Tag Archives: fingering weight

Marling with Sandnes Garn Sunday.

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A few months ago, a new PetiteKnit pattern caught my eye and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. “Melange Sweater” is simple enough, a marled stockinette drop shoulder pullover, but the high contrast combination of colors intrigued me, along with a few other design details.

 “Melange Sweater” by PetiteKnit, photo © PetiteKnit

I chose Sandnes Garn Sunday for a “Melange Sweater” of my own and have been happily stitching away ever since, enjoying the shoulder shaping at the yoke, the soft yarn, the bouncy fabric, and above all, watching the colors come together. There’s a pleasing randomness to it, a bit of blurring and pooling – it’s keeping me interested even though the stitching is simple!

I picked a high contrast color combination for my “Melange Sweater,” similar to the sweater in the pattern photo. There are so many possible combinations in our Sandnes Garn Sunday cubbies – here are some high contrast ideas!

Low contrast marls are subtle, but lovely – the resulting fabric looks more solid from a distance.

Here are some other PetiteKnit pattern ideas for Sandnes Garn Sunday held double:

“Weekend Hat” by PetiteKnit, knit with Sandnes Garn Sunday held double; photo © PetiteKnit

Look for Sandnes Garn Sunday in the fingering weight section here at HYS – we can’t wait to see what color combinations you come up with for your own marled knits!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Nightshade.

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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

Nightshade is a deeply saturated mix of eggplant and navy, with lively streaks of gold, orange, and cobalt.

Anne recently knit Amy Christoffers’ “Pressed Flowers Hat” with Koigu and Neighborhood Fiber Co. Capital Luxury Sport, a soft and springy blend of merino, cashmere, and silk.

Kelbourne Woolens Andorra would work well as the main color, too – it’s also sport weight, a  blend of merino and highland wool, with a touch of mohair. Here are “Pressed Flowers Hat” color combinations pairing Nightshade with both Capital Luxury Sport and Andorra.

I couldn’t stop there, of course – it’s too fun to play the color game!

If any of these combinations speaks to you, you can order online for local pickup or shipping. Prefer to shop in person? Look for Koigu KPPPM in the fingering weight section here at our shop, along with many others! We’re here from 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays; masks required for entry.

Hello, Sandnes Garn Sunday!

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Meet our newest arrival, Sandnes Garn Sunday!

Sandnes Garn Sunday:

  • fingering weight
  • 100% merino wool
  • 257 yards/50g
  • $10.50 each

Anne has carried some things from Sandnes Garn since opening the Hillsborough Yarn Shop back in 2006, but PetiteKnit has brought this classic Norwegian yarn company back to our attention.

What to knit with Sunday? Anne just swatched for a “Friday Tee,” by PetiteKnit, a striped, broken rib top in 2 colors.

Here are some more pattern ideas for Sunday:

Look for Sunday in the fingering weight section here at our shop! We’re open from 11am-5:30pm, Tuesdays-Saturdays; masks required for entry.

Simply Shetland Hapkerchief KAL!

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We are excited to announce that Gudrun Johnston and the Simply Shetland team are hosting their first ever Knit-Along!

Gudrun Johnston’s “Hapkerchief,” knit with Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift in Colorway 1

The Hapkerchief Knit-Along is open to knitters worldwide, starting on June 2 and running through June 30 only on Instagram – follow @simply_shetland on Instagram for details about prizes and how to participate.

Gudrun Johnston’s brand new “Hapkerchief” is the featured pattern, a quick, 4-color cowl knit with Jamieson’s of Shetland Spindrift that introduces Shetland-inspired techniques in a modern, approachable way. Perfect for the adventurous beginner and beyond!

Johnston’s pattern shows the “Hapkerchief” in three Jamieson’s of Shetland Spindrift colorways, all of which use a mix of light, medium, and dark shades for a balanced look.

Gudrun Johnston’s “Hapkerchief,” knit with Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift in Colorway 2

Gudrun Johnston’s “Hapkerchief,” knit with Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift in Colorway 3

I knit up a sample “Hapkerchief” myself, in a colorway Anne and I put together.

Gudrun Johnston’s “Hapkerchief,” knit with Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift in our own HYS palette

I learned a few things along the way – the German twisted cast-on, a wrap-and-turn technique for working garter stitch in the round without purling, and a purled i-cord bind-off. All of those techniques and more are shown clearly in Johnston’s video tutorials, so you’ll have plenty of support as you knit along!

Look for these “Hapkerchief” yarn bundles here at the shop, and purchase the pattern separately on Ravelry. We have over 150 shades of Spindrift on hand if you want to make your own color combination, of course – can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Dream in Color Pop-Up Club: assigned pooling, May 2023.

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Dream in Color’s Pop-Up Club is back! Every month, we’re getting a special new colorway from Dream in Color, a Tucson-based producer of small batch hand-dyed yarns. There’s a special theme this time: assigned pooling, a clever way of showing off hand-dyed yarns like these. May’s new limited edition colorway is here while supplies last!

What is assigned pooling? As designer Dawn Barker describes on her blog, assigned pooling is a technique where “different stitches are assigned to the color changes within the skein. In other words, knit the background color of the yarn using one stitch and then stop and make a special texture stitch when the accent color occurs.”

Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere:

  • fingering weight
  • 70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, 10% nylon
  • 400 yards/100g
  • $34 each

May’s special colorway is mostly turquoise, with a bold streak of red and cream that pops up regularly as you knit through each skein.

