We’ve been flush with Kauni inspiration of late. Anne’s Wingspan shawlette and Nancy’s Wiggle Wrap have gotten a lot of knitters thinking about Kauni, and the many uses for a self-striping yarn with a slow gradation of color. Now that you’re thinking about Kauni, here are a few colors we haven’t seen in a while, just in this week.
Interested in working with this colorful stuff? Check out the Kauni pattern binder for more ideas on how to make use of it.
When the Spring/Summer issue of Debbie Bliss Knitting Magazine arrived last month, we noticed that several of the patterns called for a brand new Debbie Bliss yarn: Rialto Lace. Debbie Bliss’s Rialto line of yarns are all composed of springy 100% superwash merino wool, and we’ve had great luck at the shop with three weights: Rialto Aran, Rialto DK, and Rialto 4-ply, which I’ve used for many pairs of socks and one crazy sweater. The Rialto yarns are soft to the touch, wear well, wash easily, and have beautiful stitch definition. The mere existence of a lace-weight Rialto yarn meant that we had to have it at the shop, and so, of course, Anne ordered it.
Two new yarns arrived at the shop this week from Dream In Color, a Chicago-based producer of hand-dyed yarns. We’ve had their Classy yarn, a washable worsted weight wool that I’ve written about here on the blog before, as well as their fingering- and lace-weight wools, which are named Smooshy and Baby, respectively. This week, we got a Smooshy upgrade: eight colors of Smooshy With Cashmere, which boasts 400 yards and 20% cashmere content. This yarn is a real treat for the hands, a smooshier Smooshy.
A box from Malabrigo is always met with excitement on our part. The bigger the box, the more excitement, and this week’s box was a big, big box. We got a few new colors in Malabrigo Lace and a few in Arroyo, but the big excitement with the big box was all about Malabrigo Sock.
Malabrigo Sock is always a hot commodity at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. The colors, the softness, and the long waiting period between shipments all conspire to make it disappear quickly from our shelves. It’s always a relief to have Malabrigo Sock yarn in stock, and so appealing to see all the colors together. It has me daydreaming about colorwork socks, but what else is new.
Have you used Malabrigo Sock before? I’m always curious what people are making with it–socks, scarves, shawls, sweaters, hats, baby things–because it has so many applications. Let us know what you’ve used it for and how you like it, and if you haven’t yet had the pleasure, give Malabrigo Sock a try and see what all the fuss is about!
About a month ago, I posted pictures of two of the works in progress that hang around the shop. Anne and I always have at least two samples for the shop on the needles–one on her needles and one on mine. Because the urge to talk about what we make and what we see others making is strong, we find ourselves talking about these projects at many points throughout the day. When the process is enjoyable, we’ll tell anyone who will listen about how soft the yarn is, how incredible the color. Since I last brought this conversation to the blog, two new works in progress have sprung up.
If you’ve been to the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, you’re probably already familiar with the sale trunk.
Just in front of the desk, a trunk overflows with discounted yarns. The contents of the trunk are ever-changing, and this week, we added something new: Bergere de France Berlaine, a dk weight superwash wool.
Most of the yarns in the sale trunk are dwindling in quantity, with only a handful of skeins in any one color. Not so for Berlaine–if there’s not enough for your project in the trunk, just ask us for more, and we’ll gladly check our stash in the back room. We may even have sweater quantities of this lovely stuff in a few colors, depending on the sweater. The machine-washability of this yarn makes it particularly well suited to children’s things, or the kinds of accessories that sometimes need to be thrown into the wash. Dig into the sale trunk, folks! There’s plenty of good, inexpensive yarn waiting there.
On Tuesday, we got a box from String Theory, which is always cause for excitement. This box in particular was full of Selku, a 3-ply sport-weight blend of silk and merino wool. Selku is a yarn that I’ve written about before, which we’ve only stocked in a small handful of colors up until this week. This shipment brought five new colors of Selku, rounding out our collection in a truly lovely way.
Though I haven’t had a chance to work with Selku yet, I have stalked it enough on Ravelry to know that it’s a perfect choice for a special scarf or shawl. The weight and shine of the silk paired with the elasticity of merino should make for beautiful stitch definition and an elegant drape. Anne wants to use Selku to make the cover sweater from Connie Chang Chinchio’s Textured Stitches. Yes, our minds are buzzing, but we’ve yet to cast on. What would you make from this stunning stuff?
Come by the shop to ooh and ahh, to pet the yarn and consider the possibilities. See you soon!
If you’ve been in the shop in the past week, you may have noticed a new sample hanging on the wall. There are many sweaters, shawls, hats, scarves, and bags competing for your attention, of course, so it’s possible you missed this latest knit shawl. It’s quite striking, though, and wont be in the shop forever, so I thought I’d document it here.
The pattern is “Wiggle Wrap,” by Sally Brandl, and it’s knit with two balls of Kauni Effektgarn. One ball is a bright, fiery colorway and the other is dark, with deep blues and purples. The two, themselves self-striping, are striped against one another, creating multiple levels of stripes and gradations of color. The premise is simple but the effect is impressive. I’d like to see one in a pair of neutral colorways, or a black-and-white skein with a wild rainbow skein. Get to work, knitters.
Come by the shop to see the Wiggle Wrap while it’s still here, and check the Kauni Patterns binder for more Kauni inspiration.
(Many thanks to Nancy for lending us her shawl!)
The String Theory Caper Sock yarn all but disappeared from our shelves in a matter of weeks. Not yet ready to cast on, or even settle on a project befitting this luxurious cashmere and wool blend, I held off on the skein of Caper Sock that had caught my eye. When the last skein in that colorway was sold, I pouted for a minute, then remembered that we were expecting a shipment from String Theory this week. Not only were we awaiting one backordered color each in Selku and Merino DK, but Anne had also ordered another 24 skeins of Caper Sock.
By the time we’d refilled the half-empty cubby that Caper Sock calls home, I had to hold off yet again, for there were at least four colors vying for my attention.
When my Arroyo socks are done, I might be ready to choose a color. Until then, it’s all yours, String Theory lovers. Enjoy this new selection of colors in Caper Sock!
I’ve written before about the popularity of Malabrigo yarns. Known for their softness and many other fine qualities, Malabrigo yarns are always welcomed with great excitement. This week, in the midst of the busiest shopping days we’ve seen all year, we were treated to something really special: the arrival of a new Malabrigo yarn.
Arroyo, a sport-weight washable merino, has been on order for the better part of the past year, so Anne and I were nothing short of thrilled to finally see it in person. We weren’t alone in our excitement, either. There are those among us who memorize Malabrigo colorways, can identify Archangel, Arco Iris, or Indiecita from only a cursory glance. Arroyo comes in those memorable colors and 17 others, many of which have never before been seen at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. Here are a few of them, ready to be newly memorized.
Immediately, of course, I began thinking of socks. Could I make socks with Arroyo, and could I do it in one 335 yard skein alone? What size needle would make a strong enough fabric for socks, and what stitch pattern would ensure that it remained stretchy? You won’t be surprised to know that I took a skein home on Saturday afternoon, the better to answer such questions in the future. All projects have been set aside in order to experiment with Arroyo. I’ll be sure to let you know what I come up with. Happy holidays, everyone, I’ll see you at the shop!