Tag Archives: mohair

Sale Spotlight: Noro Silk Garden Lite.

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Everything in our shop is 15% off during July, our Annual Inventory Sale! All month, I’ll be shining a spotlight on the yarns we have in stock – today, let’s look at Noro Silk Garden Lite!

Noro Silk Garden Lite:

  • DK weight
  • single ply, self-striping
  • 45% mohair, 45% silk, 10% wool
  • 136 yards/50 grams
  • $12 each

Silk Garden Lite is a DK weight yarn that slowly changes from one color to the next several yards at a time, so that whatever you’re knitting or crocheting with it comes out striped. This bias-knit “Argosy” scarf that hangs in our shop shows this well.

Scrolling through Ravelry, I saw that over 300 knitters had used Silk Garden Lite for Jared Flood’s “Noro Striped Scarf,” though the now-classic pattern calls for a heavier yarn.

For “Noro Striped Scarf,” pick two different colors of Silk Garden Lite, two balls each. Not only do the yarns make stripes, but the scarf itself is striped, for a simple knit with big visual impact.

Order online for local pickup or shipping via USPS Priority Mail!

 

Just a reminder–all sales are final on discounted items; there can be no exchanges or returns. Thanks!

Tweed Silk Cloud + Verve!

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For as long as we’ve stocked Shibui yarns here at the shop, we’ve been admirers of Shellie Anderson’s designs. She was an in-house designer Shibui for some years and still loves to work with their yarns, creating garments that look simple, but feature thoughtful details to “challenge and delight the knitter,” in her words.

© Shellie Anderson

“Verve” is one such design, a lightweight colorblock top knit with Shibui Tweed Silk Cloud. The loose-fitting tee is knit all in stockinette stitch, showing off this luxurious lace weight yarn in five or six colors.

  • Sizes: A (B, C, D, E)
  • Finished dimensions: 46 (52, 58, 64, 68)″ bust circumference

I put together three colorways for “Verve,” the first of which is based on Anderson’s own sample version. Each colorway is shown in two variations – one with five colors, for sizes A-C, and one with six colors, for sizes D-E. I named them with the word “verve” itself in mind, conjuring the enthusiasm and boldness it suggests.

 

Each 25 gram skein of Tweed Silk Cloud has 191 yards, and is composed of 65% silk and 35% mohair. Skeins are $23 each, or $25 for special Julie Hoover colors.

Head to Ravelry to download Shellie Anderson’s “Verve,” and use our online order form to request five or six skeins of Tweed Silk Cloud to knit one of your own!

Sale of the Week: Shibui Vine and Silk Cloud!

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We’ve decided to keep our doors closed through the month of June, though we’re still virtually open for online orders. As we have done throughout April and May, we’ll have a special sale each week – 15% off a featured yarn, our Sale of the Week!

We have two yarns on sale this week – Shibui Vine and Silk Cloud are 15% off from June 15 – 20!

Vine is a unique combination of 41% paper, 31% cotton, and 28% silk. The texture is notable, too – a flat yarn wrapped in lustrous, overlapping threads.

Silk Cloud is a lace weight blend of 60% mohair and 40% silk, a fuzzy and luminous yarn.

 

They’re very different, Vine and Silk Cloud, but together they make an incredible fabric: Vine is cool to the touch and brings elegant drape, and Silk Cloud brings unmatched softness.

“Torrent” is a textured triangular shawlette knit on the bias, holding Vine and Silk Cloud together. The pattern is available for free when you buy Vine and Silk Cloud here at our shop.

The “Torrent” below was made by Maxine, one of the biggest Shibui fans we know!

 

Hold matching colors of Vine and Silk Cloud together for seamless blending.

Or combine two different colors for high or low contrast marls!

You’ll need 2 skeins of Vine and 1 skein of Silk Cloud to knit a “Torrent” of your own.

  • Vine: usually $20 each; $17 at 15% off
  • Silk Cloud: usually $26.50 each; $22.50 at 15% off
  • Special Julie Hoover shades of Silk Cloud: usually $28.50 each; $24.25 at 15% off

Head to our online order form if you’d like to place an order – it’ll be on sale through June 20. Thanks for all your support!

 

Just a reminder–all sales are final on discounted items; there can be no exchanges or returns. Thanks!

Hello, Tweed Silk Cloud.

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Back in November, a new yarn from Shibui arrived without nearly the fanfare it deserved. Today I’m here to shine a light on it – meet Tweed Silk Cloud!

