Tag Archives: socks

Koigu Collector’s Club: Koigu Barn at Dawn.

Posted by on

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 Koigu Barn at Dawn, a variegated mix of peach, ivory, burgundy, and shades of gray.

This new colorway made me think of Andrea Mowry’s “Curio Socks,” a striped, slip-stitch pattern I’ve seen several knitters working on lately. The heathered CoopKnits Socks Yeah! makes a great Main Color, letting the variegated KPPPM take center stage as Contrast Color.

Look closely at Mowry’s sizing as you select your yarn and colors; some sizes will require two skeins of Socks Yeah! as shown here, while others will only need one.

CoopKnits Socks Yeah!: fingering weight, 75% superwash wool, 25% nylon, 231 yards/50 grams; $11.60 each

Look for Koigu KPPPM in the fingering weight section here at the shop, along with CoopKnits Socks Yeah! and more – see you there! We’re also taking online orders for local pickup or shipping.

Bluestockings, by Kate Davies & Nicole Pohl.

Posted by on

An intriguing new book arrived at the shop not long ago, along with Inkling – let’s look inside Bluestockings, by Kate Davies and Nicole Pohl!

Bluestockings is a book of history as well as knitting patterns, a celebration of the group of eighteenth-century learned women known as the Bluestockings in prose, images, and handknit socks.

Scholars, dyers, curators, and other experts have brought their perspectives to this book, making it a rich and intriguing read on the history of socks and stockings, as well as the lives and work of the Bluestockings.

The knitting patterns are varied in technique and style, from stripes and stranded colorwork to texture and lace.

Look for Bluestockings ($25) here at the shop, or order it online for local pickup or shipping!

Dream in Color Pop-Up Club: September 2021.

Posted by on

Dream in Color’s Pop Up Club is back! Every month, we’re getting a special new colorway from Dream in Color, a Tucson-based producer of small batch hand-dyed yarns. September’s new limited edition colorway is here while supplies last!

Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere:

  • fingering weight
  • 70% superwash merino, 20% cashmere, 10% nylon
  • 400 yards/100g
  • $34 each

This September 2021 colorway is full of rich color, from blue, teal, and purple to rust, gold, and green. Each skein is unique!

What to make with these special skeins? Special socks come to mind; check out Dawn Henderson’s “Block Party Socks” and “Bonfire Socks,” Noma Ndlovu’s “Little Boxes Socks,” or for something simple, Tin Can Knits’ “Rye Light.”

Look for this Pop-Up Club colorway in the fingering weight section here at our shop, and get a free Dream in Color bag tag with your purchase of Smooshy Cashmere! We are now open for drop-in shopping between 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays; you can still order online for local pickup or shipping, as well.

Hello, Neighborhood Fiber Co.!

Posted by on

We are thrilled to announce that we are now stockists for Neighborhood Fiber Co.!

Neighborhood Fiber Co. was founded by Karida Collins, a dyer and designer based in Baltimore, MD. The company is so-called because Collins’ 70+ colorways are all inspired by and named for the urban neighborhoods and landscapes in and around Baltimore and Washington, DC.

Photo of Karida Collins © 2021 Neighborhood Fiber Co.

Along with their unique and vibrant colorways, we also admire Neighborhood’s commitment to environmentally-sound practices, justice, equality, and empowerment. In 2020, Collins created the NFC Momentum Fund, a donor-advised charitable fund that has distributed more than $50k in grants to community organizations in the Baltimore community.

Our first Neighborhood Fiber Co. yarn is Studio Sock, a soft, sturdy, tightly plied organic merino wool that’s machine washable for easy care.

Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock:

  • fingering weight
  • hand-dyed
  • machine washable
  • 100% organic merino wool
  • 400 yds/4 oz
  • $32 each

Studio Sock is perfect for knitting socks, of course – here it is in Laine’s 52 Weeks of Socks, put to beautiful use by designer Sachiko Burgin.

Hand dyed fingering weight yarns like this one are also great for knitting shawls and lightweight sweaters – here are some pattern ideas:

Accessories:

Garments:

Look for Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock in the fingering weight section here at our shop! We’re open for drop-in shopping, no appointments needed, from 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays. Online ordering is still available for local pickup or shipping – thanks for shopping with us!

Meet Fibre Co. Amble!

Posted by on

Fibre Company’s newest yarn is here – meet Amble!

Fibre Co. Amble:

  • fingering weight
  • solid and heathered colors
  • 70% Easy-wash merino wool, 20% Easy-wash alpaca, and 10% recycled nylon
  • 355 yards/100g
  • $23 each

Amble is a unique and eco-friendly sock yarn. The thoughtful folks at Fibre Co. selected these Easy-wash fibers because they are processed without the use of hazardous chemicals, yet are still easy to care for and resist shrinking in the wash.

Kate Atherley’s “One Sock” was designed especially for Fibre Co. Amble, a classic top-down sock in all sizes, with lots of opportunities for customization. One skein of Amble is enough for most sizes, but check the pattern description on Ravelry for yardage requirements, as the two largest sizes require a second skein.

Order Amble online for local pickup or shipping, and remember your dear sock-knitting friends as the winter holidays approach – a special skein of sock yarn is always a welcome gift!

Dream in Color Sock-It Club: August.

Posted by on

The Dream in Color Sock-It Club is back! This time around, each limited edition skein of Smooshy comes with a 100-yard mini skein for coordinating heels and toes.

