Show and tell: stuffed animals.

It’s been 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!

Carlaine has been knitting her way through Mouche & Friends, Cinthia Vallet’s book of seamless stuffed animals that has captured the hearts of so many knitters here at HYS. Above are “Alphonse the Pig” and “Agi the Sheep,” and below is “Horacio the Donkey” – all knit with CoopKnits Socks Yeah! and several other kinds of fingering weight yarn.

You may recognize the friends pictured below – these are Pamela’s “Frog and Toad,” designed by Kristina Ingrid McGowan. There’s a crochet version, too! Pamela used a mix of CoopKnits Socks Yeah! DK, Fibre Co. Acadia, and Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift.

I have a little show and tell in this vein today, too – below are two “Jolly Wee Elves” I knit with scraps of Brooklyn Tweed Shelter. The pattern is from Churchmouse, a delight every time.

Thanks to Carlaine and Pamela 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.

“Shetland Solstice” in Kelbourne Woolens Camper.

Gudrun Johnston’s “Shetland Solstice” hat caught my eye when Simply Shetland released Gudrun’s Holiday Hat kits featuring Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift back in November.

“Shetland Solstice,” by Gudrun Johnston, knit with Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift. Photo © Gudrun Johnston

I adore knitting with Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift, but toothy Shetland wool isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Luckily, any fingering weight wool can be used for Johnston’s pattern, and we have a nice, soft substitute in Kelbourne Woolens Camper. There aren’t quite as many colors in Camper as there are in Spindrift, but the palette is robust enough for some serious colorwork – below is a close approximation of Gudrun Johnston’s first “Shetland Solstice” colorway, shown in the hat pictured above.

“Shetland Solstice,” by Gudrun Johnston, knit with Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift. Photo © Gudrun Johnston

I was pleased to approximate Johnston’s second “Shetland Solstice” colorway in Camper, too!

Camper is what I used to make my own “Shetland Solstice” hat for the shop, and I love the result: classic looking fair isle with a soft and cuddly feel.

We recently got a fresh supply of Camper along with a few new colors – here are some more “Shetland Solstice” color ideas I came up with.

 

Look for Kelbourne Woolens Camper and Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift in our fingering weight section here at the shop, and pet our knit samples to pick the perfect yarn for you!

Simply Shetland Hapkerchief KAL!

We are excited to announce that Gudrun Johnston and the Simply Shetland team are hosting their first ever Knit-Along!

Gudrun Johnston’s “Hapkerchief,” knit with Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift in Colorway 1

The Hapkerchief Knit-Along is open to knitters worldwide, starting on June 2 and running through June 30 only on Instagram – follow @simply_shetland on Instagram for details about prizes and how to participate.

Gudrun Johnston’s brand new Hapkerchief is the featured pattern, a quick, 4-color cowl knit with Jamieson’s of Shetland Spindrift that introduces Shetland-inspired techniques in a modern, approachable way. Perfect for the adventurous beginner and beyond!

Johnston’s pattern shows the “Hapkerchief” in three Jamieson’s of Shetland Spindrift colorways, all of which use a mix of light, medium, and dark shades for a balanced look.

Gudrun Johnston’s “Hapkerchief,” knit with Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift in Colorway 2

Gudrun Johnston’s “Hapkerchief,” knit with Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift in Colorway 3

I knit up a sample “Hapkerchief” myself, in a colorway Anne and I put together.

Gudrun Johnston’s “Hapkerchief,” knit with Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift in our own HYS palette

I learned a few things along the way – the German twisted cast-on, a wrap-and-turn technique for working garter stitch in the round without purling, and a purled i-cord bind-off. All of those techniques and more are shown clearly in Johnston’s video tutorials, so you’ll have plenty of support as you knit along!

Look for these “Hapkerchief” yarn bundles here at the shop, and purchase the pattern separately on Ravelry. We have over 150 shades of Spindrift on hand if you want to make your own color combination, of course – can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Buggiflooer Beanie.

We’re so excited about “Buggiflooer Beanie,” Shetland Wool Week’s featured pattern for 2023!

“Buggiflooer Beanie,” by Alison Rendall

This two-, three-, or six-color fair isle hat pattern is available to purchase from the Shetland Wool Week website. Though in the past the SWW featured hat pattern has been free, this year they’re charging a small sum to help ensure the future of the event. A new Shetland Wool Week hat pattern is something Anne and I look forward to every year, so we purchased 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 six-color combinations, inspired by those shown in the pattern.

