KnitScene.

Posted by Julia on July 3, 2013

The Fall 2013 issue of KnitScene is here!

There are many tempting projects within: plenty of cardigans and pullovers, and a nice selection of shawls, hats, mitts, and other accessories. KnitScene always has a tutorial or two showing specific techniques, and this time it’s all about incorporating chevron stripes into your knitting.

I recognized some familiar yarns in this issue, too; this lacy 2-color shawl is made in the dk weight Malabrigo Silky Merino.

The “Penny Candy” cardigan calls for Fibre Company Acadia, a dk weight blend of merino wool, alpaca, and silk. It looks like a simple, wearable knit, mostly reverse stockinette fabric with a bit of eyelet patterning along the bottom edge, which gives the yarn a chance to shine. Acadia is slightly textured and has a tweedy quality because of the silk slubs in the yarn that take the dye differently from the wool and alpaca.

Come by the shop to snag a copy of KnitScene, and to plan your next project at 15% off during our Annual Inventory Sale!

More new single patterns.

Posted by Julia on May 3, 2013

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about some new additions to our binders of single patterns. The shop is full of books and magazines, which often get more attention than these humble white binders. But the binders are the place to turn when you want to make a shawl without investing in a book of shawl patterns, an economical way to choose your next project. We like to freshen up the binders every once in a while, adding new patterns and replacing those that have sold. Last week, we added a bunch of new single patterns to the binders, mostly from the Fibre Company.

We first started stocking yarn and patterns from the Fibre Company last fall, after discovering them at market in June. Right now, we stock their DK weight Acadia, a luscious blend of merino wool, alpaca, and silk. Not all of these patterns call for Acadia, but rest assured, you’ll find plenty of lovely yarns at HYS that are suitable for these patterns. As long as the yarn you’re substituting can get the gauge the pattern suggests, you’re ready to cast on, even if it’s not the yarn the pattern calls for.

We’re delighted to see more Fibre Company designs in our binders, and looking forward to seeing them again this June to look at their other yarns.

We also got a handful of new patterns from Swedish Yarns, to go with two new colors of the washable aran weight Raggi. Yes, there are all kinds of interesting things lurking in the binders–from shawls to sweaters to slippers. Come by the shop to take a look!

Show and tell: sweaters, scarves, and cowls.

Posted by Julia on April 4, 2013

So many amazing finished pieces have been finding their way to the shop lately that a backlog of show-and-tell photos has accumulated on my camera. Without further ado: here are some of the things that we and the knitters around us have been busily creating!

Anne recently completed Lemon, a short-sleeved sweater designed by Helga Isager. Lemon is unusually and cleverly constructed, beginning with center panels on the front and back, from which stitches are picked up to work the sides and short sleeves. It’s decorated with lateral braids and welts, little details that make for a unique design.

The pattern calls for Isager Spinni, a single-ply lace weight wool, but Anne substituted Isager Tvinni, a 2-ply wool in a light fingering weight. The finished garment is remarkably lightweight because of the tiny gauge, a perfectly fitting sweater and quite an achievement.

I finished a sweater recently, too: here’s Gemini, a free pattern from Knitty, made in Katia Linen. I’m so pleased with how this linen/cotton blend blocked, softening the fibers and smoothing out inconsistencies in the tension.

I’m also happy to report that it fits nicely; not tight at all, though I took a leap of faith and knit it with the suggested 4″ of negative ease. It’s hanging now at the shop for anyone who’d like to try it on for size. This was a quick knit, and it’s not too late to join our informal Gemini Knit-Along!

Here, Francesca models a jacket she made out of Debbie Bliss Donegal Chunky Tweed. She’d already made one from this free pattern using a thicker, textured yarn and was disappointed by how dense the fabric was. This time around, she’s delighted by the beautiful drape of the Donegal Chunky Tweed. Finding the right yarn for a project makes all the difference!

Margie brought in this lovely lace scarf to show us; a gift for a friend. She made it using the soft and tweedy Fibre Company Acadia, and a free pattern, Christmas Lace. After the knitting was complete, she carefully sewed a few beads in to add a bit of sparkle.

Debbie came in a few weeks ago wearing this gorgeous White Caps Cowl, made in Alchemy Silken Straw and Habu Cotton Nerimaki Slub. The pattern photos show this cowl in a subtle white-on-white colorway, but I love the way it works up when the stripes are a little more visible, as Debbie has done by choosing similar, but not identical colors in each yarn.

Thanks to everyone for the amazing show and tell! I’m so inspired by all that you create.

knit.wear.

Posted by Julia on March 29, 2013

The Spring 2013 issue of knit.wear magazine has made itself at home on the teacart at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop.

