Color crush: light blue and brown.

Knitters sometimes ask me which they should pick first: the pattern, or the yarn? There’s no right or wrong way to find your next project, of course, nor are these the only two ways. Often we are motivated by color, coming into the yarn shop picturing a particular shade, and searching the shelves for a skein that matches our mind’s eye. Sometimes it’s a color combination that we’re seeking, a pairing that has captured our imagination – here’s one such case.

Bailey’s most recent shop sample is the “Escher Beanie,” by Rows Knitwear, an intriguing two-color slip stitch rib pattern.

She used one ball each in Isager Soft and Queensland Llama Seta, a contrast in textures and in color.

As she worked on it, curious knitters asked about the color combination, so like her “Karla Cardigan,” a striking combination of light blue and dark brown. Could it be a color crush?

Since then, we’ve been pulling out similar shades from all over the shop, robin’s egg and chocolate, baby blue and espresso, sky and carob – here they are, with pattern ideas for each pair!

Lang Cashmere Premium in 21 + 268

Make the most of two precious balls of cashmere yarn with Amy Christoffers’ “Pressed Flowers Kerchief.”

Isager Soft in 10 + E8s

Lindsay Degen’s “Six of Daisies Cardigan” features large scale floral motifs, an ideal use of a high contrast color combination like this one.

Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in Iceberg + Meteorite

Hoods and bonnets are more popular than ever – stripe these complementary shades of Shelter for Milena Juhola’s “Harriet Bonnet.”

Brooklyn Tweed Imbue Sport in Vapor + Peat

Use this super soft merino for Aimée Gille’s “Le Bandana,” a simple kerchief that can be knit with stripes of all sizes.

Isager Tweed in Topaz + Chocolate and Isager Silk Mohair in 41 + 34

I’ve been eyeing Other Loops’ “Lace Loop Sweater” lately, and this dreamy yarn combination would make a nice one.

Isager Spinni in 10s + 8s + 6s and Isager Soft Fine in 11 + E8s + E6s

Bailey came up with this combination for My Favourite Things’ “New Norma,” an oversized pullover with simple colorwork stripes.

Julie Asselin Leizu Fingering Non Traitée in Hydrangées + Brownstone

While Brownstone is more rouge than brown, we still love it with pale blue – a lovely color pair for the simple stripes of Florence Miller’s “Tombo Tee.”

What color combinations have you been infatuated with lately? Let us know in the comments, or come by the shop and we’ll help you find yarn to match!

“Norma Sweater” kits and colorways.

Since we opened our online store in September, we’ve noticed a trend in orders. A particular combination of Isager yarns kept popping up in a particular combination of colors.

Having hosted an Isager Archives Knit-Along last spring, we knew exactly what pattern these folks had in mind: “Norma Sweater,” by My Favourite Things Knitwear.

We decided to make it easier on all the knitters out there wanting to make a “Norma Sweater” of their own, and put these special colors together in a kitlook for it in our online store!

If you, too, have fallen for My Favourite Things’ captivating color combination, you can buy all the yarn you need in our Norma Sweater Kit. Just pick the size you want to make and add it to your cart!

You can always pick your own colors, of course – Bailey and I were inspired to do just that as these kits came together. Here are a few other colorways for the “Norma Sweater,” using Isager Tweed, Silk Mohair, and Tvinni.

Look for Isager Tweed, Silk Mohair, and Tvinni here at HYS, and explore all our kits in our online store!

“Cumulus Blouse” in Superkid Silk + Silk Mohair.

Bailey’s most recent shop sample is a showstopper – a PetiteKnit “Cumulus Blouse” knit with Hand Maiden Superkid Silk and Isager Silk Mohair held together.

This mix of hand dyed and solid lace weight yarn creates a painterly fabric, lightweight and ideal for cool spring days.

Before casting on for her “Cumulus Blouse,” Bailey swatched Superkid Silk in Swan Lake with six different shades of Silk Mohair, each one striking a different tone. It was hard to choose, but she went with Silk Mohair in 62, a blush pink that let the blue streaks in Swan Lake stand out.

