Tag Archives: brooklyn tweed

Bousta Beanies.

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Lately I am enamored of Gudrun Johnston’s “Bousta Beanie,” the official hat pattern of Shetland Wool Week 2017. I downloaded it from Ravelry as soon as it was published back in March, but it zoomed to the top of my queue when a knitter brought one in for show and tell.

This is Kerry’s first “Bousta Beanie,” knit with Brooklyn Tweed Loft. Her bold color choice perfectly complements the graphic motif of the pattern, an eye-catching combination. While I snapped pictures, muttering about how badly I wanted to knit one of my own, Kerry selected a second colorway in Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift. Now that I’ve cast on for a “Bousta Beanie,” I can understand how this might happen. It’s downright exhilarating to watch the colors come together, to see how one affects another depending upon the placement, and it gives you ideas for the next hat.

I’m knitting mine in the brand new Tukuwool Fingering, a Finnish wool that is as well-suited to stranded colorwork as Shetland wool. I have little to no interest in wearing hats, but I still like to make them now and again, usually to audition a yarn that intrigues me. I chose colors I’m somewhat inexplicably drawn to, though they’re nowhere to be seen in my wardrobe. Simply put: knitting this “Bousta Beanie” has been somewhat impulsive, and deliciously fun.

Anne is starting a “Bousta Beanie” in Tukuwool Fingering, too, a playful combination of mustard yellow, red, and natural gray. Here are a few more “Bousta Beanie” color ideas, since I can hardly keep my hands out of the Tukuwool basket.

Consider these a jumping-off point as you dream up your own colorway, which I can’t wait to see!

Don’t stop at Tukuwool, however – we have many lovely fingering weight yarns that are well-suited to this pattern. Consider Baa Ram Ewe Titus, Fibre Co. Cumbria Fingering, and Isager Alpaca 2 along with Loft and Shetland Spindrift. See you at the shop!

Pom Pom Quarterly: Autumn 2017.

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The Autumn 2017 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly is here!

This issue is guest-edited by designer and writer Juju Vail, and the themes and motifs throughout reflect her interest in a fully handmade wardrobe. In many cases, the knit garments are modeled with sewn garments Vail herself created.

Anna Maltz contributes an essay on slow fashion, a thought-provoking, political piece that critiques the class-signifying language around capsule wardrobes.

Paging through this cozy-looking issue, I spotted a few familiar yarns: Shibui Pebble and Silk Cloud in Nancy Marchant’s “Abusson” scarf, and Brooklyn Tweed Loft in Olga Buraya-Kefelian’s “Soumak” mitts.

Each issue of Pom Pom wraps up with a recipe of some kind, and this hot toddy perfectly suits the season. Here in North Carolina, it’s not quite hot toddy weather yet, but we keep telling ourselves: cool weather is coming!

Look for Pom Pom Quarterly here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, with the latest books and magazines for anyone who likes to play with yarn. See you at the shop!

Brooklyn Tweed Vale Trunk Show!

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We are delighted to announce that a new trunk show from Brooklyn Tweed is here to spend a couple of weeks at our shop. Come by before August 20th to see the Vale Collection!

The Vale Collection features five garments: four popular lace patterns from the Brooklyn Tweed archives that have been revised for Vale, and one brand new design from Jared Flood.

The old favorites are “Girasole,” “Rock Island,” “Bridgewater,” and “Lucca,” classic lace shawls in a variety of shapes. “Gully” is the newest pattern, a brioche cowl that takes just one skein of Vale.

Seeing this collection in person is a treat, and really highlights the quality of the yarn. Vale is a lace weight Rambouillet wool, with 450 yards on each 50 gram skein. It’s worsted-spun for a smooth yarn with sharp stitch definition, one that’s spectacularly bouncy in the skein and in the knitted fabric.

These exquisite pieces are on display here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop until August 20th, and while they’re here, we’re offering 10% off purchases of Brooklyn Tweed Vale. Hurry in to see the show and soak up some lace knitting inspiration!

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

Show and tell: lace.

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We always love to see what you’re making with HYS yarns, and I love to take photos of your finished pieces to share here on the blog. Sifting through the many delightful show-and-tell photos I’ve accumulated, I noticed a group of projects with a technique in common: lace.

Margaretta has a fondness for lace-knitting, and has completed two lace shawls recently. The one above is “Arlington,” by Emily Ross, knit with Shibui Staccato.

