Tag Archives: colorwork

Strands of Joy, by Anna Johanna.

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Anna Johanna’s Strands of Joy is here!

This beautifully produced hardcover book boasts 20 fresh colorwork patterns, worked seamlessly from the top down.

Laine is the publisher, known for the lush photography of their popular knitting and lifestyle magazine, which we were thrilled to welcome back with a new issue in December.

Johanna uses a variety of yarns throughout this collection for different effects – from sturdy solids to subtle heathers, from painterly hand-dyes to self-stripers.

Anne fell in love with “Lehto” (below) long before Strands of Joy arrived, and by the time she could hold the book in her hands, she was already picking out yarn to make it – can’t wait to show you what she’s considering, but it’s not landing at our shop until mid-March… stay tuned!

Strands of Joy is $45 – Order online for local pickup here at the shop or USPS Priority Mail shipping.

New colors in Kelbourne Woolens Andorra!

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We’re delighted to have five new colors of Kelbourne Woolens Andorra!

Kelbourne Woolens Andorra:

  • sport weight
  • 60% merino wool, 20% highland wool, 20% mohair
  • 185 yards/50 g
  • $12 each

Andorra is a bouncy sport weight blend of merino and highland wool with a dash of mohair. It’s a wooly, lustrous 2-ply with a medium twist, not too tight or loose, and especially after knitting, it looks pleasantly fuzzy – perfect for colorwork knitting!

Members of our HYS Hat Club got two skeins of Andorra in their most recent bundles, contrasting colors to make Tressa Weidenaar’s “Pyramid Hike Hat.” The pattern is named for Pyramid Peak in Weidenaar’s home state of New Mexico, and the colorwork motif suggests high mountains and wide, clear skies.

I had fun putting these combinations together with the “Pyramic Hike Hat” in mind – there are so many possibilities with all these colors!

Here are a few other intriguing patterns for Andorra:

Order online for local pickup or shipping! We’re still closed to walk-in browsing, but are otherwise here for orders and pickups between 11:00 am – 3:00 pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays. Thanks for your support!

Back in stock: Brooklyn Tweed Dapple.

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Dapple was one of the brand new yarns we brought in last year, Brooklyn Tweed’s first departure from wool – a DK weight blend of organic cotton and merino. It’s been popular here at our shop, so we jumped as soon as BT had more in stock. Delighted to report that we now have a fresh supply on hand!

Brooklyn Tweed Dapple:

  • DK weight
  • woolen-spun, tonally dyed
  • 60% merino wool, 40% organic cotton
  • 165 yards/50 g
  • $15.25 each

Dapple is tonally dyed, meaning skeins in the same colorway differ from one another even in the same dye lot. Some are lighter, some are darker, some almost look marled! This isn’t immediately apparent when looking at one skein of Dapple at a time, so I’ve laid out big groups in a few colorways to give a better sense of the variety. You can see each color laid out this way on our first Dapple blog post, and lots of pattern ideas on our second.

Tamy Gore recently published a gorgeous colorwork pullover designed for Dapple, “Graphic Elements.” When our big box of Dapple arrived, this sweater was exactly where my mind went – here are some color combinations to get you started planning your own!

Tamy Gore’s lovely original colorway is shown above, and below are those I put together – I’ve named them for some of the basic elements of graphic design, all concepts we see again and again in the knitting world.

Order Dapple online for local pickup or USPS Priority Mail Shipping – thanks again for your support and understanding as we remain closed to walk-ins!

Back in stock: Cascade 220 Fingering.

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We’ve been busy restocking for the new year ahead, filling in on yarns whose numbers had dwindled. Cascade 220 Fingering is one such yarn, an economical fingering weight wool that we’re delighted to have back in stock!

Cascade 220 Fingering:

  • fingering weight
  • 100% wool
  • 275 yards/50 g
  • $5.25 each

What to make with Cascade 220 Fingering? It’s great for colorwork – here are some pattern ideas and color combinations, both in pairs and trios!

  • “Dissent Toque,” by Andrea Rangel – 2 color hat inspired by Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s dissent collar
  • “Ino,” by Audrey Borrego – 2 color cowl
  • “Effie,” by Skeindeer Knits – 2 color Selbu mittens

Order online for local pickup or shipping – we’re happy to connect you with any of the combinations you see here, or put together a custom colorway just for you!

New year’s eve.

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What are you working on as 2020 comes to an end? Anne and I have closed up shop for the day, and we’ll be closed tomorrow, Jan. 1, as well. Now’s the time for rest, year-end contemplation, and knitting, of course – here’s a peek at our current projects.

Anne has been busy stitching for her grandchildren all year, and is closing in on this intricate lace pullover, “Leaf Sweater for Kids.”

She’s using a semisolid shade of Malabrigo Sock, which shows off the lace pattern beautifully. I’m looking forward to seeing it after blocking!

I’ve started another “Stasis” pullover, a replacement for one of my most loved sweaters, which I’ve worn out and mended several times – you can see it here, in a long ago show-and-tell blog post. For my second “Stasis,” I’m using a marled shade of Brooklyn Tweed Loft as my main color, and assorted bits and pieces of Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift for my contrast colors. It took a bit of sketching and swatching to get to this particular arrangement of colors, which was good fun in and of itself. Below are my first and second drafts, and above is what I settled on.

