Tag Archives: colorwork

Isager Archives KAL: “Inge Sweater” color ideas.

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Our first Isager Archives KAL meeting was on Wednesday evening, and we had a great time knitting along together! It’s not too late to join us – we’ll gather again on March 27, from 5-7pm, click here for all the details. Anne, Bailey and I have all settled on the same pattern, Lene Holme Samsøe’s “Inge Sweater,” but our colors and yarn choices vary.

Anne made her first swatches using a mix of Isager Jensen, Brooklyn Tweed Imbue Worsted, and a single ply alpaca from deep in her personal collection. She’s not happy with the fabric yet, and just cast on for a new swatch replacing the Imbue Worsted with more Jensen… looking forward to seeing it!

Bailey’s “Inge Sweater” is most similar to the color combination in the pattern, but her yarn choice is unique – a mix of Sandnes Garn Sunday, Isager Tvinni, and Jensen.

For my “Inge Sweater,” I’m using a DK weight wool that was gifted to me years ago for the main color, and two shades of Jensen for the contrast colors.

Inspired to join us and knit an “Inge Sweater” of your own? Here are more color ideas in Isager Jensen!

I’m picturing the three combinations above with the lightest color in the background, as in Samsøe’s pattern photos, and the combinations below with the darkest color in the background, though they could be arranged any way you like.

I love the toothy, rustic texture of Jensen, but it’s not everyone’s cup of tea – if a softer, more economical yarn is your preference, try Kelbourne Woolens Scout!

Look for these and other suitable yarns for “Inge” in our DK weight section here at the shop. We’re happy to help you find the perfect yarn for your project!

Mittens of Latvia, by Maruta Grasmane.

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An older title found its way to our teacart recently, the table near the shop entrance where the newest books and yarns are usually displayed. Though it’s not a new release, we’re newly aware of it, and enchanted by it, as well – let’s look inside Mittens of Latvia, by Maruta Grasmane ($40).

This hefty hardcover book collects 178 traditional colorwork mitten patterns from Latvia, recreations of ethnographic mittens from the second half of the 18th century, the 19th century, and the beginning of the 20th century.

Chapters are organized by region, and Grasmane begins each one by noting the colors, motifs, and knitting motifs most commonly used in said region.

The mittens are photographed in close detail, and presented with their charts. Paging through Mittens of Latvia, I was mesmerized – all those tiny stitches and intricate patterns!

Because Grasmane is light on knitting instructions, Mittens of Latvia functions more as a coffee table art book than a user friendly book of patterns. But intrepid knitters who have made colorwork mittens in the past can likely fill in the blanks with experience, and I hope they do – I’d love to see some of these patterns in person, keeping clever hands warm!

Look for Mittens of Latvia here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop – we’re open 11am-5:30pm, Tuesdays-Saturdays; masks required for entry.

“Shetland Solstice” in Kelbourne Woolens Camper.

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Gudrun Johnston’s “Shetland Solstice” hat caught my eye when Simply Shetland released Gudrun’s Holiday Hat kits featuring Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift back in November.

“Shetland Solstice,” by Gudrun Johnston, knit with Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift. Photo © Gudrun Johnston

I adore knitting with Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift, but toothy Shetland wool isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Luckily, any fingering weight wool can be used for Johnston’s pattern, and we have a nice, soft substitute in Kelbourne Woolens Camper. There aren’t quite as many colors in Camper as there are in Spindrift, but the palette is robust enough for some serious colorwork – below is a close approximation of Gudrun Johnston’s first “Shetland Solstice” colorway, shown in the hat pictured above.

“Shetland Solstice,” by Gudrun Johnston, knit with Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift. Photo © Gudrun Johnston

I was pleased to approximate Johnston’s second “Shetland Solstice” colorway in Camper, too!

Camper is what I used to make my own “Shetland Solstice” hat for the shop, and I love the result: classic looking fair isle with a soft and cuddly feel.

We recently got a fresh supply of Camper along with a few new colors – here are some more “Shetland Solstice” color ideas I came up with.

 

Look for Kelbourne Woolens Camper and Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift in our fingering weight section here at the shop, and pet our knit samples to pick the perfect yarn for you!

Show and tell: gifts from Anne’s needles.

