Tag Archives: isager

Back in stock: Isager Alpaca 3.

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Once again, PetiteKnit has made Isager yarn popular enough to clear our shelves. Having nearly sold out of Alpaca 3 in the past month or so, we are relieved to announce that we now have a fresh supply!

Isager Alpaca 3:

  • bulky weight
  • chainette
  • 50% alpaca, 50% wool
  • 137 yards/50 grams
  • $10 each

Due to it’s chainette construction, Alpaca 3 is soft, lofty, and highly elastic – a pleasure to work with, all told.

“Novice Cardigan – Chunky Edition,” by PetiteKnit, photo © PetiteKnit.

Though it’s lovely on its own, it’s irresistibly soft when paired with Isager Silk Mohair, as PetiteKnit knows well.

“Sunday Sweater,” by PetiteKnit, photo © PetiteKnit.

Here are a few color combinations to consider when planning a “Sunday Sweater,” “Novice Sweater – Chunky Edition,” “Novice Cardigan – Chunky Edition,” or “Holiday Slipover.”

If mohair isn’t your thing, you can substitute Isager Alpaca 1, a lace weight 100% alpaca yarn. It will add a little weight to the Alpaca 3, and can alter the color if you like, but won’t be as fuzzy as Silk Mohair.

Come by the shop to see and touch these yarns for yourself, and plan your next project! Look for Silk Mohair and Alpaca 1 in the lace weight section, and Alpaca 3 in the bulky weight section.

Show and tell: PetiteKnit patterns.

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It’s been far too long since I shared show-and-tell here on the blog, though it’s an ongoing part of our daily Instagram posts – let’s see what folks have been making with yarn from our shop!

PetiteKnit has become one of the most-mentioned knitwear designers here at our shop. Almost every day, at least one knitter comes in shopping for, working on, or wearing a PetiteKnit design. Here are some of the PetiteKnit projects I’ve captured lately!

Margaretta is a fan of PetiteKnit – here are her two most recent sweaters, “Ingrid Sweater Baby” in Berroco Ultra Wool above, and “Moby Sweater” in Isager Jensen and Silk Mohair below.

Morgan knit this “No Frills Sweater” with Brooklyn Tweed Loft and Isager Silk Mohair held together throughout – the result is lovely, a perfect balance of structure and softness.

Michele came in wearing her first PetiteKnit sweater, “Sycamore Sweater,” and reports that the pattern was detailed and well written – she used Isager Jensen, Spinni, and Shibui Tweed Silk Cloud in this striking garment.

I knit my first PetiteKnit pattern recently, too, though it’s a far simpler design – here’s the “Sophie Shawl” I knit as a shop sample in Fibre Co. & Make Aran. The size small makes a such a nice scarf, wrapped around and tied like a kerchief, that I decided to make one for myself, too!

Thanks to Margaretta, Morgan, and Michele 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.

A Knitting Life: Back to Tversted, by Marianne Isager.

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This week, as a new year begins, we welcome a beautiful new book by Marianne Isager, A Knitting Life: Back to Tversted ($47).

Marianne Isager is a knitwear designer and co-owner of Isager Yarns, based in Denmark. In this new collection, the first in a series of three, she looks back on her first 20 years in the industry. Through prose and photos, she tells the story of inheriting Ase Lund Jensen’s yarn company and workshop, and combining family life and knitting life in the small village of Tversted.

Tversted is where all the new knitwear designs in this book were photographed, a striking landscape of sea, dunes, and flora that inspired her use of color, texture, and structure.

The patterns in A Knitting Life: Back to Tversted are thoughtfully updated from Marianne Isager’s earlier designs, drawing on techniques she has returned to again and again throughout her design career.

As ever, Isager loves to mix and match various yarns for unique color and fiber blends. In this book, she includes a full-size photo of the swatch for each project, so you can see some of this yarn blending in closer detail.

A Knitting Life: Back to Tversted is $47, and available here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, along with a wide selection of Isager yarns – you can also order online for local pickup or shipping. Hope to see you soon!

