Tag Archives: show and tell

Works in progress.

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Because of the nature of a yarn shop, Anne and I probably spend more time talking with people about their projects in the future tense than we do checking up on older projects, both finished and unfinished. There is much more to chat about if one has not begun one’s project: what fiber to choose, and then what yarn, and what color? How much of it? What size needles or hook, and where to turn if a particular technique is unfamiliar? Finished and unfinished works carry all these conversations with them as well, of course, but not always with the same exuberance that drives one to begin. Occasionally, though, a break occurs in the project planning and a question comes: what are you working on now? With this question in mind, I submit these two works in progress, one of Anne’s and one of my own.

Anne is working on a pair of socks of late, “happy socks,” as she describes them. The pattern is simple, fundamental, even, and has been worked so many times that at this point, it can be summoned from her memory. Ribbed socks can be such a comfort in this way. The yarn is Claudia Hand Painted, in a fingering weight. Many a knitter has reached out to touch this sock-to-be, then rushed over to the Claudia cubby for a few skeins of their own.
I’m still working on my Saroyan, a scarf out of Malabrigo Lace yarn. I work on it only during quiet moments at the shop, and thus, am progressing slowly. Still, there is something to be said for the patience that knitting teaches us, and pleasure in the process. The yarn is soft and fine, the pattern well-written, and let’s not kid ourselves: this is totally not the only knitting project I have going at the moment. I have a sweater half-finished, two sock patterns half-written, another pair on the needles, and about thirty other knitting ideas competing for the title of Next New Project. Never a dull moment, I tell you. 
So, what are you working on now?

Swans Island hat and mitts.

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Though Anne and I were both beside ourselves with excitement over the arrival of the new Swans Island yarn, it’s possible I was more excited, because she had assigned me the task of swatching it. I began by looking through their patterns for inspiration–a good starting place, as their patterns are beautiful in their simplicity, allowing the knitter to relax and enjoy the yarn. I chose the Harbor Hat pattern, which progressed quickly, and soon I had completed it, with more than half the skein to spare. Back to the Swans Island pattern binder I went, this time, for the Blackberry Mitts. 

The completed set now lives on the teacart with the Swans Island yarn, perched atop the basket, ready to be inspected by those who are curious just how this stuff knits up. Allow me to spoil the surprise: the yarn is wonderfully soft, smooth, and consistent. The patterns are easy to follow and quick to knit. Our love affair with Swans Island continues. In fact, I’ve started a sweater for myself out of the fingering weight Swans Island, the New Zealand Pullover from Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knit One Knit All. At 7 stitches to the inch, it’ll be a while before it looks like much, but I will surely do some show and tell once it begins to resemble a sweater.
Come in and admire the Swans Island yarn and patterns if you haven’t yet done so, and slip your hands inside these mitts. See you soon!

Helen Hamann scarf kits.

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The season of shop sample knitting continues unabated. As soon as the Linen Stitch Scarf sample was completed, I cast on for this next piece, a sample to show off two new things at once. The yarn is a new dk weight washable merino from Plymouth, and the pattern, Retro Scarf, is one we have both on its own and as a kit from designer Helen Hamann. Because of the scarf’s interesting construction, I thought I’d better show it in progress as well as finished. As of today, I’m about halfway done, and it looks like this:

Those three long strips will one day be braided, then joined together for a stretch, then separated again at the other end of the scarf. Interesting, no? The yarn is a pleasure to work with, a springy merino with excellent stitch definition.

I’d love to see the Retro Scarf made up in Helen Hamann’s alpaca yarn, for which the pattern is written–I bet that would make a lovely scarf. Check out the kits for yourself, if this project appeals, or if you’d rather substitute yarn, as I did for this sample, I’d be happy to show you a few options.

See you at the shop!

Isager adoration.

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As you know, we at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop are big Isager fans. We stock many books by designer Marianne Isager, from perennial shop favorite Japanese Inspired Knits to Inca Knits, Classic Knits, and Knitting Out of Africa. We are also quite enamored of her daughter, Helga Isager, whose designs are collected in a series of booklets called Amimono. We keep all the Isager pattern books together, wedged between baskets of Isager yarns, which themselves are quite special: lightweight, delicate yarns of many fibers, designed to be held double or triple when a larger gauge is desired.

If you’ve been to the shop lately, you’ve likely seen Anne hard at work on one of Helga Isager’s designs from the latest Amimono collection, a lightweight wool top with unusual construction.

And, if you’ve been to the shop lately, you’ve likely heard that Anne has been invited to Denmark to attend a small workshop with Marianne and Helga Isager. Your jaw has likely dropped. Anne is leaving for her trip to Denmark in under a week, and could not be more excited. I’m almost as excited as she is just to hear all about it upon her return.

We can’t all go to Denmark, unfortunately, but there is a bit of new Isager goodness in the shop this week. We received a box of Isager Alpaca 1, a 2 ply laceweight made of 100% alpaca, soft and delicate, with a fuzzy halo. For as long as we’ve had Alpaca 1 in the shop, we only stocked it in black and white. I don’t know how we held out for so long, but this week, we opened up the Alpaca 1 spectrum to include a rainbow of colors.

