Tag Archives: show and tell

Show and tell: slip stitch shawls.

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Here’s another batch of show and tell, projects that started their lives as yarns here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. All of today’s knits happen to be shawls, whether rectangular or triangular, high contrast or low, warm and wooly or light as a feather. They also have a colorwork technique in common: mosaic or slip stitch knitting, with just one yarn in use per row.

Here are Debbie, Michele, and Dee, friends who often knit the same patterns. When they come into the shop together, we all have fun picking out colors and yarn combinations! I had to stop them for a photo when they came in modeling their “Xyla” shawls, a striking design by Natasja Hornby. From left to right: Debbie knit hers in Brooklyn Tweed Tones Light, Michele used Loft, and Dee used Retrosaria Rosa Pomar Mondim.

For more subtle but no less colorful slip stitching, we turn to Margaretta’s “Floating Squares Wrap,” by Amy Christoffers. She knit it with the best-selling Isager Silk Mohair in a stunning sunset palette.

Hazel was inspired to make this “Isla Shawl” in Biches & Bûches Le Petit Lambswool after seeing Bailey’s sample here at the shop.

She had so much fun making it that she came back for another, and then a few more – I’ve only captured photos of two, but let her prolific “Islas” be an endorsement of Astrid Troland’s charming pattern!

We’ve since put together Isla Shawl Kits in all kinds of colorways, including Hazel’s own!

Cindy knit this “Picnic Shawlette” in Lang Cashmere Premium, letting the stitch pattern pop in solid colors.

Here’s Katherine, a familiar face to many of you – she’s been teaching knitting and crochet classes here at HYS for years! Here, she wears Andrea Mowry’s “Nightshift,” knit with one of her favorite yarns, Malabrigo Rios.

Thanks to the many knitters, crocheters, and weavers who bring in their work to show us what they’ve made! You inspire and amaze us, and we can’t wait to see what you get into next.

Show and tell: Victorian Housecats and other critters.

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Time for another round of show and tell! Sharing finished projects from our crafty community is an ongoing part of our daily Instagram posts, but I have a glorious backlog of projects I want to share here on the blog, too. Today, let’s admire these cute critters!

First up is Anne’s “Porch Cat,” from Sara Elizabeth Kellner’s Victorian Housecats to Knit. This book has become a bestseller here at our shop, charming cat-lovers with its charismatic felines in a range of poses.

Anne used a variety of yarns held together, switching them out as she went to blend colors and texture, making a turmeric colored cat just like her Gurkemejr. Isager Bouclé and Silk Mohair were among those yarns, along with Kelbourne Woolens Camper, Koigu KPPPM, and other bits and bobs from her collection. Look for this sweet kitty here at the shop, or get a peek online – Gurkemejr stars in this Instagram Reel!

Anne’s cat inspired many other knitters to cast on for Victorian Housecats – above is Jayne’s “Miss Morgan’s Manx,” knit with Berroco Ultra Wool Chunky.

Ann used Berroco Ultra Alpaca Chunky for her “Master Timmy’s Tuxedo” cat, and came back for yarn to make another!

Here’s April’s “M’Lady’s Marmalade,” a cat modeled after her own Scout. She knit with all kinds of yarn from her collection, marled to get the colors just right.

Leaving cats for the moment, here’s another wildly popular knit critter: the iconic “Emotional Support Chicken.” Karen made this one with Berroco Ultra Wool, and has nearly lost track of how many others have come off her needles!

Pam found another way to knit a critter – here’s her “Halibut” sweater, designed by Caitlin Hunter, and knit with Malabrigo Rios.

Thanks to Jayne, Ann, April, Karen, Pam, and everyone who starts their projects with a trip to the Hillsborough Yarn Shop! We love hearing your ideas and helping you find just the right yarns and tools to realize them. See you at the shop!

Back in stock: Isager Highland Wool.

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It’s been a while since we restocked Isager Highland Wool, a light and lofty fingering weight wool in muted, earthy colors.