Dream in Color Pop-Up Club: December 2022.

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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. December’s new 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
  • $34 each

December’s special colorway is vibrant and variegated, a mix of turquoise, cobalt, purple and ice blue.

Variegated skeins like these are beautiful on their own – one skein makes a “Sockhead Slouch” hat or “Reyna” shawl – but they always inspire me to create color combinations. Here are a few I put together with the “Temperance Shawl” in mind, a three color garter stitch and eyelet pattern that works well in low, medium, and high contrast color combinations.

Isager Sock Yarn: fingering weight, 40% Easy Wash alpaca, 40% Easy Wash merino wool, 20% recycled nylon, 423 yards/100g; $20 each

  • Malabrigo Ultimate Sock: fingering weight, hand dyed, variegated and semi-solid colorways, 75% superwash merino wool, 25% nylon, 420 yards/100g; $20 each
  • Kelbourne Woolens Perennial: light fingering weight, 60% superwash merino, 25% suri alpaca, 15% nylon, 497 yards/100 g; $26 each

Look for Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere in the fingering weight section here at our shop! We’ll be closed December 24-26, then reopening at our regular business hours, 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesday – Saturday. You can still order online for local pickup or shipping, as well.

Knitted Kalevala, by Jenna Kostet.

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Let’s peek inside the newest book from Laine!

Knitted Kalevala ($45) is a book of colorwork patterns inspired by Kalevala, a collection of mythic poems and folklore of Finland. The Kalevala is full of ancient symbols, mythical creatures, and nature, which you’ll see reflected in Jenna Kostet’s patterns.

The garments and accessories of Knitted Kalevala are decorated in striking large scale colorwork motifs in a range of gauges – here’s one in Isager Jensen, a rustic wool you’ll find in the DK weight section here at our shop.

The poetry and stories of the Kalevala are interspersed with the patterns, making this book an intriguing read.

Knitted Kalevala is $45 – look for it here at our shop, among the latest publications. We’re also happy to take your order online for local pickup or shipping!

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!

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!

Back in stock: Isager Alpaca 2.

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Isager Alpaca 2 has long been a favorite here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. 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. A very large box of the stuff arrived with the brand new Isager Sock Yarn, bringing some bestselling colors back into stock and adding a few new shades, too!

Isager Alpaca 2:

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

Our 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.

Here are some other pattern ideas for Alpaca 2!

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

Hello, Isager Sock Yarn.

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Isager’s newest yarn is here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop – meet Sock Yarn!

Isager Sock Yarn:

  • fingering weight
  • 40% Easy Wash alpaca, 40% Easy Wash merino wool, 20% recycled nylon
  • 423 yards/100g
  • $20 each

Isager Sock Yarn is a soft and sturdy fingering weight yarn made primarily of Easy Wash alpaca and merino wool. An environmentally friendly alternative to superwash, Easy Wash is a treatment that makes animal fibers machine-washable without discharging hazardous chemicals in the process. Like Fibre Co. Amble, Isager Sock Yarn is fortified with recycled nylon for strength, making good use of an industrial byproduct that would otherwise be wasted.

Isager Sock Yarn is smooth and tightly plied, which is key for hard-wearing accessories like socks. I’m knitting a child-sized “Rye Light” sock as an Isager Sock Yarn sample for the shop, appreciating the stitch definition as I work.

Here are some sock patterns to consider, from basic beginner-level socks to intricate texture and color patterns.

Look for Isager Sock Yarn in the fingering weight section here at our shop!

Laine Magazine, No. 14.

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The newest issue of Laine Magazine is here!

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 tantalizing photography.

This issue is inspired by Nordic summer nights, reflected in lightweight garments and accessories.

We may not have the very yarns called for, but we love finding just the right substitute!

Beyond the patterns, there are seasonal recipes and plenty of good reading.

Laine No. 14 is $30 each – come by the shop or order online for local pickup or shipping! We also have Laine No. 8, No. 10, No. 11, No. 12, and No. 13 in stock, along with some of Laine’s recent books. See you at the shop!