Tag Archives: wool

New colors in Brooklyn Tweed Quarry!

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We’re pleased to announce that Brooklyn Tweed Quarry is back in production with a brand new neutral color palette!

Quarry is Brooklyn Tweed’s thickest yarn, a bulky weight, woolen-spun Targhee-Columbia wool with an unexpected combination of texture and structure. It looks like a single ply, but is actually constructed with three loosely-spun plies for a smooth, round yarn.

Brooklyn Tweed Quarry:

  • bulky weight
  • woolen-spun
  • 100% Targhee-Columbia wool
  • 200 yards/100 g
  • $25 each

When Brooklyn Tweed’s long-time dyehouse closed in late 2021, they were left unable to produce the iconic heathered colorways of Shelter, Loft and Quarry. After many months of hard work by the BT team and their new dyehouse partner, Tintoria Piana US, we’re delighted to be able to restock these yarns! Read more about the process behind the scenes on Brooklyn Tweed’s blog post, “The Road To Restock.”

Colors in the left cubby are older stock, and we’re limited to whatever we have on hand, but the colors in the right cubby are current, and we’ll be able to reorder them as they dwindle.

What to knit with Brooklyn Tweed Quarry? Here are some pattern ideas!

Accessories:

Of all the bulky weight yarns we carry, Quarry may be the best suited to sweater making because of its woolen-spun construction – the fabric it makes is cozy but lightweight, and holds its shape beautifully. Here are some pattern ideas for garments in Quarry!

Garments:

Look for Brooklyn Tweed Quarry in the bulky weight section here at HYS!

Dream in Color Pop-Up Club: assigned pooling, June 2023.

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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. There’s a special theme this time: assigned pooling, a clever way of showing off hand-dyed yarns like these. June’s new limited edition colorway is here, better late than never!

What is assigned pooling? As designer Dawn Barker describes on her blog, assigned pooling is a technique where “different stitches are assigned to the color changes within the skein. In other words, knit the background color of the yarn using one stitch and then stop and make a special texture stitch when the accent color occurs.”

Assigned pooling patterns by Dawn Barker, photo © Dawn Barker

June’s special colorway is mostly shades of pink, with a gold streak that pops up regularly as you knit through the skein.

Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere:

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

Curious about assigned pooling? Check out these patterns!

Look for Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere in the fingering weight section here at our shop!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Hoof Mushroom.

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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

This month’s special colorway is Hoof Mushroom, a vibrant variegated mix of green, blue, and marigold. As soon as I saw it, I pictured holding it together with a strand of lace weight mohair, a solid color to blend with the many shades in these skeins, like a drop of water into watercolor paints.

We have several colors of Isager Silk Mohair that match shades in this Koigu colorway – some that will soften it, others that may intensify it.

If mohair’s not your thing, try holding KPPPM together with Fyberspates Cumulus, a soft and fuzzy blend of alpaca and silk!

How to use these pairings? Think “Sophie Scarf” or “Oslo Hat – mohair edition,” by PetiteKnit, Andrea Mowry’s “Birds of a Feather” shawl, or Tin Can Knits’ “Simple Yet Effective” cowl.

Look for Koigu KPPPM, Isager Silk Mohair, and Fyberspates Cumulus here at the shop!

Marling with Sandnes Garn Sunday.

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A few months ago, a new PetiteKnit pattern caught my eye and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. “Melange Sweater” is simple enough, a marled stockinette drop shoulder pullover, but the high contrast combination of colors intrigued me, along with a few other design details.

 “Melange Sweater” by PetiteKnit, photo © PetiteKnit

I chose Sandnes Garn Sunday for a “Melange Sweater” of my own and have been happily stitching away ever since, enjoying the shoulder shaping at the yoke, the soft yarn, the bouncy fabric, and above all, watching the colors come together. There’s a pleasing randomness to it, a bit of blurring and pooling – it’s keeping me interested even though the stitching is simple!

