Tag Archives: books

Knit, by Alice Hoyle of ROWS.

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A brand new book landed at our shop last week – let’s page through Knit: Dynamic patterns and techniques for creative making, by Alice Hoyle of ROWS!

Alice Hoyle is an English knitwear designer based in Amsterdam, and the creative mind behind ROWS. She sells knitting patterns as well as handknit garments and accessories, combining colors, textures, and yarns in unexpected, eye-catching ways.

You may recognize these “Static Mittens” – Bailey knit a pair using Sandnes Garn Double Sunday, a soft and springy merino wool. Head to our blog to read more about the project and see color ideas, and look for Bailey’s mittens on display here at our shop!

Knit is more than just patterns, however – Hoyle also covers yarn selection, intriguing stitch patterns, and includes tutorials and techniques for using scrap yarn.

I thought about yarn selection as I looked through Knit, picking some of our favorite yarns that would be well suited to these patterns – sharp stitch definition for texture patterns, colors to emulate Hoyle’s own color choices, washable yarn for a cozy blanket, and so on.

Brooklyn Tweed Tones

Malabrigo Rios, Sandnes Garn Double Sunday, and Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift

Berroco Ultra Wool

Look for Knit: Dynamic patterns and techniques for creative making here at HYS!

Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit & Crochet Blankets.

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We’re thrilled to have the latest book from Brooklyn Tweed: Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit & Crochet Blankets!

What could be more delightful than cuddling up under a handmade blanket? There are over 20 patterns in this new collection, all made in our favorite Brooklyn Tweed yarns!

For this book, BT founder Jared Flood is joined by a star-studded list of contributors, including Ainur Berkimbayeva, Aistė Butkevičienė, Emma Ducher, Rastus Hsu, Joanna Ignatius, Pauliina Leisti, Tokuko Ochiai, Boann Petersen, Seth Richardson, Scott Rohr, Hiroka Shinokawa, Stefanie Sichler, Lis Smith, Orlane Sucche, Meri Tanaka, Amy van de Laar, and Vincent Williams Jr.

Each chapter presents cozy designs that range in complexity, style, and size; there are blankets here for a variety of aesthetics and skill levels. We are dazzled by the array of colors, patterns, and designs in Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit & Crochet Blankets, and eager to cast on.

Look for Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit & Crochet Blankets here at HYS, and in our new online store!

KnitOvation, by Andrea Rangel.

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Andrea Rangel is back with another collection of modern colorwork motifs! Let’s look inside KnitOvation.

Like Rangel’s first book, Alterknits, KnitOvation is a playful collection of non-traditional colorwork stitch patterns, with geometric and figural patterns alike – from floral and op-art motifs to dinosaurs, penguins, and rubber duckies.

Besides motifs, Rangel also offers advice on selecting yarn and colors for stranded colorwork, showing how different fibers affect the knitted fabric.

There are also a handful of accessory and garment designs that illustrate how the motifs can be used, and new tutorials on using charts and adding flourishes with duplicate stitch.

Along with KnitOvation, we have Rangel’s AlterKnit in stock, and two more colorwork stitch dictionaries from Mary Jane Mucklestone.

In both 200 Fair Isle Motifs and 150 Scandinavian Motifs, Mucklestone organizes her motifs by the number of rows and stitches in each pattern repeat, making it easy to find a pattern that divides evenly into the number of stitches you’re working with on any given project. Each chart is shown not only in the traditional black-dots-on-a-white-grid style, but also in a color photograph, a color variation, and an all-over version, giving the knitter a jump start on adapting these patterns for many uses.

Come by the shop to browse these and other books! We hope you find inspiration here.

Back in stock: CoopKnits Socks Yeah!

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Not long ago, we restocked CoopKnits Socks Yeah!, expanding the palette of that lovely yarn with colors old and new.

CoopKnits Socks Yeah:

  • fingering weight
  • 75% superwash merino wool, 25% nylon
  • 231 yards/50g

Developed by avid sock-designer Rachel Coopey, CoopKnits Socks Yeah! is a hard-wearing, machine-washable sock yarn that comes in solid and heathered shades.

Seeking sock inspiration? We happen to have a fresh supply of Ready Set Socks, Coopey’s collaboration with Pom Pom Press. The patterns in Ready Set Socks are written for both fingering and DK weights, and are beautiful in their simplicity. This makes them a blank slate for modifications – the section on “Variations, Tutorials + Adjustments” will see you through different heels, cuffs, decreases, yarn and color choices, and more.

Remember CoopKnits Socks Yeah! when your fingering weight project requires sharp stitch definition and durability. You’ll find it in the fingering weight section here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, in a little basket bursting with color. See you there!

52 Weeks of Accessories.

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52 Weeks of Accessories ($50) is the latest book from Laine, an inspiring tome packed with 52 patterns from 48 international designers. Let’s take a look inside!

This is the fourth in Laine’s ambitious 52 Weeks series, and instead of focusing on a particular kind of garment, it invites knitters of all skill levels to cast on for pleasing, small projects.

Inside the book, you’ll find hats, scarves, socks, and mittens, of course – but also slippers, shawls, headbands, hoods, bags, bracelets, collars, cowls, and scrunchies!

