We just got shipments from Della Q and Namaste full of colorful cases to help you make sense of your knitting needles. As knitters, our needle collections are ever-expanding and in need of some order, a need that these cases answer in style. A bonus: get your needles organized, and you’re far less likely to accidentally buy … [more]
We are often asked how best to store yarn and woolens so that moths aren’t tempted to chew them up. Our stashes, whether of shiny new skeins or well-loved hand-knit sweaters, are precious, and a moth infestation would be distressing, indeed. Clean woolens stored in air-tight containers are safest from moths; cedar and lavender are sweet-smelling moth-deterrents, … [more]
Whether you use a row counter, paper and pen, an app on your phone, or some other method, we all need to keep track of where we are in a pattern when we’re knitting. Simple instructions may require nothing more than your own short term memory (like “work in 2×2 rib until piece measures 2.5 … [more]
I’ve written before about caring for my hand-knit socks, which includes washing a big bunch of them weekly by hand. So much time and care goes into each pair of socks, and they tend to see the most wear and tear of my handmade wardrobe, so when it comes to washing them, I try to … [more]
Back in December, holiday gift-shoppers wiped out our supply of Wool Trees. I’m happy to report that we now have them back on our shelves, in both maple and walnut. These handsome, hand-crafted yarn-ball controllers are exactly the kind of small luxury that one might deny oneself, which makes them perfect gifts. Remember Wool Trees … [more]
Blocking is a frequently recurring subject of conversation around the shop. What is blocking, and why do we do it? And perhaps more importantly: how do we do it? Many knitters are unsure about this last step, afraid they’ll somehow do it wrong and ruin their shawls or sweaters. Let us assure you: blocking is … [more]
Every so often, we place an order with Lantern Moon, a company that supports artisans in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Bali, Indonesia. Their handcrafted tools and accessories are as aesthetically pleasing as they are functional, perfectly suited to knitters and crocheters, who seem to love their tools along with their craft. This order brought rice baskets, silk … [more]
The holiday shopping season is upon us! Those of you shopping for special gifts for knitters and crocheters may find yourself at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, seeking goodies for the fiber-lovers you love. Yarn is always welcome, of course, but it can be hard to choose yarn for someone else, especially if you’re not sure … [more]
Knowing that there was new roving coming from Malabrigo, we thought that new drop spindles were in order, as well. We went to market in June looking for a source for beautiful wooden drop spindles and found it in Wool Tree Mill. Wool Tree Mill is a family-run business out of California, and all of … [more]
Last year, we ended the summer with a reorganization of the shop. We kicked off the Fall season by sorting every skein of yarn by suggested gauge, giving ourselves just four days to go from semi-order to total chaos to a tidy, intuitively organized shop. It was hard work, but we made it, and our … [more]