Isager Highland Wool:

  • light fingering weight
  • solid and heathered colors
  • 100% Peruvian Highland wool
  • 301 yards/50 g
  • gauge: 26 sts / 30 rows using 3mm needles
  • hand wash, lay flat to dry

Like many of Isager’s yarns, Highland Wool is most often used in combination with other fibers. I paired it with Isager Bomulin for the “Ranunculus” that hangs at the shop, and Bailey paired it with Silk Mohair for the “Darcy Cardigan” she’s wearing here.

Isager Highland Wool held with Silk Mohair is a lush and lightweight combination with just enough drape – no wonder there are so many patterns that pair them up. Here are a few!

Bouclé is another good playmate for Highland Wool, a looped alpaca yarn that brings its teddy bear texture to the knitted fabric.

“Foundation Sweater,” by Lene Holme Samsøe, knit with Isager Highland & Bouclé

Lene Holme Samsøe’s “Foundation Sweater” showcases this combination, a top-down raglan in magical marled colors.

Bailey helped me come up with a few more unexpected combinations in Bouclé and Highland Wool – I can’t wait to see what else folks dream up!

Look for these and other Isager yarns here at HYS – we can’t get enough of them!

Show and tell: cozy hats.

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We love to see finished projects that started life as yarn on our shelves, and when I’m able, I love to photograph them and share them here on the blog. At the moment, I have enough photos stockpiled for at least four blog posts – for today, let’s look at hats!

First up are a couple of intricate hats knit by Rosi. Above is her “Tjärn – hat,” by Tina Hauglund, knit with Berroco Ultra Wool DK.

Here’s Rosi’s “Snowfall Hat,” by Susan Rainey, knit with Ewe Ewe Sporty and beautifully embellished with beads.

Anne has taught Ellen Bartz’s “Ardelle Hat” several times now, a next step for her Beginning Knitting graduates. It packs a punch in terms of new techniques – provisional cast-on, cables, grafting, picking up stitches and more. Here’s a recent version she knit with Kelbourne Woolens Erin.

Nancy also has a hat to share in Kelbourne Woolens yarn – here’s her “Fernhill,” from KW’s Year of Bulky Hats, knit with the now discontinued (and on sale!) Germantown Bulky.

Last but not least, here’s another of Nancy’s hats, “Aal Ower Toorie,” designed by Shetland Guild of Spinners, Knitters, Weavers and Dyers for Shetland Wool Week 2025.

Inspired to make one of your own? Check out our kits, featuring 8 shades of Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift!

Thanks to the knitters, crocheters, and weavers who bring in their work to show us what they’ve made! You inspire and amaze us, and we can’t wait to see what you get into next.

Show and tell: sweater weather.

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As you may have read in our most recent newsletter, the shop will be closed for our usual Thanksgiving break from November 23 – December 1. Feel free to shop online during that time, but know that we won’t be shipping or monitoring our inbox until we’re back in the shop on December 2! We wish you all a peaceful holiday.

In the meantime, let’s enjoy some show and tell!

Joanne knit this gorgeous “Field Slipover” with Isager Merilin and Silk Mohair, a luxurious and unique blend of fibers. Pattern by Camilla Vad.

 

Katherine seems to have a new sweater on her needles each time we see her, and a new sweater just off her needles, too – here are two of her latest.

Above is her “Emberstone Cardigan Aran,” by Dear Knits, made with Sandnes Garn Double Sunday and Isager Silk Mohair held together. Below is her “Astrid Sweater,” by Pernille Larsen, made with Isager Baby and Silk Mohair held together. It would be hard to say which sweater is softer – these are both such decadent yarn combinations!

Michele knit this “Rosie Sweater” using Biches & Bûches Le Petit Lambswool and Isager Silk Mohair. The main color had been lingering in her stash for a while, awaiting the perfect project, and this pale lavender sets it off beautifully. Pattern by Lene Holme Samsøe.

Here’s another design by Lene Holme Samsøe: Nancy’s “Musling Tee,” knit with Retrosaria Rosa Pomar Mungo. She left it with us to display at the shop – look for it near the checkout desk when you’re here next!

