Koigu Collector’s Club: Hay.

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.

WestKnits MKAL 2022!

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!

Hello, Malabrigo Ultimate Sock!

We’re thrilled to announce the arrival of a brand new yarn from Malabrigo – meet Ultimate Sock!

Malabrigo Ultimate Sock:

  • fingering weight
  • hand dyed, variegated and semi-solid colorways
  • 75% superwash merino wool, 25% nylon
  • 420 yards/100g
  • $21 each

Ultimate Sock looks and feels just like the classic Malabrigo Sock yarn, beloved for its vibrant colors and soft, smooth texture. The new addition of 25% nylon brings durability, so that socks and garments made with Ultimate Sock can last longer.

 

Malabrigo Ultimate Sock is a great choice for shawls and cowls, mitts and hats, sweaters for all ages, and more, but let’s focus on its namesake for today: here are some sock patterns!

Look for Malabrigo Ultimate Sock in the fingering weight section here at our shop!

Yarn ideas for “Inclinations Cowl,” by Andrea Mowry.

Andrea Mowry’s latest design and knit-along has us playing the color game… “Inclinations Cowl” is designed to look like an asymmetrical triangular shawl when worn, but slips over the head easily. Like her “Inclinations Shawl” before, it’s all in half fisherman’s rib, which makes a bouncy, easy to knit fabric.

“Inclinations Cowl,” by Andrea Mowry, photo © Andrea Mowry

Mowry calls for two shades of yarn, 360 yards each, though the pattern lends itself to using up smaller quantities of yarn in multiple colors – check out the projects on Ravelry to get a sense of the possibilities!

Here are a few ideas from our own sport weight section here at the shop.

  • Kelbourne Woolens Andorra: sport weight, 60% merino, 20% highland wool, 20% mohair, 185 yards/50 g; $12 each
  • Malabrigo Arroyo: sport weight, hand-dyed, 100% superwash merino wool, 335 yards/100g; $20 each

  • Ewe Ewe Sporty: sport weight, 100% superwash merino wool, 145 yards/50 grams; $11 each
  • Alchemy Sanctuary: sport weight, hand-dyed, 70% wool, 30% silk, 125 yards/50g; $34 each

  • Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light: sport weight, 50% wool, 50% alpaca, 144 yards/50 g; $8 each
  • Schoppel-Wolle Zauberwolle: sport weight, marled, self-striping, 100% merino wool, 273 yards/100 g; $23 each

Swing by the shop or reach out if any of these combinations catches your eye – we’re happy to help calculate yardage or answer any questions that come up as you plan an “Inclinations Cowl” of your own!

Back in stock: Malabrigo Arroyo!

We’re so pleased to have a new bundle of Malabrigo Arroyo in stock!

Malabrigo Arroyo:

  • sport weight
  • hand-dyed
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 335 yards/100g
  • $20 each

This sport weight superwash merino is a favorite around here, and its cubby was looking empty before this week’s shipment arrived.

What to knit with Arroyo? Here are some pattern ideas!

Look for Malabrigo Arroyo in our sport weight section here at the shop, and pick up a free “Wonky Rib” pattern with your Arroyo purchase, while supplies last!

Rios + Versa Cowl.

A few recent orders have left us rich in Malabrigo Rios, a superwash worsted weight merino that gets a lot of love around here.

Malabrigo Rios:

  • worsted weight
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 210 yards/100g
  • $17 each

We have both solid and hand-dyed shades in stock, and Aimee Pelletier’s “Versa Cowl” is a great way to combine them.

“Versa Cowl,” by Aimee Pelletier, photo © Aimee Pelletier

“Versa Cowl” is a sampler of different slip stitch patterns and stripes, and can be worn folded in half for a double layer, as shown above.

Browsing projects on Ravelry, I saw many knitters had paired a solid or semi-solid shade of Rios with a more highly variegated shade for their “Versa Cowls,” a nice effect.

For sharper stitch definition and cleaner stripes, try solid or semi-solid color combinations.

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!

HYS Color Club: Rios + Inclinations Shawl.

The Winter season of HYS Color Club wraps up with a bigger project, a fun change of pace after January’s colorwork mitts.

Club members got six skeins of Malabrigo Rios to knit Andrea Mowry’s “Inclinations Shawl,” a colorful triangular shawl knit in half fisherman’s rib.

“Inclinations Shawl,” by Andrea Mowry. Photo © Andrea Mowry

For this project, the six color palette is composed of two three-skein fades for a harmonious colorway. From there, the colors can be arranged in many different ways – I can’t wait to see these shawls take shape!

Of course, you can make an “Inclinations Shawl” even if you didn’t join the HYS Color Club – just pick out six colors you love in Malabrigo Rios.

