Tag Archives: bulky weight

Hello, Ultra Wool Chunky.

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Brand new from Berroco, meet the newest member of the Ultra Wool family – hello, Ultra Wool Chunky!

Like Ultra Wool, Ultra Wool DK, and Ultra Wool Fine, Ultra Wool Chunky is a 100% superwash wool that’s soft, sturdy, and economical.

Ultra Wool Chunky is a bulky weight, perfect for cozy garments and accessories for adults and children alike. Each 100 gram skein has 145 yards – enough for a hat or a pair of mittens.

I’ve used two skeins to make a slightly shortened version of “Casa Sonia,” a free scarf pattern from Berroco. It’s mostly garter stitch, with a bit of ribbing at either end, and a simple knit/purl triangle motif.

Ultra Wool Chunky would be great for knitting Jacqueline Cieslak’s “Ursa” sweater, or Kate Davie’s “Carbeth” – you’ll find more pattern ideas for bulky weight yarn on our Pinterest board, too.

Look for Ultra Wool Chunky in the bulky weight section here at our shop!

Brooklyn Tweed and Shibui Samples of the Month!

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December is here, and with it, new featured samples from Brooklyn Tweed and Shibui!

Our Brooklyn Tweed Sample of the Month is Jared Flood’s “Umaro,” an impressive lace and cable blanket knit with two strands of BT Quarry held together.

Quarry is Brooklyn Tweed’s heaviest yarn, a bulky weight, woolen-spun Targhee-Columbia wool. Each plump 100 gram skein boasts 200 yards, quite a bit for a yarn that knits up at 3-3.5 stitches per inch. It’s what our friend Emily used for her own “Umaro” blanket, below – she brought it in this week for show and tell, and reports that she snuggles underneath it on the couch with her kids all the time. A success!

Our Shibui Sample of the Month is “sequences,” by Lori Versaci, knit with Shibui Drift.

Drift is a treat to work with, a luxurious worsted weight blend of merino and cashmere.

We’re offer a 10% discount on Brooklyn Tweed Quarry and Shibui Drift until the end of the month – come by soon to take advantage and see these beautiful knit items!

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

Out With the Old – Fibre Co. Arranmore Sale!

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While we’re always disappointed when well-loved yarns are discontinued, the bright side is that it means exciting new yarns are coming. We recently learned that Fibre Company is discontinuing production of their bulky weight Arranmore, and though we’re sad to see it go, we’re pleased to announce a sale to see it off!

Announcing our Out With the Old Sale – from this Friday, December 13, through Sunday, December 15, Fibre Co. Arranmore will be 40% off!

Arranmore is a bulky weight tweed, composed of 80% merino, 10% cashmere, and 10% silk. It knits up quickly at a gauge of 3.5 – 4.25 stitches per inch, using US 8-10 needles. Though it’s thick and warm, it’s not heavy; with 175 yards on each 100 gram skein, it’s quite lofty for a bulky yarn.

The sale begins Friday, and goes through Sunday – come early for best selection! If we happen to run low on Arranmore before the sale is through, we may have some other surprise discounts in store… hope to see you this weekend!

 

A reminder: all sales are final on discounted yarn. There can be no returns or exchanges, nor special orders – the discount applies only to what we currently have in stock. Thanks! 

Show and tell: Brooklyn Tweed Quarry.

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Time for another round of show and tell! These projects were all knit with Brooklyn Tweed Quarry. Quarry is Brooklyn Tweed’s heaviest yarn, a Targhee-Columbia wool that’s loftier than most bulky weights on account of its woolen-spun, loosely-plied structure. Many knitters who have worked with it describe its texture as “doughy” or “spongey,” which may sound odd, but get some on your needles, and I expect you’ll agree. Let’s have a look at what folks at making with it!

Kerry designed this “Chunky Gansey Cowl” for Quarry, taking advantage of its sharp stitch definition and soft feel. Her pattern is a great one for sampling Quarry if you’d never tried it, and uses just one skein.

Becky knit this “Luoto” hat with one skein of Quarry as well, then came back for several more skeins to knit this clever pattern a few more times.

Here’s Sidney’s recently-completed “Byway,” knit with Quarry, and meticulously blocked to perfection.

The cable and texture pattern, designed by Jared Flood, shows beautifully in this soft lavender gray color.

Anne knit this “Freja” for her mother, who wore it daily throughout the winter. This design captured the attention of many knitters when we had it on display during a trunk show, and I’m looking forward to seeing more “Freja” cardigans out and about this winter!

Thanks to everyone who begins their projects with a trip to the Hillsborough Yarn Shop – we can’t wait to see what comes off your needles next!

Back in stock: Berroco.