A beautiful sight, to be sure, but even more remarkable to touch. Come by the shop to pet the Alpaca 1 and pore over the Isager pattern books if you haven’t yet. Helga and Marianne Isager are truly unique knitwear designers, worth a look even if you don’t plan to knit their patterns. See you at the shop!

Julia shows and tells.

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I first wrote about the Shenandoe Farm angora goat yarn back in April, when I introduced the local yarns nook and waxed rhapsodic about this rustic,  undyed yarn. It wasn’t long after I finished that cabled hat that I started on a sweater out of the same yarn. Now that I’ve completed said sweater, I thought it might be time for some show and tell.

My sweater was inspired first by designer Anna Zilboorg, who described a method of sweater construction at a workshop in February that pretty much blew my mind. A seamless sweater, knit in flat pieces? With set-in sleeves, shaped simply, like drop-shoulder sleeves? I had to try it. Luckily, Nancy was teaching a class at the shop on this same method while I was wading through the process on my own, so I had a chance to pick her brain on the subject every other week. Not to mention, I eavesdropped on her students as they tackled their own Zilboorg-style sweaters. The side panels, made of stitches picked up at the armpit, were the topic of many a brainstorm session. For those curious: an armpit detail.

I can’t say how rewarding it is to take on a knitting challenge like this and come out with a finished garment, and how exciting to watch others do the same. I can’t wait to see Nancy’s students’ finished sweaters, as every one of them designed their own unique garment using different stitch patterns, yarns, and colors. That’s one of the pleasures of knitting classes, after all–to see the many variations that are possible for a given pattern or idea.

And what am I up to now? I’m challenging myself to another self-designed sweater, with another recently-raved-about yarn: Marion Foale 3-ply wool.

Hope your weekend provided some good knitting time, too. See you at the shop!

Finished.

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You can now find my finished Chambered Nautilus Tam on the teacart, draped over the book that inspired and instructed me to make it. I’m so pleased with it! The spiral construction was fascinating, the yarn was soft and pleasant, and the result is quite fetching. Anne’s mother wears it well:

We’re thinking that the Chambered Nautilus Tam would make a good class. What do you think? If you’re interested in such a thing, get in touch with us and let us know.

Nautilus tam.

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Last week, we got our biggest shipment of Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knit One, Knit All, the shipment that is sure to keep the book safely in stock. We also got two giant boxes of Malabrigo. Anne noticed that we didn’t have a swatch of the Malabrigo Rios, and as I got to work winding a skein, she put the two together. Why not knit a hat from the new EZ book as our Rios sample?

It’s a hard job, but someone’s got to do it.

I cast on for the cover project, the Chambered Nautilus Tam, in a dark blue-green colorway of Rios called Azul Profundo. If you’ve seen me at the shop lately, this is what I’ve been working on, stopping every so often to lay it flat on my lap, petting the squishy garter-stitch-and-icord fabric, admiring the spiral construction, the way the shifting shades of teal are evenly distributed due to the short rows. This is such a fun knit. In the first seven stitches, I had already learned something new: a built-in icord edging. It is such a pleasure to cast on for a new Elizabeth Zimmermann project, and to daydream about what I will knit next from the book.

So tell me, dear readers, if you’re out there: what are you knitting lately? And if Knit One, Knit All has caught your eye, which patterns have you itching to cast on?

Preparing for classes.

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Marion is a hard working knitter. She comes into the shop, settles down in her normal spot on the couch, and spreads out her notes and charts to work on the project in the photo below.

This is her Vogue Sleeveless Tunic, knit in Cascade 220 Superwash Sport, a top that will be the focus of her upcoming class. Marion’s getting a head start on the project before the class begins on April 30th, working out the kinks so she can guide her students through the pattern with ease. 
Accomplished knitter that she is, Marion has altered the pattern somewhat, working the front and back together in one flat piece rather than two, giving her one less seam to sew. Additionally, finding the cable chart too small and too fussy to read, Marion has written up line by line instructions, which will come along with the original pattern in her class. There’s still one space left in that class, by the way. If you’d like to fill it and join Marion in creating a beautiful garment for spring, head over to the shop website to register. Marion is also teaching an upcoming class on magic loop socks, a kind of level 2 class for those who have already learned the magic loop method and would like to add cable or lace patterns to their toe-up socks. There are plenty of spaces in that class, so register now for what’s sure to be an enlightening experience!

Julia shows off.

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As regulars at the shop are probably already aware, I’ve become preoccupied with knitting socks of late. Since I’m six and a half pairs into my sock knitting career, I thought it might be a good time to share my progress. Ready for some show and tell?

Cascade 220 Superwash Sport.
Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine.
Debbie Bliss Rialto 4-ply.
Debbie Bliss Rialto 4-ply.
And what am I working on now? But of course:
Debbie Bliss Rialto 4-ply.

I have designs on a Zilboorg-style cabled cardigan out of the Shenandoe Farm yarn, but that’s only if I can peel myself away from my #2 double points. If you’re in need of some sock-knitting enthusiasm, I have plenty to spare: come by the shop and we’ll talk socks. Many thanks for enduring all those pictures of my feet!