I picked a high contrast color combination for my “Melange Sweater,” similar to the sweater in the pattern photo. There are so many possible combinations in our Sandnes Garn Sunday cubbies – here are some high contrast ideas!

Low contrast marls are subtle, but lovely – the resulting fabric looks more solid from a distance.

Here are some other PetiteKnit pattern ideas for Sandnes Garn Sunday held double:

“Weekend Hat” by PetiteKnit, knit with Sandnes Garn Sunday held double; photo © PetiteKnit

Look for Sandnes Garn Sunday in the fingering weight section here at HYS – we can’t wait to see what color combinations you come up with for your own marled knits!

Koigu Collector’s Club: Nightshade.

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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. 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

Nightshade is a deeply saturated mix of eggplant and navy, with lively streaks of gold, orange, and cobalt.

Anne recently knit Amy Christoffers’ “Pressed Flowers Hat” with Koigu and Neighborhood Fiber Co. Capital Luxury Sport, a soft and springy blend of merino, cashmere, and silk.

Kelbourne Woolens Andorra would work well as the main color, too – it’s also sport weight, a  blend of merino and highland wool, with a touch of mohair. Here are “Pressed Flowers Hat” color combinations pairing Nightshade with both Capital Luxury Sport and Andorra.

I couldn’t stop there, of course – it’s too fun to play the color game!

If any of these combinations speaks to you, you can order online for local pickup or shipping. Prefer to shop in person? Look for Koigu KPPPM in the fingering weight section here at our shop, along with many others! We’re here from 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays; masks required for entry.

Hello, Sandnes Garn Sunday!

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Meet our newest arrival, Sandnes Garn Sunday!

Sandnes Garn Sunday:

  • fingering weight
  • 100% merino wool
  • 257 yards/50g
  • $10.50 each

Anne has carried some things from Sandnes Garn since opening the Hillsborough Yarn Shop back in 2006, but PetiteKnit has brought this classic Norwegian yarn company back to our attention.

What to knit with Sunday? Anne just swatched for a “Friday Tee,” by PetiteKnit, a striped, broken rib top in 2 colors.

Here are some more pattern ideas for Sunday:

Look for Sunday in the fingering weight section here at our shop! We’re open from 11am-5:30pm, Tuesdays-Saturdays; masks required for entry.

Simply Shetland Hapkerchief KAL!

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We are excited to announce that Gudrun Johnston and the Simply Shetland team are hosting their first ever Knit-Along!

Gudrun Johnston’s “Hapkerchief,” knit with Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift in Colorway 1

The Hapkerchief Knit-Along is open to knitters worldwide, starting on June 2 and running through June 30 only on Instagram – follow @simply_shetland on Instagram for details about prizes and how to participate.

Gudrun Johnston’s brand new “Hapkerchief” is the featured pattern, a quick, 4-color cowl knit with Jamieson’s of Shetland Spindrift that introduces Shetland-inspired techniques in a modern, approachable way. Perfect for the adventurous beginner and beyond!

Johnston’s pattern shows the “Hapkerchief” in three Jamieson’s of Shetland Spindrift colorways, all of which use a mix of light, medium, and dark shades for a balanced look.

Gudrun Johnston’s “Hapkerchief,” knit with Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift in Colorway 2

Gudrun Johnston’s “Hapkerchief,” knit with Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift in Colorway 3

I knit up a sample “Hapkerchief” myself, in a colorway Anne and I put together.

Gudrun Johnston’s “Hapkerchief,” knit with Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift in our own HYS palette

I learned a few things along the way – the German twisted cast-on, a wrap-and-turn technique for working garter stitch in the round without purling, and a purled i-cord bind-off. All of those techniques and more are shown clearly in Johnston’s video tutorials, so you’ll have plenty of support as you knit along!

Look for these “Hapkerchief” yarn bundles here at the shop, and purchase the pattern separately on Ravelry. We have over 150 shades of Spindrift on hand if you want to make your own color combination, of course – can’t wait to see what you come up with!