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Berroco yarns are some of our standbys, from the smooth Modern Cotton to the durable Ultra Wool line to the soft and fuzzy Ultra Alpaca line. We order and reorder these yarns throughout the year, but last week’s restock was particularly sizable.

Berroco Modern Cotton is an economical, machine-washable blend of cotton and rayon in that versatile gauge, worsted weight. It’s perfect for warm-weather knit and crochet projects, or year-round for those allergic to wool, and seems especially popular for blanket making.

Berroco Ultra Wool is a worsted weight superwash wool, one of the few that suggests “tumble dry low” rather than “lay flat to dry.” That makes it a truly easy-care yarn, perfect for baby and children’s garments, blankets, and everday accessories. It also comes in DK weight and fingering weight gauges.

We were especially low on Berroco Ultra Alpaca Chunky, a bulky weight blend of wool and alpaca, and are pleased to have a full cubby again. This yarn has been popular for Kate Davies’ “Carbeth” and cocoknits’ “Emma,” and one knitter we know, Michele, used it to make this incredible “#21 Star Sweater.”

Look for a variety of Berroco yarns here at our shop!

Hello, Dovestone Natural Chunky.

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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!

Hello, Brooklyn Tweed Quarry.

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Since we first got Brooklyn Tweed yarns in stock back in January, there’s been one missing piece in our selection. We began with Shelter, Loft, and Arbor, then got Vale as soon as it came out. We’re delighted to announce that the one BT yarn we waited for is now on our shelves. Meet Quarry!

Quarry is Brooklyn Tweed’s heaviest yarn, a bulky weight, woolen-spun Targhee-Columbia wool. Each plump 100 gram skein boasts 200 yards, quite a bit for a yarn that knits up at 3-3.5 stitches per inch.

Like Shelter and Loft, colors in Quarry are created by blending dyed fiber together before spinning, for a heathered effect. Quarry is unique, however, because of its unexpected combination of texture and structure. It looks like a single ply, but is actually constructed with three loosely-spun plies for a smooth, round yarn.

I recently knit “Byway” with Quarry, a generous cabled scarf from Jared Flood’s Woolens. Bulky weight yarn is not often on my needles, but Quarry is a special one, and I thoroughly enjoyed this project. Like Shelter, Quarry is doughy in the hands, with a wooly softness that makes every stitch a pleasure. The pattern is a clever one, too, with blocks of moss stitch and cables framed by a satisfying i-cord edge.

Here are a few other patterns for Quarry that caught my eye:

Look for more pattern ideas on our “Bulky and super-bulky weight” Pinterest board, and look for Quarry in the Bulky weight section here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop!

New colors in Ewe Ewe Baa Baa Bulky.

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Last week I unpacked a box from Ewe Ewe featuring four new colors in Baa Baa Bulky.

Ewe Ewe specializes in super-soft superwash merino yarns, and Baa Baa Bulky is the thickest of the bunch. Soft and easy to care for, Baa Baa Bulky is just the thing for frequently-worn accessories, children’s garments, and baby blankets.

We have a small car-seat or stroller-sized baby blanket at the shop made with Baa Baa Bulky, a free pattern when you purchase the yarn from us. It’s nothing but garter stitch and color blocks, simple and soothing to knit. The hardest part may be choosing a trio of colors, especially with new colors increasing the possible combinations. These sweet pastel shades created an opportunity for gradients like the one below, which I find especially pleasing.

 

Look for Baa Baa Bulky in the bulky weight section here at the shop, and come by to pick three shades to make a “Baa Baa Blanket” all your own!

New colors in Fibre Company Tundra.

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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!

Hello, Baa Baa Bulky.

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I’m delighted to announce that the latest yarn from Ewe Ewe is now on our shelves! Meet Baa Baa Bulky.

Like Wooly Worsted and Ewe So Sporty, Baa Baa Bulky is a superwash merino, soft and easy to care for.

We’ve been short on washable yarns in bulky weight these past few years, so we’re particularly excited to welcome Baa Baa Bulky to the fold. For frequently-worn accessories, baby and children’s garments, superwash wool is just the thing, and this one is a pleasure to work with.

I’ve developed an extremely simple baby blanket pattern to show off Baa Baa Bulky, a small piece designed for a car seat or stroller.

It’s nothing but good old garter stitch, squishy, stretchy, and warm. I picked a trio of gender neutral colors, though I find the combination of white, gray, and a pop of color quite appealing, regardless of the pop color.

The pattern is free when you purchase the yarn from us. Look for Baa Baa Bulky in the bulky weight section here at the shop, and come by to pick three shades to make a “Baa Baa Blanket” all your own!

See you at the shop.