Tag Archives: isager

Laine Magazine, No. 19.

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Let’s look inside the new issue of Laine!

Laine Magazine is a publication out of Finland, a knitting and lifestyle magazine with a love of natural fibers as its focus, and a reputation for beautiful designs and artful photography.

This Winter 2024 issue is a beauty, celebrating the meditative nature of crafts with serene photos taken in a ceramics studio.

Along with profiles of fiber artists and seasonal recipes, there are knitting patterns, of course, from talented designers all over the world, the likes of Helga Isager, Maxim Cyr, Veera Välimäki, and others.

  

I spotted a cozy colorwork hat in this issue that uses Isager Alpaca 2 and Silk Mohair held together, a luxurious combination! We just restocked these two yarns and have plenty of colors to choose from – look for them in the fingering weight and lace weight sections, respectively.

Laine magazines are $30 each – come by the shop or order online for local pickup or shipping! We also have Laine No. 8 (marked down to 50%, no less!), along with Laine’s recent books, Little Book of Moon-Inspired Shawls, Echoes, Grand Shetland Adventure Knits, Mouche & Friends, Neons & Neutrals, Making Memories, and The Knitted Fabric. See you at the shop!

Pom Pom Quarterly: Winter 2023.

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The penultimate issue of Pom Pom Quarterly is here!

We are so sad to hear that they’re closing up shop after the Spring 2024 issue comes out in January; PPQ has been an inspiring resource for so many years. In the meantime, this new Winter 2023 issue is full of artful and intriguing knits in monochrome colorways.

“We love colour so much that often we try and get as much of it into each piece as we can,” the PPQ editors write, “but for this monochrome-themed issue we wanted to see what could be done with fabrics that used more subtle tonal differences within a single hue, or closely related ones.”

Pom Pom has always been a champion of new and emerging designers and indie dyers, introducing us to new names with every issue. We don’t carry all the yarns shown in their pages, but we have many lovely substitutes and are happy to help you find just the right one for your project! Above are a few shades of Brooklyn Tweed Tones and Shelter, reminiscent of Catie Robbins’ intarsia “Redware” shawl.

The dimensional texture of Alessandra Gropazzi’s “Chiaroscuro” scarf caught my eye right away – it’s made with a fingering weight wool and lace weight mohair/silk blend held together throughout. Kelbourne Woolens Camper and Isager Silk Mohair fit the bill, and we have new colors in both of those yarns!

Sara Ottosson’s “Celadon” hat uses a fingering weight wool as a base yarn throughout, and alternates between two shades of fuzzy lace weight yarn to create a subtle colorwork pattern. We have so many yarns that would work well for this, but Ewe Ewe Fluffy Fingering and Fyberspates Cumulus have the perfect colors to match the pattern photo!

Pom Pom Quarterly is $25.50 – come by to snag a copy between 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays. We’re also taking orders online for local pickup or shipping. Along with this issue, we have a cubby full of back issues available, now marked down 50%. See you at the shop!

Show and tell: openwork.

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As you may have read in our most recent newsletter, the shop will be closed for our usual Thanksgiving break from November 22 – 27. Feel free to place online orders or email inquiries during that time, but know that we won’t be monitoring our inbox until we’re back in the shop on November 28! We wish you all a peaceful and safe holiday.

In the meantime, let’s enjoy some show and tell!

As I was going through recent photos, I spotted a theme: openwork! Here are some beautiful projects adorned with eyelets.

Above is Edie’s “Holden” shawl, knit with Koigu KPPPM. It’s great to see lace knit up with variegated yarn! Pattern by Mindy Wilkes.

Teresa knit this delicate “Salty Air Tee” with Isager Bomulin, a good example of how lace looks in plant fiber yarns – in a word, lovely! Pattern by Samantha Guerin.

Anne jumped on the “Ranunculus” bandwagon, and knit the sweater above as a gift for a lifelong friend. She held Brooklyn Tweed Ranch 03 together with Fibre Co. Meadow, a low contrast combination that gave just a little dimension to the color and texture of the knitted fabric. Pattern by Midori Hirose.

Lace looks great in thicker yarns, too, showing off the stitch patterns at a larger scale and proving that openwork can be cozy. Above is Ruth in her “Elah” cardigan, knit with worsted weight Kelbourne Woolens Germantown. Pattern by Isabell Kraemer.