Tweed Silk Cloud is a luxurious lace weight yarn with the same fiber content as Shibui’s beloved Silk Cloud – mohair and silk – but the ratio is flipped for more silk than mohair. The result is an even more lustrous yarn, with extra drape and tweedy flecks.

Each 25 gram skein has 191 yards, and is composed of 65% silk and 35% mohair. Most patterns I’ve seen for Tweed Silk Cloud combine it with another yarn for a heavier fabric and larger gauge, but not all – here are four ideas for using it solo:

Beautiful things can happen when it’s paired with another yarn – here are a few ideas:

Look for Tweed Silk Cloud in our lace weight section here at the shop, and check out our full range of Shibui yarns while you’re here!

New colors in Fibre Co. Cumbria Fingering.

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Earlier in the week I introduced eight new shades from Fibre Company for their Cumbria Worsted. I’m delighted to report that those same eight shades are also available in Cumbria Fingering!

Like its big sister, Cumbria Worsted, Cumbria Fingering is a soft and sturdy blend of 60% merino wool, 30% masham wool, and 10% mohair. The soft white merino is blended with the dark gray masham, creating a natural heathered base color over which all the other colorways are dyed. Each 100 gram skein boasts 328 yards, enough for a hat, pair of mitts, or small cowl.

What to knit with Cumbria Fingering? Since this yarn first arrived in 2016, many designers have found beautiful uses for it. Bristol Ivy designed a whole collection for Fibre Co. Cumbria, and we have print copies of those patterns here at the shop.

Heading to Ravelry, there’s even more pattern inspiration from the Fibre Co. – “Textured Sweater,” “Long Cardigan,” and “Travelling Cable Sweater” are all knit with Cumbria Fingering. Looking to independent designers, consider Melanie Berg’s “Tamdou,” Jana Huck’s “Kite Runner,” Kathryn Folkerth’s “Badlands Mitts” and “Badlands Hat,” local designer Emily Walton’s “Alvin Mitts,” and the entire “Year of Mittens” from Kelbourne Woolens.

Look for Cumbria Fingering in the fingering weight section here at the shop!

New colors in Fibre Co. Cumbria Worsted.

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Fibre Company just added eight fresh new shades to Cumbria Worsted!

Cumbria Worsted is composed of 60% merino wool, 30% masham wool, and 10% mohair. The soft white merino is blended with the dark gray masham, creating a natural heathered base color over which all the other colorways are dyed.

How to use Cumbria Worsted? Look for worsted weight patterns where stitch definition and structure are important; think cables, texture patterns, hardy sweaters and heirloom blankets or shawls.

My first thought on seeing these new colors was how perfect they’d be for “The Weekender,” Andrea Mowry’s basic pullover that has charmed so many of us. It’s never to late to join our informal Weekender Knit-Along, and we’ve also got Weekender classes on the schedule!

We’ve got print patterns from the Fibre Co. for Cumbria Worsted, too, and of course there’s plenty to choose from on Ravelry – also consider Marie Greene’s “Stillwater” cardigan, Hannah Fettig’s “Coastal Pullover,” Kate Gagnon Osborn’s “Clawthorpe” pullover, “Rockcliffe” scarf and “Seathwaite” hat, and Alana Dakos’ “Four Seasons” shawl, to start with. Keep digging, and you’ll likely end up with a long wishlist of patterns perfectly suited to this yarn. Let us know what you find!

Come by the shop to see the new Cumbria Worsted colors and plan your next project!

Shibui Sample of the Month: Gradient.

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June is here, and with it, a new Shibui Sample of the Month! Shibui sends us a new sample to share with you every month, and we offer a 10% discount on Shibui yarn purchased for that featured sample while it’s here.

June’s Shibui Sample of the Month is “Gradient,” knit with four shades of Shibui Silk Cloud, a lace weight blend of silk and mohair. The pattern is free when you purchase the yarn from our shop.

In the spirit of the Shibui Mix concept, which encourages the combining of Shibui yarns two or three strands at a time, “Gradient” is worked with three strands of Silk Cloud held together. Periodically, one of those three strands is switched out for a different color, which makes a gentle transition from one color to the next.

Here are a few color combinations I came up with, but there are so many more possibilities – we have over 25 shades of Silk Cloud in stock!

Inspired to make a “Gradient” cowl of your own? I can’t wait to see what other color combinations you creative knitters will come up with. Look for Shibui Silk Cloud in the lace weight section here at the shop, and come by before June 23 to get it at 10% off. See you there!

