Author Archives: Julia

Back in stock: Malabrigo Noventa!

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We’re pleased to have a cubby full of Malabrigo Noventa again!

Malabrigo Noventa:

  • super bulky weight
  • single ply
  • hand-dyed
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 90 yards/125 g
  • $24 each

Noventa is plush and squishy, perfectly suited to cold-weather accessories, and one skein makes a hat or cowl in a hurry. Think Alice Dunn Smith’s “Winter Harbor Cowl,” Kristel Nieve’s “Sierra Beanie,” or Andrea Riddle & Lora Marin’s “Noventa Cabled Hat.”

Two skeins makes Churchmouse’s popular “Double Split Color-Blocked Cowl,” a cute and cozy accessory; the two pictured here were knit by Sherri and Linda, respectively.

Below are a few more two-color combinations for “Double Split Color-Blocked Cowl” – can’t wait to see what else folks come up with!

Look for Malabrigo Noventa in the super bulky weight section here at HYS! Visit us between 11am-5:30pm, Tuesdays-Saturdays; masks required for entry.

Sunday and friends.

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Sandnes Garn Sunday has fast become a favorite here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, a soft and springy fingering weight merino wool. Though it’s lovely on its own or held double, it plays well with others – here are some yarn and pattern ideas for holding Sunday together with other yarns!

Sunday + Fyberspates Cumulus

Pattern ideas: garments

Sunday + Isager Silk Mohair

Pattern ideas: hats

Sunday + Malabrigo Mohair

Pattern ideas: cowls, shawls, and scarves

Anne’s “Oslo Hat – mohair edition” in progress, knit with Isager Silk Mohair (color 12) and Sandnes Garn Sunday (color 4632). Pattern by PetiteKnit.

We can’t wait to see what other color combinations and patterns you come up with – see you at the shop!

Grand Shetland Adventure Knits, by Gudrun Johnston & Mary Jane Mucklestone.

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Laine’s latest book has been much anticipated here at HYS; let’s look inside Grand Shetland Adventure Knits ($50), by Gudrun Johnston & Mary Jane Mucklestone!

Grand Shetland Adventure Knits is part travelogue, part knitwear collection, a celebration of Johnston and Mucklestone’s time together on Shetland.

Pick up this book to read essays and travel stories, love letters to Shetland that spotlight these seasoned knitwear designers’ favorite places to visit.

The patterns are beautiful and varied – plenty of stranded colorwork, of course, but also a few lace designs, all knit up in a range of yarns from Shetland and beyond.

Grand Shetland Adventure Knits is $50, and available here at the shop, or order online for local pickup or shipping. Come by to peruse this new title for a bit of armchair travel, and to gather materials for your next project! We hope you find inspiration here.

Hello, Sandnes Garn Double Sunday!

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We’re excited to have another yarn from Norwegian yarn company Sandnes Garn on our shelves: meet Double Sunday!

Sandnes Garn Double Sunday:

  • DK weight
  • 100% merino wool
  • 118 yards/50g
  • $11 each

This springy merino is a thicker version of Sandnes Garn Sunday, and so named because two strands of Sunday knit up at the same gauge as one Double Sunday.

What to knit with Double Sunday? Here are some ideas!

I’ve already swatched and cast on for a PetiteKnit “Sille Slipover” using Double Sunday in black, and I’m thoroughly enjoying this plush yarn, and appreciating the stitch definition.

Look for Double Sunday in the DK weight section here at HYS!

17 years of HYS!

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October 2023 marks the 17 year anniversary of the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, a milestone we’re proud to have reached! Anne’s goal has remained the same since she first opened the shop in 2006: to bring the best natural fiber yarns, tools, and publications to stitchers in the Triangle. By that measure, in my opinion, Anne has succeeded tremendously, and I am so proud to be on her team, spending my days in this special shop.

We like to celebrate with a sale – this Friday and Saturday, October 20 and 21, everything in stock will be 15% off, with the exception of the already discounted yarns in our Sale Trunk. This is the time to treat yourself to some exciting new yarns, splurge on an inspiring book, and save on that special project you’ve been wanting to start this fall.

We’re also giving away our capacious HYS Tote Bags with purchases over $100!

We are still requiring masks in the shop, and no longer accept cash or checks – debit and credit cards only, please. You can read all our in-store shopping policies here. Thanks for your cooperation!

 

A reminder: all sales are final on discounted items; there will be no exchanges or returns. Thanks!

Modern Daily Knitting Field Guide No. 25: Botanica.

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The twenty fifth installment of the Modern Daily Knitting Field Guide series is here!

MDK’s series of Field Guides are pocket-sized booklets focused on a particular theme, knitting technique, or designer. This newest Field Guide features designs by Dee Hardwicke – let’s take a look inside!

