Tag Archives: alpaca

Hello, Isager Bouclé!

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We’re pleased to introduce a brand new yarn from Isager – meet Bouclé!

Isager Bouclé:

  • lace weight
  • looped bouclé texture
  • 100% alpaca
  • 190 yards/50 grams
  • $11 each

Isager is a Danish yarn company led by designers and co-owners Marianne Isager and her daughter, Helga Isager. They are known for their sophisticated color palette, and for combining yarns to create unique fiber and color blends.

Bouclé is a fine alpaca yarn with one looped ply, which makes a fluffy, textured fabric. It especially shines when held together with a smooth yarn, enhancing simple stockinette.

While we wait for the Isager design team to release patterns for this intriguing new yarn, I’ve been swatching to satisfy my curiosity. I began with US 5 needles and a single strand of Bouclé, and while the fabric was pleasing, the yarn was a little tricky to work with. When I moved up to a US 9 and added a strand of smooth fingering weight yarn, it became much easier to manage, and the fabric that came out was soft and fluffy, like a teddy bear.

Though I kept swatching, through a few more needle sizes and a colorwork motif from Anne Ventzel’s very appealing “Robinia Sweater,” it was the teddy bear fabric I kept coming back to. The gauge was a match for Jonna Hietala’s “Lento” pullover, which is what I’m making now, holding Bouclé together with Malabrigo Ultimate Sock.

Here are some other pattern ideas for Isager Bouclé, when held together with a fingering weight yarn:

Look for Isager Bouclé in the lace weight section here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, along with many other Isager yarns – Alpaca 2, Highland Wool, Sock Yarn, and more!

Back in stock: Isager Alpaca 2.

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Over the past month or so, we’ve replenished our supply of Isager Alpaca 2 twice, bringing some bestselling colors back into stock – 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!

Isager Alpaca 2:

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

Anne’s 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.

Rather than work each stripe to a specific measurement or number of rows, Anne knit until each ball of yarn ran out, then began the next color that suited her, using only 8 shades, rather than the suggested 9. It’s easy to adjust the thickness of the stripes or the size of the piece, making it narrower or wider than the pattern dictates. Anne’s  “Stole” is decidedly wider, leaning towards blanket-sized, in fact.

With over thirty colors to choose from, each “Stole” is unique – come by the shop to put together your very own colorway!

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

Baa Ram Ewe, now on sale!

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Everything in the shop is 15% off during July, our Annual Inventory Sale month, but there are a few items we’ve marked down even further – including every yarn we carry from Baa Ram Ewe, now 40% off!

We’ve been carrying Baa Ram Ewe here at the shop for over a decade, and we’ve always loved working with their breed specific wools, which were thoughtfully produced and sourced entirely in the UK. Both Titus and Winterburn DK are now discontinued, so we’re sending them off with a sale!

  • Baa Ram Ewe Titus: fingering weight, 50% Wensleydale longwool, 20% Bluefaced Leicester, 30% UK alpaca, 350 yards/100 g, $29 each; $17.40 on sale

Close up on Veera Välimäki’s “Color Affection,” knit with Baa Ram Ewe Titus

Churchmouse “Vineyard Cowl & Beanie,” knit with Baa Ram Ewe Winterburn DK

Come by during July to get a great deal on Baa Ram Ewe and all your favorite yarns, needles, notions, books and magazines! We’re open from 11am – 5:30 pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays; masks required for entry.

Just a reminder – all sales are final on discounted items; there can be no exchanges, returns, or special orders. Thanks!

Oslo Hat, No-Mohair Edition.

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I just finished up another new sample for the shop, PetiteKnit’s oh-so-popular “Oslo Hat – Mohair Edition,” though mine doesn’t contain any mohair to speak of.

For this hat, I paired Kelbourne Woolens Perennial and Fyberspates Cumulus, a brushed alpaca that emulates mohair’s fuzzy halo. These two alpaca blends are each very soft in their own right, but together are impossibly cuddly – you must touch this hat for yourself!

My sample “Oslo Hat – Mohair Edition” blends Perennial in Raspberry with Cumulus in Plum – here are a few more color ideas.

The simplicity of PetiteKnit’s “Oslo Hat – Mohair Edition” lends itself to variegated yarns, too, which are softened when held together with a fuzzy lace weight yarn – here are a few color ideas pairing Koigu KPPPM with Cumulus!

Look for Cumulus in our lace weight section and Perennial and KPPPM in our fingering weight section – we’re open 11am-5:30pm, Tuesdays-Saturdays. We do require masks for entry – thanks for your cooperation, see you at the shop!

Back in stock: Fibre Co. Amble!

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We’re delighted to have a fresh supply of Fibre Co. Amble here at the shop!

Fibre Co. Amble:

  • fingering weight
  • solid and heathered colors
  • 70% Easy-wash merino wool, 20% Easy-wash alpaca, and 10% recycled nylon
  • 355 yards/100g
  • $23 each

Amble is a unique and eco-friendly sock yarn. The thoughtful folks at Fibre Co. selected these Easy-wash fibers because they are processed without the use of hazardous chemicals, yet are still easy to care for and resist shrinking in the wash.

Kate Atherley’s “One Sock” was designed especially for Fibre Co. Amble, a classic top-down sock in all sizes, with lots of opportunities for customization. One skein of Amble is enough for most sizes, but check the pattern description on Ravelry for yardage requirements, as the two largest sizes require a second skein.