 

Your kindness and support have meant the world to us this year – wishing health and happiness to you and yours in 2021!

Fair Isle Weekend, by Mary Jane Mucklestone.

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It’s been a long wait, but Mary Jane Mucklestone’s new book has finally arrived!
In Fair Isle Weekend, Mary Jane Mucklestone takes us on a virtual trip to Shetland. This beautifully produced hardcover book features 8 colorwork designs, a steeking tutorial, and a few essays on life and knitting traditions in Shetland.
Laine is the publisher, known for their popular knitting and lifestyle magazine, which we’re delighted will be back with a new issue in December. Mucklestone’s designs are shown clearly in tantalizing photographs that highlight the knitterly details as much as the striking landscape.
Fair Isle Weekend is $42.95 and available for local pickup here at the shop or USPS Priority Mail shipping (an additional $8). Order online to get a copy for yourself or a colorwork-loving friend – inspiring knitting books make excellent gifts!

Soldotna Crop + Isager Jensen.

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Caitlin Hunter’s “Soldotna Crop” hasn’t faded in popularity since it first came out last year. With over 5,000 projects on Ravelry, it’s no wonder we get frequent requests for “Soldotna” yarn ideas! Here’s one – the delightfully toothy Isager Jensen.

Isager Jensen:

  • DK weight
  • solid and heathered colors
  • 100% Danish wool
  • 275 yards/100 g
  • $28 each

Isager Jensen is perfectly suited to stranded colorwork. Like Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift, another favorite colorwork yarn of mine, Jensen is not the softest fiber in our shop, but it’s sturdy and full of character, sure to wear well for years to come. A couple of years ago, I used Jensen to make Lori Versaci’s “Summer Fog” vest and loved every stitch – it left me wanting to work with this yarn again!

Jensen’s color palette was initially developed back in the 1970’s by Danish designer Ase Lund Jensen, who was inspired by the rich and complex shades of natural dyes. I named these “Soldotna Crop” colorways for natural dye plants, though none were used to dye this particular yarn.

Jensen’s generous yardage means that only 4-6 skeins are needed for Hunter’s “Soldotna Crop,” depending on what size you’re making. Order online if one of these colorways sparks your curiosity, or if you’d like to see a special combination just for you! We’re happy to help you plan your next project, and can ship your order or hold it here at the shop for local pickup.

Soulful Slouchy Hat + Peerie.

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A recent Brooklyn Tweed restock brought some of the best-loved shades of Peerie back to our shelves. This got me thinking about Tif Neilan’s “Soulful Slouchy Hat,” just the kind of small colorwork project I love. It comes in a wide range of sizes, from toddler to adult large.

© Tif Neilan – tif handknits –

Brooklyn Tweed Peerie:

  • fingering weight
  • 100% American merino wool
  • 210 yards/50 grams
  • $17.25 each

One skein in each color gives you enough for at least two hats, if you rearrange the color placement. Below are the four shades Neilan used in her own “Soulful Slouchy Hat,” pictured at the top of this post, an intriguing mix of classic navy and white and a couple of unusual earth tones.

Here are a few more color combinations I came up with for Tif Neilan’s “Soulful Slouchy Hat.”

Order online if one of these colorways sparks your curiosity, or if you’d like to see a special combination just for you! We’re happy to help you plan your next project, and can ship your order or hold it here at the shop for local pickup. Thanks for all your support through our temporary closure!

Hello again, Isager Highland Wool.

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A recent special order brought in a couple of new shades of Isager Highland Wool, reminding us of just how much we love this yarn.

Isager Highland:

  • light fingering weight
  • solid and heathered colors
  • 100% Highland wool
  • 301 yards/50 g
  • $10 each

Some years ago, I made Carol Feller’s “Carpino” holding Highland Wool together with Shibui Silk Cloud, which brought a lustrous, fuzzy luxury to the fabric. It left me wanting to work with Highland Wool again, in a context where its rustic simplicity could shine.

With that in mind, here are a few two-color patterns that make beautiful use of Highland Wool, and some color combinations to get you started!

  • “Pinwheel Mitts,” by Ella Austin – fingerless mitts in stranded colorwork
  • “Sento,” by Olga Buraya-Kefelian – triangular shawl in two-color brioche
  • “Alula,” by Clare Lakewood – triangular shawl in stripes/slip stitch pattern

If any of these patterns or colorways capture your imagination, order online for local pickup or shipping! We’re also happy to answer questions, to be your eyes and hands as you create other color combinations – we know it’s tricky to select colors without being able to come into the shop yourself, and they can look so different in photos than they do in person. Thanks for working with us during our temporary closure!

Back in stock: Tukuwool Fingering.

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We recently restocked Tukuwool Fingering, a Finnish yarn that has become a favorite around here in the few short years we’ve carried it.

Tukuwool Fingering is a woolen-spun, fingering weight blend of Finnsheep and Finnsheep-Texel wool, sourced and produced entirely in Finland. It’s a little toothy, but soft enough for next-to-skin wear, depending upon one’s preferences; a springy and resilient yarn.

I knit two “Bousta Beanies” with this yarn and fell in love with it along the way. Unpacking this recent order of Tukuwool, I contemplated trios of color with the “Bousta Beanie” in mind; here are a few I came up with.

  

Order Tukuwool Fingering online from the Hillsborough Yarn Shop – we’re happy to help put together a special colorway just for you!