New PetiteKnit colors in Sandnes Garn Sunday!

Our Sandnes Garn Sunday selection just got brighter – check out these new colors, handpicked by PetiteKnit!

Sandnes Garn Sunday:

  • fingering weight
  • 100% merino wool
  • 257 yards/50 grams
  • hand wash, lay flat to dry

It’s so pleasing to see how the new shades fit in with the existing ones, expanding the color palette to 28 shades. Since we first brought Sunday into the shop last year, we’ve found so many uses for it, from marls to “Friday Tees” to mohair pairings. Here are a few new ideas!

photo © Rebecca Clow

“Lunan,” by Rebecca Clow – crew or polo neck drop-shoulder tee

photo © PetiteKnit

“Amélie Tee,” by PetiteKnit – striped tee in 2 or 3 colors

photo © PetiteKnit

“Holger Shirt,” by PetiteKnit – striped color block pullover, ages 1-14

photo © PetiteKnit

“Amélie Tee Junior,” by PetiteKnit – striped tee, ages 1-14

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

Dream in Color Pop-Up Club: Neon Cream.

Dream in Color’s Pop-Up Club is back! Over the past two months, owners Nancy and Veronica have handed over their company to Maddytosh, who are continuing the Dream in Color brand. Their yarn is now hand-dyed in Texas by a team trained by Veronica, and the skeins of Smooshy Cashmere are just as vibrant as ever.

Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere:

  • fingering weight
  • hand dyed, each skein is unique; we recommend alternating skeins to blend in a larger project
  • 70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, 10% nylon
  • 400 yards/100 grams
  • machine wash cool on gentle/hand wash setting, lay flat to dry

Neon Cream is the latest limited edition colorway, a fun explosion of electric lime melting into hints of warm gray. Here it is knit up into a “Terra Hue Shawl,” a slip stitch scarf with a woven-looking texture that shines in variegated yarn like this.

As soon as I saw Neon Cream, I thought of Joji Locatelli’s “Elton Pullover” and “Elton Cardigan,” simple sweaters made special with subtle stripes of mohair, like Sandnes Garn Tynn Silk Mohair.

This zippy highlighter green would shine with a contrast color, too – how about a pair of Stephen West “Contrast Blast Socks,” or a Lamb & Kid “Popple Bandana,” pairing Smooshy Cashmere and Malabrigo Ultimate Sock?

Inspired to cast on? Look for Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere in the fingering weight section here at HYS, and ask us for a coupon for a free “Terra Hue Shawl” pattern!

Hello, Cascade Heritage Prints.

Brand new from Cascade – meet Heritage Prints!

Cascade Heritage Prints:

  • fingering weight
  • self patterning
  • 75% superwash merino wool, 25% nylon
  • 437 yards/100 grams
  • machine wash cold, tumble dry low

Heritage Prints is a soft, sturdy, machine washable yarn from Cascade. Anne gave it a test drive in this pair of Tin Can Knits “Rye Light” socks for her husband, who loves bright and cheerful hand knit socks.

Anne’s sock-to-be is secured with another new item, Katrinkles DPN holders. They’re made of thick, durable elastic and wide rubber caps, so that any thickness of knitting needle or project fit into them. The elastic stretches to fit over your needles without putting pressure on them, protecting the tips from catching on whatever else you’re carrying around. Look for them in our notions section!

Some of the Heritage Prints colorways make stripes, like the one Anne is knitting with…

…and others make a faux fair isle pattern! You can see a preview of how each colorway knits up on the side of the label. Check out Cascade Heritage Prints and lots of other sock yarns here at HYS!

“Stole” in Isager Merilin.

For over a decade now, Theresa Gaffey’s “Stole” has been a popular project here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. Years ago, Anne knit one in Isager Alpaca 2 that still regularly catches the eye of knitters seeking a soothing, repetitive project.

Now, she’s making a narrower “Stole” with a different Isager yarn, Merilin.

Simplicity is part of the “Stole’s” appeal – it’s easy to execute, but with graceful results. The wide ribbing has a pleasing rhythm, and the wide stripes make color selection particularly fun.

It’s easy to adjust the thickness of the stripes or the size of the piece, making it narrower or wider than the pattern dictates. Rather than work each stripe to a specific measurement or number of rows, Anne is knitting until each ball of yarn runs out, then beginning the next color, using only 5 shades, rather than the suggested 9.

Here are some more Merilin quintets to consider!

Look for Isager Merilin and Alpaca 2 in our fingering weight section here at HYS, along with many other “Stole”-worthy yarns!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Wedding Season.

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 grams

This month’s limited edition shade is inspired by Bridgerton – soft floral colours on a lavender-grey background evoke the dresses, balls, and decor of the show.

I can never resist pairing Koigu with mohair, brushed alpaca, or other fuzzy lace weight fibers  – here are a few combinations to consider for your next “Sophie Scarf” or “Oslo Hat – mohair edition.”

