Tag Archives: helga isager

Show and tell: Bailey’s samples.

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Since Bailey began working here at the shop, her hands have been busy knitting samples. Anne and I love seeing the patterns, designers, and color combinations she selects, and so does everyone who comes to the shop for inspiration! If you’ve been keeping up with our blog, you’ve already seen Bailey’s “Static Mittens” in Sandnes Garn Double Sunday – let’s take a closer look at what else she’s been making.

The ephemeral mohair sweater in the middle is Bailey’s “Aura Top,” knit with Malabrigo Mohair. We so often see mohair held together with other yarns, but it’s dreamy on its own, too! Pattern by Rows Knitwear.

Above is “Berlin,” a cowl designed by Helga Isager and knit with Isager Alpaca 3, a lofty chainette yarn composed of alpaca and wool.

Bailey knit this chic “Best Beret” with a skein of Kelbourne Woolens Germantown, a smooth and sturdy worsted weight wool that’s ideal for creating a structured accessory like this one. Pattern by James N Watts.

Most recently, Bailey made this “ribblesdale vest,” by Lily Kate France, a brioche waistcoat knit with Kelbourne Woolens Scout.

Look for all of these samples here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, along with plenty of yarn to make them. We hope you find inspiration here!

Handcraft, by Helga Isager and Jóna Thórunnardóttir.

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We’re delighted to have a beautiful new book from Isager – let’s take a look at Handcraft!

From designers Helga Isager and Jóna Thórunnardóttir, Handcraft is an elegant hardcover book of mittens and gloves.

It includes a basic pattern for mittens and another for gloves, then offers different edgings, stitch patterns, yarn combinations, and other variations to make all kinds of cozy hand warmers.

Adorn your mittens with cables, lace, stripes, texture, and marls; the knitting techniques are clearly and beautifully illustrated with drawings by Japanese artist Toshiko Koikegami.

Handcraft is $29, and available here at the shop – swing by between 11am – 5:30 pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays, or order online for local pickup or shipping!

Amirisu, Issue 23.

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A new issue of Amirisu is here!

Amirisu is a knitting magazine based in Japan, each issue filled with articles, interviews, and patterns from designers all over the world.

Helga Isager, Veronik Avery, Dianna Walla, Sari Nordlund, Paula Pereira and others have contributed to this issue, designing garments and accessories inspired by their favorite films.

I spotted some familiar fibers in this issue – a marled pullover in Isager Spinni and Silk Mohair, a twisted stitch cardigan in Brooklyn Tweed Arbor, and another in Shelter, though Tones would make a lovely substitute.

Amirisu often includes crafts other than knitting, and this issue has a machine quilting tutorial.

Amirisu is $24 – swing by to pick up a copy or order online for local pickup or shipping!

Show and tell: more sweaters!

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It’s been fun going back through show and tell photos from Instagram over the past year since our closure – there are so many incredible projects to share. Let’s take a look at some sweaters!

Like many of us, Linda spent much of the past year finishing lingering projects, and here she is modeling one of them – “Galloway,” a colorwork cardigan designed by Jared Flood for Brooklyn Tweed Shelter.

Above is Rosi’s “Cloudy Blouse,” an intricate embroidered pullover designed by Helga Isager for Isager Spinni.

Here’s Pat in her “Donner,” knit with Malabrigo Caprino and trimmed with Shibui Haven.

Linda knit this “Orime” top with Brooklyn Tweed Peerie, a smooth and springy yarn that’s perfect for showing off the subtle stitch pattern in Veronik Avery’s design.

Here’s Laura, showing off her beautiful “Zahavi,” designed by Emily Greene for Brooklyn Tweed Arbor – another yarn with superb stitch definition.

Above is Patricia’s “Peace Lily Blouse,” knit for her daughter using Kelbourne Woolens Mojave. She modified this cropped top by lengthening the ribbing, a clever and easy fix that changes the whole look of the garment.

Here’s Denise’s first ever steeked sweater, Caitlin Hunter’s “Ramblin Woman” cardigan, knit with Isager Jensen.

Thanks to Linda, Rosi, Pat, Linda, Laura, Patricia, and Denise for sharing their work with us! We can’t wait to see what you make next.

Revisiting Room 606.

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As I created colorways for Isager Spinni and Highland Wool over the past couple of weeks, I found myself paging through an older book by Helga Isager, Amimono: Room 606. It’s a stylish collection of garments and accessories inspired by Danish modernist design and architecture of the 1960s, and makes use of a variety of Isager yarns.

Amimono: Room 606, by Helga Isager – $29

The “Vivi” pullover caught my eye in particular because it happened to pair the two Isager yarns I’d been playing with, Spinni and Highland Wool.