This issue is filled with what we’ve come to expect from knit.wear: knitable, wearable, modern-looking garments, and attention to detail in knitwear design.

This loose-fitting, textured dolman sweater is made in one of our favorite yarns, Fibre Company Acadia.

Composed of merino wool, alpaca, and silk, Acadia is sure to make a soft, gently draping pullover.

This Gradient Pullover adds interest to a plain stockinette sweater with big blocks of color; simple, but effective.

It’s made with three colors of Cascade 220 Superwash Sport, a soft, easy-care merino wool that comes in a big, inviting color spectrum.

Come by the shop to get your own copy of knit.wear, and contemplate warm-weather knitting. See you there!

Show and tell: sweaters, shawl, and socks.

Posted by Julia on February 11, 2013

It’s been a while since I’ve done a “show and tell” post, not because there’s nothing to show or tell, but because my camera is not always handy when some finished piece is held out for Anne and I to admire. I’d like to photograph them all; here are the few I’ve captured of late.

Anne took a trip to New York last weekend to visit with family, and managed to finish this adorable sweater for her granddaughter just in time. It’s made in Fibre Company’s Acadia, a sport weight blend of merino wool, alpaca and silk–nothing but the best for baby Willa. She used the leftover yarn to improvise baby mittens, and spent her flight to NY knitting i-cord to connect them.

Here, Margie models a colorwork sweater she made in a variety of fingering weight yarns, some solid and some variegated, the likes of Marion Foale 3-ply, Isager Alpaca 2, Classic Elite Alpaca Sox, and Colinette Jitterbug. It’s a unique take on a pattern from Vogue Knitting Magazine a few years back, one that Margie modified heavily to create exactly the sweater she wanted.

Marion came in on Saturday wearing her completed Promenade shawl, a Hanne Falkenberg kit purchased at September’s trunk show. Promenade is a large shawl knit in garter stitch on small needles; to finish knitting it is an enormous accomplishment.

Congratulations, Marion!

Margaretta completed the first in a pair of French Market Socks, from a pattern by Nancy Bush in Sock Knitting Master Class. For this pair, she used Jamieson & Smith 2 Ply Jumper Weight, a sturdy Shetland wool that is perfectly suited to stranded colorwork like this. Any adventurous sock-knitters out there who haven’t flipped through Sock Knitting Master Class ought to come in and do so; there are all sorts of intriguing patterns there, from the cable-crossed to the lace-covered, not to mention socks featuring entrelac, shadow knitting, and traveling twisted stitches.

Thanks to all for the show and tell, whether it makes it to the blog or not! Looking forward to seeing all that comes off your needles.

New colors in Acadia.

Posted by Julia on January 3, 2013

The Fibre Company’s gorgeous Acadia has become quite popular at the shop. After a month and a half of life here, the Acadia basket was missing two colors, and looking quite sad indeed. When Anne and I reordered those colors, and others we were low on, we figured, why not get a few new colors, as well?

This dk weight blend of merino wool, alpaca, and silk is tweedy-looking and soft to the touch, perfect for scarves, shawls, hats, mitts, and other accessories. I’ve been daydreaming about making a sweater in Acadia–that would be a treat.

Come by the shop to see the new Acadia palette!

Quaking Aspen shawl.

Posted by Julia on November 26, 2012

I wrote a few days ago about a new yarn in the shop, the Fibre Company’s Acadia, and mentioned a shawl in the making with said yarn. I’m back now to report that the Quaking Aspen shawl is blocked and sitting happily in a basket at the shop with Acadia. Have a look.

The Quaking Aspen shawl is knit from the top down, with a garter stitch body, stripes, and a lace border. The Acadia, a dk weight blend of alpaca, merino wool, and silk, was very well-behaved in blocking, and drapes beautifully.

It’s available as a free download from the Fibre Company, so get yourself a copy of the pattern and then come by the shop to pair colors.

See you at the shop!

Hello, Acadia.

Posted by Julia on November 20, 2012

We are happy to announce that we now carry the Fibre Company’s Acadia.

Acadia is a dk weight yarn made of merino wool, alpaca, and silk. The silk fiber takes the dye differently than wool and alpaca, and stands out from those fibers, creating a tweedy, rustic look. The feel of this yarn is far from rustic, however; Acadia is just as soft as its fiber content suggests.

We have a couple of patterns from the Fibre Company for Acadia, and of course it could also be used in most any pattern calling for dk weight yarn. Rosi knit a shop sample in Acadia–“Quaking Aspen,” a shawl pattern available as a free download from the Fibre Company. The ends were just woven in as the yarn arrived at the shop, and now the shawl is blocking, getting ready for its HYS debut. Look for photos of the “Quaking Aspen” shawl on the blog soon, and come by the shop to see Acadia in person!