Hand dyed yarn is some of the hardest to picture in a finished project. In the skein, we see big swaths of color, but in the knitted fabric, these vibrant colorways transform depending on the stitch pattern and the number of stitches cast on.

To balance the color pooling, Bailey carefully alternated skeins of Superkid Silk, working two row stripes with two or three different balls of yarn, all while carrying along a strand of solid Silk Mohair. It involved some ripping out and re-knitting, but was worth it for this harmonious fabric that lets each color shine.

Look for Bailey’s “Cumulus Blouse” on display here at the shop – it’s here to admire, inspire, and try on! We have all of her swatches on display, too, to give you a sense of how solid and variegated mohair colorways can come together.

If you’re inspired to make a “Cumulus Blouse” of your own, we’re here to help you find the perfect yarn blend, with more mohair and brushed alpaca to choose from than ever before. Hand Maiden Superkid Silk and Isager Silk Mohair, yes, but also Malabrigo Mohair, Kelbourne Woolens Harmony, Isager Soft Fine, Fyberspates Cumulus, and Sandnes Garn Tynn Silk Mohair… look for them all in our lace weight section!

“Sophie Hood” in Sport, Superkid Silk, and Silk Mohair.

Anne cast on for her PetiteKnit “Sophie Hood” on one of the coldest days of winter, suddenly recognizing the urgent need for just such an accessory. She finished it just when the weather warmed up again, and thought she might have missed the window to wear it. But winter’s not yet over, and when the temperature dipped again, she had her chance!

Anne knit her little red “Sophie Hood” with three strands of yarn held together. For structure, she used Briggs & Little Sport, a single ply wool. For added softness, warmth, and color, she added Hand Maiden Superkid Silk and Isager Silk Mohair.

We are all smitten with the resulting fabric, a vibrant red with subtle streaks of orange, fuchsia, and burgundy that liven up this simple garter stitch hood.

We couldn’t resist picking out alternate colorways in the same magical trio of yarns – here are some ideas!

 

If you prefer to work with a single strand of yarn for your “Sophie Hood,” check out Isager Soft and Alpaca 3, Fibre Co. & Make Aran, and Kelbourne Woolens Lucky Tweed in our aran weight section.

See you at the shop!

Hello, Kelbourne Woolens Harmony.

Brand new from Kelbourne Woolens! Meet Harmony.

Kelbourne Woolens Harmony:

  • lace weight
  • fuzzy
  • 72% kid mohair, 28% mulberry silk
  • 230 yards/25 grams
  • 20-25 stitches over 4” on US 2-6 (2.75-4mm) needles
  • hand wash, lay flat to dry

Harmony is Kelbourne Woolens’ debut mohair! This fluffy mohair/silk blend comes in colors paired to the KW palette, but plays well with others – Harmony brings softness and shimmer to any project.

As I unpacked Harmony, I matched each color to another Kelbourne Woolens yarn, imagining how they’d merge in the knitted fabric. Here are some combinations and pattern ideas!

Kelbourne Woolens Perennial + Harmony: PetiteKnit “Oslo Hat” or “Monday Sweater”

Kelbourne Woolens Cricket + Harmony: Tin Can Knits “Simple Yet Effective” cowl or My Favorite Things Knitwear “Norma Sweater”

Kelbourne Woolens Camper + Harmony: Pernille Larsen’s “Baby Bear Bonnet” or Sari Nordlund’s “Champagne pullover”

Kelbourne Woolens Andorra + Harmony: Andrea Mowry’s “Minted” hat or Jenny Ansah’s “Lanes of Hearts” scarf

Kelbourne Woolens Scout + Harmony: Cheryl Mokhtari’s “Harris Hood” or Veronika Lindberg’s “Salty Days Sweater”

Kelbourne Woolens Germantown + Harmony: Kiyomi Burgin’s “Cheslie Toque” or Jackie Rose’s “Saturday Shrug”

Kelbourne Woolens Lucky Tweed + Harmony: PetiteKnit’s “Weekend Slipover” or My Favorite Things Knitwear’s “Cardigan No. 9”

Kelbourne Woolens Erin + Harmony: Tiina Huhtaniemi’s “Tunturi hat” or My Favorite Things Knitwear’s “Cardigan No. 7”

Look for Harmony in the lace weight section here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop!