Thanks to Joanne, Katherine, Michele and Nancy 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.

Show and tell: soothing stockinette.

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Sometimes there’s nothing more pleasing than plain old stockinette stitch, its soothing rhythm and smooth surface. Here are some soothing stockinette projects from knitters in our community!

Kristin came in wearing her lovely “Novice Slipover,” knit with Brooklyn Tweed Dapple (sadly discontinued) and Fyberspates Cumulus – such a cuddly combination. Pattern by PetiteKnit.

Here’s Pam in her “Stevie,” knit with the aptly-named Isager Soft. She extended the sleeves of Elizabeth Smith’s pattern to the perfect three quarter length.

Alberto finished his PetiteKnit “Oslo Hat” in just a week, using the Lead + Onyx colorway of our Oslo Hat Kit. I love how these shades of gray blend together in Kelbourne Woolens Perennial and Fyberspates Cumulus!

 

Here’s one of Katherine’s several “Plain Yoke Tee 20” sweaters, modified to lengthen the sleeves and add a nice ribbed neckband.

She knit this one in a vibrant semisolid shade of Malabrigo Seis Cabos – sign up for one of her classes here at HYS and you might just see her wearing it! Pattern by Lene Holme Samsøe.

Here I am wearing my “Minimal Raglan Sweater,” a simple but thoughtful pattern by Noriko Ichikawa. I used Retrosaria Rosa Pomar Vovó, and look forward to knitting with it again – I loved the springiness, the sharp stitch definition, and the lovely heathered colors.

Josie knit this cherry red “Aura Top” with Isager Silk Mohair, and the result is ethereal. Pattern by Rows Knitwear – next time you’re here, check out the one Bailey made as a shop sample!

Michele made this wonderful “Cloud Sweater” with a mix of yarn from her stash and yarn from our sale trunk – a light gray fingering weight wool, and a variegated shade of Jo Sharp Rare Comfort Infusion Kid Mohair, to be precise. Love the result!

Many thanks to Kristin, Pam, Alberto, Katherine, Josie, and Michele for sharing their handiwork with us! We really appreciate everyone whose projects begin with a trip to HYS, and we can’t wait to see what you come up with next.

Show and tell: compelling combinations.

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“Can I use these yarns together?” is a question I sometimes hear at the shop, and the answer is almost always yes. Maybe the perfect background color comes from one brand but the perfect contrast color is in another brand – if the fiber content and gauge are similar, go ahead and mix yarn to your heart’s content! For show-and-tell today, we’re focusing on projects that combine different yarns in different ways, for different reasons.

Here’s Jaime in her “Fall Sweater,” knit during Anne’s class on the subject. Jaime found three colors she loved in Retrosaria Rosa Pomar Vovó, and found the fourth in the now-discontinued Brooklyn Tweed Imbue Sport. As you can see, these two non-superwash sport weight wools knit up seamlessly together – such a lovely sweater! Pattern by Courtney Kelley.

Nancy knit this “Pine Point” hat for a child, modifying the size by using fingering weight yarn. For the solid purple, she picked Ewe Ewe Fluffy Fingering, a 100% superwash merino wool, and, wanting a variegated contrast color, she chose hand-dyed Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere. The resulting hat is soft, colorful, and machine washable – just right! Pattern by Mary Lou Egan.

Margaretta mixed yarns for the same reason in her “Ocean Waves Cowl,” by Amy Christoffers. The mosaic pattern pairs a self striping yarn with a solid color – Margaretta used Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball Crazy and Sandnes Garn Sunday, respectively.

Another time knitters often mix and match different brands of yarn is when we’re trying to use up leftovers from previous projects. Such was the case for Wendy, who makes socks often enough to have some bits and bobs on hand.

Here are her charming “Forester Caterpillar Socks,” by Alexandria Wenninger, knit with three different but comparable sock yarns: CoopKnits Socks Yeah!, Malabrigo Ultimate Sock, and Isager Sock.