“Buggiflooer Beanie,” by Alison Rendall, shown in Colourway 3

“Buggiflooer Beanie,” by Alison Rendall, shown in Colourway 4

“Buggiflooer Beanie,” by Alison Rendall, shown in Colourway 5

We also have kits in a special colorway developed by and named for designer Gudrun Johnston!

“Buggiflooer Beanie,” by Alison Rendall, shown in Gudrun’s palette

Yarn bundles for “Buggiflooer Beanie” are $56, and include 6 balls of Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift – pattern is sold separately to support Shetland Wool Week. We’re also happy to help you put together two- or three-color combinations from our generous supply of Spindrift – we have over 150 colors in stock!

Come see us or get in touch if you’d like to order a “Buggiflooer Beanie” yarn bundle!

Pom Pom Quarterly: Autumn 2022.

The latest issue of Pom Pom Quarterly is here!

Abundance is the theme of this Autumn 2022 issue, expressed in plentiful cables, colors, and textures, all of which are showcased beautifully in the magazine’s new large format.

I spotted a few familiar yarns in this issue – Olivia Szepanik’s “Winnow” cardigan makes good use of Kelbourne Woolens Scout, one of our go-to sweater yarns in the DK weight section, and Maria Walters’ “Polonyna” pullover shines in fingering weight Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift.

We may not have all the yarns shown in these patterns, but we love finding just the right substitute!

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 the Summer 2019, Autumn 2019Summer 2020Autumn 2020Spring 2021, Summer 2021, Winter 2021Spring 2022, and 10th Anniversary issues in stock – preview them on our blog and get in touch if you’d like to add them to your Pom Pom collection!

Colorwork tams.

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.

Bonnie Isle Hat.

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!

Meadow, by Marie Wallin.

We often get requests for books by Marie Wallin, a British designer known for her colorwork patterns. They seem to sell out as fast as they come in, but we’re happy to report that Marie Wallin’s Meadow is back in stock!

Meadow is Wallin’s second collection of designs made with Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift. It’s one of our very favorite yarns, a classic Shetland wool that comes in over two hundred colors! You can’t miss the Spindrift display in our fingering weight sections, it seems to catch everyone’s eye.

In Meadow and much of her design work, Wallin is inspired by traditional fair isle knitting, but applies the technique to modern, wearable shapes and styles.

Meadow is $36; look for it on the teacart here at the shop, amidst piles of new books and magazines, full of inspiration for new projects. See you there!

Loft and Spindrift + Kellister.

As I was putting together pattern recommendations to go with our recent Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift restock, I took a shine to Gudrun Johnston’s “Kellister.”

“Kellister,” by Gudrun Johnston. Photo © Gudrun Johnston

The classic fair isle XO pattern, the perfectly subtle slouch, the combination of neutrals and warm autumn shades – it spoke to me, and got me thinking about combining Brooklyn Tweed Loft and Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift for a few more colorways.

You’ll need more yardage in the main color than the three contrast colors, but one skein of BT Loft is enough to cover it; the cost for 1 Loft and 3 Spindrift is $46.35.

We have 35+ shades of Loft on our shelves and 150+ shades of Shetland Spindrift – plenty to make your own unique “Kellister” color combinations! Come by the shop to see them all, or order online for local pickup or shipping if one of these colorways is right up your alley.

Spindrift + Brilliant Corners.

July’s selection for the HYS Hat Club is “Brilliant Corners,” by Kate Davies, and 3 shades of Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift.

HYS Hat Club, July 2021: “Brilliant Corners,” by Kate Davies, Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift, and highlighter tape.

This textured colorwork design was inspired by jazz pianist Thelonious Monk, whose song “Brilliant Corners” is marked by regularity as well as unpredictability – traits Davies incorporated into this three-color hat.

“Brilliant Corners,” by Kate Davies. Photo © Kate Davies Designs

Spindrift is one of my very favorite yarns in the shop, a classic Shetland wool that comes in over two hundred colors, so I had great fun selecting HYS Hat Club colorways. Here’s a trio in each of the color palettes – Warm, Cool, Neutral, and Surprise.

  • Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift: fingering weight, 100% shetland wool, 115 yards/25 g; $6.90 each, or $20.70 for 3 needed to make “Brilliant Corners”

Here’s our Spindrift display from above, a special spot here at our shop. Happy to help you put together a custom colorway, just order online and tell us what you like. In-store shopping appointments are also available – click here to schedule an appointment!