Dream in Color Pop Up! Club.

Posted by Julia on August 31, 2017

We’re happy to announce that we’re participating in Dream in Color’s Pop Up! Club 2017-18! That means that every two months from August to February, we’re getting a special new colorway from Dream in Color, a Tuscon-based producer of small batch hand-dyed yarns.

Our August shipment features Jilly, a fingering weight superwash merino wool with 440 yards on each 100 gram skein. This tightly spun single-ply yarn is soft and smooth, painted with streaks and speckles.

One skein would make an excellent pair of socks, a small cowl or shawlette. Buy two for a generous shawl, or get here soon and scoop up a sweater’s-worth. Jilly should play well with a variety of fingering weight yarns, and could be worked into a “Find Your Fade” shawl or “Confetti” sweater, to name just a few recent patterns that showcase speckled yarns.

Look for this limited edition Pop Up! Club colorway in the fingering weight section here at the shop!

Back in stock: Classy mini-skeins.

Posted by Julia on May 24, 2017

Dream in Color Classy mini-skeins are back in stock!

Dream in Color only occasionally produces these 50-yard mini-skeins of their worsted weight superwash wool, Classy, and the color selection is different every time.

It’s fun to see a mix of new colors and old favorites with each shipment, and even more fun to arrange them in 8-skein combinations for “Technicolor Cowls.”

Nancy Leuer’s “Technicolor Cowl” is a simple but entertaining project with a focus on color.

It’s knit in the round, with stripes of stockinette and reverse stockinette that make a squishy, textured fabric from this springy superwash merino yarn. The pattern is free when you purchase eight Dream in Color Classy mini-skeins for the project.

Look for Dream in Color Classy mini-skeins in the worsted weight section, and have fun picking colors for a “Technicolor Cowl” of your own!

Prince of Purple.

Posted by Julia on May 22, 2016

Last month, we were saddened by the death of Prince, a bold and innovative musician, songwriter, and producer whose work I respect so much. He has since been memorialized in many ways, and we were surprised and delighted to find one such tribute coming from the world of yarn: Dream in Color created a gradient set in shades of purple, Prince’s signature color. Anne put in a request for as many as we were allowed to order, just 12 for this limited edition run, and I’m happy to report that they’re here!

These Prince of Purple gradient sets are composed of ~1125 yards of Dream in Color Smooshy, a fingering weight superwash merino. Those ~1125 yards are divided into five 2 oz skeins, each one a successively darker shade of purple. There’s enough here for a generous shawl or two, or perhaps even a short-sleeved sweater. Consider Kirsten Kapur’s “Seastripes,” Olga Buraya-Kefelian’s “Aranami Shawl,” Melanie Berg’s “The Joker and the Thief,” Ambah O’Brien’s “Inara Wrap,” or Diana Walla’s “Vasa.” Some of these patterns call for just two colors, while others want six or more, but if you’re creative with your color placement, any of them could work with just these five. Or select a complementary shade in another fingering weight merino to frame them–a pale gray, perhaps, a wild yellow, or good old black.

Come by the shop to snag a Prince of Purple gradient set of your own, or pick one up for a Prince- or purple-loving knitter in your life! We’re also happy to ship anywhere in the US; call us at (919) 732-2128 if you’d like to order a set from afar.

Show and tell: hats.

Posted by Julia on January 20, 2016

Here’s another batch of show and tell, projects that started their lives as yarns here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. Earlier in the week, we saw examples of knitters who go back again and again to the same patterns; today, let’s look at hats.

Peggy tried her hand at colorwork for the first time in a recent class here at the shop, and this glorious “Northallerton” hat is what she made. I love the three shades of Baa Ram Ewe Titus she chose, and her pom-pom came out perfectly!

Here’s Hazel’s “Wurm,” knit in Noro Silk Garden Lite, a self-striping yarn. She used two balls that started at different points in the color sequence, striping back and forth to emphasize the stripes of stockinette and reverse stockinette that make the hat so squishy and slouchy.

To the left, you’ll see Margaretta in a beautiful cabled hat she just finished, knit with Baa Ram Ewe Dovestone. The pattern is “Palatino,” from Carol Feller’s recent collection, Dovestone Hills. It’s constructed side-to-side and cleverly shaped with short rows. Nicely done, Margaretta!

The hat below is Emily’s creation, a slouchy striped beanie knit with Dream in Color Smooshy. Wanting a snug, cozy brim, she worked a deep folded hem in stockinette. Rightfully pleased with the results, she wrote a pattern, so you could make one, too; look for her “Red Moon Slouch Hat” pattern on Ravelry!