The pattern is easy to modify for the stockinette-to-lace ratio of your choosing, and Margaretta opted for a lace-heavy version, with stunning results.

Above is Margaretta’s most recent finished piece, “Your Ice Cream Shawl,” knit with the new and exciting Brooklyn Tweed Vale.

Two of our teachers have been working with lace, too. Below is Amy’s “Stone Point” poncho, knit with the Fibre Company’s new yarn, Luma. She’s in the midst of teaching a class on the subject, so we expect to see more “Stone Point” ponchos in the coming months, knit by her students! In the meantime, look for this one on display here at the shop.

Robin has a lace class coming up this fall, featuring Lisa Hannes’ “Laurelie,” a two-color shawl with lace and mosaic motifs.

Her “Laurelie” is made with Plymouth Happy Feet and Isager Merilin, a marriage of two yarns alike in gauge, but different in fiber content. They play well together in the finished piece; look for it on the wall here at the shop, and head to our Classes page to sign up for the class!

Itching to start a lace project of your own? Brooklyn Tweed is hosting a Summer of Lace Knit-Along, and their blog is full of helpful hints and project ideas. I know some of you are participating, and look forward to seeing your finished pieces!

Thanks to the knitters who shared their work on the blog today. We love seeing what you’re working on, and can’t wait to see what you come up with next. See you at the shop!

Show and tell: Bradway shawls.

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Earlier in the year, Katherine taught a class here at the shop on Shannon Cook’s “Bradway,” a striped triangular shawl knit with three shades of Brooklyn Tweed Shelter. Her sample has been hanging at the shop ever since, a striking combination of “Truffle Hunt,” “Fossil,” and “Almanac.”

It’s always fun to see the variety of color combinations that come out of a class, and this was no exception. So far, three of Katherine’s students have brought their finished shawls back for show-and-tell, which I’m delighted to share here on the blog. If you follow us on Instagram, you may have already seen close-ups of these.

Gwen chose “Postcard,” “Fossil,” and “Thistle” for her shawl, above.

Barbara chose “Blanket Fort,” “Foothills,” and “Plume” for her shawl, above.

Loretta chose “Almanac,” “Snowbound,” and “Faded Quilt” for her shawl, above.

Thanks to Katherine’s students for sharing their work; we look forward to seeing other “Bradway” shawls that are still in progress, and those that these projects may inspire!

Brooklyn Tweed Capsule Trunk Show!

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Our walls are newly decorated with a Brooklyn Tweed Trunk Show! Come by the shop by July 2nd to see Michele Wang’s Capsule collection.

Michele Wang designed this collection of garments and accessories with loungewear in mind, the kind of cozy, wearable knits one might fantasize about curling up in all winter. Like so many of Wang’s patterns for Brooklyn Tweed yarns, these are intricate and deeply-textured, designed with great attention to detail.

Four of these designs call for Shelter, Brooklyn Tweed’s worsted weight, woolen-spun Targhee-Columbia wool, which we currently have in every available color. The same can be said of Loft, Shelter’s fingering weight counterpart, used in two of these patterns. The remainder are knit in Quarry, a bulky weight that we don’t currently stock; we’re happy to special order it for you if you fall in love with one of these designs.

Though all of these woolen-spun yarns have a bit of a rustic quality, they clearly have the stitch definition it takes to render complex cable patterns beautifully, and seeing these textured fabrics close up and in person is one of the great joys of a Trunk Show. Another joy is trying them on for size, making sure you like the fit and feel before you invest in a big project. We like to add one more joy: a 10% discount on purchases of the featured BT yarns during the trunk show, including prepaid special orders of Quarry.

Come by the shop to see this breathtaking collection for yourself, and plan your next project in Brooklyn Tweed yarns at 10% off! See you there.

A reminder: all sales are final on discounted yarn. There can be no returns or exchanges. Thanks! 

Hello, Rib Magazine.

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Yes, we’re really starting to feel like a bookstore – another new magazine has landed here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop! Meet Rib, a magazine for men who knit and those who knit for them.

There are far more knitting patterns published with women in mind than men, which is a real shame. Rib is working to change that, and fills its pages with patterns and articles of interest to male knitters, who so rarely see themselves reflected in craft magazines.

The theme of this issue is Navigate, which conjures sailing and guernseys, among other things, and the patterns and articles within interpret that theme in a variety of ways.