Dyer Veronica was inspired by shimmering red and teal Betta fish when she developed August’s colorway.

Smooshy is a tightly-plied fingering weight yarn that’s ideal for sock knitting, composed of 85% superwash merino and 15% nylon for strength.

There are so many wonderful sock patterns out there, but sometimes something simple is best, especially with such a highly variegated colorway – Madeline Gannon’s “Afterthought Heel Socks” are just the ticket.

We still have a handful of last year’s Sock-It Club skein sets on hand, all at $36 each – order online for local pickup or shipping!

Dream in Color Sock-It Club: July.

Posted by on

The Dream in Color Sock-It Club is back! This time around, each limited edition skein of Smooshy comes with a 100-yard mini skein for coordinating heels and toes. July’s colorway conjures sand, sea, and colorful beach umbrellas!

Smooshy is a tightly-plied fingering weight yarn that’s ideal for sock knitting, composed of 85% superwash merino and 15% nylon for strength.

There are so many wonderful sock patterns out there, but sometimes something simple is best, especially with such a highly variegated colorway – Madeline Gannon’s “Afterthought Heel Socks” are just the ticket.

We still have a handful of last year’s Sock-It Club skein sets on hand, all at $36 each – order online during July to snag your favorites at 15% off!

Just a reminder – all sales are final during our Annual Inventory Sale, no returns or exchanges. Thanks!

52 Weeks of Socks.

Posted by on

Update: We are totally sold out of 52 Weeks of Socks, and Laine has no more copies to sell to us. Good luck on your search!

******************

 

We are delighted to announce that we finally have some copies of Laine’s new book, 52 Weeks of Socks!

This is our second batch, actually – the first came and went quickly, every copy spoken for before we could even breathe word of its arrival. This 256 page tome includes 52 patterns for knitting socks and slippers, an astonishingly large collection, and a beautiful one. You can see them all on Ravelry, a virtual way to browse the book; the list of designers is impressive, including Joji Locatelli, Isabell Kraemer, Rachel Coopey, Andrea Mowry, and Caitlin Hunter.

Laine no longer produces their popular knitting and lifestyle magazine, having shifted their focus to book making, but their reputation for pleasing designs and tantalizing photography remains. 52 Weeks of Socks is heavy with inspiring patterns using a variety of techniques, but it is also a beautiful object unto itself.

The book is $47, and while we’re closed to foot-traffic, it’s only available via mail-order. Shipping for this weighty hardcover is $15, but there’s definitely room in the box for a couple of skeins of sock yarn, if you’d like to make the most of it!

We have limited copies of 52 Weeks of Socks available, and Laine has announced that this was their fourth and final printing of the book, so get in touch soon if you’d like to order it from us!

West Yorkshire Spinners holiday colorways!

Posted by on

Each year, British yarn company West Yorkshire Spinners creates a special holiday colorway in their Signature 4ply sock yarn. This year they made three – Robin was the first to arrive, and now Holly Berry and Fairy Lights!

Signature 4ply is West Yorkshire Spinners’ self-patterning sock yarn, composed of machine-washable bluefaced leicester wool and nylon, for strength. These colorful skeins are dyed in such a way that the yarn creates a color pattern when you knit it in a small width or circumference, such as a scarf, pair of socks or mitts. No matter what stitch pattern you use, colorwork comes out as you knit, entertaining you as you knit even the simplest of projects.

Along with these two new colors came complementary solid colors, drawing some of the more prominent shades out of these festive colorways.

How to use the self-patterning skeins along with the solid ones? Trim your patterned socks with stripes, solid cuffs, heels, and toes. WYS is offering just such a pattern for free with each purchase of Robin, Holly Berry, or Fairy Lights – ask us for a copy when you pick up a skein!

Look for WYS Signature 4ply here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop!

Back in stock: our favorite MDK Field Guides.

Posted by on

The eleventh installment of the Mason-Dixon Knitting Field Guide series was a popular one – we ordered and reordered Wanderlust and on both occasions, sold out in no time. For our third order, we decided to bring back some of our other favorite MDK Field Guides, just in case anyone had missed out on them the first time around.

Ann Shayne and Kaye Gardiner’s series of Field Guides are pocket-sized booklets focused on a particular theme or knitting technique. The theme of this eleventh Field Guide is Wanderlust, interpreted by designer Wendy Bernard as a choose-your-own-adventure approach to sock knitting. Summer is a perfect time for a small, portable project like socks – no wonder this Field Guide has been so popular!

Also back in stock is MDK Field Guide No. 5: Sequences, drawing on the inspired work of designer Cecelia Campochiaro. Back in 2017, Anne knit the “Swirl Hat” from this book using Brooklyn Tweed Arbor, a larger gauge than suggested to accommodate the size of her son-in-law’s head – you can read more about that in our original blog post.

Veronik Avery’s “Hadley Pullover” in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter was part of what made MDK Field Guide No. 2 so sought-after. This one focused on Fair Isle knitting, a favorite technique of mine, and Anne’s, too; if you’re intrigued, this little book is a fine and friendly introduction.

We’ve also restocked MDK Field Guide No. 1, a meditation on stripes which features the “Breton Cowl,” knit with the decadent combination of Shibui Drift and Silk Cloud.

Look for these Mason-Dixon Knitting Field Guides here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop – we hope you find inspiration here!