Dream in Color dyer Veronica knit Ambah O’Brien’s “Sweet Li’l Scarfette” with it, modifying the stitch pattern a bit for this special skein – head to her Instagram for a video tutorial!

Curious about what else you can do with assigned pooling? Check out these patterns!

Look for Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere in the fingering weight section here at our shop!

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!

“Manzanita Sunset, February” + BT Peerie.

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Brooklyn Tweed Peerie has been a favorite yarn here at our shop since it debuted in 2018, a soft and bouncy fingering weight merino wool. We were sad to learn that production of Peerie has recently ceased; the folks at BT worked hard to keep it coming over the past few years, but limited domestic supply chain options have now spelled an end for Peerie. Luckily, we still have a nice supply on hand – read on for Peerie inspiration, and come by the shop to get it before it’s gone for good!

“Manzanita Sunset, February,” by Seth Richardson. Photo © Anna-Lisa Miller

Seth Richardson’s recent “Manzanita Sunset, February” cowl pattern caught our eye, a striking slipstitch design for Brooklyn Tweed Peerie.

“Manzanita Sunset, February,” by Seth Richardson. Photo © Anna-Lisa Miller

The pattern comes in two sizes, a smaller neck gaiter and a roomier cowl, and looks equally nice in low and high contrast color combinations. Here are the two colorways shown in Richardson’s pattern photos, followed by a few more I came up with!

Brooklyn Tweed Peerie: fingering weight, 100% American merino wool, 210 yards/50 grams; $17.25 each.

  • For neck gaiter: 1 skein each Main Color and Color 2
  • For cowl: 2 skeins Main Color, 1 skein Color 2

With its soft hand, bold colors, and superb stitch definition, Peerie is worth celebrating – here are a few more ways to use it!

Accessories:

Garments:

Look for Brooklyn Tweed Peerie in the fingering weight section here at HYS!

LYS Day 2023: Casapinka colorways from Dream in Color!

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Happy Local Yarn Store Day! Come by the shop tomorrow, Saturday, April 29, for 25% off featured yarns and 50% off select books – you can read all about those sales on our recent blog post.

Each year on Local Yarn Store Day, designer Casapinka releases a pattern to celebrate. This year, it’s “Kitation,” an asymmetrical triangular shawl in two colors. Get a coupon code for a free download when you buy two 400 yard skeins of any fingering weight yarn at our shop this Saturday!

“Kitation,” by Casapinka, photo © Casapinka

Dream in Color dyer Veronica has created new colorways especially for Casapinka’s LYS Day 2023 pattern, and we’re delighted to have them here at our shop!

Each bundle includes 2 skeins of Dream in Color’s signature luxury fingering weight yarn, Smooshy Cashmere.

Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere: fingering weight, 70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, 10% nylon, 400 yards in each 100g skein; $68 for LYS Day pair

These LYS Day pairs will also work well for Casapinka’s “Breathe and Hope,” “Ric Rac,” and “Albuquerque Sunset” shawls.

We only have two of each pair, so hurry in if you want to claim one! Thanks for supporting our shop on LYS Day and every day, we love being your local yarn store!

Dream in Color Pop-Up Club: assigned pooling, April 2023.

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Dream in Color’s Pop-Up Club is back! Every month, we’re getting a special new colorway from Dream in Color, a Tucson-based producer of small batch hand-dyed yarns. There’s a special theme this time: assigned pooling, a clever way of showing off hand-dyed yarns like these. Aprils new limited edition colorway is here while supplies last!

What is assigned pooling? As designer Dawn Barker describes on her blog, assigned pooling is a technique where “different stitches are assigned to the color changes within the skein. In other words, knit the background color of the yarn using one stitch and then stop and make a special texture stitch when the accent color occurs.”

Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere:

  • fingering weight
  • 70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, 10% nylon
  • 400 yards/100g
  • $34 each

April’s special colorway is mostly terracotta, pink, and copper, with a bold streak of seafoam blue that pops up regularly as you knit through each skein. Dream in Color dyer Veronica is knitting a “Tangerine Twilight” shawl using this colorway – take a peek in the photo below!

Curious about what else you can do with assigned pooling? Check out these patterns!

Look for Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere in the fingering weight section here at our shop!

Oslo Hat, No-Mohair Edition.

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I just finished up another new sample for the shop, PetiteKnit’s oh-so-popular “Oslo Hat – Mohair Edition,” though mine doesn’t contain any mohair to speak of.

For this hat, I paired Kelbourne Woolens Perennial and Fyberspates Cumulus, a brushed alpaca that emulates mohair’s fuzzy halo. These two alpaca blends are each very soft in their own right, but together are impossibly cuddly – you must touch this hat for yourself!

My sample “Oslo Hat – Mohair Edition” blends Perennial in Raspberry with Cumulus in Plum – here are a few more color ideas.

The simplicity of PetiteKnit’s “Oslo Hat – Mohair Edition” lends itself to variegated yarns, too, which are softened when held together with a fuzzy lace weight yarn – here are a few color ideas pairing Koigu KPPPM with Cumulus!

Look for Cumulus in our lace weight section and Perennial and KPPPM in our fingering weight section – we’re open 11am-5:30pm, Tuesdays-Saturdays. We do require masks for entry – thanks for your cooperation, see you at the shop!