Shibui Sample of the Month: Aalto.

Posted by Julia on January 11, 2019

A new Shibui Sample of the Month arrived in tandem with our current Shibui Trunk Show! We offer a 10% discount on Shibui yarn purchased for our featured sample until the end of the month.

January’s Sample of the Month is Shellie Anderson’s “Aalto,” a graceful poncho with thoughtful shoulder shaping for a flattering fit. Though it was originally designed for the summery Twig, this sample was knit with Shibui Pebble and Silk Cloud, a luxurious and lightweight combination.

Come by the shop to try on “Aalto” and see the Shibui FW 2018 Trunk Show – we hope you find inspiration here!

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

Show and tell: lace.

Posted by Julia on November 24, 2017

Our Thanksgiving break continues, and the shop will be closed until we reopen on Tuesday, Nov. 28th. Til then, I have more show-and-tell to share! The theme of this bunch is lace.

Betty knit this “Stone Point” poncho during Amy’s class here at the shop, her first-ever lace project! The yarn is Fibre Company Luma, a dk weight blend of wool, cotton, linen, and silk.

Sherri knit this beautiful blanket for her new daughter-in-law, Leah. The stitch pattern is good old feather and fan, a great introduction to lace knitting, and the yarn is a wide range of odds and ends from Sherri’s stash – this is a great way to use those bits and pieces and play with color along the way!

Here is a lace pattern on a somewhat smaller scale: Lois’s “Feather the Waves Socks,” knit with Malabrigo Sock. Lois has found a favorite in this vibrant hand-dyed yarn; this is the third pair she’s made with Malabrigo Sock!

Margaretta is an especially prolific lace-knitter, and lately her projects are made with Brooklyn Tweed yarns. After knitting a “Your Ice Cream Shawl” with Vale, she came back for another; this is her second project with Vale, Jared Flood’s now-classic “Girasole.”

After completing that, Margaretta took on Jared Flood’s “Lucca,” this time with Arbor. The heavier gauge of this yarn made a more substantial fabric and a larger piece, turning a circular shawl into a spectacular blanket.

Kellie has been knitting with Brooklyn Tweed, too – here she is modeling her “Hop Brook” shawl, knit with Loft. What a lovely match of yarn and pattern – a little rustic, a little delicate, and the light color lets the lace edging shine.

We love seeing what folks make with our yarns – thank you so much for sharing your projects with us. Hope you’re enjoying the holiday weekend, and we look forward to seeing you on or after the 28th!

Show and tell: lace.

Posted by Julia on July 18, 2017

We always love to see what you’re making with HYS yarns, and I love to take photos of your finished pieces to share here on the blog. Sifting through the many delightful show-and-tell photos I’ve accumulated, I noticed a group of projects with a technique in common: lace.

Margaretta has a fondness for lace-knitting, and has completed two lace shawls recently. The one above is “Arlington,” by Emily Ross, knit with Shibui Staccato.

The pattern is easy to modify for the stockinette-to-lace ratio of your choosing, and Margaretta opted for a lace-heavy version, with stunning results.

Above is Margaretta’s most recent finished piece, “Your Ice Cream Shawl,” knit with the new and exciting Brooklyn Tweed Vale.

Two of our teachers have been working with lace, too. Below is Amy’s “Stone Point” poncho, knit with the Fibre Company’s new yarn, Luma. She’s in the midst of teaching a class on the subject, so we expect to see more “Stone Point” ponchos in the coming months, knit by her students! In the meantime, look for this one on display here at the shop.

Robin has a lace class coming up this fall, featuring Lisa Hannes’ “Laurelie,” a two-color shawl with lace and mosaic motifs.

Her “Laurelie” is made with Plymouth Happy Feet and Isager Merilin, a marriage of two yarns alike in gauge, but different in fiber content. They play well together in the finished piece; look for it on the wall here at the shop, and head to our Classes page to sign up for the class!

Itching to start a lace project of your own? Brooklyn Tweed is hosting a Summer of Lace Knit-Along, and their blog is full of helpful hints and project ideas. I know some of you are participating, and look forward to seeing your finished pieces!

Thanks to the knitters who shared their work on the blog today. We love seeing what you’re working on, and can’t wait to see what you come up with next. See you at the shop!

Snow day show and tell.

Posted by Julia on January 7, 2017

The shop was closed today for inclement weather, and as the snow quietly fell this morning, Anne texted me some knitterly show-and-tell from her friend Sherri. 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.

Above, Sherri’s daughter in law models the Churchmouse “Easy Folded Poncho” Sherri knit for her with Shibui Dune, a soft and lustrous blend of alpaca, camel, and silk.

A couple of weeks ago, I shared a bundle of colorwork projects here on the blog, only to have Judie walk through our door the next day wearing this beautiful sweater. Consider this an addendum! The pattern is Courtney Kelley’s “St. Brendan,” and the yarn is the rustic yet luxurious Fibre Company Arranmore. Judie changed the color palette just slightly from the pattern photo, switching the ribbing color from dark gray to a warm camel – a small adjustment that makes a big difference and looks great.

Above is the first of Margaretta’s “January Mitts,” knit with Fibre Company Cumbria Fingering. I have a special fondness for this yarn, as I’ve shared before, and it’s especially nice to see its sharp stitch definition in this lace and bobble pattern.

