Tag Archives: bluefaced leicester

Sale of the Week: Baa Ram Ewe Titus!

Posted by on

Though we’re keeping our doors closed during May, we’re still virtually open for mail orders, and we want to offer something fun during this uncertain time. Throughout May, we’ll have a special sale each week – 15% off a featured yarn, our Sale of the Week!

Our next Sale of the Week is 15% off Baa Ram Ewe Titus, from May 1 – 7!

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. Clara Parkes described it as having “the drape and softness of a sleeping cat,” which captured our imagination almost as much as the story of the yarn. Titus is an attempt to revive Britain’s diminishing textile industry by relying on UK-sourced wools and UK yarn manufacturers. Considering North Carolina’s own textile history, this story resonated, and it wasn’t long before we had boxes of Titus coming into the shop. Since then, Titus has been warmly embraced by knitters, crocheters, and weavers all over the world, and the palette has expanded considerably.

Each 100 gram skein has 350 yards, enough for a hat, cowl, or pair of mitts. Usually, skeins are $29 each; at 15% off, they’re $24.65 each.

We’ve seen so many beautiful garments and accessories knit in Titus over the years – here are a few ideas:

“Carpino,” by Carol Feller – a mesh-lace pullover using 3 – 5 skeins of Titus

“Bousta Beanie,” by Gudrun Johnston – a colorwork hat using 1 skein each of Titus in 3 colors

“Whitlam Cowl,” by Jo Spreckly – a lace cowl using 1 skein of Titus

“Minetta,” by Kirsten Kapur – a cabled cardigan using 3 – 6 skeins of Titus

“Dexter,” by Isabell Kraemer – a raglan cardigan using 3 – 5 skeins of Titus

“Color Affection,” by Veera Välimäki – a striped short-row shawl using 1 skein each of Titus in 3 colors

Get in touch with us by May 7 to get 15% off Baa Ram Ewe Titus – thanks so much for continuing to support our small business!

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

Hello, Winterburn DK.

Posted by on

We’re delighted to announce that we now carry Baa Ram Ewe Winterburn DK!

Baa Ram Ewe is a small yarn company out of Yorkshire with a noble aim: to revitalize the textile industry in their region by sourcing, spinning, and dyeing their yarns entirely in the UK.

Winterburn DK is a 50%/50% blend of Bluefaced Leicester and Masham wools, two English longwool breeds that bring their signature bounce and luster to this yarn. It’s soft but wooly, springy with a bit of drape – an excellent choice for sweater making and accessories alike.

All twenty colors are here, begging to be combined in colorwork, if you ask me – it makes me want to pull out my copy of Tin Can Knits’ Strange Brew!

What else to make with Winterburn DK? Consider Thea Colman’s “Herbsaint” pullover, Isabell Kraemer’s “Norderney” and “Ready for Fall” pullovers, Janina Kallio’s “Flowers of Winter” shawl, or for something more whimsical, check out Ella Austin’s “Fancy Hen” and “Plum Pudding Pig.” All of those patterns were designed either with Winterburn DK or Dovestone DK, the sadly discontinued yarn that this new one was modeled after. Of course, you can also use Winterburn DK wherever DK weight wool is called for – check out our “DK weight” Pinterest board for a few ideas!

Look for Winterburn DK here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop!

West Yorkshire Spinners holiday colorways!

Posted by on

Each year, British yarn company West Yorkshire Spinners creates a special holiday colorway in their Signature 4ply sock yarn. This year they made three – Robin was the first to arrive, and now Holly Berry and Fairy Lights!

Signature 4ply is West Yorkshire Spinners’ self-patterning sock yarn, composed of machine-washable bluefaced leicester wool and nylon, for strength. These colorful skeins are dyed in such a way that the yarn creates a color pattern when you knit it in a small width or circumference, such as a scarf, pair of socks or mitts. No matter what stitch pattern you use, colorwork comes out as you knit, entertaining you as you knit even the simplest of projects.

Along with these two new colors came complementary solid colors, drawing some of the more prominent shades out of these festive colorways.

How to use the self-patterning skeins along with the solid ones? Trim your patterned socks with stripes, solid cuffs, heels, and toes. WYS is offering just such a pattern for free with each purchase of Robin, Holly Berry, or Fairy Lights – ask us for a copy when you pick up a skein!

Look for WYS Signature 4ply here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop!

New from West Yorkshire Spinners: Robin.

Posted by on

Each year, British yarn company West Yorkshire Spinners creates a special holiday colorway in their Signature 4ply sock yarn, and this year we’re expecting three. The first of the bunch has arrived – meet Robin!

Signature 4ply is West Yorkshire Spinners’ self-patterning sock yarn, composed of machine-washable bluefaced leicester wool and nylon, for strength. These colorful skeins are dyed in such a way that the yarn creates a color pattern when you knit it in a small width or circumference, such as a scarf, pair of socks or mitts. No matter what stitch pattern you use, colorwork comes out as you knit, entertaining you as you knit even the simplest of projects.

Robin flew in with three complementary solid colors, drawing some of the more prominent shades out of this autumnal colorway – bright red, pumpkin orange, and slate gray.

As I unpacked these new colors, I admired how versatile they are, how well they pair with other shades of WYS Signature 4ply beyond Robin.

