Tag Archives: woolen-spun

Hello, Harrisville Designs Shetland!

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Fall is a busy time here at HYS, rich with classes, events, and new yarns galore. This yarn in particular has been the subject of our eager anticipation for the past few months – meet Shetland, from Harrisville Designs!

Harrisville Designs Shetland:

  • fingering weight
  • 100% wool
  • 217 yards / 50 grams
  • needle size: 2-4 US (3.0-3.5mm)
  • gauge: 26 stitches = 4 inches (10 cm)
  • hand wash, lay flat to dry

First things first: though its name suggests otherwise, Shetland is not a Shetland wool. “Shetland,” in this case, refers to the size of the yarn and not the fiber content. This fingering weight yarn is a blend of an Australian fine wool and a hearty New Zealand wool, which gives Shetland a little luster. 

Shetland is a finer version of Harrisville Highland, so they have much in common. Woolen spun yet tightly plied, Shetland is lofty and sturdy, a classic yarn for sweaters and accessories alike.

Shetland is available in the same saturated palette of 64 tweedy, heathered colors as Highland, and we had fun picking some shades we hadn’t stocked before, curating a unique palette for this fingering weight yarn.

Shetland shines in cables, lace, texture patterns, and simple stockinette, but is especially well suited to colorwork. Anne has already cast on with Shetland for Isabell Kraemer’s “Heimathafen” pullover, with its subtle dip-stitch colorwork stripes. She’s teaching a class on it in the new year – head to our Classes page to read more about it.

Here are some more colorful pattern ideas for Shetland!

Look for Harrisville Designs Shetland in the fingering weight section here at HYS. We also have nightshades & daylights in our DK section, and Highland in worsted weight – more Harrisville than ever!

Hello, Retrosaria Rosa Pomar Brusca!

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We’re excited to have another yarn from Retrosaria Rosa Pomar here at HYS – meet Brusca!

Retrosaria Rosa Pomar Brusca:

  • worsted weight
  • 2 ply
  • woolen spun
  • 100% fine Portuguese wool (50% Saloia, 50% Merino Branco and Merino Preto)
  • 136 yards / 50 grams
  • gauge: 19-21 sts x 27-30 rows = 4 x 4 inches
  • needle size: US 6-8 (4-5mm)
  • hand wash, lay flat to dry

Retrosaria Rosa Pomar is a yarn company and haberdashery based in Lisbon, Portugal, known for its heritage Portuguese wool. Working in collaboration with small manufacturers, breeders associations, and shepherds, all Rosa Pomar yarns are non-superwash, not bleached, and have no silicone-based softeners. We love that their wool comes from free-range sheep, and that mulesing is not practiced in Portugal.

Brusca is a breed and flock specific yarn, composed of 50% Saloia and 50% Merino Branco and Merino Preto wool. Saloia is the native sheep breed to the region of Lisbon and Setúbal. It is well documented since the 19th century, famous for having some of the finest wool in Portugal. This wool shines in Brusca, which has a rustic 2ply texture and a soft, springy hand. Expect to find occasional (and easily removed) bits of vegetation spun into the yarn, a reminder that Brusca is gently processed!

What to knit with Brusca?

Look for Retrosaria Rosa Pomar Brusca in the worsted weight section here at HYS!

“Isla Shawl” in Biches & Bûches Le Petit Lambswool.

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Bailey’s most recent project for the shop is “Isla Shawl,” a sweet little kerchief knit with Biches & Bûches Le Petit Lambswool.

“Isla Shawl” was designed by Astrid Troland, using a slip stitch colorwork motif she has returned to again and again.

Bailey’s color palette is relatively low contrast, so she knit a few swatches with the colors in different arrangements until she came up with one she liked. We encourage you to do the same, since there’s plenty of yardage on each ball for the whole “Isla Shawl,” along with extra swatches!

I picked out six more color combinations besides, and doodled them for a preview of the scarves I hope they become!

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Inspired to make an “Isla Shawl” of your own? Come by the shop and see all the options in our fingering weight section, from Biches & Bûches and others!

Hello, Harrisville Designs Highland!

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There’s something new and exciting in the worsted weight section, where Brooklyn Tweed Shelter used to live – meet Highland, from Harrisville Designs!

Highland is a quintessential New England yarn from Harrisville Designs, the very same mill that used to spin Brooklyn Tweed yarns. They’ve been spinning their own lovely yarns all along, so we knew just where to look for quality woolen spun yarn.

Photo © Harrisville Designs

For over 50 years, Harrisville Designs has been spinning 100% wool yarn in Harrisville, New Hampshire, a small village with a long and rich history of textile production.

Woolen spun yet tightly plied, Highland is lofty and sturdy, a classic yarn for sweaters and accessories alike. Available in a saturated palette of 64 tweedy, heathered colors, Highland shines in cables and texture patterns, colorwork, and simple stockinette.

Harrisville Designs Highland:

  • worsted weight
  • 2-ply, woolen spun
  • 100% wool
  • 200 yards / 100 grams (3.5 oz.)
  • needle size: US 5 – 8 (3.75 – 5mm)
  • gauge: 18 stitches = 4 inches (10 cm)
  • hand wash, lay flat to dry

I’m especially excited about Highland, having swatched it up as soon as it landed here at HYS – it has all the qualities I love in a woolen spun yarn, but feels sturdier than others I’ve worked with, with a little more bounce. While I dream up a sweater for myself, here are some patterns well suited to Highland!

