Tag Archives: fingering weight

WestKnits MKAL 2022!

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We know many of you are fans of designer Stephen West and often participate in his annual Mystery Knit-Alongs – it’s that time of year again, and “Twists & Turns” is the pattern-to-be. It calls for 3 colors of fingering weight yarn: 780 yards of a Main Color, 780 yards of a Contrast Color, and 390 yards of an Accent color. We have tons of fingering weight yarns to choose from here at the shop, from saturated hand-dyes to muted heathers, fuzzy alpaca to smooth superwash merino, and so much more. Here are some color ideas!

  • Kelbourne Woolens Perennial: light fingering weight, 60% superwash merino, 25% suri alpaca, 15% nylon, 497 yards/100 g; $26 each, or $130 for “Twists & Turns”

  • Shibui Koan: fingering weight, 70% linen, 30% silk, 248 yards/50 grams; $22 each, or $220 for “Twists & Turns”

Join WestKnits MKAL 2022 by purchasing the pattern on Ravelry – you’ll get an introductory PDF with all the details, so you’ll be ready to cast on when the first clue arrives on October 6.

We’d love to help you find the perfect yarn for your “Twists & Turns” shawl! There are so many possibilities here at our shop – come by between 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays, and we’ll be happy to show you around. We’re still taking online orders for local pickup or shipping, too; just fill out our online form. Hope to see you at the shop!

Back in stock: Kelbourne Woolens Perennial and Lucky Tweed.

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Kelbourne Woolens is the source of some of our most popular yarns, beloved for the variety of high quality fibers they produce and the accessible price. Some of their yarns are super soft and luxurious, others are rustic and hard wearing, and each one has its own unique color palette. We’ve restocked Perennial and Lucky Tweed – let’s take a look!

Kelbourne Woolens Perennial:

  • light fingering weight
  • 60% superwash merino, 25% Suri alpaca, 15% nylon
  • 497 yards/100g
  • $26 each

The folks at Kelbourne Woolens have designed Perennial to be something of a staple: soft from the alpaca but sturdy from the nylon, easy care on account of the superwash merino, suitable for all kinds of projects.

We’ve seen beautiful sweaters, shawls, and baby things made in Perennial – here are some pattern ideas!

Kelbourne Woolens Lucky Tweed:

  • aran weight
  • tweed
  • 100% merino wool
  • 210 yards/100g
  • $20 each

Lucky Tweed is manufactured in Donegal, Ireland, for an authentic tweed look and soft hand. Folks who have tried it often come back for more, exclaiming how soft and lightweight it is for a yarn at this gauge. If you’re looking to knit a cozy new sweater this fall, consider Lucky Tweed!

Here are some cozy patterns ideal for Lucky Tweed:

Look for Perennial and Lucky Tweed here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, along with these other Kelbourne Woolens yarns – Camper, Andorra, Scout, and Germantown!

Hello, Brooklyn Tweed Tones Light!

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We’re excited to announce that Brooklyn Tweed’s new yarn is here: meet Tones Light!

Brooklyn Tweed Tones Light:

  • fingering weight
  • woolen-spun
  • 2 ply
  • overdyed
  • 100% Columbia wool
  • 225 yards/50g
  • $16.75 each

A lighter weight version of BT Tones, Tones Light brings vibrant overdyed color to our fingering weight section.

At first glance, Tones Light bears a striking resemblance to its neighbor, Loft – both are fingering weight and woolen spun, with the same suggested gauge. There’s one key difference, however, that make Tones Light an exciting new addition to Brooklyn Tweed’s domestically-sourced, breed-specific lineup: color!

Tones Light is overdyed in vibrant, playful colors, starting with two baseline shades of undyed natural gray. The lighter shade is the overtone, and the darker shade is the undertone, and each of them has been dipped in 11 new colorways, creating tone pairs.

Look for Brooklyn Tweed Tones Light in the fingering weight section here at our shop! We are open between 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays; masks are required for entry. You can still order online for local pickup or shipping, as well.

Hello, Malabrigo Ultimate Sock!

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We’re thrilled to announce the arrival of a brand new yarn from Malabrigo – meet Ultimate Sock!

Malabrigo Ultimate Sock:

  • fingering weight
  • hand dyed, variegated and semi-solid colorways
  • 75% superwash merino wool, 25% nylon
  • 420 yards/100g
  • $21 each

Ultimate Sock looks and feels just like the classic Malabrigo Sock yarn, beloved for its vibrant colors and soft, smooth texture. The new addition of 25% nylon brings durability, so that socks and garments made with Ultimate Sock can last longer.

 

Malabrigo Ultimate Sock is a great choice for shawls and cowls, mitts and hats, sweaters for all ages, and more, but let’s focus on its namesake for today: here are some sock patterns!

Look for Malabrigo Ultimate Sock in the fingering weight section here at our shop!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Tapestry.

