Tag Archives: superwash

Dream in Color Pop-Up! Club: February.

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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. February’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

Smooshy with Cashmere is a super soft blend of superwash merino wool, cashmere, and nylon – perfect for a special shawl or pair of socks. A skein like this would make a great “Starshower,” “Pebble Beach Shawl,” “Sockhead Slouch Hat” or “Sockhead Cowl,” all patterns that do well with variegated yarn.

As I was unpacking these vibrant skeins, I noticed how well they played with the brightest shades of Lady Dye Superwash Fingering – these three skeins would make a striking “Free Your Fade,” by Andrea Mowry!

Get in touch if you’d like to place an order – we can ship these pretty skeins directly to you or hold your purchase here for pickup while our storefront remains closed to walk-ins!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Cold Brew and Breakfast in Bed.

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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. This month, we got not one, but TWO new colorways!

Koigu KPPPM:

  • fingering weight
  • hand dyed, variegated
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 175 yards/50 g
  • $15.50 each

Cold Brew is dyed on KPPPM, Koigu’s classic fingering weight merino that we’ve come to know so well throughout the Collector’s Club.

Koigu Sparkle:

  • fingering weight
  • hand dyed, variegated
  • 94% merino wool, 6% lurex – silver metallic
  • 164 yards/50 g
  • $15.50 each

Breakfast in Bed is a neutral colorway with streaks of darker gray, brown, and a silver shimmer. It’s dyed on Sparkle, Koigu’s metallic cousin to KPPPM.

© Tif Neilan – tif handknits –

What to make with all these Koigu Collector’s Club colorways? Tif Neilan’s latest pattern gave us a great idea – pair Koigu with Isager Alpaca 1 for a “Clove & Twine Toque!” 

This cozy and clever hat is knit with three strands of yarn held together – two of the same fingering weight and one mohair or alpaca lace weight, which gives the hat a soft halo.

This yarn combining does interesting things with color, too – variegated yarn held double tends to look more blended than streaky, and the fine, fuzzy lace weight yarn tints the fabric just so, if the colors aren’t too high contrast.

I had so much fun putting these color combinations together, and riffing on Neilan’s pattern name a bit, I named them for spices and seasonings.

 

Our “Clove & Twine” yarn bundles are $43; Tif Neilan’s pattern is sold separately for $6.50. Pick your favorite flavor and order online for local pickup or shipping!

Back in stock: Kelbourne Woolens Perennial.

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We recently restocked some of the most popular colors of Kelbourne Woolens Perennial, a soft and fuzzy fingering weight yarn.

Kelbourne Woolens Perennial:

  • light fingering weight
  • 60% superwash merino, 25% Suri alpaca, 15% nylon
  • 497 yards/100g
  • $26 each

The folks at Kelbourne Woolens have designed this yarn to be something of a staple – soft from the alpaca but sturdy from the nylon, easy care on account of the superwash merino, suitable for all kinds of projects.

Browsing through Perennial projects on Ravelry, Joji Locatelli’s “Cedar Pullover” caught my eye – though it originally called for a linen yarn held double, several knitters had made it with Perennial held double. This got me thinking… wouldn’t it be lovely to hold Perennial together with a linen yarn? A little bit of fuzz, a bit of cool drape – a balanced fiber blend for a three-season sweater.

For nearly matching colors that would bring depth and a hint of marled variation to the knitted fabric, I looked to Shibui Koan. It’s also a light fingering weight, composed of 70% linen and 30% silk, with 247 yards/50 g; $21 each.

Knitters on Ravelry have also used Perennial for Caitlin Hunter’s “Navelli,” a cropped, short-sleeved colorwork pullover. Since the main color requires so much more yardage than the contrast colors, I picked pairs of Isager Alpaca 2, which comes in smaller skeins.

Isager Alpaca 2 is composed of 50% alpaca, 50% merino, with 275 yards on each 50 g skein; $12 each.

Order online if one of these “Cedar Pullover” or “Navelli” colorways intrigues you, or if you’d like to see a special combination just for you! Just let us know what size you’re planning and we’ll double check the yardage requirements.

We’re happy to help you plan your next project, and can ship your order or hold it here at the shop for local pickup. Thanks for supporting our small business!

Hello, Lady Dye SW Merino DK.

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Members of the HYS Hat Club got a special treat this month – a brand new yarn!

Back when we received our first order from Lady Dye Yarns, we squirreled away the limited amount of DK weight superwash merino. Though most of it went out with our HYS Hat Club, we still have a few skeins left!

Lady Dye SW Merino DK:

  • DK weight
  • hand-dyed in tonal and variegated colorways
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 231 yards/100g
  • $30 each

What to make with SW Merino DK? Our club members are busy knitting Dawn Henderson’s “Serendipitous Hat,” a cable ribbed beanie in three sizes. Here are a few more ideas that take just one skein:

Again, we have limited quantities of this yarn at the moment – just a handful of skeins in each of these colors, so act fast if you’d like to snag some. Order online for local pickup or shipping!

