Tag Archives: joji locatelli

Koigu Collector’s Club: Hay.

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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

This month’s limited edition shade is Hay, a creamy neutral colorway with streaks of pumpkin and bronze, and the occasional charcoal speckle. It happens to look a lot like the yarn used in Joji Locatelli’s “The Lone Skein Shawl,” though you’d need 3 skeins of KPPPM for that lovely project.

Hay is a natural match with Caramel, in Malabrigo Ultimate Sock – together, they’d make a lovely autumnal “Moonflowers Shawl,” by Ambah O’Brien.

Here are a few more color combinations for this new mosaic shawl pattern, using other Koigu Collector’s Club colorways – Space Exploration, Red Brick House, The Pond, and Tapestry.

Want to make your own “Moonflowers Shawl” combination, or pick up a special lone skein for “The Lone Skein Shawl?” Look for Koigu KPPPM in the fingering weight section here at our shop, along with many others! We’re here from 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays; masks required for entry.

Modern Daily Knitting Field Guide No. 22: Grace.

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The twenty second installment of the Modern Daily Knitting Field Guide series is here!

MDK’s series of Field Guides are pocket-sized booklets focused on a particular theme, knitting technique, or designer. This newest Field Guide features designs by Joji Locatelli – let’s take a look inside!

Joji Locatelli is a prolific and well loved independent knitwear designer whose patterns are, in Kay Gardiner and Ann Shayne’s words, “fueled by curiosity, unrestrained by convention.”

The four patterns in this Field Guide are just that, designed with engaging construction and graceful details.

MDK Field Guides are $15.95 each; order online for local pickup or shipping, or come by to shop in person – we’re open from 11am – 5:30 pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays!

Back in stock: Malabrigo Washted.

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We’re delighted to have a fresh supply of Malabrigo Washted!

Malabrigo Washted:

  • worsted weight
  • single ply
  • hand-dyed
  • 100% superwash merino
  • 210 yards/100g
  • $15.95 each

Washted is a worsted weight, superwash merino, with 210 yards on each 100 gram skein, and it’s hand-dyed in rich variegated colors. It’s a lot like Malabrigo’s popular Rios yarn, except that Washted is single ply where Rios is plied.

The downside of single ply yarn is often discussed here at the shop, namely, that single ply yarns are the first to pill. The upside, however, is that the super soft merino wool is even softer in a single ply. This makes Washted ideal for accessories that don’t see a lot of abrasion, like shawls, cowls, and hats. Here are a few pattern ideas:

Look for Malabrigo Washted in the worsted weight section here at our shop, or order online for local pickup or shipping!

Meet Rios Solidos!

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Malabrigo is known for their vibrant hand-dyed colorways, so we were intrigued to hear they were coming out with a line of solid colors in Rios. The weight, yardage, fiber content, gauge, and texture is the same as ever, but the colors are industrially dyed, so there’s no need to alternate skeins!

Malabrigo Rios Solidos:

  • worsted weight
  • solid, industrially dyed colors, no need to alternate skeins!
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 210 yards/100g
  • $16 each

There are endless good uses for Malabrigo Rios, such that hardly a day goes by without our selling at least a few skeins. Here are a few recently published patterns to get you started!

Look for Rios in the worsted weight section here at our shop; we’re open from 11 am – 5:30 pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays. You can also order online for local pickup or shipping – thanks for your support of our shop!

Silk Mohair + fingering weight.

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We’ve seen so many patterns lately that call for a lace weight mohair paired with fingering weight wool – sometimes solid, sometimes variegated, always creating an enticing fuzzy fabric. Isager Silk Mohair is just the yarn for this, and we’ve got loads of options in the fingering weight section here at our shop – you’ll find a few ideas below, and keep scrolling for patterns!

  • Isager Silk Mohair: lace weight, 70% kid mohair, 30% silk, 233 yards/25 g; $16 each
  • Brooklyn Tweed Loft: fingering weight, 100% Targhee-Columbia wool, 275 yards/50 g; $18.75 each

  • Koigu KPPPM: fingering weight, hand dyed, 100% superwash merino wool, 175 yards/50 g; $15.50 each

What to knit with these yarn pairings? Here are some ideas:

Sweaters:

Accessories:

See you at the shop!

Hello, Isager Silk Mohair!

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We are delighted to announce a new arrival at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop: meet Isager Silk Mohair!

Isager Silk Mohair:

  • lace weight
  • 70% kid mohair, 30% silk
  • 233 yards/25 g
  • $16 each

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

Silk Mohair is soft and shiny, lightweight with a fluffy texture, and often used in tandem with heavier yarns. We’ve seen more and more patterns calling for a lace weight mohair like this one, sometimes paired with a fingering weight yarn, sometimes a bulky – stay tuned for more blog posts on how to pair it up! Til then, here are a few ideas for using Silk Mohair on its own, or combined with other lace weight yarns.

