Tag Archives: sweaters

Twelve Knitted Sweaters from Tversted.

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Today, let’s take a look at Marianne Isager’s latest book, Twelve Knitted Sweaters from Tversted.

Twelve Knitted Sweaters from Tversted features a sweater for each month of the year, a premise well-suited for this moment as we begin 2019.

As usual, these designs are knit with Isager’s own yarns, most of which are available here at our shop – Anne has been passionate about the Isager yarn and designs for years, and makes sure we have plenty of each on hand.

These yarns vary in gauge and in fiber content, but share a harmonious color palette, and Isager often combines them in her designs for unique fabric.

Look for this lovely book on our tea cart at the shop, with the latest books and magazines. We hope you find inspiration here!

Show and tell: Anne’s “Dog Stars.”

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A few months ago, Anne set a lofty goal: she would knit a sweater for each of her four grandchildren for Hanukkah. When she mentioned this in conversation at the shop, eyes would widen in disbelief – even four child-sized sweaters represent an awful lot of knitting, after all. She picked Tin Can Knits’ “Dog Star” pattern, a simple, seamless, colorwork yoke, and spent every possible moment knitting these sweet sweaters, determined to complete them in time. Anne is a woman of her word, and a determined one – when Hanukkah began on December 2nd, she was ready with four finished sweaters. Quite a feat!

For her granddaughters, Anne knit “Dog Star” with Brooklyn Tweed Arbor, using a sophisticated palette of purplish gray, eggplant, and cream. Knowing the girls might like to match as much as they like to distinguish themselves, Anne flipped the arrangement of contrast colors in the yoke: sisterly matching, yet distinct.

For her twin grandsons, Anne used Malabrigo Rios, again differentiating the sweaters by changing colors in the yoke.

Her boys love bright colors, so she used wildly variegated colorways in the stranded yoke, which, in her words, look like sprinkles against the dark blue background.

Hope you’ve met your own holiday knitting goals this season!

A reminder, the shop will be closed on Tuesday, Dec. 25 and again on Tuesday, Jan. 1. Otherwise the shop will be open at our regular hours, and we look forward to seeing you there!

Snow, show and tell, and new colors from Kelbourne Woolens.

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The shop was closed yesterday for inclement weather, and with the snow quietly falling as I write and the roads remaining hazardous, we do not plan to open the shop tomorrow. As ever, if you’re planning a trip to our shop and have any question about the weather, do check our website before you head out; we always list closures on the front page there, and are known for being risk-averse when it comes to snow and ice!

 

Even if the shop remains closed, 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.

Kate has been wearing her Kate Davies’-designed “Dunyvaig” hap a lot since completing it. She knit this cozy textured shawl with Kelbourne Woolens Scout, a DK weight wool that comes in lovely heathered shades and has great stitch definition for patterns like this.

Ruth has been knitting with Kelbourne Woolens yarn, as well – here she is in her lovely “Phyllis” sweater, made with the sport weight KW Andorra.

Margaretta also finished her “Phyllis” not long ago, and it, too, is very beautiful. I’m impressed at how crisp the lace looks even in a fuzzy yarn with a touch of mohair.

Anne’s “Jenny” was also knit with Andorra. You might even recognize it, as it has been on display at the shop for some time now.

The gentle halo of Andorra is perfect for this Bohus-inspired pullover, where purls in the colorwork yoke seem to blend one color into the next.

Last week brought four brand new colors of Andorra, a welcome addition that really rounds out the color palette.

Many thanks to the knitters who shared their work here today, and to everyone who starts their projects with a trip to the Hillsborough Yarn Shop! We hope everyone is staying safe and warm and doing a bit of stitching while it snows, and we’ll see you when it’s safe to open the shop again.

Back in stock, show and tell: Berroco Ultra Wool and Ultra Wool DK.

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This season, we seem to be constantly ordering and reordering Berroco Ultra Wool and Ultra Wool DK. Not long before we closed for our Thanksgiving break, I unpacked a bigger box than ever from Berroco, for it contained some new colors along with all our old favorites.

Ultra Wool and Ultra Wool DK are smooth and sturdy superwash wools, one of the few that suggests “tumble dry low” rather than “lay flat to dry.” They’re easy-care, practical, economical, and come in a wide range of solid and heathered colors; no wonder we’re selling so much of them!

