Koigu Collector’s Club: Red Brick House.

The Koigu Collector’s Club continues! Each month, we’ll receive 21 skeins of KPPPM in a limited edition color dyed especially for a select group of local yarn stores that carry Koigu. KPPPM is a fingering weight superwash merino, hand-dyed in vibrant colors by mother/daughter team Maie and Taiu Landra on their farm outside of Toronto, Canada.

Koigu KPPPM:

  • fingering weight
  • hand dyed, variegated
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 175 yards/50 g
  • $15.50 each

This month’s limited edition shade is Red Brick House, a warm variegated mix of coral, salmon, brown and beige.

I’ve paired up Red Brick House with shades of Brooklyn Tweed Loft, thinking of Andrea Mowry’s “Harlow” hat. It’s a great introduction to 2-color brioche, and an opportunity to mix different colors and textures of yarn.

“Harlow,” by Andrea Mowry, photo © Andrea Mowry

Koigu’s smooth, worsted spun texture and color variation contrasts against Loft, which is rustic woolen spun and heathered.

Here are even more color combinations for “Harlow,” turning back to older Collector’s Club colorways that are still on our shelves.

Look for Koigu KPPPM and Brooklyn Tweed Loft in the fingering weight section here at our shop, along with many others! We’re here from 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays; masks required for entry.

Amirisu, Issue 24.

A new issue of Amirisu is here!

Amirisu is a knitting magazine based in Japan, each issue filled with articles, interviews, and patterns from designers all over the world.

Rosemary Hill, Dianna Walla, Sari Nordlund, Yamagara, and others have contributed to this issue, designing garments and accessories inspired by inheritance – important places or things passed down culturally or within their families.

 

I spotted some familiar fibers in this issue – colorwork sweaters in Brooklyn Tweed Loft and Shelter, a unique brioche shawl vest in Isager Highland Wool, and a richly textured cowl in Brooklyn Tweed Peerie.

Amirisu often includes tutorials and essays on crafts other than knitting, and this issue has a quilted tote, a profile of a ceramics artist, and a crafter’s travel guide to Toronto.

Amirisu is $24 – swing by to pick up a copy or order online for local pickup or shipping!

Laine Magazine, No. 14.

The newest issue of Laine Magazine is here!

Laine Magazine is a publication out of Finland, a knitting and lifestyle magazine with a love of natural fibers as its focus, and a reputation for beautiful designs and tantalizing photography.

This issue is inspired by Nordic summer nights, reflected in lightweight garments and accessories.

We may not have the very yarns called for, but we love finding just the right substitute!

Beyond the patterns, there are seasonal recipes and plenty of good reading.

Laine No. 14 is $30 each – come by the shop or order online for local pickup or shipping! We also have Laine No. 8, No. 10, No. 11, No. 12, and No. 13 in stock, along with some of Laine’s recent books. See you at the shop!

LYS Day 2022: 15% off Brooklyn Tweed!

We’re looking forward to Local Yarn Store Day, this Saturday, April 30th!

LYS Day is about celebrating brick-and-mortar yarn shops and appreciating all that they offer. Here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, we are proud of our selection of high quality yarns, books and tools, and our customer service. Our mission is to provide knitters and other fiber artists with quality materials and help connect them with the knowledge they need to make things they’re proud of.

One thing that sets our shop apart here in the Triangle is Brooklyn Tweed yarn. We’ve been stockists for five years and carry every yarn they make – from lace weight Vale up to bulky weight Quarry, and everything in between. This LYS Day, all in-stock Brooklyn Tweed yarn and patterns are 15% off!

Here’s a complete list of Brooklyn Tweed yarns we carry, with links to blog posts where you can read more about each yarn and get project ideas, too:

  • BT Arbor: DK weight, 100% Targhee wool, 145 yards/50 g, $18.75 each
  • BT Dapple: DK weight, tonally-dyed, 60% merino wool, 40% organic cotton, 165 yards/50 g; $15.25 each
  • BT Loft: fingering weight, woolen-spun, 100% Targhee-Columbia wool, 275 yards/50 g; $18.75 each
  • BT Peerie: fingering weight, worsted-spun, 100% merino wool, 210 yards/50 grams, $17.25 each
  • BT Quarry: bulky weight, woolen-spun, 100% Targhee-Columbia wool, 200 yards/100 g; $25 each
  • BT Ranch 01: worsted weight, worsted-spun, naturally dyed, 100% Rambouillet wool, 220 yards/100g; $34.50 each
  • BT Ranch 02: worsted weight, woolen-spun, 3 ply, 100% Rambouillet wool, 102 yards/50 g; $16 each
  • BT Ranch 03: sport weight, worsted-spun, 100% Merino wool, 170 yards/50 g; $16.50 each
  • BT Shelter: worsted weight, woolen-spun, 2 ply, 100% Targhee-Columbia wool, 140 yards/50 g; $16.50 each
  • BT Tones: worsted weight, woolen-spun, 3 ply, 100% Columbia wool, 140 yards/50g; $15.75 each
  • BT Vale: lace weight, 100% Rambouillet wool, 450 yards/50 g; $15 each

