Show and tell: Isager.

Posted by Julia on July 16, 2018

Time for another round of show and tell! Today I’m here to share some finished projects that started life as yarn on our shelves, and they all have one thing in common: they’re all knit with yarn from the Danish company Isager.

Above is Loretta’s “Girasole,” an intricate circular shawl designed by Jared Flood. She used two Isager yarns held together for this piece, both lace weight – Alpaca 1 and Spinni. The combination is perfectly balanced, with drape from the Peruvian alpaca yarn and structure from the Danish wool.

Hazel picked up Susie Haumann’s All You Knit is Love here at the shop and has been busy knitting from it, making dresses for her granddaughter.

She knit this “Smilla’s Dress” with Isager Highland, a light fingering weight wool sourced in Peru. The heathered color gives depth to the fabric of this piece, with its eyelets, cables, and panels of reverse stockinette.

Hazel went on to knit a second “Smilla’s Dress” in a different yarn – more on that in the next show-and-tell post!

Carribeth knit this Churchmouse “Alexandra’s Airplane Scarf” with Isager Japanesk Bomuld, a lace weight cotton tape. Knit up loosely like this, it’s somehow crisp and soft at once, a contradictory but delightful fabric for summer.

We love seeing what folks make with our yarns – thank you so much for sharing your projects with us. Look for more show and tell here soon!

Shibui Sample of the Month: Churchmouse Simple Tee.

Posted by Julia on July 6, 2017

July is here, and with it, a new Shibui Sample of the Month! We usually offer a 10% discount on Shibui yarns featured in our monthly sample, but during July, everything is 15% off – even better!

Our Shibui Sample of the Month is a Churchmouse “Simple Tee,” a breezy summer top that’s as easy to knit as it is to wear.

This one is knit with Shibui Twig, a sport weight blend of 46% linen, 42% recycled silk, and 12% wool.

Come by the shop during July to see and try on the Shibui Sample of the Month and get anything in stock at 15% off!

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

Show and tell: Brooklyn Tweed, part 1.

Posted by Julia on February 21, 2017

When we first announced that we’d become a Brooklyn Tweed stockist, we were quickly joined in our enthusiasm by a great many knitters eager to get their hands on Brooklyn Tweed yarns. After all, these are yarns with big reputations, yarns that lots of us had seen only online. No surprise, then, that I have two blog-posts-worth of show-and-tell in Brooklyn Tweed yarns, some of which are still on the needles. Let’s start with those!

Jodi is knitting a Churchmouse “Easy Folded Poncho” with Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in “Hayloft,” a rich mustard yellow that, like all colors in Shelter and Loft, seems to grow more complicated on each viewing. The pattern calls for DK weight yarn at a smaller gauge than what Jodi’s getting, which means her poncho will be a few inches bigger, and so much the cozier. Note her Cocoknits Stitch Stoppers, keeping those precious stitches safe!

Anne considers a swatch a treat, a little preview of what’s to come when she finishes current projects and allows herself to cast on for the next. Above is her swatch for Michele Wang’s “Hellebore,” knit with Brooklyn Tweed Loft in “Woodsmoke.”

Shelter was the first Brooklyn Tweed yarn I reached for as soon as it arrived here at the shop. That hat has been finished for weeks, and we’ll see it in the next blog post. Right now, I’m working on a “Hirombe” hat in Brooklyn Tweed Arbor, using the nearly-fluorescent “Firebrush” color, a bright orangey-red. The hat, designed by Jared Flood, is decorated with twisted stitches, and though it looked straightforward enough in the photo, I learned at least three new techniques before my swatch was two rows long.

Sidney is already well into her “Grille” pullover, designed by Bonnie Sennott and knit with Brooklyn Tweed Loft. The color is “Postcard,” an intricate one somewhere between pink and gray.

I can think of so many more Brooklyn Tweed works-in-progress that have started life here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop: a “Flight,” “Seeds Hat,” and two “Boardwalks” in Loft, a “Far Hills Hat,” “Baa-ble Hat,” “Tinder,” and “Hadley Pullover” in Shelter; a “Byway” and “Guernsey Wrap” in Arbor, and lots of others. Who else has Brooklyn Tweed yarns on their needles, and what are you making? Leave us a comment, or come by the shop to show us your progress, and look forward to a second Brooklyn Tweed show-and-tell post here on the blog very soon!

Snow day show and tell.

Posted by Julia on January 7, 2017

The shop was closed today for inclement weather, and as the snow quietly fell this morning, Anne texted me some knitterly show-and-tell from her friend Sherri. A snow day is a good one for show-and-tell; let’s take a peek at some of the recently-completed projects that started their lives as yarns here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop.

Above, Sherri’s daughter in law models the Churchmouse “Easy Folded Poncho” Sherri knit for her with Shibui Dune, a soft and lustrous blend of alpaca, camel, and silk.

A couple of weeks ago, I shared a bundle of colorwork projects here on the blog, only to have Judie walk through our door the next day wearing this beautiful sweater. Consider this an addendum! The pattern is Courtney Kelley’s “St. Brendan,” and the yarn is the rustic yet luxurious Fibre Company Arranmore. Judie changed the color palette just slightly from the pattern photo, switching the ribbing color from dark gray to a warm camel – a small adjustment that makes a big difference and looks great.

Above is the first of Margaretta’s “January Mitts,” knit with Fibre Company Cumbria Fingering. I have a special fondness for this yarn, as I’ve shared before, and it’s especially nice to see its sharp stitch definition in this lace and bobble pattern.

