Tag Archives: coopknits

Show and tell: stuffed animals.

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It’s been too long since I shared show-and-tell here on the blog, though it’s an ongoing part of our daily Instagram posts – let’s see what folks have been making with yarn from our shop!

Carlaine has been knitting her way through Mouche & Friends, Cinthia Vallet’s book of seamless stuffed animals that has captured the hearts of so many knitters here at HYS. Above are “Alphonse the Pig” and “Agi the Sheep,” and below is “Horacio the Donkey” – all knit with CoopKnits Socks Yeah! and several other kinds of fingering weight yarn.

You may recognize the friends pictured below – these are Pamela’s “Frog and Toad,” designed by Kristina Ingrid McGowan. There’s a crochet version, too! Pamela used a mix of CoopKnits Socks Yeah! DK, Fibre Co. Acadia, and Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift.

I have a little show and tell in this vein today, too – below are two “Jolly Wee Elves” I knit with scraps of Brooklyn Tweed Shelter. The pattern is from Churchmouse, a delight every time.

Thanks to Carlaine and Pamela for sharing their work with us! We love to see what you make with our yarns, and can’t wait to see what comes off your needles next.

Back in stock: CoopKnits Socks Yeah!

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

CoopKnits Socks Yeah:

  • fingering weight
  • 75% superwash merino wool, 25% nylon
  • 231 yards/50g
  • $11.60 each

Developed by avid sock-designer Rachel Coopey, CoopKnits Socks Yeah! is a hard-wearing, machine-washable sock yarn that comes in solid and heathered shades.

Seeking sock inspiration? We happen to have a fresh supply of Ready Set Socks, Coopey’s collaboration with Pom Pom Press. The patterns in Ready Set Socks are written for both fingering and DK weights, and are beautiful in their simplicity. This makes them a blank slate for modifications – the section on “Variations, Tutorials + Adjustments” will see you through different heels, cuffs, decreases, yarn and color choices, and more.

Remember CoopKnits Socks Yeah! when your fingering weight project requires sharp stitch definition and durability. You’ll find it in the fingering weight section here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, in a little basket bursting with color. See you there!

Show and tell: sweaters!

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Back with more show and tell! Here’s another batch of completed projects made with yarns from our shop, focusing this time on sweaters. If you follow us on Instagram, some of these may look familiar – let’s take a closer look at these beautiful knits.

Anne recently knit this sweet little “Dog Star” sweater as a shop sample, showing off CoopKnits Socks Yeah! DK. This Tin Can Knits pattern is one we often make and recommend for baby and kid knits, though it comes in adult sizes, as well – have you made one yet?

Here’s Karin in her first ever sweater, Andrea Mowry’s “Vellichor.” She chose three shades of Brooklyn Tweed Loft for this project, a lightweight woolen-spun yarn with nice structure for garment-making.

Molly knit this “Thistle” sweater for her mom, who models it here. The pattern comes from Anna Johanna’s Strands of Joy, a beautiful collection of modern colorwork sweaters. Molly used Tukuwool Fingering for this garment, another woolen-spun fingering weight yarn.

Above is Gail’s “Divide” pullover, knit with Brooklyn Tweed Arbor, a smooth and springy yarn perfectly suited to this intricate texture. Pattern by Emily Greene.

April came in last week wearing her brand new “Trove” pullover, knit with Kelbourne Woolens Andorra. We love that joyful new-sweater feeling!

Pattern by Emma Ducher for Pom Pom Quarterly 30 – we still have copies of this issue in stock, if you’re tempted to follow April’s lead and make a “Trove” of your own!

Thanks to Anne, Karin, Molly, Gail, and April for sharing their work with us! We love to see what you make with our yarns, and can’t wait to see what comes off your needles next.

Koigu Collector’s Club: Koigu Barn at Dawn.

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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 g
  • $15.50 each

This month’s limited edition shade is Koigu Barn at Dawn, a variegated mix of peach, ivory, burgundy, and shades of gray.

This new colorway made me think of Andrea Mowry’s “Curio Socks,” a striped, slip-stitch pattern I’ve seen several knitters working on lately. The heathered CoopKnits Socks Yeah! makes a great Main Color, letting the variegated KPPPM take center stage as Contrast Color.

Look closely at Mowry’s sizing as you select your yarn and colors; some sizes will require two skeins of Socks Yeah! as shown here, while others will only need one.

CoopKnits Socks Yeah!: fingering weight, 75% superwash wool, 25% nylon, 231 yards/50 grams; $11.60 each

Look for Koigu KPPPM in the fingering weight section here at the shop, along with CoopKnits Socks Yeah! and more – see you there! We’re also taking online orders for local pickup or shipping.

Pom Pom Quarterly: Summer 2021.

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The Summer 2021 issue of Pom Pom Quarterly has arrived here at the shop!

Birds are the theme of this issue, inspiring the aesthetic choices of the contributing designers and providing metaphors and motifs that appear in the written material, as well.

Flipping through this issue, I spotted a few familiar yarns put to beautiful use – CoopKnits Socks Yeah! in colorwork socks, Kelbourne Woolens Mojave in a lacy summer top, and BC Garn Bio Balance in a color blocked tee.