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I’m always amazed at how much knitting Anne does, between shop and class samples, gifts for her family, and the occasional sweater for herself. Today I want to share some of the knitting she’s done for her grandchildren throughout the year, “with love in every stitch,” in her words.

For her youngest grandson, Anne knit this “Daydreamer,” by Jennifer Steingass. The whimsical rainbow colors come from Brooklyn Tweed, a mix of Loft and Tones Light.

Her granddaughters picked their own patterns this year, and helped arrange the colors over Zoom.

This is Jessica McDonald’s “Little Abloom,” knit with Kelbourne Woolens Camper for the main color and a few precious skeins of the discontinued Shibui Pebble for the contrast colors.

This is Anna Johanna’s “Helianthus,” knit with another discontinued yarn, Brooklyn Tweed Peerie, with a few other yarns from Anne’s stash to fill out the color palette.

For her eldest twin grandsons, Anne made these cozy bed-sized blankets with Malabrigo Mecha, and got them done before Hanukkah, no less. What a feat!

Amidst all those significant projects, she still managed this bundle of hats! From left to right: a “Winter King Hat” in Brooklyn Tweed Quarry, a Super Simple Circular Hat Calculator in Noro Bonbori and Isager Silk Mohair, and a couple “Oslo Hat – Mohair Edition,” knit with Kelbourne Woolens Perennial, Malabrigo Mohair, Sandnes Garn Sunday, and Isager Silk Mohair. 

Thanks to Anne for sharing all her projects with us, and for keeping the shop filled with exciting and inspiring yarns!

“Static Mittens” in Sandnes Garn Double Sunday.

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Knit a pair of “Static Mittens” with Sandnes Garn Double Sunday!

“Static Mittens,” by Rows Knitwear, photo © Rows Knitwear

This eye catching pattern by Rows Knitwear uses both sides of the fabric to create a striped illusion pattern with stranded colorwork. They’re knit flat with DK weight yarn on US 6 needles, then seamed up the side to complete.

Bailey made this cozy pair as a sample for the shop, and chose a lovely combination of pale blush and cornflower blue in Sandnes Garn Double Sunday. We had fun picking other color combinations in this plush merino wool – here are a few to consider!

Look for Sandnes Garn Double Sunday in the DK weight here at HYS, along with many other suitable yarns for “Static Mittens” – think Brooklyn Tweed Arbor, Kelbourne Woolens Scout, and Fibre Co. Acadia. See you at the shop!

“Baa-ble Hats” in Brooklyn Tweed.

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Donna Smith’s “Baa-ble Hat” has been charming knitters since it was first published for Shetland Wool Week back in 2015. We’ve seen it knit up in many different yarns over the years, but lately, our favorite recommendation is Brooklyn Tweed.

Nancy knit this “Baa-ble Hat” with Brooklyn Tweed Imbue Worsted, a soft and smooth merino wool.

Above are the colors Nancy chose, and below are a few more ideas I came up with.

Brooklyn Tweed Tones is a great choice for a “Baa-ble Hat,” too, a columbia wool whose colorways are overdyed in vibrant, playful colors, starting with two baseline shades of undyed natural gray.

I love the subtle colors Nancy’s student, Haleh, chose for hers!

Brooklyn Tweed Shelter has more colors to choose from than either Tones or Imbue Worsted – here are a few more “Baa-ble Hat” color combinations in Shelter!

Inspired to make a “Baa-ble Hat” of your own? Come by the shop and see all the options in our worsted weight section, from Brooklyn Tweed and others!

Grand Shetland Adventure Knits, by Gudrun Johnston & Mary Jane Mucklestone.

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Laine’s latest book has been much anticipated here at HYS; let’s look inside Grand Shetland Adventure Knits ($50), by Gudrun Johnston & Mary Jane Mucklestone!

Grand Shetland Adventure Knits is part travelogue, part knitwear collection, a celebration of Johnston and Mucklestone’s time together on Shetland.

Pick up this book to read essays and travel stories, love letters to Shetland that spotlight these seasoned knitwear designers’ favorite places to visit.

The patterns are beautiful and varied – plenty of stranded colorwork, of course, but also a few lace designs, all knit up in a range of yarns from Shetland and beyond.

Grand Shetland Adventure Knits is $50, and available here at the shop, or order online for local pickup or shipping. Come by to peruse this new title for a bit of armchair travel, and to gather materials for your next project! We hope you find inspiration here.