Thanks to those who share their projects with us, it’s inspiring and exciting to see all that you create. It’s a show-and-tell kind of week here on the blog, so you can look forward to another round in just a few days. In the meantime, see you at the shop!

Technicolor cowl.

Posted by Julia on November 18, 2015

For the past year or so, Nancy Leuer’s “Technicolor Cowl” has been a popular project here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. Calling for eight 50-yard mini-skeins of Dream in Color Classy, it’s a simple but entertaining project with a focus on color.

This cowl is knit in the round, with stripes of stockinette and reverse stockinette that make a squishy, textured fabric from this springy superwash merino yarn.

I knit the sample “Technicolor Cowl” that hangs over the worsted weight section, and it’s caught many an eye, inspiring knitters to put together their own color combinations. We’ve been lucky to capture some of them and share them here on the blog in show and tell posts.

Here’s Joanne in her “Technicolor Cowl,” knit in eight shades of Alchemy Sanctuary. With a wide variety of colors, from pastel to earth tones to vivid blue and orange, Joanne’s cowl is technicolor, indeed. Josie, shown below in her cowl, took a similar approach, using Dream in Color Classy and Malabrigo Rios.

This pattern looks more subdued, but just as good in fewer colors, too. Debbie knit the “Technicolor Cowl” below in just three shades, with two skeins of green and three skeins each in gold and rust.

The pattern is free when you purchase eight Dream in Color Classy mini-skeins for the project, which I’m happy to report are back in stock. We now have two cubbies full of the stuff!

Dream in Color produces the Classy mini-skeins only occasionally, and the color selection is different every time. I was pleased to see a nice range of teals and blues in this batch that had been absent in the last two rounds of mini-skeins.

Look for Dream in Color Classy mini-skeins in the worsted weight section, and have fun picking colors for a “Technicolor Cowl” of your own!

Back in stock: Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere.

Posted by Julia on November 16, 2015

Every year at TNNA, we visit the Dream in Color booth and pick out a new palette of Smooshy with Cashmere. Their selection of colors is overwhelming, ever-expanding, and cannot be contained by a color-card, so we wait to order until we can see them all in person.

Anne and I were delighted when a box arrived last week from Dream in Color, bursting with ten new shades of Smooshy with Cashmere and another special something that I’ll save for a later blog post.

Smooshy with Cashmere is an aptly-named blend of 70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, and 10% nylon. It’s hand-dyed in variegated and semi-solid colorways, deliciously soft and squishy, perfect for next-to-skin wear. It makes an amazing pair of socks or a special scarf, shawl, or cowl. Look for pattern ideas on our “Fingering weight” board over on Pinterest.

Look for Smooshy with Cashmere in the fingering weight section, and keep it in mind when an especially luxurious pair of socks is needed. See you at the shop!

Show and tell, and lots of it.

Posted by Julia on August 28, 2015

One of our greatest joys as yarn-shopkeepers is seeing what knitters, crocheters, and weavers make with our yarns. I’m always collecting photos of finished projects as they come through the shop for show and tell, letting them build up until I have enough for good-sized blog post. There have been so many exciting new yarns at the shop this month that I’ve let the show and tell build up entirely too much. Settle in for a marathon show and tell post!

Debbie brought her “Technicolor Cowl” in recently to show us how it came out. While the pattern calls for eight mini-skeins of Dream in Color Classy in eight different shades, she used just three shades, for a more intentional yet no less vibrant color combination.

Here’s another finished product in Dream in Color yarn: Paula’s “In Threes,” knit in the decadent Classy with Cashmere.

Paula came in with a bundle of show and tell, in fact. She knit this “Winter Woods Hat” from the 2014 issue of Interweave Knits Gifts using Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light. The combination of stripes, colorwork, and a little bit of lace intrigued her, and she executed all three perfectly.

Paula’s “Cassandre Cowl” is particularly beautiful, with its grand colorwork motifs and delicate picot edging. The pattern is from Knitscene Accessories, 2014, and the yarn is the always delightful Swans Island Natural Colors Merino Fingering.

Debra has been a busy knitter lately; she too came in with a bag full of finished projects to share. Above is her “Horse Beanie,” knit in Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift.

Debra’s biggest knitting accomplishment of late has been this “Shetland Knee Rug and Throw,” from Martin Storey’s Scottish Knits, knit in the incomparable Fibre Company Acadia. On a real colorwork kick, she used the leftovers to design and knit this hat, incorporating a found chart of birds on a wire.

Since purchasing a Schacht Cricket Loom, Sue’s show and tell has switched from knitting to weaving.