Dream in Color Pop-Up Club: assigned pooling, May 2023.

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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. There’s a special theme this time: assigned pooling, a clever way of showing off hand-dyed yarns like these. May’s new limited edition colorway is here while supplies last!

What is assigned pooling? As designer Dawn Barker describes on her blog, assigned pooling is a technique where “different stitches are assigned to the color changes within the skein. In other words, knit the background color of the yarn using one stitch and then stop and make a special texture stitch when the accent color occurs.”

Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere:

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

May’s special colorway is mostly turquoise, with a bold streak of red and cream that pops up regularly as you knit through each skein.

Dream in Color dyer Veronica knit Ambah O’Brien’s “Sweet Li’l Scarfette” with it, modifying the stitch pattern a bit for this special skein – head to her Instagram for a video tutorial!

Curious about what else you can do with assigned pooling? Check out these patterns!

Look for Dream in Color Smooshy Cashmere in the fingering weight section here at our shop!

Buggiflooer Beanie.

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We’re so excited about “Buggiflooer Beanie,” Shetland Wool Week’s featured pattern for 2023!

“Buggiflooer Beanie,” by Alison Rendall

This two-, three-, or six-color fair isle hat pattern is available to purchase from the Shetland Wool Week website. Though in the past the SWW featured hat pattern has been free, this year they’re charging a small sum to help ensure the future of the event. A new Shetland Wool Week hat pattern is something Anne and I look forward to every year, so we purchased it as soon as it was available, and then went straight to our Jamieson’s of Shetland Spindrift to play the color game. I spent some time putting together six-color combinations, inspired by those shown in the pattern.

“Buggiflooer Beanie,” by Alison Rendall, shown in Colourway 3

“Buggiflooer Beanie,” by Alison Rendall, shown in Colourway 4

“Buggiflooer Beanie,” by Alison Rendall, shown in Colourway 5

We also have kits in a special colorway developed by and named for designer Gudrun Johnston!

“Buggiflooer Beanie,” by Alison Rendall, shown in Gudrun’s palette

Yarn bundles for “Buggiflooer Beanie” are $56, and include 6 balls of Jamieson’s Shetland Spindrift – pattern is sold separately to support Shetland Wool Week. We’re also happy to help you put together two- or three-color combinations from our generous supply of Spindrift – we have over 150 colors in stock!

Come see us or get in touch if you’d like to order a “Buggiflooer Beanie” yarn bundle!

“Manzanita Sunset, February” + BT Peerie.

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Brooklyn Tweed Peerie has been a favorite yarn here at our shop since it debuted in 2018, a soft and bouncy fingering weight merino wool. We were sad to learn that production of Peerie has recently ceased; the folks at BT worked hard to keep it coming over the past few years, but limited domestic supply chain options have now spelled an end for Peerie. Luckily, we still have a nice supply on hand – read on for Peerie inspiration, and come by the shop to get it before it’s gone for good!

“Manzanita Sunset, February,” by Seth Richardson. Photo © Anna-Lisa Miller

Seth Richardson’s recent “Manzanita Sunset, February” cowl pattern caught our eye, a striking slipstitch design for Brooklyn Tweed Peerie.

“Manzanita Sunset, February,” by Seth Richardson. Photo © Anna-Lisa Miller

The pattern comes in two sizes, a smaller neck gaiter and a roomier cowl, and looks equally nice in low and high contrast color combinations. Here are the two colorways shown in Richardson’s pattern photos, followed by a few more I came up with!

Brooklyn Tweed Peerie: fingering weight, 100% American merino wool, 210 yards/50 grams; $17.25 each.

  • For neck gaiter: 1 skein each Main Color and Color 2
  • For cowl: 2 skeins Main Color, 1 skein Color 2

With its soft hand, bold colors, and superb stitch definition, Peerie is worth celebrating – here are a few more ways to use it!

Accessories:

Garments:

Look for Brooklyn Tweed Peerie in the fingering weight section here at HYS!