Modern Daily Knitting Field Guide No. 25: Botanica.

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The twenty fifth installment of the Modern Daily Knitting Field Guide series is here!

MDK’s series of Field Guides are pocket-sized booklets focused on a particular theme, knitting technique, or designer. This newest Field Guide features designs by Dee Hardwicke – let’s take a look inside!

Dee Hardwicke is an artist and designer who works in multiple media, including chinaware, mosaics, stationery, and knitting. No matter the mode or material, Hardwicke’s work is colorful, and reflects her great love of the British landscape.

All of these patterns all call for MDK’s own yarn, which we don’t have on our shelves, but Brooklyn Tweed Arbor is a lovely substitute, and we have dozens of colors!

We still have a few copies of Hardwicke’s gorgeous book The Knitted Fabric, published last winter by Laine – pick it up if this Field Guide whets your appetite!

MDK Field Guides are $15.95 each; order online for local pickup or shipping, or come by to shop in person – we’re open from 11am – 5:30 pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays!

Show and tell: sweaters.

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We’re closing the shop for a summer vacation from August 17 – 28, reopening at our usual hours on Tuesday, August 29. In the meantime, enjoy another round of show and tell, featuring the juiciest of knitting projects: sweaters!

Here’s April’s “Little Love,” by Ankestrick, a textured cardigan knit with Kelbourne Woolens Cricket. April has also made Ankestrick’s “Big Love,” a heavier version in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter, and can vouch for the pleasure of knitting and wearing these designs!

Anne began this “Kirigami” years ago, when Brooklyn Tweed first launched Dapple, but then put it aside while she worked on other things. When the most recent new colors came out in Dapple, she returned to it and was delighted to discover it was nearly finished! Look for it hanging on the wall here at our shop.

Linda finished her “Kirigami” recently, too, using Brooklyn Tweed Arbor. I love how crisp Gudrun Johnston’s highly textured design is in this yarn!

In fact, I made a “Kirigami” in Arbor a few years ago, and though it never made an appearance on the blog, I wear it frequently and love it so.

Here’s a more recent project of mine, a PetiteKnit “Anker’s Summer Shirt” in Sandnes Garn Line. This one is up on display at the shop, and seems to have inspired many of you to pick up Line for an “Anker’s Summer Shirt” of your own – I can’t wait to see them take shape!

Connie knit this “Kaav” cardigan in a recent class here at our shop, where a small group of knitters all tackled Kate Davie’s lovely design, along with their very first steeks. Connie modified the pattern a bit, omitting the colorwork from the sleeves, and used the super soft Kelbourne Woolens Scout.

 

Thanks to April, Anne, Linda, and Connie for sharing your projects with us, and thank you all for letting me show and tell, too! Looking forward to seeing you and your projects after our summer break!

Buggiflooer Beanie.

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We’re so excited about “Buggiflooer Beanie,” Shetland Wool Week’s featured pattern for 2023!

“Buggiflooer Beanie,” by Alison Rendall

This two-, three-, or six-color fair isle hat pattern is available to purchase from the Shetland Wool Week website. Though in the past the SWW featured hat pattern has been free, this year they’re charging a small sum to help ensure the future of the event. A new Shetland Wool Week hat pattern is something Anne and I look forward to every year, so we purchased it as soon as it was available, and then went straight to our Jamieson’s of Shetland Spindrift to play the color game. I spent some time putting together six-color combinations, inspired by those shown in the pattern.

“Buggiflooer Beanie,” by Alison Rendall, shown in Colourway 3

“Buggiflooer Beanie,” by Alison Rendall, shown in Colourway 4

“Buggiflooer Beanie,” by Alison Rendall, shown in Colourway 5

We also have kits in a special colorway developed by and named for designer Gudrun Johnston!

“Buggiflooer Beanie,” by Alison Rendall, shown in Gudrun’s palette

Yarn bundles for “Buggiflooer Beanie” are $56, and include 6 balls of Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift – pattern is sold separately to support Shetland Wool Week. We’re also happy to help you put together two- or three-color combinations from our generous supply of Spindrift – we have over 150 colors in stock!

Come see us or get in touch if you’d like to order a “Buggiflooer Beanie” yarn bundle!