The latest Berroco Portfolio collection features these yarns, and we were delighted when Berroco also sent us a sample of the cover sweater, Lori Versaci’s “Lane’s Island Pullover.” There’s nothing like a finished garment to give you a sense of how a particular yarn knits up, and this one has already compelled plenty of knitters to try Ultra Wool DK, many of whom return to it for other projects.

April was one of the first knitters we knew to complete an adult-sized sweater in Ultra Wool DK, and when she wore it in, singing the yarn’s praises, we were truly impressed. The cables of her “Bowery Tunic” show beautifully, and April didn’t report any of the out-of-control stretching that superwash wools can sometimes experience during blocking.

Margie has also been working with Ultra Wool DK of late, knitting not one, but two “Isabelline Cowls.” I never tire of seeing what an impact a change in color can have; this pair is a nice example of how low- and high-contrast color combinations can both work beautifully in stranded colorwork. And you might be surprised which of these has higher contrast – I was! Look at these photos through the black and white filter on your camera and you’ll see what I mean.

Ultra Wool DK is great for crochet projects, too! Check out Linda’s amazing blanket for proof positive.

Look for Ultra Wool and Ultra Wool DK here at the shop, and keep an eye out for something new from Berroco, too… more on that soon!

Fibre Company Trunk Show: the Borrowdale Collection.

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We’re so excited to announce that we’ve just received a Trunk Show featuring Fibre Company Lore. Come by the shop to see the Borrowdale Collection!

Lore is the newest yarn from Fibre Company, a woolen spun, DK weight, 100% Romney lambswool. It has a rustic look and texture at home in hard-wearing, workaday garments, and is sturdy enough to last a lifetime when cared for.

We just got six new colors in last week, making our Lore selection complete!

The Borrowdale Collection was designed with everyday adventures in mind, and the garments featured here are as practical as they are beautiful, rich with cables and texture and color. All of these patterns are available on Ravelry, or here at the shop as Ravelry In-Store Sales.

Hurry in to admire the Borrowdale Collection Trunk Show, try some sweaters on for size, and plan one for yourself. We’re offering a 10% discount on Lore during the show, too – all the more reason to stop by and admire!

A reminder: all sales are final on discounted items; there will be no exchanges or returns. Thanks!

Kelbourne Woolens Scout Collection Trunk Show!

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An exciting new trunk show has come to decorate our walls for a couple of weeks. Hurry in before August 26 to see the Kelbourne Woolens Scout Collection!

The Scout Collection is composed of six garments knit with Kelbourne Woolens Scout, a springy DK weight wool that is well suited to texture, color, lace, and cable patterns.

Most of these patterns were designed by Kate Gagnon Osborn, with one contribution each from Courtney Kelley and Meghan Kelly; the three of them make up the Kelbourne Woolens team. They’ve made their patterns available through Ravelry rather than in print, an effort to diminish the company’s paper usage.

We also have another mini trunk show of sorts – local designer Emily Walton has just published a brand new pattern for Scout, and we’re showing her samples! Below is “Olivia Twisted,” a clever hat with twisted stitches and a bit of texture, perfect for showing off Scout’s heathered shades.

Give Scout and all the other Kelbourne Woolens yarns a try at this Sunday’s Yarn Tasting – we still have some spaces available! It’s an opportunity to sample yarn before you buy it, to brainstorm pattern ideas and color combinations with other knitters, and to spend a pleasant morning at the shop sipping mimosas – sign up to join us!

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

Show and tell: Fibre Company and Shibui.

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Time for more show and tell! Earlier in the month, I shared projects made with yarns from a few of our favorite sources, Isager, Malabrigo, and CoopKnits. Of course there are plenty more yarn companies we adore, and today, I’ll highlight two more. We’ve seen an abundance of beautiful projects knit with Fibre Company and Shibui yarns over the years – here are some of the most recent.

Rosi knit this exquisite “Pomegranate” pullover for her daughter using Fibre Company Acadia. This soft, tweedy yarn is attractive all on its own, but shows intricate stitch patterns beautifully, too.