Just a reminder–all sales are final on discounted items; there can be no exchanges, returns, or special orders. Thanks!

Snow, show and tell, and new colors from Kelbourne Woolens.

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The shop was closed yesterday for inclement weather, and with the snow quietly falling as I write and the roads remaining hazardous, we do not plan to open the shop tomorrow. As ever, if you’re planning a trip to our shop and have any question about the weather, do check our website before you head out; we always list closures on the front page there, and are known for being risk-averse when it comes to snow and ice!

 

Even if the shop remains closed, a snow day is a good one for show-and-tell; let’s take a peek at some of the recently-completed projects that started their lives as yarns here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop.

Kate has been wearing her Kate Davies’-designed “Dunyvaig” hap a lot since completing it. She knit this cozy textured shawl with Kelbourne Woolens Scout, a DK weight wool that comes in lovely heathered shades and has great stitch definition for patterns like this.

Ruth has been knitting with Kelbourne Woolens yarn, as well – here she is in her lovely “Phyllis” sweater, made with the sport weight KW Andorra.

Margaretta also finished her “Phyllis” not long ago, and it, too, is very beautiful. I’m impressed at how crisp the lace looks even in a fuzzy yarn with a touch of mohair.

Anne’s “Jenny” was also knit with Andorra. You might even recognize it, as it has been on display at the shop for some time now.

The gentle halo of Andorra is perfect for this Bohus-inspired pullover, where purls in the colorwork yoke seem to blend one color into the next.

Last week brought four brand new colors of Andorra, a welcome addition that really rounds out the color palette.

Many thanks to the knitters who shared their work here today, and to everyone who starts their projects with a trip to the Hillsborough Yarn Shop! We hope everyone is staying safe and warm and doing a bit of stitching while it snows, and we’ll see you when it’s safe to open the shop again.

Hello, Kelbourne Woolens Andorra.

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Meet our first new yarn of the year, Kelbourne Woolens Andorra.

You may recognize the name Kelbourne Woolens – they’re the North American distributors for Fibre Company, and they also design some of the most popular pattern collections for those yarns. Kate Gagnon Osborn and Courtney Kelley are the minds behind Kelbourne Woolens, and while they will continue their good work for Fibre Company, they’ve also cooked up something new to mark the 10th anniversary of their business: their very own line of yarn.

Andorra is the first yarn under their own Kelbourne Woolens imprint, a bouncy sport weight blend of merino and highland wool with a dash of mohair. It’s a wooly, lustrous 2-ply with a medium twist, not too tight or loose, and especially after knitting, it looks pleasantly fuzzy.

Andorra is obedient on the needles, which for me means it doesn’t split, and it has enough elasticity to move smoothly from needle to needle, stitch by stitch. In short, it’s lovely to work with, and while it’s well suited to a variety of projects, it has me thinking, “Sweater!”

Anne got a sweater’s worth of Andorra in advance, for sample knitting, and has started a top-down, Bohus-style pullover from the new Kelbourne Woolens collection. More on that soon – til then, here’s a preview, Anne’s first few rows.

Look for Andorra in the sport weight section here at the shop!

New colors in Cumbria Worsted.

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Fibre Company just added four fresh new shades to Cumbria Worsted!

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Cumbria Worsted is composed of 60% merino wool, 30% masham wool, and 10% mohair. The soft white merino is blended with the dark gray masham, creating a natural heathered base color over which all the other colorways are dyed.

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How to use Cumbria Worsted? Look for worsted weight patterns where stitch definition and structure are important; think cables, texture patterns, hardy sweaters and heirloom blankets or shawls.

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Consider Hannah Fettig’s “Coastal Pullover,” Courtney Kelley’s “Seascale” gansey, Kate Gagnon Osborn’s “Clawthorpe” pullover, “Rockcliffe” scarf and “Seathwaite” hat, and Alana Dakos’ “Four Seasons” shawl, to start with. Keep digging, and you’ll likely end up with a long wishlist of patterns perfectly suited to this yarn. Let us know what you find!

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Cumbria Worsted has only been around since August of 2015, but already feels like a staple in our worsted weight section. It’s even spawned a finer weight, the dreamy Cumbria Fingering. I’ve had the pleasure of knitting with both Cumbria yarns, and I’m eager to return to this smooth and sturdy yarn for future projects.

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Come by the shop to see the new Cumbria Worsted colors and plan your next project!