Come by the Hillsborough Yarn Shop this Saturday to take advantage of 15% off all in-stock Brooklyn Tweed yarns – we’re open from 11 am – 5:30 pm. See you at the shop!

 

A reminder: all discounted yarns are final sale, no returns or exchanges. 15% discount applies only to in-stock items, no special orders. Thanks for understanding!

Show and tell: sweaters!

Back with more show and tell! Here’s another batch of completed projects made with yarns from our shop, focusing this time on sweaters. If you follow us on Instagram, some of these may look familiar – let’s take a closer look at these beautiful knits.

Anne recently knit this sweet little “Dog Star” sweater as a shop sample, showing off CoopKnits Socks Yeah! DK. This Tin Can Knits pattern is one we often make and recommend for baby and kid knits, though it comes in adult sizes, as well – have you made one yet?

Here’s Karin in her first ever sweater, Andrea Mowry’s “Vellichor.” She chose three shades of Brooklyn Tweed Loft for this project, a lightweight woolen-spun yarn with nice structure for garment-making.

Molly knit this “Thistle” sweater for her mom, who models it here. The pattern comes from Anna Johanna’s Strands of Joy, a beautiful collection of modern colorwork sweaters. Molly used Tukuwool Fingering for this garment, another woolen-spun fingering weight yarn.

Above is Gail’s “Divide” pullover, knit with Brooklyn Tweed Arbor, a smooth and springy yarn perfectly suited to this intricate texture. Pattern by Emily Greene.

April came in last week wearing her brand new “Trove” pullover, knit with Kelbourne Woolens Andorra. We love that joyful new-sweater feeling!

Pattern by Emma Ducher for Pom Pom Quarterly 30 – we still have copies of this issue in stock, if you’re tempted to follow April’s lead and make a “Trove” of your own!

Thanks to Anne, Karin, Molly, Gail, and April for sharing their work with us! We love to see what you make with our yarns, and can’t wait to see what comes off your needles next.

Back in stock, show and tell: Brooklyn Tweed Tones!

After months of backorders, we are delighted to have a fresh supply of Brooklyn Tweed Tones in the shop!

Brooklyn Tweed Tones:

  • worsted weight
  • woolen-spun
  • 3 ply
  • overdyed
  • 100% Columbia wool
  • 140 yards/50g
  • $16.75 each

At first glance, Tones bears a striking resemblance to Shelter – both are worsted weight and woolen spun, with the same yardage, weight, suggested gauge, and price. There are a few key differences, however, that make Tones an exciting addition to Brooklyn Tweed’s domestically-sourced, breed-specific lineup; the first is color!

Tones is overdyed in vibrant, playful colors, starting with two baseline shades of undyed natural gray. The lighter shade is the overtone, and the darker shade is the undertone, and each of them has been dipped in 11 colorways, creating tone pairs.

Another difference between Tones and Shelter is the number of plies. Shelter is a 2 ply, which has a slightly more rustic appearance, and Tones is a 3 ply, which is more round and smooth for outstanding stitch definition. Cables and other texture patterns show nicely in Shelter, to be sure, but they really pop in Tones!

Anne’s latest project illustrates this nicely – above is “Truss,” by Melissa Wehrle, a beautiful cardigan knit with Tones. Look for it on display here at the shop!

You’ll find Brooklyn Tweed Tones in the worsted weight section here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. We are open 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays; you can still order online for local pickup or shipping, as well.

Loft + SSP (slip stitch party) shawl.

Isabell Kraemer’s latest design looks like so much fun, a slip stitch shawl in six shades of Brooklyn Tweed Loft!

“SSP (slip stitch party) shawl,” by Isabell Kraemer, photo © Isabell Kraemer

As soon as I saw “SSP (slip stitch party) shawl,” I went straight for our Loft display, intrigued by the play of low and high contrast combinations in Kraemer’s design.