Margaretta is a prolific lace knitter – I’ve lost track of how many “Umaro” blankets she’s made! The one above is a baby blanket, knit with worsted weight Berroco Ultra Wool. Pattern by Jared Flood.

The shawl below is also one of Margaretta’s, “Sakura,” knit with Brooklyn Tweed Loft. Pattern by Leila Raven.

Thanks to Edie, Teresa, Anne, Ruth, and Margaretta for sharing their work with us! We love to see what you make with our yarns, and can’t wait to see what comes off your needles next.

Koigu Collector’s Club: Ammonite.

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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

Ammonite is a quiet variegated colorway with a surprising variety of hues mixed in – from a distance it reads pale green, but look closely, and you’ll see a whole rainbow!

Pair Ammonite 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!

I love the way a strand of lace weight mohair mutes a variegated yarn, bringing new texture and movement to the colors in the knitted fabric.

Here’s my finished “Sophie Scarf”, knit with Koigu KPPPM in Hoof Mushroom and Sandnes Garn Tynn Silk Mohair in 6315.

And here are more Tynn Silk Mohair pairings for all kinds of Koigu colors!

Look for Koigu KPPPM in the fingering weight section here at the shop, and check out the lace weight section to see Sandnes Garn Tynn Silk Mohair, Isager Silk Mohair, and Fyberspates Cumulus!

Sunday and friends.

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Sandnes Garn Sunday has fast become a favorite here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, a soft and springy fingering weight merino wool. Though it’s lovely on its own or held double, it plays well with others – here are some yarn and pattern ideas for holding Sunday together with other yarns!

Sunday + Fyberspates Cumulus

Pattern ideas: garments

Sunday + Isager Silk Mohair

Pattern ideas: hats

Sunday + Malabrigo Mohair

Pattern ideas: cowls, shawls, and scarves

Anne’s “Oslo Hat – mohair edition” in progress, knit with Isager Silk Mohair (color 12) and Sandnes Garn Sunday (color 4632). Pattern by PetiteKnit.

We can’t wait to see what other color combinations and patterns you come up with – see you at the shop!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Tourmaline.

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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

Tourmaline is a saturated golden orange colorway, with little streaks of olive, red, and pink.

There are so many fun ways to use variegated hand-dyed yarns like Koigu KPPPM – here are a few ideas!

Pair it with another fingering weight yarn in a contrasting color

Hold it together with an alpaca or mohair yarn

Look for Koigu KPPPM, Malabrigo Ultimate Sock, and NFC Studio Sock in the fingering weight section here at the shop, and check out the lace weight section to see Isager Bouclé, Silk Mohair, and Fyberspates Cumulus!

“Lento” in Isager Bouclé & fingering weight yarns.

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We’ve got a brand new sweater on display at the shop – here’s my version of Jonna Hietala’s “Lento” pullover knit with Malabrigo Ultimate Sock and Isager Bouclé!

Bouclé is a fine alpaca yarn with one looped ply, which makes a fluffy, textured fabric when combined with the soft and smooth Ultimate Sock.

This yarn pairing is ideal for this simple stockinette pullover. While I was working on it, Anne would ask anyone passing through, “Have you touched Julia’s sweater? It’s so soft!”

I love watching two different yarns come together in a marled project – it always seems to make a fabric that’s more beautiful and intriguing than either yarn would be on its own.

Here are some color combinations in Ultimate Sock and Bouclé that I think would make gorgeous “Lento” pullovers!

  • Isager Bouclé: lace weight, looped bouclé texture, 100% alpaca, 190 yards/50 grams; $11 each
  • Malabrigo Ultimate Sock: fingering weight, hand dyed, variegated and semi-solid colorways, 75% superwash merino wool, 25% nylon, 420 yards/100g; $21 each

Bouclé is unique, but we have many fingering weight yarns to choose from – seeking even more softness? Hold Bouclé together with Isager Alpaca 2!

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

Perhaps, like me, you prefer a bit of structure in your sweaters – look to Brooklyn Tweed Tones Light.

  • Brooklyn Tweed Tones Light: fingering weight, woolen-spun 2 ply, overdyed, 100% Columbia wool, 225 yards/50g; $16.75 each

Look for Isager Bouclé in the lace weight section here at our shop, and browse our entire fingering weight section for just the right match to make a “Lento” of your own!

Hello, Isager Bouclé!

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We’re pleased to introduce a brand new yarn from Isager – meet Bouclé!