She wove this scarf with a variety of plant fiber yarns, some solid, like Habu Cotton Nerimaki Slub, and some variegated, like Linen Concerto.

Sue has been particularly keen on weaving with variegated yarns, marveling, as I often do, at how differently those yarns behave in woven fabric than in knitted fabric.

She came in with her loom to show us her latest project, made with the leftover yarn from a shawl she knit, studded with random stripes of Isager Alpaca 1 in a contrasting color. We laid the knit shawl next to the woven fabric on the loom and studied the differences, which colors stand out, how they pool and pattern.

Kathryn dreamed up and knit this sweet polar bear sweater for her soon-to-be son using Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift.

I’m so impressed by this little sweater, from the classic color combination to her expertly self-designed colorwork charts to the perfect buttons. Bravo, Kathryn!

A hearty thanks to all the fiber artists who start their projects here and share their work with us! We love to see our yarns grow up into finished garments, and are so inspired by the work you do. See you at the shop!

Summer show and tell.

Posted by Julia on July 21, 2015

Time for another round of show and tell! Here are some of the finished projects our knitters have shared with us recently.

Conny brought in her stunning “Hitofude Cardigan,” knit in Swans Island Organic Merino Fingering.

This clever design is knit all in one piece, an a-line lace cardigan that calls out for yarn with excellent drape. Conny’s “Hitofude” drapes beautifully, thanks to the soft, naturally-dyed Swans Island yarn.

On their last trip to the shop, Sallie and Josie each picked up a few skeins of Trendsetter Soleil, an aran weight cotton yarn flecked with wooden beads and woven leaves. From there, they each designed a scarf with the stuff, knit simply to let this spirited yarn shine. We were so delighted to see them in these scarves on their next visit!

Josie came with a second piece of show and tell, her completed “Technicolor Cowl,” knit in a mix of Dream in Color Classy and Malabrigo Rios.

Phyllis just completed this exquisite baby blanket for her first grandchild, who is expected to appear within the week. Selecting stitch patterns from Nancy Bush’s Knitted Lace of Estonia, she created her own design for this special piece, paying careful attention to the perfectly executed lace edging.

The yarn is Malabrigo Sock, with excellent stitch definition for showing off the intricate lace, and a soft and squishy hand to boot.

Thanks to everyone who brings in projects to share with us, whether at the beginning, middle, or end of the process. We love to see what you’re working on, and feel lucky to be surrounded by such creative and talented people. Stay tuned for another batch of show and tell here soon!

New colors in Smooshy with Cashmere.

Posted by Julia on February 15, 2015

We recently restocked our cubby of Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere, a luxurious blend of merino, cashmere, and nylon.

At 20% cashmere, Smooshy with Cashmere has more cashmere content than many other merino/cashmere/nylon blends we’ve run into. It’s a treat for the hands as you’re stitching, and makes a particularly plush finished product.

Hand-dyed in semi-solid and variegated colorways, Smooshy with Cashmere is a special skein for special projects: an heirloom baby garment, a cuddly pair of socks or mitts, a comforting cowl or shawl.

When it really needs to be soft as can be, consider Smooshy with Cashmere. Come by the shop to take a look; you’ll find it in the fingering weight section. See you there!

Dream in Color Classy mini-skeins.

Posted by Julia on August 30, 2014

Dream in Color Classy is a worsted weight superwash merino, hand-dyed in Chicago, IL. We just got a bundle of it here at the shop, but not in the usual 250-yard skeins. No, this time, we got a box full of 50-yard mini-skeins, and a fun pattern to suit them.

The pattern is Nancy Leuer’s “Technicolor Cowl,” a simple striped infinity scarf that calls for eight Classy mini-skeins.

When the mini-skeins arrived, I was given the enviable task of knitting a sample “Technicolor Cowl” for the shop, which meant that I got to pick eight colors from the 20+ colors we’d received. Everyone in the room was soon creating colorway after colorway, from the monochromatic to the wildly disparate.

It’s a delightful creative exercise, the “Technicolor Cowl” color game, and we didn’t want to deny anyone the opportunity to play along. Rather than pack them up into kits, we’re encouraging you to create your own colorways.

I settled on the following combination, somewhat reminiscent of Anne’s “Wisdom Wrap,” with its purples, greens, and dark grays.

This is a quick, nearly-mindless knit, one which requires little to no counting, not even an end-of-round stitch marker. The only stitches in play are knit and purl, and the project is going quickly and smoothly on my sharp and slick Addi Rocket needles.

Come by the shop to pick eight colors for a “Technicolor Cowl” of your own!