Hello, Rasta.

Posted by Julia on November 21, 2014

Every so often, we get a request for Rasta, a Malabrigo yarn we haven’t carried before. This week, we answered that request with a Malabrigo order; we’re now proud to have Rasta on our shelves!

Rasta is a soft, squishy, single-ply merino wool that knits up quickly on US 13 – 17 needles. Each 150 gram skein has 90 yards, which may not sound like a lot, but those 90 yards go a long way at 2 or 2.5 stitches per inch.

Rasta is perfectly suited to cold-weather accessories: hats, scarves, cowls, and the like. Seeking Rasta inspiration? Check out Malabrigo’s two latest books.

That’s Rasta on the cover of Malabrigo Book 6, which features patterns for all manner of Malabrigo yarns, from Finito to Rios.

Malabrigo Book 7 is nothing but Rasta. Hats in Rasta, mitts in Rasta, all manner of cozy, instant-gratification garments and accessories in Rasta.

Come by the shop to pick up a skein or two of Malabrigo Rasta for your last-minute holiday gift-knitting! See you there.

Back in stock: Jitterbug.

Posted by Julia on November 14, 2014

Yesterday we unpacked a big box from Colinette Yarns, stuffed full of Jitterbug.

Colinette ships their yarns to us in wild bunches of untwisted hanks, making for a dramatic entrance. From there, we twist them up into the hanks you see on our shelves.

Jitterbug is one of my favorite sock yarns, a tightly-plied superwash merino that’s hand-dyed in a range of semi-solid and variegated colorways. Anne is a big fan of Jitterbug, too, though she’s used it for larger garments, like sweaters and vests.

Jitterbug is equally well-suited to baby things, being machine-washable and brightly-colored. I found a ton of adorable “Baby Surprise Jackets” knit in Jitterbug on Ravelry, along with “Little Sister’s Dresses,” “Garter Stitch Baby Kimonos,” and “Saartje’s Bootees.”

Head to the HYS Pinterest page to see more projects and patterns for Jitterbug, and head to the shop to see the yarn for yourself!

Back in stock: Mountain Colors Bearfoot.

Posted by Julia on September 3, 2014

We just got a new batch of Mountain Colors Bearfoot!

Bearfoot is a fingering weight blend of wool, mohair, and nylon that is well-suited to sock-knitting, among other things. One 400 yard skein is enough for a pair of socks, gloves, or fingerless mitts, a hat, scarf, or small shawlette. A Ravelry search turned up plenty of pretty “Hitchhiker,” “Traveling Woman,” and “Ishbel” shawls made in Bearfoot.

As I wrote last year, Bearfoot asks to be hand-washed with a bit of vinegar to prevent the bleeding that sometimes comes with richly saturated colors like these, and then as now, I think this special treatment is not too much to ask. Hand-knit socks are special, and will last longer and wear better if cared for as such.

Come by the shop to pick up a skein or two or Bearfoot for your next project!

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!

Back in stock: Smooshy with Cashmere.

Posted by Julia on August 17, 2014

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. Here’s Anne perusing just one little section of Smooshy with Cashmere colors at market.

The order we placed this May has arrived, and the colors are even more vivid than I remembered. We picked a variety of colors, from brights to deep darks, and soft, muted shades.

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.

Can’t decide on just one color? Consider the following patterns, each of which uses two 100 gram skeins of fingering weight yarn in contrasting colors: Veera Välimäki‘s “Stripe Study Shawl,” Louise Zass-Bangham’s “Foolproof” cowl, or my own “North Arrow” scarf. Check out the “Inspiring Stitches” board on our Pinterest page for more pattern ideas!

Come by the shop to see and touch Smooshy with Cashmere for yourself, and pick a color or two for your next project!

Even more Malabrigo.

Posted by Julia on March 4, 2014

A few weeks ago, Anne and I were thrilled to unpack two giant boxes from Malabrigo, stuffed with Rios and Mecha, two super-soft superwash merino wool yarns in worsted and bulky weight, respectively. We had written to Malabrigo some months ago with a dream list of all the colors we’d love to have in each yarn, knowing that they wouldn’t all be available at once. These are well-loved yarns, and as such, we often have to wait a while for our orders to be fulfilled. Imagine our surprise and delight when a second mammoth Malabrigo order was shipped our way last week!

We have better stock in Rios and Mecha right now than we have ever had to my memory, so if these are yarns you love, come by the shop and enjoy the full cubbies. They’re already going fast, though, due to that particular Malabrigo combination of beauty, softness, easy-care, and good value. If you’re hoping to put your hands on specific colorways, feel free to call ahead and check that we still have them in your desired quantity.

For pattern ideas, check out the “Inspiring Stitches” board on our Pinterest page, where you’ll find patterns for all kinds of HYS yarns, including Malabrigo Rios and Mecha. See you at the shop!

Back in stock: Selku.