Isager Bouclé:

  • lace weight
  • looped bouclé texture
  • 100% alpaca
  • 190 yards/50 grams
  • $11 each

Isager is a Danish yarn company led by designers and co-owners Marianne Isager and her daughter, Helga Isager. They are known for their sophisticated color palette, and for combining yarns to create unique fiber and color blends.

Bouclé is a fine alpaca yarn with one looped ply, which makes a fluffy, textured fabric. It especially shines when held together with a smooth yarn, enhancing simple stockinette.

While we wait for the Isager design team to release patterns for this intriguing new yarn, I’ve been swatching to satisfy my curiosity. I began with US 5 needles and a single strand of Bouclé, and while the fabric was pleasing, the yarn was a little tricky to work with. When I moved up to a US 9 and added a strand of smooth fingering weight yarn, it became much easier to manage, and the fabric that came out was soft and fluffy, like a teddy bear.

Though I kept swatching, through a few more needle sizes and a colorwork motif from Anne Ventzel’s very appealing “Robinia Sweater,” it was the teddy bear fabric I kept coming back to. The gauge was a match for Jonna Hietala’s “Lento” pullover, which is what I’m making now, holding Bouclé together with Malabrigo Ultimate Sock.

Here are some other pattern ideas for Isager Bouclé, when held together with a fingering weight yarn:

Look for Isager Bouclé in the lace weight section here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, along with many other Isager yarns – Alpaca 2, Highland Wool, Sock Yarn, and more!

Show and tell: texture and color.

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Need some inspiration for your next project? Here’s another round of show and tell, featuring projects that make interesting use of color and texture.

Carribeth designed and knit this shawl using Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere in one of their special applied pooling shades – she did stockinette stitch wherever the yarn was peach, pink, or terra-cotta, but did a mesh lace whenever the aqua blue streak came along. Look for similar patterns on our latest Pop-Up Club blog post!

Above is Wendy’s “SSP (slip stitch party) shawl,” an Isabell Kraemer pattern that combines slip stitch colorwork and texture.

Wendy picked colors in Brooklyn Tweed Peerie and Isager Alpaca 2, so there are slight textural differences in the yarn due to fiber content, as well – a lovely detail!

Margaretta’s “Aloe” socks also combine color and texture using a stitch pattern that was new to her, Anne, and myself – two-colored dip stitch.

The pattern is from Laine’s recent 52 Weeks of Socks, Vol. II, and Margaretta used Kelbourne Woolens Perennial, a soft and squishy merino/alpaca blend.

Anne knit this “Ardelle Hat” using Malabrigo Mecha, a sample for her recent class on the subject. The cabled band is worked flat, then grafted, then stitches are picked up from one edge to complete the body and crown of the hat – a clever construction!

Here is Ruth’s “Wild Flowers” shawl, a floral field rendered in intricate texture patterns using Brooklyn Tweed Arbor. For sharp stitch definition, there’s no better yarn!

Thanks to Carribeth, Wendy, Margaretta, Anne, and Ruth for sharing their projects with us! We love seeing what folks make with yarn from our shop, and always look forward to show and tell.

Back in stock: Isager Alpaca 2.

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Over the past month or so, we’ve replenished our supply of Isager Alpaca 2 twice, bringing some bestselling colors back into stock – there always seems to be a steady demand for this fuzzy blend of merino and alpaca, beloved for its soft hand and harmonious color palette!

Isager Alpaca 2:

  • light fingering weight
  • 50% alpaca, 50% merino
  • 275 yards/50 g
  • $12 each

Anne’s seasoned “Stole” sample has hung on the wall for years now, yet it regularly catches the eye of knitters seeking a soothing, repetitive project, one that’s easy to execute, but with graceful results.

Rather than work each stripe to a specific measurement or number of rows, Anne knit until each ball of yarn ran out, then began the next color that suited her, using only 8 shades, rather than the suggested 9. 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. Anne’s  “Stole” is decidedly wider, leaning towards blanket-sized, in fact.

With over thirty colors to choose from, each “Stole” is unique – come by the shop to put together your very own colorway!

Look for Alpaca 2 in the fingering weight section here at our shop! We love Isager yarns and carry a lot of them – Japansk Bomuld, Bomulin, Silk Mohair, Spinni, Alpaca 1, Alpaca 3, Tvinni, Highland Wool, Jensen, Sock Yarn, and more.