Tag Archives: color combinations

Back in stock: CoopKnits Socks Yeah! DK.

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

Socks Yeah! DK is a thicker version of CoopKnits Socks Yeah!, from designer Rachel Coopey. Both yarns are smooth, tightly plied blends of superwash merino and nylon, which make them perfect for sock-making, as the name suggests.

But soft, easy-care DK weight yarns have plenty of applications beyond socks. Baby and children’s things come to mind, little sweaters like Tin Can Knits’ “Dog Star,” which hangs here at the shop.

Our fresh supply of colors inspired me to put together some more pairings for “Dog Star.”

Here’s a bit of show and tell in CoopKnits Socks Yeah! DK, as well – Jill made these “Sweet Pumpkin” hats for her little granddaughters.

Look for CoopKnits Socks Yeah! DK in our DK weight section here at HYS, and in our new online store!

“Karla Cardigan” in Brooklyn Tweed Loft & Isager Soft Fine.

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Bailey recently knit this beautiful sweater as a sample for the shop, Anne Ventzel’s “Karla Cardigan.”

The design is striking, a simple slip stitch pattern that shines in Bailey’s unique yarn selection. Seeking softness, structure, and a lightweight feel at a bulky weight gauge, she paired Brooklyn Tweed Loft and Isager Soft Fine.

Close matching shades are a good idea when you’re holding two strands together for colorwork patterns like this – that helps to ensure that the motif will be legible against the background color. They don’t have to match exactly, however, since similar colors can blend when held together.

Here are some other “Karla Cardigan” color ideas Bailey came up with!

Ventzel’s pattern calls for Isager Soft and Tvinni held together, another lovely combination.

These color and yarn combinations will also work for Anne Ventzel’s variations on this pattern, “Karla Cape” and “Little Karla.” Look for Bailey’s “Karla Cardigan” on display here at HYS, and browse the yarn to make it on our online store!

Hello, Malabrigo Seis Cabos!

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Brand new from one of our most loved yarn companies, Malabrigo – meet Seis Cabos!

Malabrigo Seis Cabos:

  • worsted weight
  • 6-ply
  • hand-dyed, every skein is unique; we recommend alternating skeins to blend in a larger project
  • 100% merino wool
  • 220 yards/100 grams
  • hand wash, lay flat to dry

Malabrigo Seis Cabos is a soft and smooth non-superwash merino, hand-dyed in small batches. Meaning “six plies” in Spanish, Seis Cabos is meticulously crafted by tightly twisting each one of its six plies. This brings greater strength and resilience to the yarn, sharp stitch definition and lovely drape to the finished project.

Malabrigo is well known for their vibrant variegated colorways, and Anne made sure our Seis Cabos basket was full of them. Spotting the similarities in fiber content and gauge between Seis Cabos and Brooklyn Tweed Imbue Worsted, she ordered colors that pair well with BT’s heathered shades.

What to make with these color combinations? Here are some ideas!

You’ll find Malabrigo Seis Cabos and Brooklyn Tweed Imbue Worsted here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, and in our new online store!

Koigu Collector’s Club: The Ton.

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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 grams

This month’s limited edition shade is named for “The Ton,” otherwise known as Bridgerton. Fans of the show will recognize these deep jewel tones, royal blues and purples from the richly colored gowns, massive sparkling jewelry, and extravagant hairstyles of Bridgerton’s London society.

This new colorway got me thinking about Anne’s “Pressed Flowers Hat,” made with Koigu KPPPM and Neighborhood Fiber Co. Capital Luxury Sport, a soft and springy blend of merino, cashmere, and silk.

Brooklyn Tweed Imbue Sport would make a lovely main color for the “Pressed Flowers Hat,” too – here are a few fresh color combinations for this project using The Ton as the contrast color.

Look for Koigu KPPPM in the fingering weight section here at the shop, and in our new online store!

New colors in Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light!

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Good old Ultra Alpaca Light – this balanced blend of wool and alpaca is a classic, and we’re delighted to have a fresh supply!

Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light:

  • sport weight
  • solid and heathered shades
  • 50% super fine alpaca, 50% Peruvian Highland wool
  • 144 yards/50 grams
  • hand wash, lay flat to dry

Like its worsted weight counterpart, Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light has the structure and elasticity of wool and the drape, halo, and softness of alpaca. This makes it a versatile yarn, appropriate for hats and mittens, cowls and shawls, sweaters and more.

Photo © Martha Wissing

Martha Wissing’s “Round Top Bandana” is a recent pattern designed for two shades of Ultra Alpaca Light, an intriguing little accessory decorated with an allover slip stitch pattern. It requires just one skein in each color for either size – here are some color combinations to consider!

What else to do with these pairs? Check out these two-color patterns for more inspiration:

Look for Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light in the sport weight section here at HYS!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Penelope.

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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 grams

This month’s limited edition shade is inspired by Bridgerton – fans of the show will recognize Penelope’s signature yellow and pink palette in her namesake colorway.