Speaking of Fibre Company yarns and of sharp stitch definition, here’s Leah’s exquisitely textured “Arctic Circle” cowl, knit with Fibre Company Tundra. This was her first project after completing a Beginning Knitting class here at the shop, and it’s clear it wont be her last – well done, Leah!

Loretta knit this “Arrowhead Shawl” with Swans Island All American Worsted, a soft yet sturdy blend of US-sourced Rambouillet wool and alpaca. The traditional guernsey stitch patterns are placed on a stockinette background for a subtle effect, one that’s harder to capture on camera than it is to perceive in person.

Thanks to all who begin their projects with a trip to the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, and thanks especially for bringing them back to share your work with us! Hope everyone stayed safe and warm this snowy weekend, and spent some time stitching. We’ll be open again at our regular hours on Tuesday, January 10th.

Hello again, Shenandoe Farm.

Posted by Julia on January 8, 2016

Last week, we had a visit from Elaine of Shenandoe Farm. She came with stories of a successful year and with a bag of beautiful yarn, made of fiber grown right here in Orange County, North Carolina.

We’ve stocked Shenandoe Farm yarns before, though it’s been a while since we sold the last remaining skein, so a new delivery was welcome. This new batch is composed of 80% mohair, 10% wool, and 10% llama, spun into a dk weight at Zeilinger Wool Co. in Michigan, a family business for over a century. The heathered color is a natural one, just the shade of the animals that grew the fleece to make it.

Eager to get her hands on this special yarn, Anne knit a swatch on a few different needle sizes, so we could get a sense of what gauge it’s most comfortable at.

From there, it was put in my lucky hands. After a bit more swatching, we decided this sturdy stuff would be well-suited to a pair of Churchmouse “Welted Fingerless Gloves,” a go-to pattern here at the shop. I’m busy stitching up a pair as a sample for the shop.

Look for Shenandoe Farm yarn here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. Hope to see you soon!

Show and tell: shop samples.

Posted by Julia on May 10, 2015

Our walls are covered with knit, crocheted, and woven garments, which are here to inspire and show how our many yarns behave when they’re worked up into fabric. If you’ve been to the shop this week, you may have noticed a few new sample garments hanging on our walls. Anne, Rosi, Marsha, and I each recently finished a new shop sample, highlighting a variety of yarns and projects. Here’s some Hillsborough Yarn Shop show and tell.

Anne knit this Churchmouse “Easy Folded Poncho” with Fibre Company Acadia, a luxurious blend of merino wool, silk, and alpaca. The silk fiber takes the dye differently than wool and alpaca, and stands out from those fibers, creating a tweedy, rustic look. Those silk slubs are what make this truly simple garment a truly special one.

For a while now, we’ve had a few shades of Conjoined Creations Flat Feet here at the shop, occasionally begging the question, “What is this for?”

Flat Feet are machine-knit stretches of sock yarn, which are then hand-painted and ready to be hand-knit into socks directly from the flat.

What might that look like? Rosi’s newest sample helps answer that question.

She also brought in a recent Nordstrom catalog, which shows that socks worn with sandals are the height of fashion. Sock knitters, take note!

Marsha knit this “Bias Scarf” with two skeins of Ella Rae Bamboo Silk, a smooth, drapey worsted weight yarn.

The knitting in the “Bias Scarf” is simple, just knits, purls, increases and decreases. It’s a great beginner project, and Marsha is teaching a class on the subject for those just learning to knit. Read more about all our classes on our website!

Here’s my finished “Jiffy” vest, knit in Geilsk Cotton/Wool. It’s designed to be worn right-side-up or up-side-down, with the drop stitch lace around the collar or around the bottom edge.

Come by the shop to check out all our sample garments, which are here to be touched, tried on, and otherwise inspected. See you there!

New Churchmouse patterns.

Posted by Julia on March 27, 2015

Back in November, we started carrying single patterns from Churchmouse Yarns & Teas, a yarn shop in Washington state with a line of elegantly uncomplicated knitting and crochet patterns. We recently ordered a few new patterns from Churchmouse to liven up our pattern binders.

Churchmouse patterns tend to feature simple stitch patterns and straightforward shapes, letting beautiful yarns take center stage. We’ve been hearing rave reviews from knitters who’ve taken on the Churchmouse “Welted Fingerless Gloves” and “Easy Folded Poncho,” among others. Anne has that very poncho on her needles right now, and I crocheted a baby blanket a few months ago using the Churchmouse “Vintage Crocheted Throw and Afghan” pattern.

Because of the simple shapes and textures in these designs, the yarn choices for Churchmouse patterns are limited only by gauge. Pick a garment you’d like to make, and we’ll be happy to show you the many yarns that might suit it, and help you narrow it down from there.

Come by the shop to flip through pattern binders, magazines, and books on the hunt for your next project. We hope you find inspiration here!

Churchmouse patterns.

Posted by Julia on November 3, 2014

We’re delighted to announce that we now carry single patterns from Churchmouse!

Churchmouse Yarns & Teas is a yarn shop in Washington state with an impressive line of knit and crochet patterns, from garments and accessories to home decor and baby things.

Many Churchmouse patterns are simple, and I mean that in the best way–the kind of “simple” that lets beautiful yarn take center stage, and ensures that knitters and crocheters find success and satisfaction in their finished pieces.

One Churchmouse pattern has been particularly popular here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop: the “Easy Folded Poncho.”

For a couple of months now, we’ve had one on display knit in Acadia, Fibre Company’s distinctive DK tweed. The stockinette fabric shows off Acadia’s silk slubs, making a special garment that’s easy to knit and wear.

Come by the shop to browse the single-pattern binders, and remember Churchmouse patterns when you’re seeking reliable uses for spectacular yarns. See you there!