The cabled pullover on the cover is made with one of our favorites, Fibre Company Cumbria Fingering – a perfect yarn for showing off stitch patterns, especially in such a dark color. I spotted two projects for Brooklyn Tweed yarns, which always seem to catch my eye; the brioche scarf above is made with the DK weight Arbor, and the two-tone sweater below, with the worsted weight Shelter.

Look for Rib on the teacart here at the shop, amidst piles of exciting new publications for all kinds of knitters!

Pom Pom Quarterly: Summer 2017.

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The Summer 2017 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly is here again! Our first batch of these beauties sold out the day they arrived, so we are happy to have another bundle on the teacart here at the shop.

This is their 5th anniversary issue, a real milestone for a relatively young print publication. To celebrate, they’ve put together a big special issue with two different covers to choose from, full of celebratory designs with party-themed names.

Above is Linda Dubec’s festive “Bash” hat, knit with Fibre Company Cumbria Fingering, a soft and sturdy blend of merino, masham, and mohair. Below is Julia Farwell-Clay’s “Ceilidh,” an oversized, pocketed pullover knit with Brooklyn Tweed Shelter.

Rachel Coopey contributes the “Festoon” socks below, a delightfully textured pair knit with none other than CoopKnits Socks Yeah!, Coopey’s signature sock yarn.

Look for Pom Pom Quarterly on the teacart here at the shop, where the latest books and magazines mingle. See you there!

Show and tell: BT Arbor.

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We always love to see what you’re making with HYS yarns, and I love to take photos of your beautiful finished pieces to share here on the blog. I have a nice collection to share at the moment, enough for at least three blog posts. Today’s group all happen to be made in the same wonderful yarn: Brooklyn Tweed Arbor, a DK weight Targhee wool.

Above is Judy’s “Celtic Myths” shawl, a stockinette crescent with an intricate knitted-on cabled border. This delicious shade of gray is called “Heron,” and like nearly all colors, it’s tricky to photograph accurately, and far more beautiful in person.

One of Arbor’s distinguishing features is its crisp stitch definition, which makes cables, lace, and texture patterns shine. You can clearly see that quality in Judy’s beautifully-knit shawl, and you’ll also see it in each of the garments that follow.

Here’s my “Hirombe” hat in the color “Firebrush,” a shop sample which nicely illustrates another of Arbor’s special qualities: its tremendous elasticity. This is one of my favorite yarn characteristics, and one that suggests good long-term wear. Garments knit with Arbor should wear well and look sharp for years to come. I thoroughly enjoyed Jared Flood’s pattern, as well, especially because it taught me at least three new techniques: a cast-on, an increase, and a decrease I’d never tried before. The twisted stitch pattern is fully reversible; below is the “wrong-side” view, which I think I prefer.

Anne knit a little something with Arbor recently, too: this pair of Churchmouse “Welted Fingerless Gloves” was a Mother’s Day gift for Phyllis, Anne’s mom who recently turned 100. This quick-to-knit gift was well-received; Phyllis reportedly put them right on and said, “They fit like a glove!”

This soft, warm gray is called “Gale,” and one skein of Arbor was plenty for a pair, making this a great pattern for trying out this special yarn.

Above is Glen’s “Herringbone Hat,” knit with Arbor in the excellent high-contrast combination of “Black Fig” and “Hammock,” demonstrating that this yarn is perfect for stranded colorwork, too!

 

Barbara knit not one, but two “Byway” scarves during Marsha’s class on the subject. The purple one on the left is knit with Rowan Pure Wool Worsted, and the white one on the right is Arbor in the color “Hammock.” Though the pattern calls for bulky weight yarn, Barbara knit hers in a worsted and a DK, wanting a narrower finished product.

Thanks to everyone who starts their projects at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, and to those who share their progress with us. Come by the shop to pick up some Brooklyn Tweed Arbor for your next project!

Hello, Laine Magazine.

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We’re excited to announce that we’ve become stockists of Laine Magazine!

Laine Magazine is a relatively new publication out of Finland, a knitting and lifestyle magazine with a love of natural fibers and handicraft as its focus.

Inside Laine, you’ll find a mix of knitting patterns, articles, recipes, profiles on fiber artists, and a travel guide to Helsinki.

I spotted a few familiar yarns in this issue; the fuzzy cardigan above is made with Shibui Silk Cloud held double throughout, and the floral yoke pullover below is made with Brooklyn Tweed Loft.

Paging through Laine is a bit of an escape, and this soothing and inspiring publication is a nice place to escape to.

Look for Laine on the teacart here at the shop, surrounded by the latest knitting books and magazines. We hope you find inspiration here!