Here’s Shelley in her “Rathbone” pullover, knit with Arranmore Light, another tweedy Fibre Company yarn. Both Acadia and Arranmore Light are DK weight and well suited to sweater-making, thanks to their balance of softness and structure.

Gloria wandered into the shop a few months ago, looking for inspiration, and found it in our Shibui Sample of the Month at the time, the “Comfort Zone” wrap, knit with Drift. I love the jewel tones she selected for her own wrap – well done, Gloria!

Above is Anne’s second Churchmouse “Easy Folded Poncho,” this time in Shibui Reed, a lightweight linen for summertime wear.

Look for Anne’s ponchos side by side here at the shop, one for spring and summer and one for fall and winter, in – what else – Fibre Company Acadia.

Thanks to everyone who brings their finished projects to show us, we absolutely love seeing what you make. See you at the shop!

Knitting Ganseys.

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Beth Brown-Reinsel’s classic Knitting Ganseys has been revised and updated, and we’re happy to have it on our shelves!

Originally published 25 years ago, Knitting Ganseys is a book of knitting history as well as knitting patterns. Ganseys were traditionally worn by Scottish and British fisherman during the 19th century, designed to be hard-wearing and comfortable, but decorated with intricate texture patterns.

In the book, Beth Brown-Reinsel shares some of the history of this classic garment, then explains how to knit a traditional gansey on a smaller scale for practice. She covers all the techniques required, from cast-ons and stitch patterns to fit and finish.

If designing a gansey from scratch isn’t your aim, Brown-Reinsel also includes patterns for traditional ganseys and more modern gansey-inspired fare, as well.

Look for Knitting Ganseys: Revised and Updated on our teacart here at the shop, where everything is 15% off for just one more week!

 

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

Show and tell: CoopKnits.

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Happy to be back with more show and tell, this time featuring projects made with yarn from CoopKnits!

Hazel knit her second “Smilla’s Dress” with CoopKnits Socks Yeah!, a superwash fingering weight blend of merino wool and nylon. This yarn was designed to wear well and wash easily, attributes that make it as applicable to baby things as to socks, and its tight twist provides excellent stitch definition.

Glen knit these striking “Tetrahedron Socks” with two shades of CoopKnits Socks Yeah! The pattern is from Rib Magazine No. 3, which we still have a couple of copies of.

Below is Emily’s “Lush,” designed by Tin Can Knits, knit with CoopKnits Socks Yeah! DK, a heavier weight version of the same great yarn shown in the projects above. I love her perfectly matching buttons!

Many thanks to the talented knitters 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!

Show and tell: Hitofude.

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Amy has now taught her “Hitofude” cardigan class three times at our shop, and has just begun a fourth. With an unusual construction and a repetitive lace motif, Hiroko Fukatsu’s “Hitofude” is a gracefully draped garment that many knitters have been drawn to. So far, we’ve seen five finished garments come out of these classes, and I can’t wait to share them with you!

Above is Amy’s own “Hitofude,” knit with Shibui Staccato. The combination of silk and superwash merino means drape and shine, both of which bring elegance to this piece.

Many of Amy’s students chose Staccato for their “Hitofude” cardigans; here’s Jane in hers.

Jane lengthened the sleeves and the body of the sweater for exactly the fit she wanted, and it came out just right.

Margie made similar modifications, but used Fibre Company Cumbria Fingering, a wool/mohair blend with more structure and less drape than Staccato. It makes a more substantial garment appropriate for fall and winter, and Margie is happy with the results.

Pam used Madeline Tosh Merino Light for her sweater, which looks springy and playful in a tonally variegated chartreuse. It’s not a yarn we carry at the shop, but Malabrigo Mechita is similar – a hand-dyed, single ply, superwash merino.

This group photo shows Linda, second from the left, in her “Hitofude,” knit with Shibui Staccato. She kept the original sleeve and body length of the pattern for a slightly cropped silhouette. It’s amazing what an impact these slight differences can have from one garment to the next, even with the same pattern – we love seeing knitters in self-made sweaters that reflect their preferences and show off their skills!

Thanks to these knitters for sharing their work with us, and especially for participating in classes here at the shop. We feel so lucky to have such talented teachers on our team, and students who are excited to learn more about their craft. I’m so looking forward to seeing more “Hitofude” cardigans as they’re completed!