“Nightshift” in Noro Ito.

The shop just got more colorful… we’ve got six new shades of Noro Ito in stock!

Noro Ito:

  • aran weight
  • single ply
  • self striping
  • 100% wool
  • 437 yards/200 grams
  • hand wash, lay flat to dry

Noro Ito has long been a popular choice for Andrea Mowry’s “Nightshift.” This triangular shawl is decorated with bands of a simple slip stitch pattern, trimmed with an attached i-cord edging, then finished off with a clever striped i-cord bind off. Though Mowry calls for six different colors, two balls of Noro Ito will do the color changing for you – just switch colors A and B every 20 rows.

Carolina came in wearing this gorgeous “Nightshift” in two shades of Noro Ito, knit for her by her aunt, Vera. It inspired us to order these new shades!

Here’s a color combination similar to Vera’s beautiful creation, followed by a few more ideas from us.

Look for Noro Ito in the aran weight section here at HYS – see you there!

Color crush: blue and burgundy.

Knitters sometimes ask me which they should pick first: the pattern, or the yarn? There’s no right or wrong way to find your next project, of course, nor are these the only two ways. Often we are motivated by color, coming into the yarn shop picturing a particular shade, and searching the shelves for a skein that matches our mind’s eye. Sometimes it’s a color combination that we’re seeking, a pairing that has captured our imagination – here’s one such case.

A knitter came in recently looking for blue and burgundy, and as often happens here at the shop, Anne and Bailey and I started playing along. We pulled out similar shades we had noticed throughout the shop, cobalt and cornflower, merlot and maroon. Long after that knitter left with the perfect yarn for their next project, I was still spotting sapphire and garnet, so I thought I’d share them here on the blog, with pattern ideas for each pair.

Berroco Ultra Alpaca in 62172 and 62121

Knit at a snug 23 stitches to 4″, Ultra Alpaca would make a cozy pair of “Robinia Mittens,” by Anne Ventzel.

Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in Delft and Homemade Jam

A pleasing pair in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter for PetiteKnit’s new “Key Sweater,” with enough contrast to show the colorwork motif.

Berroco Ultra Wool in 33156 and 33145

This sturdy superwash wool would make a nice pair of “Key Mittens,” to match the aforementioned PetiteKnit sweater.

Brooklyn Tweed Loft in Cadet and Homemade Jam

Try this lower contrast Loft pair in Isabell Kraemer’s “Heimathafen” pullover, with its subtle dip-stitch colorwork stripes.

Isager Tvinni in 44 + Silk Mohair in 44 and Tvinni in 36s + Silk Mohair in 36

Hold Tvinni and Silk Mohair together in simple stockinette stripes for PetiteKnit’s “Olga Jacket.”

Sandnes Garn Sunday in 5846 + Isager Highland in Wine

Hold these lightweight wools together for a low-contrast “Melange Sweater,” by PetiteKnit. I wear mine all the time, and Bailey has one in the works now!

Isager Jensen in 44s and Fyberspates Cumulus in Plum

Another compelling combination for marling – hold fluffy Cumulus with Jensen for Anne Ventzel’s “Solange Scarf.”

Kelbourne Woolens Lucky Tweed in Bright Blue and Mulberry

Brioche is another way to combine colors – try Andrea Mowry’s “Harlow Worsted” hat in plush Lucky Tweed.

What color combinations have you been infatuated with lately? Let us know in the comments, or come by the shop and we’ll help you find yarn to match!

Brooklyn Tweed Loft + Isager Soft Fine.