New colors in Ewe Ewe Fluffy Fingering.

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A recent order from Ewe Ewe brought three new shades of Fluffy Fingering!

Ewe Ewe Fluffy Fingering:

  • fingering weight
  • 3 ply, worsted-spun, smooth
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 145 yards/50 grams
  • $10 each

Like all Ewe Ewe yarns, Fluffy Fingering is tightly plied for excellent stitch definition, and comes in a range of solid colors from neutral to pastel to bright. Its machine-washability makes it suitable for socks, baby things, and frequently-worn accessories, but it’s just as happy in a shawl, perhaps paired with a hand-dyed yarn for contrast.

What to make with Fluffy Fingering? Here are a few ideas with rich texture, to take advantage of that sharp stitch definition:

Order online for local pickup or shipping!

Hello, Lady Dye Yarns!

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We are over the moon – Lady Dye Yarns are now in stock here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop!

LDY owner Diane Ivey is an indie dyer based in Boston, MA. As one of the cofounders of the emPower People project, she’s as well known for her vibrant colorways as she is for her craftivism.

Our first LDY order arrived this week, bursting with lively shades of Superwash Fingering, along with a surprise that we’re tucking away for members of our HYS Hat Club in the upcoming Quarter 2.

Lady Dye Superwash Fingering:

  • fingering weight
  • single ply
  • hand-dyed in semisolid and variegated colorways
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 425 yards/100g
  • $32 each

Lady Dye Superwash Fingering has a merino softness and single-ply texture comparable to Malabrigo Mechita, but the color palette has its own personality – the semisolid shades are clear and bright, and the variegated colorways are unique.

What to make with these stunning skeins? Here are some patterns designed for Lady Dye Superwash Fingering – check them out for inspiration and to see how this yarn looks when knit and crocheted!

As I photographed this yarn, I found myself instinctively creating color trios from solid and variegated shades that seemed to speak to one another. Below are some three-color pattern ideas, in case any of these combinations speak to you:

Head to our online order form to get some Lady Dye Superwash Fingering of your very own! Available for local pickup or shipping, as we remain closed to walk-in visits.

Koigu Collector’s Club: Apple Crisp.

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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.

Koigu KPPPM:

  • fingering weight
  • hand dyed, variegated
  • 100% superwash merino wool
  • 175 yards/50 g
  • $15.50 each

Our most recent shipment from Koigu is Apple Crisp, a variegated colorway that summons the season in shades of pink, beige, burgundy, and red.

What to make with these pretty skeins? Special socks are always a nice use for KPPPM – try Noma Ndlovu’s “Cable & Lace Socks” and “Little Boxes Socks,” or Dawn Henderson’s “Bonfire Socks” and “Block Party Socks.”

Get in touch if you’d like to place an order – we can ship directly to you or hold your purchase here for pickup while our storefront is temporarily closed!

Dream in Color Pop-Up! Club: November.

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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. November’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

November’s skeins are variegated with dark charcoal and vibrant teal, a lovely addition to what we already have in stock in Smooshy Cashmere.

Purchases of the November 2020 Pop-Up! Club colorway come with something special this time, too – a coupon code for a new shawl pattern from Sarah B. Abram, “Victorious.” Here are some color trios that will sing in those slipped stitches, stripes, and lace!

Get in touch if you’d like to place an order – we can ship these pretty skeins directly to you or hold your purchase here for pickup while our storefront remains closed to walk-ins!

New colors in Berroco Ultra Wool Chunky.

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We recently got a big bundle of new colors from Berroco in yarns across their line of machine-washable wools – Ultra Wool DK, Ultra Wool (worsted weight), and Ultra Wool Chunky. Today, let’s take a look at Ultra Wool Chunky!

Berroco Ultra Wool Chunky:

  • bulky weight
  • 100% superwash wool
  • 145 yards/100g
  • $12 each

Ultra Wool Chunky is a 100% superwash wool that’s soft, sturdy, and economical, perfect for cozy garments and accessories for adults and children alike. Here are some pattern ideas:

Order online for local pickup or shipping!

New colors in Berroco Ultra Wool.

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We recently got a big bundle of new colors from Berroco in yarns across their line of machine-washable wools – Ultra Wool DK, Ultra Wool (worsted weight), and Ultra Wool Chunky. Today, I’m sharing new colors, project ideas, and color combinations in the worsted weight Ultra Wool – let’s take a look!

Berroco Ultra Wool:

  • worsted weight
  • 100% superwash wool
  • 219 yards/100g
  • $12 each

These pastels fill out the already large Ultra Wool color selection, and makes for rich color combinations.

Here are some two-color projects for worsted weight yarn:

The colors above are a snapshot of what we have on hand right now, but it changes from day to day; Berroco Ultra Wool comes in over 80 colors, which you can see on the Berroco website. If there’s a color you’d like that you don’t see in our photos here, ask us and we may be able to order it for you!

Order online for local pickup or shipping, and keep an eye out for an upcoming post on Ultra Wool Chunky!