Color, a Tucson-based producer of small batch hand-dyed yarns. May’s new limited edition colorway is here while supplies last!

Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere:

  • fingering weight
  • 70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, 10% nylon
  • 400 yards/100g
  • $34 each

May’s special colorway is a delicate pastel somewhere between seafoam and pale blue, with a few bright speckles livening up these otherwise subdued skeins.

We love how the May 2022 color pairs with these semisolid shades of Smooshy Cashmere – perhaps a low contrast “Touchstone” shawl, “Rosemount Shawl,” or “Garter Snake Cowl.”

Look for Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere in the fingering weight section here at our shop! We are open between 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays; you can still order online for local pickup or shipping, as well.

Koigu Collector’s Club: The Marsh.

Posted by on

The Koigu Collector’s Club continues! Each month, we’ll receive 21 skeins of KPPPM in a limited edition color dyed especially for a select group of local yarn stores that carry Koigu. KPPPM is a fingering weight superwash merino, hand-dyed in vibrant colors by mother/daughter team Maie and Taiu Landra on their farm outside of Toronto, Canada.

Koigu KPPPM:

  • fingering weight
  • hand dyed, variegated
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 175 yards/50 g
  • $15.50 each

This month’s limited edition shade is The Marsh, a beachy colorway streaked with shades of aqua, cream, and gray.

Anne spotted the perfect pattern for this or any shade of Koigu KPPPM – Churchmouse’s “Linen Stitch Loop,” a two color cowl that pairs variegated and solid shades for a pixelated effect.

“Linen Stitch Loop,” by Churchmouse Yarns and Teas, photo © Churchmouse Yarns and Teas

There are so many yarns in our fingering weight section here at the shop – here are a few that complement The Marsh!

  • Kelbourne Woolens Perennial: light fingering weight, 60% superwash merino, 25% suri alpaca, 15% nylon, 497 yards/100 g; $26 each
  • Ewe Ewe Fluffy Fingering: fingering weight, 100% superwash merino, 200 yards/50 g; $11 each

  • Punta del Este Mericash Solid: fingering weight, single ply, 80% merino, 20% cashmere, 264 yards/50 gm; $18 each
  • Isager Merilin: light fingering weight, 80% wool, 20% linen, 228 yards/50 g; $11 each

  • Baa Ram Ewe Titus: fingering weight, 70% wool, 30% alpaca, 350 yards/100 g, $29 each
  • Fibre Co. Amble: fingering weight, 70% Easy-wash merino wool, 20% Easy-wash alpaca, and 10% recycled nylon, 355 yards/100g; $23 each

 

Look for Koigu KPPPM in the fingering weight section here at the shop, along with Perennial, Fluffy Fingering, Mericash Solid, Merilin, Titus, Amble, and so much more – see you there!