Tag Archives: alpaca

Shibui Sample of the Month: Tempo.

Posted by on

November is here, and with it, a new Shibui Sample of the Month! We offer a 10% discount on Shibui yarn purchased for our featured sample until the end of the month.

This month’s sample is “Tempo,” a two-color cowl knit with Shibui Maai. Maai is a DK weight blend of alpaca and merino, soft and lofty due to its chainette construction. This yarn has tremendous elasticity, making it a pleasure to work with and to wear. The colorwork effect is achieved through slipped stitches, a technique that requires using only one color of yarn per row.

Come by the shop this month to see “Tempo” and get Shibui Maai at 10% off to make one of your own!

 

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

New colors in Fibre Company Tundra.

Posted by on

Last week brought four new colors in the Fibre Company’s fluffy Tundra, a super soft blend of alpaca, merino, and silk.

Thusfar, all the glorious shades of Tundra have been solid, sometimes flickering with a bit of hand-dyed variation. We were surprised and excited to find two new speckled shades in last week’s box, each with its own related solid color.

Tundra is ideal for luxurious winter accessories, so keep it in mind as quick-to-make gifts begin to top your to-do list. Think “Arctic Circle,” “Tallin,” “Twin Leaf Loop,” for everyone loves a cozy cowl, no?

Look for Tundra in the bulky weight section here at the shop!

New colors from Isager.

Posted by on

Some yarn companies create new colors for their existing lines each season, or each year. Isager has never done it that way, instead sticking with a tried-and-true color palette for each yarn that truly has a personality, a voice all its own. Every now and then, however, Isager surprises us with a few new shades, and I’m happy to report that they’ve just expanded both Alpaca 1 and Alpaca 2!

Alpaca 1 is a lace weight yarn made of 100% alpaca which is spun in Peru. Often, Isager patterns pair this yarn with Isager Spinni, Tvinni, Highland, or Alpaca 2, to make thicker fabrics and unique color or fiber blends. Think “Camomille,” “The Fan,” or the “Tokyo” shawl kit.

These 5 new shades are complex heathers, each one composed of several colors blended together before spinning. As such, they appear solid from a distance, but up close reveal a variety of colors – perfect for lace, texture patterns, or simple stripes. These new colors fit right into the existing Alpaca 1 palette, filling spaces we didn’t know were empty, and giving us new ideas for color combinations.

The same can be said for the 5 new shades of Alpaca 2, which seem to call out for inclusion in a “Stole.”

Alpaca 2 is a soft and fuzzy blend of merino and alpaca in a fingering weight, and as I’ve written here on the blog so many times, it’s a real favorite at our shop, year in and year out. If you’ve never used it before, come by the shop to see it in person, pet our “Stole” sample, and see if you’re not moved to cast one on. We’ve got plenty of Isager pattern books to peruse here, too, including the Helga Isager’s newest collection, The Artisan. Our first stack of these books sold out in a flash, but I’m happy to report that they’re now back in stock.

See you at the shop!

Back in stock: Isager Alpaca 2.

Posted by on

Isager Alpaca 2 is a staple here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. Year in, year out, we aim to have every available color on the shelf in the fingering weight section, for there is a steady demand for this fuzzy blend of merino and alpaca. A big box of the stuff arrived yesterday, bringing some bestselling colors back into stock.

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 elegant results.

We’ve seen all manner of Stole variations, and whether they’re knit in the original nine shades or a kaleidoscope of unique combinations, slimmed down into scarves or expanded into blankets, everything seems to work.

I still get a kick out of watching knitters select their colors, moving the skeins this way and that, stepping back and squinting for perspective.

I still get a kick out of playing that color game myself, some afternoons, especially quiet afternoons as I’m unpacking a box of Isager Alpaca 2.

If a ribbed rectangle isn’t your idea of a good time, check out these other colorful fingering weight patterns, where Isager Alpaca 2 would be equally at home:

Look for more ideas on our Fingering weight Pinterest board, and come by the shop to play the color game and plan your next project!

Hello, Malabrigo Dos Tierras.

Posted by on

We’re excited to announce that Malabrigo’s newest yarn has arrived: meet Dos Tierras!

Though those vibrant hand-dyed colors look like classic Malabrigo, Dos Tierras is something new and distinct: a DK weight yarn with Peruvian baby alpaca blended into their well-loved Uruguayan merino wool.

Each 100 gram skein has 210 yards, enough for a pair of mitts, hat, or small cowl.

Look for pattern ideas on our “DK weight” Pinterest board, and look for Dos Tierras in the DK weight section here at the shop!

New colors from Baa Ram Ewe.

Posted by on

The folks at UK yarn company Baa Ram Ewe dreamed up three new colors for their Titus and Dovestone DK yarns, and I’m happy to report that we now have them on our shelves here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop!

Dovestone DK is a dk weight blend of 50% bluefaced leicester, 25% masham, and 25% wensleydale wools, all sourced and spun in the UK. It’s a nice big 100 gram hank with 252 yards, plenty for a hat, pair of mitts, or small cowl.