Isager Spinni: lace weight, single ply, 100% Danish wool, 328 yards/50 g; $12.50 each

Isager Highland Wool: light fingering weight, 2ply, 100% Peruvian Highland wool, 301 yards/50 g; $10 each

The two yarns have a slight difference in thickness and in texture, bringing interest to the overall slip stitch pattern.

Both Marianne and Helga Isager have a fondness for combining their yarns two or three strands at a time – this creates interesting color combinations and unique fiber blends. The Isagers share this with the folks at Shibui, so I’ve brought them together in the colorways that follow, for the “Malene” hat.

Shibui Silk Cloud: lace weight, 60% mohair, 40% silk, 330 yards/25 g; $26.50 each

Get in touch to order a copy of Room 606 for yourself – use our online order form!

Stitches, by Helga Isager.

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Helga Isager’s new book is here! Let’s look inside Stitches.

Stitches is primarily a collection of garments, with a few accessories sprinkled in. Her focus in this book is on embroidery and embellishment, pointing out that both knitting needles and sewing needles make stitches.

As in her most recent book, K (Knit), Isager includes a full-size photo of the swatch for each project, so you can see in detail what it should look like as it grows, and even measure it against the photo.

Look for the book on our teacart, and find Isager yarns in the lace, fingering, and DK weight sections here at the shop!

Making No. 7: Desert.

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Happy to announce that the latest issue of Making is in!

Desert landscapes are the theme of this issue, which features projects for making of all kinds – quilting, embroidery, sewing, weaving, macrame, cooking, needle felting, and, yes, knitting!

I spotted plenty of familiar names in the knitting department – designers like Bristol Ivy, Susan B. Anderson, Norah Gaughan, Helga Isager, and others contributed to this issue.

Beautifully photographed and lovingly produced, Making is a treat of a publication.

Look for it on the teacart here at the shop, surrounded by the best in new books and magazines for makers. See you there!

K (Knit), by Helga Isager.

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Helga Isager’s newest book is here!

K (Knit) aims to encourage new knitters to grow their skills, and features elegantly simple designs in Isager yarns, mostly sweaters with a few accessories.

Each one is named for a stitch that’s prominent in the pattern; a cabled pullover is named “C6 (Cable 6),” for example, and a stockinette raglan is named “YO (Yarn over)” for the shaping at the yoke.

Each pattern is accompanied by instructions for a swatch, allowing you to practice techniques used in the pattern as you check your gauge.

Isager also includes a full-size photo of the completed swatch, so you can see in detail what your swatch should look like as it grows, and even measure it against the photo.

Look for the book on our teacart, and find Isager yarns in the lace, fingering, and DK weight sections here at the shop!

New colors from Isager.

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Some yarn companies create new colors for their existing lines each season, or each year. Isager has never done it that way, instead sticking with a tried-and-true color palette for each yarn that truly has a personality, a voice all its own. Every now and then, however, Isager surprises us with a few new shades, and I’m happy to report that they’ve just expanded both Alpaca 1 and Alpaca 2!

Alpaca 1 is a lace weight yarn made of 100% alpaca which is spun in Peru. Often, Isager patterns pair this yarn with Isager Spinni, Tvinni, Highland, or Alpaca 2, to make thicker fabrics and unique color or fiber blends. Think “Camomille,” “The Fan,” or the “Tokyo” shawl kit.

These 5 new shades are complex heathers, each one composed of several colors blended together before spinning. As such, they appear solid from a distance, but up close reveal a variety of colors – perfect for lace, texture patterns, or simple stripes. These new colors fit right into the existing Alpaca 1 palette, filling spaces we didn’t know were empty, and giving us new ideas for color combinations.

The same can be said for the 5 new shades of Alpaca 2, which seem to call out for inclusion in a “Stole.”

Alpaca 2 is a soft and fuzzy blend of merino and alpaca in a fingering weight, and as I’ve written here on the blog so many times, it’s a real favorite at our shop, year in and year out. If you’ve never used it before, come by the shop to see it in person, pet our “Stole” sample, and see if you’re not moved to cast one on. We’ve got plenty of Isager pattern books to peruse here, too, including the Helga Isager’s newest collection, The Artisan. Our first stack of these books sold out in a flash, but I’m happy to report that they’re now back in stock.

See you at the shop!

The Artisan.

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Helga Isager’s newest book has arrived! Let’s take a peek inside The Artisan.

Helga Isager is a Danish knitwear designer who runs the Isager yarn company along with her accomplished mother, Marianne Isager.

Both Isagers design with Isager yarn in mind, of course, often blending two or three yarns together for heavier gauges or interesting fiber and color combinations. Sometimes, though, these fingering or lace weight yarns are used alone, making delicate fabrics that drape and flatter the wearer.

We picked up a couple new single patterns for our Isager pattern binder, too – come by the shop to peruse the whole thing, and see all our Isager yarns while you’re at it!