Kristin knit this PetiteKnit “Melange Sweater” for her daughter, holding two different non-superwash fingering weight wools together throughout. Color was part of the reason – Kelbourne Woolens Camper had the right heathered black, Cascade 220 Fingering had the right bright white – but in the end, it came down to availability. This was the black and white combination we had enough of at that moment, and she was eager to cast on! I don’t blame her – I love the staticky look of a marled sweater, and this one is a beauty.

Thanks to Jaime, Nancy, Margaretta, Wendy, and Kristin for sharing their projects with us! And thanks to everyone who starts their projects with a trip to HYS – we can’t wait to see what you come up with next.

New colors, show and tell: Isager Bouclé

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Isager released four new shades in their cuddly Bouclé yarn last month, a fluffy alpaca yarn with one looped ply.

Jonna Helin’s cool and casual “Lento” pullover is one of our favorite uses for Isager Bouclé, a timeless stockinette raglan knit at a big gauge for nearly instant gratification.

Kathy knit this particular “Lento”  in Anne’s class on the subject, holding Isager Bouclé with Kelbourne Woolens Camper in a high contrast color combination. In the finished sweater, the fuzzy red Bouclé is the more prominent color, to my eye, but the lighter Strawberry Heather Camper peeks through.

Here are some more high contrast color combinations in Bouclé and Camper!

Low contrast combinations will blend together more, so that the finished garment reads solid from a distance, revealing subtle color variation up close. Here are some intriguing low contrast pairs to consider…

Look for Isager Bouclé in the lace weight section here at our shop, and browse our entire fingering weight section for just the right match to make a “Lento” of your own!

Show and tell: summer stitching.

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Time for another round of show and tell! As summer comes to a close, let’s look at projects knit with cool plant fibers, like cotton, linen, and viscose.

Liz knit this “Crumpet Cardigan” with Cascade Ultra Pima, a DK weight mercerized cotton with sharp stitch definition and a bit of shine. Pattern by Park Williams.

Katherine’s been knitting with Cascade Ultra Pima, too – here’s her “SABAI Top,” a popular tank designed by Susanne Müller.

Cascade makes many of our favorite cotton yarns – here’s a project that shows off another!

Teresa knit this lacy little “Petaluma Kerchief” with Cascade Botanika. This sport weight organic cotton is smooth and soft, dyed with natural pigments. Pattern by Bobbi IntVeld.

Michele came in recently wearing her “Musling Tee,” a popular pattern knit with an even more popular yarn – Sandnes Garn Line. Love it in this summery shade of green! Pattern by Lene Holme Samsøe.

Above is Margaretta’s “Lacey Loop Tee,” designed by Other Loops. She knit it with Isager Bomulin and Merilin held together for a perfect blend of plant and animal fibers.

Thanks to everyone who begins their projects with a trip to the Hillsborough Yarn Shop! We love seeing what you make.

Show and tell: Malabrigo.

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It’s time for another round of show and tell! Today I’m here to share some finished projects that started life as yarn on our shelves, and they all have one thing in common: they’re all made with yarn from the beloved Uruguayan company Malabrigo.

Carol knit this “Lehigh” shawl with Malabrigo Rios, a soft superwash staple of our worsted weight section.

She chose a high contrast combination that shines in this textured pattern, a neutral semisolid background color punctuated by variegated stripes. Pattern by Melanie Berg.

Katherine also chose Rios for her “Sundial Shawl,” by Monika Anna, another shawl featuring garter stitch stripes, as well as a little bit of brioche on the edging.

Here’s a whimsical way to use colorful Malabrigo yarn – Laroka’s felted “Trout Fishy,” knit with Malabrigo Seis Cabos!

Nancy has been using Malabrigo yarns, among others, to crochet “Floralai,” a richly textured floral block designed by The Floral Hook.

The block above was made with Malabrigo Ultimate Sock, and the block below with Malabrigo Dos Tierras, Fibre Co. Acadia, and Koigu KPPPM.

Nancy floralai mix of Acadia and Malabrigo and Koigu

Many thanks to the talented stitchers who shared the projects above, and to everyone who starts their projects with a trip to the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. We love seeing what you make!