Along with intriguing patterns and essays, Pom Pom also features a recipe in each issue – this time it’s a marbled coconut milk loaf, fittingly named Feather Bread.

Pom Pom Quarterly is $18.50 – order online and we can ship it to you, or you can come by to pick it up here at the shop! Along with this issue, we also have the Summer 2019, Autumn 2019, Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Autumn 2020, and Spring 2021 issues in stock – preview them on our blog and get in touch if you’d like to add them to your Pom Pom collection!

Mason-Dixon Knitting Field Guide No. 11: Wanderlust.

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The eleventh installment of the Mason-Dixon Knitting Field Guide series is here! Let’s take a peek inside.

Ann Shayne and Kaye Gardiner’s series of Field Guides are pocket-sized booklets focused on a particular theme or knitting technique. The theme of this eleventh Field Guide is Wanderlust, interpreted by designer Wendy Bernard as a choose-your-own-adventure approach to sock knitting.

This little book is all about hitting the road with the ultimate travel project: a pair of socks. Bernard includes instructions for socks from the cuff down or from the toe up, along with a variety of stitch patterns to play with.

We have a lot of tempting sock yarns here at the shop, the likes of CoopKnits Socks Yeah!, Malabrigo Sock, Fyberspates Vivacious 4ply, Ewe Ewe Fluffy Fingering, and of course those tempting limited edition colorways from Dream in Color and Koigu.

Maybe your stash is already bursting with sock yarns you’ve picked up as souvenirs over the years – this book is just the thing to get those yarns on your needles.

Come by the shop to pick up a copy and a skein of sock yarn for your next road trip!

New colors in CoopKnits Socks Yeah! DK.

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This week brought five new colors in CoopKnits Socks Yeah! DK.

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. Consider Socks Yeah! DK for everyday accessories, like Churchmouse’s classic “Welted Fingerless Gloves” and “Welted Cowl & Infinity Loop,” or Sarah Young’s “Rikke Hat.” Baby and children’s things come to mind, as well, little sweaters like Dani Sunshine’s “Pixie Dust,” tincanknits’ “Peanut” and “Dog Star,” which I had on my mind as I put these combinations together.

Look for CoopKnits Socks Yeah! DK in our DK weight section here at the shop!

CoopKnits Socks Yeah! DK: Volume 1.

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Rachel Coopey’s latest book is here – let’s look inside CoopKnits Socks Yeah! DK: Volume 1.

This is a collection of sock patterns knit with CoopKnits Socks Yeah! DK, a soft and sturdy blend of superwash merino wool and nylon designed with heavier weight socks in mind.

Coopey’s sock designs are colorful and cozy, making use of a variety of techniques. Many are striped or color-blocked, some feature a bit of lace or texture, and on the whole they look like fun to knit.

Look for CoopKnits Socks Yeah! DK: Volume 1 on our teacart with the newest books and magazines, and look for the yarn in our DK weight section!

Back in stock: Crazy Zauberball.

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Last week brought a colorful box of yarn our way – hello again, Crazy Zauberball!

Schoppel-Wolle Crazy Zauberball is a fingering weight yarn that slowly changes from one color to the next several yards at a time, so that whatever you’re knitting or crocheting with it comes out striped. The 2-ply construction of this yarn gives the finished fabric a marled look.

Over the years, we’ve seen Crazy Zauberball put to good use in all kinds of projects, from socks to shawls to cowls. Christy Kamm’s “ZickZack Scarf” (Winnie’s version is pictured above) has been an especially popular pattern around here, a simple chevron stripe made beautiful by the yarn and color selection. Our Fingering weight section here at the shop is full of possibilities for this pattern; here are a few ideas to start with.

We’ve had several knitters pair the self-striping Crazy Zauberball with a solid color for a dramatic effect. Consider the clear solid shades of Brooklyn Tweed Peerie or the gentle heathers of CoopKnits Socks Yeah! 

A semi-solid hand-dyed yarn works well here, too; here’s one possible combination in Fyberspates Vivacious 4ply.

I haven’t seen a speckled “ZickZack” yet, but I’d love to see how it looks! Try Malabrigo Mechita if you’re similarly intrigued.

Come by the shop to pick up some Crazy Zauberball for your next project!

Show and tell: CoopKnits.

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Happy to be back with more show and tell, this time featuring projects made with yarn from CoopKnits!

Hazel knit her second “Smilla’s Dress” with CoopKnits Socks Yeah!, a superwash fingering weight blend of merino wool and nylon. This yarn was designed to wear well and wash easily, attributes that make it as applicable to baby things as to socks, and its tight twist provides excellent stitch definition.

Glen knit these striking “Tetrahedron Socks” with two shades of CoopKnits Socks Yeah! The pattern is from Rib Magazine No. 3, which we still have a couple of copies of.

Below is Emily’s “Lush,” designed by Tin Can Knits, knit with CoopKnits Socks Yeah! DK, a heavier weight version of the same great yarn shown in the projects above. I love her perfectly matching buttons!

Many thanks to the talented knitters who shared the projects above, and to everyone who starts their projects with a trip to the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. We love seeing what you make!