We love what happens when a solid lace weight mohair is held together with variegated skeins like these, the magical fuzzy halo, subtle color blending, and overall watercolor effect. As soon as Penelope showed up, I reached for Isager Silk Mohair, which has so many shades that would blend beautifully with this limited edition colorway!

We know this combination makes a perfect PetiteKnit “Sophie Scarf” or “Oslo Hat – mohair edition.” If you’re seeking a more intricate pattern, try Sari Nordlund’s “Poet Scarf,” or Ronja Hakalehto’s “Vuono Hat.”

Look for Koigu KPPPM in the fingering weight section here at the shop, and check out the lace weight section for even more mohair!

New colors in Brooklyn Tweed Imbue!

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We’re pleased to have three new colors in Brooklyn Tweed’s Imbue yarns!

The heathered shades of Imbue Sport and Imbue Worsted are made by blending brilliantly dyed hues of unspun wool, like an artist mixing paints. When spun, these bright solid colors mingle into richly heathered shades that are harmonious across the entire palette – ideal for stripes and colorwork.

TAPESTRY: Velvet at midnight. Deep violet with a frosty shimmer of moonlight blue, sparked by bright candle flame.

AMARO: Sunset in Amalfi, a fiery red with bittersweet notes of rich wine, spicy citrus, and warm gold.

PEAT: Mist on the moors. Soft earthen brown with glimpses of shadowy blue pools amid rust-red grasses.

These new shades immediately got me thinking about our beloved Imbue shop samples – Bailey’s “SAWA” in Imbue Sport and Nancy’s “Baa-ble Hat” in Imbue Worsted. Here are a few fresh color combinations for each of these patterns!

Look for Brooklyn Tweed Imbue yarns in our sport and worsted weight sections, respectively, and check out Nancy’s upcoming “Baa-ble Hat” class if you’re looking to learn stranded colorwork!

Malabrigo Rios KAL.

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We’re delighted to have a fresh supply of Malabrigo Rios, just in time for Malabrigo’s upcoming KAL!

This Malabrigo KAL features the “Lehigh” shawl pattern by Melanie Berg, a talented designer known for her elegant and modern knitwear designs. “Lehigh” showcases the luxurious texture and vibrant colors of Rios.

Choose a high contrast color combination if the first image strikes your fancy – that really highlights the bud pattern in the secondary color. If the gentle color blending of the second image pleases you, pick two colors that are closer in value. Here are some color ideas!

I had way too much fun pairing colors for the Malabrigo Rios KAL – here are even more!

Want to join the Malabrigo KAL, which starts in September? Head to their blog to sign up, and come by our shop to pick out your yarn. You’ll need 4 skeins of Rios ($17 each) in your main color and 2 skeins of Rios in your contrast color.

Look for Rios and other Malabrigo yarns here at HYS – we can’t wait to see your shawls take shape when the Knit-Along begins next month!

Dream in Color Pop-Up Club: Neon Cream.

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Dream in Color’s Pop-Up Club is back! Over the past two months, owners Nancy and Veronica have handed over their company to Maddytosh, who are continuing the Dream in Color brand. Their yarn is now hand-dyed in Texas by a team trained by Veronica, and the skeins of Smooshy Cashmere are just as vibrant as ever.

Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere:

  • fingering weight
  • hand dyed, each skein is unique; we recommend alternating skeins to blend in a larger project
  • 70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, 10% nylon
  • 400 yards/100 grams
  • machine wash cool on gentle/hand wash setting, lay flat to dry

Neon Cream is the latest limited edition colorway, a fun explosion of electric lime melting into hints of warm gray. Here it is knit up into a “Terra Hue Shawl,” a slip stitch scarf with a woven-looking texture that shines in variegated yarn like this.

As soon as I saw Neon Cream, I thought of Joji Locatelli’s “Elton Pullover” and “Elton Cardigan,” simple sweaters made special with subtle stripes of mohair, like Sandnes Garn Tynn Silk Mohair.

This zippy highlighter green would shine with a contrast color, too – how about a pair of Stephen West “Contrast Blast Socks,” or a Lamb & Kid “Popple Bandana,” pairing Smooshy Cashmere and Malabrigo Ultimate Sock?

Inspired to cast on? Look for Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere in the fingering weight section here at HYS, and ask us for a coupon for a free “Terra Hue Shawl” pattern!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Wedding Season.

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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 grams

This month’s limited edition shade is inspired by Bridgerton – soft floral colours on a lavender-grey background evoke the dresses, balls, and decor of the show.

I can never resist pairing Koigu with mohair, brushed alpaca, or other fuzzy lace weight fibers  – here are a few combinations to consider for your next “Sophie Scarf” or “Oslo Hat – mohair edition.”

Look for Koigu KPPPM in the fingering weight section here at the shop, and check out the lace weight section to see all the fluffy yarns shown here and more!