Speaking of Fibre Company yarns and of sharp stitch definition, here’s Leah’s exquisitely textured “Arctic Circle” cowl, knit with Fibre Company Tundra. This was her first project after completing a Beginning Knitting class here at the shop, and it’s clear it wont be her last – well done, Leah!

Loretta knit this “Arrowhead Shawl” with Swans Island All American Worsted, a soft yet sturdy blend of US-sourced Rambouillet wool and alpaca. The traditional guernsey stitch patterns are placed on a stockinette background for a subtle effect, one that’s harder to capture on camera than it is to perceive in person.

Thanks to all who begin their projects with a trip to the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, and thanks especially for bringing them back to share your work with us! Hope everyone stayed safe and warm this snowy weekend, and spent some time stitching. We’ll be open again at our regular hours on Tuesday, January 10th.

The Acadia Collection.

Posted by Julia on March 21, 2016

We just got a new pattern collection from Kelbourne Woolens, designers and distributors of Fibre Company yarns. This group is named for the yarn it features, a yarn that has become a classic in the few years we’ve stocked it: meet the Acadia Collection.

Fibre Company Acadia is a dk weight yarn made of merino wool, alpaca, and silk.

The silk fiber takes the dye differently than wool and alpaca, and stands out from those fibers, creating a tweedy, rustic look. The feel of this yarn is far from rustic, however; Acadia is just as soft as its fiber content suggests.

The Acadia Collection celebrates this special yarn in its natural undyed shades with classic garments that walk the line between casual and elegant.

Look for Acadia in the DK weight section here at the shop, and peruse the Acadia Collection while you’re here!

Show and tell: shop samples.

Posted by Julia on May 10, 2015

Our walls are covered with knit, crocheted, and woven garments, which are here to inspire and show how our many yarns behave when they’re worked up into fabric. If you’ve been to the shop this week, you may have noticed a few new sample garments hanging on our walls. Anne, Rosi, Marsha, and I each recently finished a new shop sample, highlighting a variety of yarns and projects. Here’s some Hillsborough Yarn Shop show and tell.

Anne knit this Churchmouse “Easy Folded Poncho” with Fibre Company Acadia, a luxurious blend of merino wool, silk, and alpaca. The silk fiber takes the dye differently than wool and alpaca, and stands out from those fibers, creating a tweedy, rustic look. Those silk slubs are what make this truly simple garment a truly special one.

For a while now, we’ve had a few shades of Conjoined Creations Flat Feet here at the shop, occasionally begging the question, “What is this for?”

Flat Feet are machine-knit stretches of sock yarn, which are then hand-painted and ready to be hand-knit into socks directly from the flat.

What might that look like? Rosi’s newest sample helps answer that question.

She also brought in a recent Nordstrom catalog, which shows that socks worn with sandals are the height of fashion. Sock knitters, take note!

Marsha knit this “Bias Scarf” with two skeins of Ella Rae Bamboo Silk, a smooth, drapey worsted weight yarn.

The knitting in the “Bias Scarf” is simple, just knits, purls, increases and decreases. It’s a great beginner project, and Marsha is teaching a class on the subject for those just learning to knit. Read more about all our classes on our website!

Here’s my finished “Jiffy” vest, knit in Geilsk Cotton/Wool. It’s designed to be worn right-side-up or up-side-down, with the drop stitch lace around the collar or around the bottom edge.

Come by the shop to check out all our sample garments, which are here to be touched, tried on, and otherwise inspected. See you there!

Kelbourne Woolens Baby Collection.

Posted by Julia on August 11, 2014

We were recently visited by the delightful Courtney Kelley, designer and distributor of Fibre Company yarns. We showed her around the shop, placed an order for more Meadow, Savannah, and Canopy Worsted, and picked up a few of these sweet little booklets.

The patterns in the Kelbourne Woolens Baby Collection use a variety of Fibre Company yarns to create heirloom knits for babies and children.

Fibre Company yarns are set apart by their unique fiber combinations, subtle color palette, and soft hand. They all require hand-washing rather than machine-washing, but for special hand-crafted garments, a little extra care is worth it, and helps keep those garments in the best possible shape.

The cap, booties, and mitts above are all knit in Canopy Worsted, a plush blend of merino wool, alpaca, and bamboo. The mitts come in the collection’s widest range of sizes, up to 4-6 years; other patterns are sized from newborn up to 2 or 4.

If baby-knitting is in your present or future, be sure to check out the Kelbourne Woolens Baby Collection next time you’re at the shop. While you’re here, don’t miss this new knit sample that Courtney kindly lent to us: the Churchmouse “Easy Folded Poncho,” knit in Acadia.

It’s great to see a large garment like this in Acadia, especially in stockinette, which shows the yarn’s distinctive texture. Come by to see it in person!

Ann Norling patterns.

Posted by Julia on December 13, 2012

We recently replenished our supply of single patterns by designer Ann Norling.

These are basic, simple designs for babies, children, and adults, written in multiple gauges and plenty of sizes. This gives the knitter maximum flexibility, a template to customize according to the yarns they’ve chosen.

This also makes her patterns good for new knitters, or anyone who just wants to make a basic something, without complex patterning or shaping.

You’ll find Ann Norling’s patterns in our pattern binders by the front window, which are sorted by type of garment. See you at the shop!