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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 Tapestry, a variegated mix of pastels on an ivory backdrop.

We have so many fingering weight yarns that could pair well with KPPPM in Tapestry, whether you’re seeking high or low contrast, solid or variegated.

What to make? Here are some pattern ideas for mixing many colors!

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.

Colorwork tams.

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It’s been a few years since I knit Sandy Blue’s “Autumn Tam,” but it’s still getting plenty of attention here at our shop.

This intricate colorwork hat is knit with 10 shades of Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift, the fingering weight wool in this showstopping display.

What I remember most about knitting this “Autumn Tam” is how fun it was so watch the colors come together.

There are such subtle differences between some of these shades, and designer Sandy Blue arranged them so thoughtfully – it was entertaining just to see what she did with them, and notice how they related in the knitted fabric.

At the moment, we have all 10 shades needed for the “Autumn Tam,” and those for Blue’s “Midnight Sun Tam,” as well.

Look for Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift and Sandy Blue’s patterns at our shop! Seeking other colorwork patterns for Spindrift? Check out my blog post from February, there’s a nice list of ideas there.

Koigu Collector’s Club: The Pond.

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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.

Koigu KPPPM:

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

This month’s special colorway is The Pond, a vibrant mix of blues and greens.

As I unpacked this new bundle of Koigu, I thought of the “Oslo Hat – mohair edition,” by PetiteKnit, a super cozy cuffed beanie knit with lace weight mohair and fingering weight wool held together throughout. Here are a few ideas with Isager Silk Mohair!

Koigu KPPPM is also a great yarn for Wool & Pine’s “Sea Glass Tee,” a kaleidoscopic colorwork tee designed to be knit with leftover bits and pieces of fingering weight yarn. I found loads of color inspiration in our fingering weight section, and put together this palette based on the many shades that flow through The Pond.

Bring your leftover yarns in to build a color palette for your own “Sea Glass Tee,” and look for Koigu KPPPM and Isager Silk Mohair here at the shop!

Bonnie Isle Hat.

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We’re so excited about “Bonnie Isle Hat,” Shetland Wool Week’s featured pattern for 2022!

“Bonnie Isle Hat,” by Linda Shearer, photo © Linda Shearer

This five-color fair isle hat is currently available as a free pattern download from the Shetland Wool Week website. A new Shetland Wool Week hat pattern is something I look forward to every year, so I downloaded 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 five color combinations, inspired by the five colorways shown in the pattern.

Yarn bundles for “Bonnie Isle Hat” are $50.40 – 6 balls of Shetland Spindrift (2 in the main color, and 1 each in 4 contrast colors) at $8.40 per ball. We just got a fresh delivery of Shetland Spindrift with this project in mind, so all five colourways are currently in stock – come see us or get in touch if you’d like to order a “Bonnie Isle Hat” yarn bundle!

PetiteKnit pairings.

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We recently restocked Isager Silk Mohair, a soft and shiny lace weight blend of mohair and silk, often used in tandem with heavier yarns. Fingering weight yarn seems to be a particularly popular playmate for Silk Mohair – here are some color combinations pairing it up with Isager Sock Yarn and Alpaca 2, and PetiteKnit pattern ideas below!

  • Isager Silk Mohair: lace weight, 70% kid mohair, 30% silk, 233 yards/25 g; $16 each
  • Isager Sock Yarn: fingering weight, 40% Easy Wash alpaca, 40% Easy Wash merino wool, 20% recycled nylon, 423 yards/100g; $20 each

  • Isager Alpaca 2: light fingering weight, 50% alpaca, 50% wool, 275 yards/50 g; $12 each

What to knit with these yarn pairings? You’ll find more ideas on a blog post of mine from November, but for today, let’s focus on PetiteKnit, who seems to especially favor this combination of lace + fingering weight yarns:

Accessories:

Sweaters:

Here’s a bit of show and tell, a close up on Margaretta’s own “Jenny Sweater,” knit with Isager Silk Mohair and Alpaca 2 held together throughout. The combination is deliciously soft, with elegant drape, and I love the ever-so-slightly-different shades of light green Margaretta chose, they blended together beautifully!

Look for these and other Isager yarns in our lace and fingering weight sections here at the shop!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Red Brick House.

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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 Red Brick House, a warm variegated mix of coral, salmon, brown and beige.

I’ve paired up Red Brick House with shades of Brooklyn Tweed Loft, thinking of Andrea Mowry’s “Harlow” hat. It’s a great introduction to 2-color brioche, and an opportunity to mix different colors and textures of yarn.

“Harlow,” by Andrea Mowry, photo © Andrea Mowry

Koigu’s smooth, worsted spun texture and color variation contrasts against Loft, which is rustic woolen spun and heathered.

Here are even more color combinations for “Harlow,” turning back to older Collector’s Club colorways that are still on our shelves.

Look for Koigu KPPPM and Brooklyn Tweed Loft 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.