Paging through the book, I was pleased to see some familiar yarns, like Brooklyn Tweed Tones Light and Loft.

As ever, we are happy to help you find the perfect substitute for yarns we don’t carry – below are a few substitutions that came to mind as I browsed the book, Isager Silk Mohair and Fibre Co. Amble.

52 Weeks of Accessories is $50, not a bad price for 52 patterns – look for it here at the shop, or order online for local pickup or shipping!

Mittens of Latvia, by Maruta Grasmane.

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An older title found its way to our teacart recently, the table near the shop entrance where the newest books and yarns are usually displayed. Though it’s not a new release, we’re newly aware of it, and enchanted by it, as well – let’s look inside Mittens of Latvia, by Maruta Grasmane ($40).

This hefty hardcover book collects 178 traditional colorwork mitten patterns from Latvia, recreations of ethnographic mittens from the second half of the 18th century, the 19th century, and the beginning of the 20th century.

Chapters are organized by region, and Grasmane begins each one by noting the colors, motifs, and knitting motifs most commonly used in said region.

The mittens are photographed in close detail, and presented with their charts. Paging through Mittens of Latvia, I was mesmerized – all those tiny stitches and intricate patterns!

Because Grasmane is light on knitting instructions, Mittens of Latvia functions more as a coffee table art book than a user friendly book of patterns. But intrepid knitters who have made colorwork mittens in the past can likely fill in the blanks with experience, and I hope they do – I’d love to see some of these patterns in person, keeping clever hands warm!

Look for Mittens of Latvia here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop – we’re open 11am-5:30pm, Tuesdays-Saturdays; masks required for entry.

Northern Lights: a Collection with Brooklyn Tweed and Amirisu.

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A new book has arrived to inspire your knitting this year and beyond – let’s look inside Northern Lights ($28), a collaboration between Brooklyn Tweed + Amirisu!

For Northern Lights, designers from around the world developed patterns for Brooklyn Tweed’s breed-specific American wool yarns.

“Solstice,” by Kirsten Joel, knit with Brooklyn Tweed Quarry.

“Dyad,” by Thien Kieu-Lam, knit with Brooklyn Tweed Arbor.

Fiona Alice, Sari Nordlund, Alice Caetano, and others contributed garments and accessories inspired by Finnish designers and architects.

“Gyration,” by Keiko Kikuno, knit with Brooklyn Tweed Shelter.

“Alvar,” by Dario Tubiana – RossoCardinale, knit with Brooklyn Tweed Tones.

“Welle,” by Ayako Kataoka, knit with Brooklyn Tweed Arbor.

We are proud to carry every single Brooklyn Tweed yarn featured in this book, and we keep a generous supply on hand in a wide range of colors. We even have a decent (but dwindling) supply of the sadly discontinued Peerie!

“Outrun,” by Alice Caetano, knit with Brooklyn Tweed Dapple.

Northern Lights also includes an in-depth interview with Brooklyn Tweed co-owner and founder Jared Flood, covering his personal and professional histories with knitting.

“Greenery View,” by Hiromi Otsuru, knit with Brooklyn Tweed Loft.

Look for Brooklyn Tweed yarns and Northern Lights ($28) here at HYS, or order online for local pickup or shipping!

“Seabird,” by Sari Nordlund, knit with Brooklyn Tweed Arbor.

Echoes: 24 Modern Knits Inspired by Iconic Women, by Susan Crawford.

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Susan Crawford’s new book is out today!

Echoes: 24 Modern Knits Inspired by Iconic Women ($50) is published by Laine, with lush photos, engaging essays, and intricate knitting patterns dedicated to incredible women, both real and fictional, who have influenced designer Susan Crawford’s life.

Susan Crawford is known for her work modernizing vintage knitting patterns, and her scholarly interest in fashion and history comes through in this book. Each pattern is accompanied by a short essay on the iconic woman who inspired it, the likes of Virginia Woolf, Dodie Smith, Kate Bush, Beatrix Potter, Cyndi Lauper, along with other activists, artists, garden designers and more.

Often, Crawford shows her designs in multiple colorways, something I always appreciate, as it can be tricky to visualize a dark garment in a lighter color, and so on.

Echoes is $50 – look for it here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, along with all the materials and tools you need for your next project!

A Little Book of Moon-Inspired Shawls, by Pauliina Kuunsola.

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The latest book from Laine is here! Let’s page through A Little Book of Moon-Inspired Shawls ($22), by Pauliina Kuunsola.

Pauliina Kuunsola is a knitwear designer and tech editor who works as a senior editor at Laine Publishing. Inspired by the colors and textures of nature, the night sky and mystic realms, Kuunsola designed nine shawls for this petite paperback collection.

The patterns within use a variety of techniques, from lace and texture patterns to embroidery, slipped stitches, and marling.

The designs feature different shawl shapes, such as crescent, asymmetric triangle and pi, and use yarns from lace weight to DK. We may not have exactly the yarns called for in the pattern, but we have many lovely substitutes, and are happy to help you find the perfect yarn for your project!

A Little Book of Moon-Inspired Shawls is $22, and available here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, along with many other inspiring publications and hundreds of yarns to choose from!

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.