Posted by Julia on February 16, 2014

Most yarns from Maine hand-dyers String Theory are dyed to order, so it was with a couple months of anticipation that we excitedly unpacked a big box full of Selku this past week.

Selku is a sport weight, 3-ply blend of 50% silk and 50% merino wool. The silk content makes it slinky and shiny, while the wool brings elasticity. Together, they make a gently draping fabric with excellent stitch definition that is well suited to accessories, scarves, shawls, and sweaters. It particularly shines in lacy openwork patterns–perhaps you’ve seen the sample slouchy hat in Selku at the shop, or glimpsed Rosi’s “Sampler Tabard” on the blog.

We’ve also seen Selku knit up into a “Vitamin D” sweater and a “Sonetto” shawl, among other projects. There’s one other shawl pattern we’ve had our eye on for some time that calls for String Theory Selku: “Sundry,” by Jennifer Dassau. “Sundry” is a garter- and slip-stitch shawl that calls for one skein each in two colors–an excellent opportunity to play the color-combining game.

Above are “Pewter” and “Alexandrite,” the colors shown in the pattern sample. I couldn’t stop there, of course. Here are several more combinations that appealed to my eye–I can’t wait to see what other knitters come up with, too!

Come by the shop to bask in Selku’s glow, and pick a pair of colors for your own “Sundry” shawl. See you there!

Back in stock: Malabrigo Rios and Mecha.

Posted by Julia on February 5, 2014

Malabrigo is a small yarn company out of Uruguay that is well known for its soft merino yarns, and their vivid, hand-dyed colorways. Many designers publish patterns with Malabrigo yarns, and a quick Ravelry search reveals that many thousands of knitters and crocheters have made projects with these yarns at one time or another. We know plenty who return to Malabrigo again and again, not only because of their good quality but also their good value. The combination of “small company” and “big exposure” means that we sometimes have to wait a while for our orders to be fulfilled, but it’s always worth the wait. Behold: a new Malabrigo shipment, bursting with tempting bags of Rios and Mecha!

Rios is Malabrigo’s worsted weight superwash merino, a yarn that’s hard to keep in stock because it does so well in so many kinds of projects.

Baby blankets, mittens and scarves, slipper socks, hats and headbands, garments for children, crocheted shawls and cabled sweaters–I’ve seen Rios put to good use in all those projects and more.

Mecha is Malabrigo’s newest yarn, a single-ply, bulky weight, superwash merino. Since we first received it in September, it’s become a popular choice for cozy and quick-knitting accessories, cowls in particular.

Maybe it’s the incredible softness of the yarn that makes people want to wear it right around their necks. Consider the following free patterns if you, too, are itching to make a cowl in Mecha: “GAP-tastic Cowl,” “Bandana Cowl,” and “Drop Stitch Cowl.” Suppose you’d rather knit a shawl, or a hat: try “Distinction,” “Thorpe,” or the “Ardelle Hat,” also free downloads from Ravelry. Visit and follow us on Pinterest for even more inspiring ways to make use of all the yarns you’ll find at HYS.

Come by the shop to see our selection of Malabrigo yarns, and come soon if you’re after some color or kind in particular–Rios and Mecha do tend to sell out quickly!

Mountain Colors headband kits.

Posted by Julia on December 29, 2013

A knit or crocheted headband is a practical accessory, but not one that we see tons of patterns for; hats are far more common. For those with cold ears and ponytails, however, headbands are far superior to hats, and much more likely to be worn. From Mountain Colors: a headband kit that knits up quickly, using super bulky yarn.

There are four headband patterns included in each kit, and enough yarn to make one headband.

The yarn is Mountain Colors Bozeman, a thick-and-thin variegated wool that knits at about 2 stitches per inch on US #15 needles. We ordered 10 colors, from mossy greens and rich blues to warm reds and browns.

Treat yourself to a Mountain Colors headband kit, and remember them when you’re seeking a knitterly gift, as well. See you at the shop!

Araucania Atacama: now on sale!

Posted by Julia on November 12, 2013

************As of October 31, 2015, we are now sold out of Araucania Atacama!************

Araucania Atacama is a 100% alpaca yarn from Chile, hand-dyed in variegated colorways. Soft and fuzzy, but no longer manufactured, we’re offering it now at a deep discount of about 45% off its original price.

Atacama’s label suggests an aran weight gauge of about 4.5 stitches per inch, but many knitters and crocheters have commented on Ravelry that it’s happier at a tighter gauge, on smaller needles or hooks. Like most yarns, Atacama can be used at a range of gauges–think about how dense or loose you’d like the resulting fabric to be, do some swatching, and choose a needle or hook size that makes a fabric that suits you and your project.

Come by the shop to snag some Araucania Atacama at this great price while it’s still in stock!

A reminder: all sales are final on discounted yarn. There can be no returns or exchanges, nor special orders–the discount applies only to what we currently have in stock. Thanks!