What else to make with Amble? Here are some ideas!

Look for Fibre Co. Amble in the fingering weight section here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop! We’re open from 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays; masks are required for entry.

Isager Alpaca 2 + Vertices Unite.

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Isager Alpaca 2 has a particularly harmonious color palette – each shade is lovely on its own, but they are even happier in combination. Looking through multi-color projects on Ravelry, Stephen West’s “Vertices Unite” caught my eye – a five color shawl in two sizes, composed of various geometric shapes that build on one another as you knit, in a playful modular fashion.

“Vertices Unite,” by Stephen West, photo © Stephen West

Stephen West is well known for his whimsical and sometimes wild use of color, but this particular piece is more muted. Inspired by this colorway and by the yarn itself, I’ve created some “Vertices Unite” combinations of my own, using Isager Alpaca 2.

Isager Alpaca 2: light fingering weight, 50% alpaca, 50% wool, 275 yards/50 g; $12 each, $60 for bundles of 5 to make the small size shown above.

Come by the shop to put together a “Vertices Unite” colorway of your own; we have 30 shades of Isager Alpaca 2 to choose from! We are still taking online orders as well, so if any of these color combinations grabs you, order online for local pickup or shipping.

Cumulus and friends.

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Fyberspates Cumulus is the newest yarn here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, a soft and fluffy lace weight alpaca/silk blend. Though it’s lovely on its own, it plays well with others – here are some yarn and pattern ideas for holding Cumulus together with heavier yarns!

Cumulus + fingering weight:

Cumulus is shown here with Isager Alpaca 2 and Kelbourne Woolens Cricket (above) and Isager Merilin and Kelbourne Woolens Perennial (below).

Cumulus + DK weight:

Cumulus is shown here with Fibre Co. Acadia and Brooklyn Tweed Arbor (above), and Kelbourne Woolens Scout and Isager Jensen (below).

Cumulus + worsted weight:

Cumulus is shown here with Malabrigo Rios and Berroco Ultra Alpaca (above), and Brooklyn Tweed Tones and Shelter (below). 

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

Hello, Fyberspates Cumulus!

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Meet our newest addition, Fyberspates Cumulus!

Fyberspates Cumulus:

  • lace weight
  • 74% baby Suri alpaca, 26% mulberry silk
  • 164 yards/25g
  • $8.60 each

Cumulus is a soft and fuzzy lace weight yarn, a lovely alternative to mohair for those who find it itchy. Use a single strand of Cumulus for lightweight shawls and sweaters, or pair it with a heavier yarn for more substantial garments with that fluffy halo that’s become so popular of late. Check out our blog post about Isager Silk Mohair for pattern ideas to that end, and keep an eye out for an upcoming post showing color and yarn combinations in Cumulus!

Today, we’ll let Cumulus take center stage and feature patterns for a single strand of this irresistibly soft yarn.

What to knit with Cumulus? Here are some pattern ideas!

Look for Fyberspates Cumulus in the lace weight section here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop!

Back in stock: Isager Alpaca 3.

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Once again, PetiteKnit has made Isager yarn popular enough to clear our shelves. Having nearly sold out of Alpaca 3 in the past month or so, we are relieved to announce that we now have a fresh supply!

Isager Alpaca 3:

  • bulky weight
  • chainette
  • 50% alpaca, 50% wool
  • 137 yards/50 grams
  • $10 each

Due to it’s chainette construction, Alpaca 3 is soft, lofty, and highly elastic – a pleasure to work with, all told.

“Novice Cardigan – Chunky Edition,” by PetiteKnit, photo © PetiteKnit.

Though it’s lovely on its own, it’s irresistibly soft when paired with Isager Silk Mohair, as PetiteKnit knows well.

“Sunday Sweater,” by PetiteKnit, photo © PetiteKnit.

Here are a few color combinations to consider when planning a “Sunday Sweater,” “Novice Sweater – Chunky Edition,” “Novice Cardigan – Chunky Edition,” or “Holiday Slipover.”

If mohair isn’t your thing, you can substitute Isager Alpaca 1, a lace weight 100% alpaca yarn. It will add a little weight to the Alpaca 3, and can alter the color if you like, but won’t be as fuzzy as Silk Mohair.

Come by the shop to see and touch these yarns for yourself, and plan your next project! Look for Silk Mohair and Alpaca 1 in the lace weight section, and Alpaca 3 in the bulky weight section.

Back in stock: Kelbourne Woolens Perennial.

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We’ve got a fresh supply of Kelbourne Woolens Perennial, a super soft merino/alpaca blend that comes in juicy bright colors!

Kelbourne Woolens Perennial:

  • light fingering weight
  • 60% superwash merino, 25% Suri alpaca, 15% nylon
  • 497 yards/100g
  • $26 each

The folks at Kelbourne Woolens have designed Perennial to be something of a staple: soft from the alpaca but sturdy from the nylon, easy care on account of the superwash merino, suitable for all kinds of projects.

We’ve seen beautiful sweaters, shawls, and baby things made in Perennial – here are some pattern ideas!

Look for Perennial here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, along with these other Kelbourne Woolens yarns – Camper, Cricket, Andorra, Mojave, Scout, Germantown, Lucky Tweed, and Germantown Bulky!