  

Pictured here are the colorways our HYS Color Club members received, but there are so many other shades of Rios on our shelves – we have 30+ in stock, including Rios Solidos – come by the shop between 11 – 5:30 pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays to pick your own combination!

Show and tell: colorwork.

Time for another round of show and tell, this time featuring colorwork projects!

Susan knit this “Pātikitiki Hat” with Brooklyn Tweed Dapple, a mesmerizing colorwork pattern by Francoise Danoy.

Here’s another inspiring colorwork hat – Becki’s “Kasilof,” knit with Brooklyn Tweed Tones. Pattern by Caitlin Hunter.

Linda sent us this photo of her finished “Hinterland,” knit with Mountain Meadow Wool Cody for the main color and Malabrigo Arroyo for the contrast. Pattern by Jennifer Steingass.

Same pattern, same yarns, different Linda – another gorgeous “Hinterland” is underway! I always love seeing the same pattern in different colors.

Here’s Pam in her “Embers” pullover, knit with Brooklyn Tweed Ranch 03; pattern by Tin Can Knits. Pam loves colorwork knitting, and came with two other sweaters for show and tell, too!

Here’s her “Illuminate” pullover, also knit with Brooklyn Tweed Ranch 03. She omitted the stripes on the body and chose high contrast colors for a more graphic effect at the yoke, and it looks great in this smooth, solid yarn. Pattern by Andrea Mowry.

Here’s Pam’s third finished sweater, “Bean & Olive,” knit with Berroco Ultra Wool DK. Pattern by Andrea Mowry.

Thanks to Susan, Becki, Linda, Linda, and Pam 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.

Avena.

Jennifer Steingass is a designer known for her colorwork yoke sweater patterns, and her latest has been popular here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop.

“Avena,” by Jennifer Steingass, photo © Jennifer Steingass

“Avena” calls for worsted weight yarn in three shades – one main color and two contrast colors that are similar in value – but we’ve already met several knitters who are planning intriguing variations. Some are holding two strands of fingering weight together to create their own marled shade for the contrast color, one picked out a Neighborhood Fiber Co. Ombré Mini Bundle for the contrast color, and others are working the sweater in just two solid shades. It got me thinking of another idea – why not pair a solid main color and a marled, self-striping contrast color, the likes of Malabrigo Rios Solidos and Reynolds Odyssey?

Reynolds Odyssey is a marled, self-striping wool in low-contrast color combinations, so it reads almost solid from a distance. Above is a swatch Anne knit with Odyssey, so you can get a sense of how the colors gently fluctuate. Here are some color combinations I came up with!

Malabrigo Rios Solidos: worsted weight, solid, industrially dyed colors (no need to alternate skeins!), 100% superwash merino wool, 210 yards/100g; $15.95 each – you’ll need  5-9 skeins for the main color, depending upon your size

Reynolds Odyssey: worsted weight, marled, self-striping, 100% merino wool, 104 yards/50 g; $10 each – you’ll need 2-3 balls for the contrast color, depending upon your size

Want to knit an “Avena” of your own? Look for these and many other options here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop – we’re happy to help you calculate yardage and brainstorm color ideas!

Show and tell!

Back with more show and tell! Here’s another batch of completed projects made with yarns from our shop. If you follow us on Instagram, some of these may look familiar – let’s take a closer look at these beautiful knits.

Here’s Peggy’s “Kith,” a striped shawl knit with Tukuwool Fingering. Her bold choice of contrast color really makes the short row sections pop out! Pattern by Justyna Lorkowska.

Wendy brought in her “Nightshift” shawl for us to admire, knit with Malabrigo Rios – a popular yarn choice for a very popular pattern by Andrea Mowry.

Margaretta knit this sweet baby “Festival Sweater” with Berroco Ultra Wool DK – love the playful contrast colors! Pattern by PetiteKnit.

We were delighted when Rosi sent us photos of her recently completed “River Otter” – she knit this cute critter with Berroco Ultra Wool, then made the fish with Fibre Co. Acadia. Pattern by Sara Elizabeth Kellner.

Anne has been busy knitting hats! In an attempt to clean up her leftover bits and bobs, she made the first three hats holding two to five strands of yarn together for a super bulky gauge and fun marled colors.

The gray hat above is “Wister,” by Courtney Kelley, knit with Ewe Ewe Baa Baa Bulky, and the striped hat is made with leftover Malabrigo Caracol. Earth Guild’s “Super Simple Circular Hat Calculator” is her go-to pattern, making it easy to knit any size at any gauge.

Thanks to Peggy, Wendy, Margaretta, Rosi and Anne 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.