Here’s a bit of show and tell, a close up on Margaretta’s own “Windy Fields,” knit with Isager Silk Mohair.

This gorgeous piece was the result of a special order we made for Margaretta before deciding to carry the yarn, and her beautiful knitting put us over the top – we are so happy to have Silk Mohair on our shelves! Look for it in the lace weight section here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, or order online for local pickup or shipping.

52 Weeks of Socks – now in paperback!

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Laine’s popular 52 Weeks of Socks is now out in paperback!

This tome includes 52 patterns for knitting socks and slippers, an astonishingly large collection, and a beautiful one. You can see them all on Ravelry, a virtual way to browse the book; the list of designers is impressive, including Joji Locatelli, Isabell Kraemer, Dawn Henderson, Paula Pereira, Rachel Coopey, Andrea Mowry, and Caitlin Hunter.

52 Weeks of Socks is heavy with inspiring patterns using a variety of techniques, but it is also a beautiful object unto itself. Like all Laine publications, the photography is tantalizing, the color palette soothing and evocative.

 

This paperback edition is $19.99, an outstanding price for 52 patterns – look for it here at the shop, or order online for local pickup or shipping!

We also have the following Laine publications in stock at this time:

Back in stock: Kelbourne Woolens Perennial.

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We recently restocked some of the most popular colors of Kelbourne Woolens Perennial, a soft and fuzzy fingering weight yarn.

Kelbourne Woolens Perennial:

  • light fingering weight
  • 60% superwash merino, 25% Suri alpaca, 15% nylon
  • 497 yards/100g
  • $26 each

The folks at Kelbourne Woolens have designed this yarn to be something of a staple – soft from the alpaca but sturdy from the nylon, easy care on account of the superwash merino, suitable for all kinds of projects.

Browsing through Perennial projects on Ravelry, Joji Locatelli’s “Cedar Pullover” caught my eye – though it originally called for a linen yarn held double, several knitters had made it with Perennial held double. This got me thinking… wouldn’t it be lovely to hold Perennial together with a linen yarn? A little bit of fuzz, a bit of cool drape – a balanced fiber blend for a three-season sweater.

For nearly matching colors that would bring depth and a hint of marled variation to the knitted fabric, I looked to Shibui Koan. It’s also a light fingering weight, composed of 70% linen and 30% silk, with 247 yards/50 g; $21 each.

Knitters on Ravelry have also used Perennial for Caitlin Hunter’s “Navelli,” a cropped, short-sleeved colorwork pullover. Since the main color requires so much more yardage than the contrast colors, I picked pairs of Isager Alpaca 2, which comes in smaller skeins.

Isager Alpaca 2 is composed of 50% alpaca, 50% merino, with 275 yards on each 50 g skein; $12 each.

Order online if one of these “Cedar Pullover” or “Navelli” colorways intrigues you, or if you’d like to see a special combination just for you! Just let us know what size you’re planning and we’ll double check the yardage requirements.

We’re happy to help you plan your next project, and can ship your order or hold it here at the shop for local pickup. Thanks for supporting our small business!

Hello, Lady Dye SW Merino DK.

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Members of the HYS Hat Club got a special treat this month – a brand new yarn!

Back when we received our first order from Lady Dye Yarns, we squirreled away the limited amount of DK weight superwash merino. Though most of it went out with our HYS Hat Club, we still have a few skeins left!

Lady Dye SW Merino DK:

  • DK weight
  • hand-dyed in tonal and variegated colorways
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 231 yards/100g
  • $30 each

What to make with SW Merino DK? Our club members are busy knitting Dawn Henderson’s “Serendipitous Hat,” a cable ribbed beanie in three sizes. Here are a few more ideas that take just one skein:

Again, we have limited quantities of this yarn at the moment – just a handful of skeins in each of these colors, so act fast if you’d like to snag some. Order online for local pickup or shipping!

Dream in Color Pop-Up! Club: October.

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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. October’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

This month, dyer Veronica was inspired by the irresistible colors of fall at a vineyard in Napa, and she painted some of them on Dream in Color’s aptly-named Smooshy Cashmere.

Smooshy Cashmere is perfect for a special pair of socks, like Dawn Henderson’s “Lyne Socks” or “Autumn Dawn Socks,” but for a larger project as the season slowly turns, a cozy shawl is just the thing. Consider Rebecca McKenzie’s “Francy Shawl,” Joji Locatelli’s “Venezia Shawl,” Tamy Gore’s “Pop Tart,” or Francoise Danoy’s “Whakahoahoa Shawl.”

Get in touch if you’d like to place an order – we can ship these pretty skeins directly to you or hold your purchase here for pickup while our storefront remains closed to walk-ins!