Brooklyn Tweed Loft:

Here are a few more possibilities, though with 35+ shades in stock, this is just the tip of the iceberg!

We recently ordered a big bundle of Loft, anticipating upcoming shortages due to the permanent closure of the Philadelphia dyehouse Brooklyn Tweed has been working with since 2010. Unfortunately, this means that our most recent shipment of Loft may be our last of 2022. BT is working hard to find a new way to produce their beloved woolen spun yarns, but in the meantime, we’re well stocked in Loft and Shelter!

Come by the shop to plan a “SSP (slip stitch party) shawl” of your own, or order online for local pickup or shipping if one of these colorways is right up your alley.

Loft and Spindrift + Kellister.

As I was putting together pattern recommendations to go with our recent Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift restock, I took a shine to Gudrun Johnston’s “Kellister.”

“Kellister,” by Gudrun Johnston. Photo © Gudrun Johnston

The classic fair isle XO pattern, the perfectly subtle slouch, the combination of neutrals and warm autumn shades – it spoke to me, and got me thinking about combining Brooklyn Tweed Loft and Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift for a few more colorways.

You’ll need more yardage in the main color than the three contrast colors, but one skein of BT Loft is enough to cover it; the cost for 1 Loft and 3 Spindrift is $46.35.

We have 35+ shades of Loft on our shelves and 150+ shades of Shetland Spindrift – plenty to make your own unique “Kellister” color combinations! Come by the shop to see them all, or order online for local pickup or shipping if one of these colorways is right up your alley.

Show and tell: colorwork.

Time for another round of show and tell, this time featuring colorwork projects!

Susan knit this “Pātikitiki Hat” with Brooklyn Tweed Dapple, a mesmerizing colorwork pattern by Francoise Danoy.

Here’s another inspiring colorwork hat – Becki’s “Kasilof,” knit with Brooklyn Tweed Tones. Pattern by Caitlin Hunter.

Linda sent us this photo of her finished “Hinterland,” knit with Mountain Meadow Wool Cody for the main color and Malabrigo Arroyo for the contrast. Pattern by Jennifer Steingass.

Same pattern, same yarns, different Linda – another gorgeous “Hinterland” is underway! I always love seeing the same pattern in different colors.

Here’s Pam in her “Embers” pullover, knit with Brooklyn Tweed Ranch 03; pattern by Tin Can Knits. Pam loves colorwork knitting, and came with two other sweaters for show and tell, too!

Here’s her “Illuminate” pullover, also knit with Brooklyn Tweed Ranch 03. She omitted the stripes on the body and chose high contrast colors for a more graphic effect at the yoke, and it looks great in this smooth, solid yarn. Pattern by Andrea Mowry.

Here’s Pam’s third finished sweater, “Bean & Olive,” knit with Berroco Ultra Wool DK. Pattern by Andrea Mowry.

Thanks to Susan, Becki, Linda, Linda, and Pam for sharing their work with us! We love to see what you make with our yarns, and can’t wait to see what comes off your needles next.

Koigu Collector’s Club: Fjord.

The Koigu Collector’s Club continues! Each month, we’ll receive 21 skeins of KPPPM in a limited edition color dyed especially for a select group of local yarn stores that carry Koigu. KPPPM is a fingering weight superwash merino, hand-dyed in vibrant colors by mother/daughter team Maie and Taiu Landra on their farm outside of Toronto, Canada.

Koigu KPPPM:

  • fingering weight
  • hand dyed, variegated
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 175 yards/50 g
  • $15.50 each

This month’s special colorway is Fjord, muted but colorful – look closely and you’ll see shades of plum, rose, navy, denim, copper, wheat, sage, and more.

What to knit with highly variegated skeins like these? Woolly Wormhead’s entire “Get Garter” pattern collection comes to mind, an introduction to sideways hat construction, all knit in variegated fingering weight yarns.

Another Woolly Wormhead pattern caught my eye, too – “Square Cubed” is a colorwork hat decorated with small square motifs, which means we’ll need plenty of contrast to show the pattern clearly.

I think these shades of Kelbourne Woolens Camper, Brooklyn Tweed Peerie, and Ewe Ewe Fluffy Fingering will do the trick, having looked at the photo in black and white to better assess the color value.

Look for Koigu KPPPM in the fingering weight section here at the shop, along with Kelbourne Woolens Camper, Brooklyn Tweed Peerie, Ewe Ewe Fluffy Fingering, and more – see you there!