For pattern ideas, look to Carol Feller’s Dovestone Hills booklet, Kate Davies’ Buachaille, and our “DK weight” board on Pinterest. I think Dovestone DK is a particularly good sweater yarn; I made an “Epistrophy” cardigan with it absolutely loved the combination of pattern and yarn. Also consider Isabel Kraemer’s “Ready for fall” pullover, Churchmouse’s “Library Vest,” and tincanknits’ “Clayoquot” pullover.

The two yarns take the dye differently, coming out heathered in Dovestone DK, but bright and clear in Titus.

Titus is a fingering weight blend of 50% wensleydale wool, 30% alpaca, and 20% bluefaced leicester wool.

There’s plenty of pattern inspiration for Titus to be found on our “Fingering weight” Pinterest board, of course, and we’ve seen some beautiful Titus projects here on the blog over the years.

Come by the shop to see the full range of colors in Baa Ram Ewe Titus, Dovestone DK, and Dovestone Natural Aran. See you there!

Shibui Sample of the Month: Mix No. 23.

Posted by on

January is here, and with it, a new Shibui Sample of the Month! We offer a 10% discount on Shibui yarns purchased for our featured sample til the end of the month.

This month’s featured sample is one of our own, a “Mix No. 23” cowl that Amy knit. This reversible double-knit cowl was designed by Lidia Tsymbal, and knit with Shibui Cima held double throughout.

I knit a “Mix No. 23” for myself a couple of years ago, and it served as my introduction to Shibui and to double knitting. It’s by far my favorite handknit accessory, I wear it every day of the winter and most of the fall and spring. Knitters often ask me if it’s difficult to do, and though “difficult” is in the eye of the beholder, I’d consider this a bit of a challenge, but a rewarding one. The double-knit chart took a bit of getting used to, and it was a few long rows before I realized how I was making two pieces of fabric at once. Since both colors are in use on every row, I found it really useful to hold one color in my right hand and one in my left as I worked.

We’re offering a 10% discount on Cima purchased for this project til the end of the month, so come by the shop to start a “Mix No. 23” of your own before January 31st!

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

New colors in Canopy Fingering.

Posted by on

Back in June, we selected new shades in Fibre Company Canopy Fingering, a luxurious fingering weight blend of alpaca, merino, and bamboo. One or two of those colors arrived shortly thereafter, but the rest were on backorder, so our small basket of Canopy Fingering remained nearly-empty. Then just last week, a box arrived from Kelbourne Woolens, packed up tight with our Canopy Fingering order, and this small basket looks so much happier!

img_1996

Earlier this year, I knit a “3 Color Cashmere Cowl” with Canopy Fingering, and though it contains no cashmere, it’s perfectly suited to the pattern due to its drapey nature and soft hand.

DSCN5923

My first impulse upon unpacking these new shades of Canopy Fingering was to make trios with this cowl in mind. Here’s a combination very close to what I used for the cowl above, brightened with a pop of blue: Macaw, Manatee, and Chiclet Tree.

dscn6387

Below are Obsidian, Crocus, and Purple Passion, for those who love purple.

dscn6390

For the next trio, I kept Obsidion for contrast but swapped out the purples for warmer, brighter shades, Red Ginger and Mango.

dscn6388

What colors would you pull from this candy-colored basket? Come by the shop to play the color game as you plan your next project!

img_1995

New colors in Baa Ram Ewe Titus.

Posted by on

Yes, those four new shades in Dovestone DK also came in Titus, Baa Ram Ewe’s signature yarn.

img_2010

Titus is a fingering weight blend of alpaca, wensleydale, and bluefaced leicester wools, sourced and spun entirely in the UK. We’re proud to have been the first US stockist of the stuff, back in 2012 when it came in just one color. Since then, Titus has been warmly embraced by knitters, crocheters, and weavers all over the world, and the palette has expanded considerably. Here’s just a sliver.

img_2011

Beyond this group of colors, there are a range of blues, neutrals, pastels, and others. This growing collection of shades makes me think colorwork, my favorite knitting technique. To that end, I’m happy to report that we recently got two new colorwork sweater patterns designed for Titus by Marie Wallin.

14457562_1219333944798720_7133729474468753724_n

Look for even more Titus inspiration on our “Fingering weight” Pinterest board. Come by the shop to see the full selection of Titus, and three shop samples knit with this special stuff to give you a tangible sense of the possibilities!

Hello, Fibre Company Tundra.

Posted by on

Meet the newest yarn here at the shop, and the star of our current trunk show: Fibre Company Tundra.

dscn6318

Tundra is not a new yarn for the Fibre Company, but it’s one we haven’t had in stock before. This smooth and lustrous yarn is composed of 60% alpaca, 30% merino, and 10% silk. Most of the colors are bright and saturated, though we made sure to bring in a few cool neutrals, too.

dscn6317

Tundra is a bulky weight yarn, ideal for luxurious winter accessories, so keep it in mind as quick-to-make gifts begin to top your to-do list.

dscn6320 dscn6321

Kelbourne Woolens’ Tundra Collection is full of patterns that fit the bill, and if you hurry in, you can see them on display here at the shop and get Tundra at 10% off during the trunk show. See you there!

dscn6316

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