Dee Hardwicke is an artist and designer who works in multiple media, including chinaware, mosaics, stationery, and knitting. No matter the mode or material, Hardwicke’s work is colorful, and reflects her great love of the British landscape.

All of these patterns all call for MDK’s own yarn, which we don’t have on our shelves, but Brooklyn Tweed Arbor is a lovely substitute, and we have dozens of colors!

We still have a few copies of Hardwicke’s gorgeous book The Knitted Fabric, published last winter by Laine – pick it up if this Field Guide whets your appetite!

MDK Field Guides are $15.95 each; order online for local pickup or shipping, or come by to shop in person – we’re open from 11am – 5:30 pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Tourmaline.

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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

Tourmaline is a saturated golden orange colorway, with little streaks of olive, red, and pink.

There are so many fun ways to use variegated hand-dyed yarns like Koigu KPPPM – here are a few ideas!

Pair it with another fingering weight yarn in a contrasting color

Hold it together with an alpaca or mohair yarn

Look for Koigu KPPPM, Malabrigo Ultimate Sock, and NFC Studio Sock in the fingering weight section here at the shop, and check out the lace weight section to see Isager Bouclé, Silk Mohair, and Fyberspates Cumulus!

Hello, Brooklyn Tweed Arbor Lodge!

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Another new yarn from Brooklyn Tweed! Meet Arbor Lodge.

Brooklyn Tweed Arbor Lodge: 

  • bulky weight
  • 7-ply worsted spun
  • American Targhee wool
  • 125 yards/100g
  • $33 each

Arbor Lodge is everything you love about Arbor, but bigger. Plush and bouncy American Targhee wool, smooth texture for sharp stitch definition, a balance of softness and durability – Arbor Lodge is ideal for cold weather accessories and garments.

Jared Flood has designed two brand new patterns for Arbor Lodge, the “Biggie Rib Hat” and “Lodge Pullover.”

Brooklyn Tweed Arbor Lodge knits up in the same gauge range as Quarry, BT’s woolen spun bulky weight yarn, so there’s a vast archive of patterns beautifully suited to this new yarn. Here are some ideas from Brooklyn Tweed and independent designers alike!

Accessories:

Garments:

Look for Brooklyn Tweed Arbor Lodge and Quarry in the bulky weight section here at HYS!

Laine Magazine, No. 18.

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Let’s look inside the new issue of Laine!

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 artful photography.

This Autumn 2023 issue is positively bursting with cozy sweaters!

Beyond the knitting patterns, there are seasonal recipes and plenty of good reading, including a profile of knitwear designer and fashion historian Sydney Crabaugh, who specializes in vintage knits and runs her own virtual knitting school.

 

There’s also a lovely piece on Shetland, guided by Mary Jane Mucklestone and Gudrun Johnston. We’re so excited about their upcoming book on the subject – look for it here at our shop later this season!

Laine magazines are $30 each – come by the shop or order online for local pickup or shipping! We also have Laine No. 8 and No. 13 (marked down to 50%, no less!), along with Laine’s recent books, Mouche & Friends, Making Memories, Knitted Kalevala, The Knitted Fabric, and Traditions Revisited. See you at the shop!

“Lento” in Isager Bouclé & fingering weight yarns.

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We’ve got a brand new sweater on display at the shop – here’s my version of Jonna Hietala’s “Lento” pullover knit with Malabrigo Ultimate Sock and Isager Bouclé!

Bouclé is a fine alpaca yarn with one looped ply, which makes a fluffy, textured fabric when combined with the soft and smooth Ultimate Sock.

This yarn pairing is ideal for this simple stockinette pullover. While I was working on it, Anne would ask anyone passing through, “Have you touched Julia’s sweater? It’s so soft!”

I love watching two different yarns come together in a marled project – it always seems to make a fabric that’s more beautiful and intriguing than either yarn would be on its own.

Here are some color combinations in Ultimate Sock and Bouclé that I think would make gorgeous “Lento” pullovers!

  • Isager Bouclé: lace weight, looped bouclé texture, 100% alpaca, 190 yards/50 grams; $11 each
  • Malabrigo Ultimate Sock: fingering weight, hand dyed, variegated and semi-solid colorways, 75% superwash merino wool, 25% nylon, 420 yards/100g; $21 each

Bouclé is unique, but we have many fingering weight yarns to choose from – seeking even more softness? Hold Bouclé together with Isager Alpaca 2!

  • Isager Alpaca 2: light fingering weight, 50% alpaca, 50% wool, 275 yards/50 g; $12 each

Perhaps, like me, you prefer a bit of structure in your sweaters – look to Brooklyn Tweed Tones Light.

  • Brooklyn Tweed Tones Light: fingering weight, woolen-spun 2 ply, overdyed, 100% Columbia wool, 225 yards/50g; $16.75 each

Look for Isager Bouclé in the lace weight section here at our shop, and browse our entire fingering weight section for just the right match to make a “Lento” of your own!