How to use the self-patterning skeins along with the solid ones? Trim your patterned socks with solid cuffs, heels, and toes. WYS is offering just such a pattern for free with each purchase of Robin – ask us for a copy when you pick up a skein!

Look for WYS Signature 4ply in our fingering weight section here at the shop!

Dream in Color Sock-It Club: August.

Posted by on

The Dream in Color Sock-It Club is back! This time around, each limited edition skein comes with a 100-yard mini skein for coordinating heels and toes.

August’s colorway is a variegated mix of purple, orange, pink and red, a vivid combination inspired by photos of Antelope Canyon in Dream in Color’s home state, Arizona.

The semi-solid mini-skein that accompanies it is somewhere between cobalt and ultraviolet.

The base is Bobby BFL, a tightly-plied fingering weight yarn that’s ideal for sock knitting, composed of 85% superwash Bluefaced Leicester wool and 15% nylon for strength.

Look for these limited edition skein sets in our fingering weight section while supplies last!

Dream in Color Pop Up! Club: April.

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. April’s new limited edition colorway was somewhat delayed, but we’re pleased to announce that it’s here while supplies last!

Dream in Color Bonny is the featured yarn this month, a soft and squishy base of 2ply superwash merino. April’s colorway pairs ivory and pastels with bold streaks of blue, fuschia, and orange.

We also got in some special Dream in Color BFL Cash & Silk for Local Yarn Store Day this past Saturday.

The variegated Grand Canyon Centennial colorway pairs beautifully with any of these semi-solid shades for a “Riotous” or “Magical Thinking” shawl.

You’ll find these limited edition colorways in the fingering weight section here at our shop, and hurry in if you want to snag one – these special Dream in Color shades don’t last long!

Dream in Color Sock-It Club, part three.

Posted by on

Dream in Color’s Sock-It Club has arrived again! Every month from July to November, we’re getting sock yarn in a special new colorway from Dream in Color, a Tuscon-based producer of small batch hand-dyed yarns.

September’s limited edition Sock-It Club colorway is dyed on BFL Sock, a fingering weight blend of bluefaced leicester wool and nylon, with 420 yards on each 4 oz skein. BFL is naturally sturdy, but the addition of nylon makes it even more so: perfect for a special pair of socks.

Look for this limited edition colorway in the fingering weight section here at the shop!

Dream in Color Sock-It Club, part one.

Posted by on

We’re happy to announce that we’re participating in Dream in Color’s Sock-It Club! That means that every month from July to November, we’re getting sock yarn in a special new colorway from Dream in Color, a Tuscon-based producer of small batch hand-dyed yarns.

Our July shipment did, in fact, arrive in July, but it sold right out in two days! In light of this positive response, we decided to increase the number of skeins we’ll receive through the rest of the club, and ordered some extra July skeins for good measure. So, if you saw this colorway on Instagram a couple of weeks ago and didn’t make it to the shop in time to snag a skein, here’s a second chance!

The limited edition Sock-It Club colorway is dyed on BFL Sock, a fingering weight blend of bluefaced leicester wool and nylon, with 420 yards on each 4 oz skein. BFL is naturally sturdy, but the addition of nylon makes it even more so: perfect for a special pair of socks.

Look for this limited edition colorway in the fingering weight section here at the shop!

Hello, West Yorkshire Spinners Signature 4ply.

Posted by on

I’m happy to announce that a new sock yarn has found a home here at the shop! Meet Signature 4ply, from West Yorkshire Spinners.

West Yorkshire Spinners is a yarn company in the UK, and like Baa Ram Ewe, their focus is on producing high quality yarns from British wool, and revitalizing the textile industry in their home of Yorkshire.

Signature 4ply is their self-patterning sock yarn, composed of machine-washable bluefaced leicester wool and nylon, for strength. These colorful skeins are dyed in such a way that the yarn creates a color pattern when you knit it in a small width or circumference, such as a scarf, pair of socks or mitts. No matter what stitch pattern you use, colorwork comes out as you knit, entertaining you as you knit even the simplest of projects.

Look for WYS Signature 4ply in our fingering weight section here at the shop!

Hello, Dovestone Natural Chunky.

Posted by on

Another exciting new yarn has arrived to entice us: meet Dovestone Natural Chunky!

Dovestone Natural Chunky is the latest from Baa Ram Ewe, a small yarn company out of Yorkshire. Their noble aim is to revitalize the textile industry in their region by sourcing and spinning their yarns entirely in the UK.

Dovestone Natural Chunky is made of the same good stuff as Dovestone DK and Dovestone Natural Aran: 50% bluefaced leicester, 25% masham, and 25% wensleydale wools, spun into a soft and fuzzy single ply. It’s delightfully wooly, quick to knit at a suggested gauge of 3.5 stitches per inch, and comes in 5 undyed colors, the natural shades of the sheep.

There’s a beautiful new book to go with it, too – Learn to Knit at Home, by Alison Moreton.

Aimed at new knitters, it covers the basic stitches and techniques, then offers a variety of beginner-friendly patterns for accessories, home goods, and even a few garments, all knit with Dovestone Natural Aran and Chunky.

Learn to Knit at Home is a reminder of how very beautiful simple knits and purls can be. It would make such an excellent gift for an aspiring knitter, along with a few balls of Dovestone yarn to work with!

Come by the shop to see what’s new from Baa Ram Ewe, and to peruse their other yarns, as well. See you there!