Look for Koigu KPPPM in the fingering weight section here at the shop, and check out the lace weight section to see all the fluffy yarns shown here and more!

My Fair Isle Journey, by Yuco Sakamoto.

Yuco Sakamoto’s My Fair Isle Journey is here!

My Fair Isle Journey is a bilingual collection of colorwork garments and accessories by Yuco Sakamoto, a knitwear designer and teacher based in Kobe, Japan.

Together with amirisu, Sakamoto traveled to the Shetland Islands to explore the region and its knitting traditions, and this book is the culmination of their journey.

The intricate colorwork cardigans and pullovers, vests, and other accessories in this book are all knit with classic fingering weight Shetland wool – our beloved Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift is highlighted, along with a couple others.

Besides the enchanting knitwear, there are helpful fair isle techniques and tutorials in My Fair Isle Journey, from swatching to steeking.

Look for My Fair Isle Journey and Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop!

Dream in Color Pop-Up Club: Violetear.

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. Their latest limited edition colorway is here while supplies last!

Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere:

  • fingering weight
  • 70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, 10% nylon
  • 400 yards/100g
  • $36 each

Violetear is a variegated mix of white, bright blue, and shades of green, with burgundy speckles.

What to knit with these special skeins? Consider “Terra Hue Shawl,” a slip stitch scarf with a woven-looking texture that shines in highly variegated yarn like this. Simple stockinette or garter stitch are also a nice way to spotlight Violetear; consider the “Sockhead Slouch” hat or “Hitchhiker” shawl.

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

Islesburgh Toorie.

We’re so excited about “Islesburgh Toorie,” Shetland Wool Week’s featured pattern for 2024!

This five-color fair isle hat pattern is available to purchase from the Shetland Wool Week website. 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 “Islesburgh Toorie” colorways inspired by those shown in the pattern, as well as one of my own!

“Islesburgh Toorie,” by the Doull Family, shown in Colourway 1

“Islesburgh Toorie,” by the Doull Family, shown in Colourway 2

“Islesburgh Toorie,” by the Doull Family, shown in Colourway 3

Lastly, here’s my own Hillsborough Yarn Shop Palette!

“Islesburgh Toorie,” by the Doull Family, shown in Hillsborough Yarn Shop Palette

Yarn bundles for “Islesburgh Toorie” 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 your own 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 “Islesburgh Toorie” yarn bundle!

“Nasrin” in Camper, Loft, and Tones Light.

“Nasrin” is a colorwork sweater by Isabell Kraemer, and the subject of Anne’s upcoming class, which starts Saturday, May 18.

“Nasrin,” by Isabell Kraemer, photo copyright Isabell Kraemer

She’s knitting hers with Kelbourne Woolens Camper, a soft fingering weight wool in heathered colors, and an excellent choice for colorwork.

You can choose between the “solid” or “outlined” colorwork motif at the yoke; both charts are included in the pattern. A high contrast color combination shows the pattern best, in my opinion – here are some ideas in Camper!

I also like the idea of flipping the color arrangement so that the main color is dark, and the contrast color at the yoke is light.

Brooklyn Tweed Loft is another yarn that seems designed with colorwork in mind, a woolen-spun fingering weight wool with a bit more structure than Camper.

Loft plays well with Brooklyn Tweed’s other fingering weight yarn, Tones Light – which has a much more vibrant color palette!

Look for all of these and many others in the fingering weight section here at our shop, and read more about Anne’s class if you’re inspired to make a “Nasrin” of your own!

LYS Day 2024: special shades from Koigu!

Happy Local Yarn Store Day! Come by the shop tomorrow, Saturday, April 27, for 25% off featured yarns and 50% off select books – you can read all about those sales on our recent blog post.

Koigu sent us something special for LYS Day: 3 new Koigu Collector’s Club Colors!

Koigu KPPPM:

  • fingering weight
  • hand dyed, variegated
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 175 yards/50 g
  • $15.50 each

Each of these limited edition colorways was inspired by Maie Landra’s original paintings and dyeing method. Maie is one of the co-founders of Koigu and designed the original Koigu colours back in the 80s and 90s.

Brave New World, painting by Maie Landra

Brave New World, limited edition Koigu colorway for LYS Day 2024

Analog, painting by Maie Landra

Analog, limited edition Koigu colorway for LYS Day 2024

Connection, painting by Maie Landra

Connection, limited edition Koigu colorway for LYS Day 2024

Pair Brave New World, Analog, or Connection with a fuzzy lace weight yarn and you have the makings of a soft and lovely “Sophie Scarf” or “Oslo Hat – mohair edition,” – here are a few color ideas!

Come by the shop tomorrow, April 27, to celebrate LYS Day and shop our sale! Koigu KPPPM and Isager Silk Mohair will both be 25% off, along with six other featured yarns, one in each gauge section.

Thanks for supporting our shop on LYS Day and every day, we love being your local yarn store!

 

A reminder: all discounted yarns are final sale, no returns or exchanges. Discount applies only to in-stock items, no special orders. Thanks for understanding!