Isager recently released a delightful batch of new colors in their fuzzy alpaca, silk, and yak blend, Soft Fine. We love Soft Fine as a mohair substitute, for those sensitive to that fiber – it has all the halo of mohair and, for some, a softer texture.

As we unpacked these new colors, Bailey got to work pairing them up with Brooklyn Tweed Loft, still enamored of the lightweight fabric of her “Karla Cardigan.”

Anne Ventzel’s design is striking, a simple slip stitch pattern that shines in Bailey’s unique yarn selection.

There’s something really special about Brooklyn Tweed Loft and Isager Soft Fine held together, a balance of structure and softness, a lofty fabric at a quick-to-knit gauge. Here are some “Karla Cardigan” color pairs!

There are other exciting things to make with Loft + Soft Fine, of course. The gauge for Anne Ventzel’s “Karla Cardigan” is 16 stitches = 4″; here are other patterns at a similar gauge, ideal for this yarn combination:

Look for Bailey’s “Karla Cardigan” on display here at HYS, and browse these and many other yarns on our online store!

Vovó + Silk Mohair.

If you’ve visited the shop in the past month or so, you’ve probably heard us talking about Retrosaria Rosa Pomar Vovó, a new sport weight yarn from Portugal that Anne, Bailey, and I are all coveting. While I was rounding up pattern ideas for Vovó, I came across a few that called for adding a strand of lace weight mohair and couldn’t resist sharing them here with color combinations!

“Grinalda,” by Rosa Pomar – photo © Rosa Pomar

Rosa Pomar’s “Grinalda” caught my eye with its pretty floral embroidery, and when I looked closer, the color combination intrigued me – a silvery gray held together with a blush pink. I went for a similar low contrast combination in the Vovó + Isager Silk Mohair swatch shown here.

I love how these shades blend together in the knitted fabric, and of course it feels great with that fuzzy mohair halo. Here are a few other low contrast combinations to consider…

“Verso Beanie,” by Jenny Ansah – photo © Jenny Ansah

There’s something so satisfying about a close color match between yarns, as well – that’s what Jenny Ansah used in her cozy “Verso Beanie.” Here are a few Vovó + Silk Mohair pairs for that perfect match…

“Rauha,” by Sari Nordlund – photo © Sari Nordlund

Two more gorgeous garments pairing Vovó + Silk Mohair – Sari Nordlund’s “Rauha” above and Rosa Pomar’s “Burgos” below.

“Burgos,” by Rosa Pomar – photo © Rosa Pomar

Look for Retrosaria Rosa Pomar Vovó in our sport weight section and Isager Silk Mohair in our lace weight section. We can’t wait to see what color combinations and patterns you come up with!

“Night & Day Cowl” in Isager Alpaca 3 & Silk Mohair.

When Katherine proposed teaching a slip stitch class on Andrea Mowry’s “Night & Day Cowl,” we immediately started calling out DK weight yarns she could work with. Kelbourne Woolens Scout, Berroco Ultra Wool DK, Brooklyn Tweed Arbor, and Sandnes Garn Double Sunday would all be nice – but Katherine had other plans.

She picked out matching shades of aran weight Isager Alpaca 3 and lace weight Silk Mohair to hold together throughout, making a thicker fabric at a bigger gauge. If she used these (gorgeous!) yarns for her “Night & Day Cowl,” she’d need to use larger needles than the US 6 called for in the pattern, and her cowl would come out bigger. “I don’t mind if it’s bigger,” she said, and went home with an armful of Isager and plans to use a US 9 needle and see what happened.

What happened was this stunning cowl, a super soft fabric at the perfect size! Andrea Mowry’s pattern is written in such a way that it’s easy to stop when you reach your desired cowl size, so Katherine got to knit without even worrying about the difference in gauge.

Now that I’ve seen Katherine’s extra cozy “Night & Day Cowl,” I can’t stop thinking about other color combinations in Isager Alpaca 3 and lace weight Silk Mohair – here are a few!

Look for Katherine’s cowl here at our shop, along with the Isager Alpaca 3 and Silk Mohair to make one of your own!