Accessories:

Garments:

Look for Harrisville Designs Highland in the worsted weight section here at HYS!

Restocking Brooklyn Tweed Arbor, Loft, and Shelter.

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Brooklyn Tweed is back in stock! We’re ordering worsted spun Arbor and woolen-spun Loft and Shelter as fast as they can make them. Loft and Shelter’s well-loved heathered colorways have been particularly scarce over the past few years, but they’re back in production, with the help of Bollman Hat Co’s new stock-dyeing operation in Pennsylvania.

Brooklyn Tweed Arbor:

  • DK weight
  • 3-ply
  • worsted spun
  • 100% Targhee wool
  • 145 yards/50 grams
  • hand wash, lay flat to dry

Arbor is known for its springy elasticity, soft hand, and stellar stitch definition.

Photo © thepetiteknitter

Thepetiteknitter’s “dandewishes” pullover (above) shows how well suited it is to colorwork, too! Also consider: Gudrun Johnston’s “Kirigami,” Andrea Mowry’s “Tincture,” Jared Flood’s “Guernsey Wrap.”

Brooklyn Tweed Loft:

  • fingering weight
  • 2-ply
  • woolen spun
  • 100% Targhee-Columbia wool
  • 275 yards/50 grams
  • hand wash, lay flat to dry

Loft is named for one of its best qualities, which is to say, a unique bounce and airiness. Its woolen-spun, 2ply construction gives it a traditionally handcrafted appearance, ideal for lightweight garments and accessories, lace, and nuanced colorwork.

Photo © Isabell Kraemer

Isabell Kraemer’s “SSP (slip stitch party) shawl” is a fun way to play with Loft’s huge color palette. Also consider: Ankestrick’s “LENU,” Mary Weaver’s “Cosmea,” Caitlin Hunter’s “Birkin.”

Brooklyn Tweed Shelter:

  • worsted weight
  • 2-ply
  • woolen-spun
  • 100% Targhee-Columbia wool
  • 140 yards/50 grams
  • hand wash, lay flat to dry

Shelter is Brooklyn Tweed’s first yarn, and one of the most well-loved – a worsted weight, woolen-spun Targhee-Columbia wool, sourced, dyed, and spun entirely in the USA.

Photo © Andrea Mowry

Andrea Mowry’s “The Weekender” is one of the most popular sweater patterns on Ravelry for good reason – as easy to knit as it is to wear, this cozy, oversized pullover shows off Shelter’s structure, loft, and beautiful heathered colors. Also consider: Joji Locatelli’s “Emery Vest and Pullover,” Jacqueline Cieslak’s “Chroma,” Jonna Helin’s “Nuuk.”

Look for these and other Brooklyn Tweed yarns here at HYS!

Brooklyn Tweed + Chroma.

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Jacqueline Cieslak’s latest pattern, “Chroma,” immediately caught my eye, with its bold color blocking and cute pockets.

“Chroma,” by Jacqueline Cieslak, knit with Brooklyn Tweed Shelter. Photo © Jacqueline Cieslak.

I was pleased to see that “Chroma” is knit with none other than Brooklyn Tweed Shelter, one of my favorite sweater yarns. In Cieslak’s words, Shelter “has a soft and squishy but slightly rustic hand, and knits up into incredibly light garments with beautiful structure, stitch definition, and minimal drape.” Couldn’t agree more!

With two- and four-color options, “Chroma” is a blank canvas for color play. High contrast, low contrast, complementary colors, shades from the same color family – they all work!

Brooklyn Tweed Tones is another great option for “Chroma” – it’s lofty like Shelter, but has 3 plies for a slightly smoother texture. Brooklyn Tweed recently expanded the Tones (and Tones Light!) palette with 3 new color pairs: Acer, Icicle, and Deco, each of which comes in lighter Overtone and darker Undertone shades.

Here are a few more “Chroma” combinations in Tones!

Look for Brooklyn Tweed Shelter and Tones in the worsted weight section here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop, along with many other “Chroma” possibilities!

What to knit with BT Tones Light?

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Brooklyn Tweed’s new yarn, Tones Light, is already turning heads here at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop. What to knit with this colorful stuff? Here are some ideas!

Jared Flood designed two new patterns especially for this yarn, “Shadow Stripe Pullover” and “All Ways Hat.”

“Shadow Stripe Pullover,” by Jared Flood, photo © Brooklyn Tweed

“All Ways Hat,” by Jared Flood, photo © Brooklyn Tweed

Because Tones Light can easily substitute for Loft or Peerie, there’s a world of patterns to choose from; here are some ideas from both the Brooklyn Tweed pattern archive and independent designers!

Garments:

“The Weekender Light,” by Andrea Mowry – reverse stockinette pullover with slip stitch detail

“Bract,” by Sarah Shephard – colorwork yoke pullover with triangle motif

“Stasis,” by Leila Raven – colorwork yoke pullover with geometric motif

“Birkin,” by Caitlin Hunter – colorwork yoke pullover with floral motif

“Hello From My Colors Crop,” by Jessie Maed – short sleeved pullover with all over stranded colorwork

“Berenice,” by Julie Hoover – lace and cable pullover

“Culm,” by Fiona Alice – textured dolman-sleeved pullover

“Woodblock,” by Emily Greene – textured short-sleeved pullover

“Wool & Honey,” by Andrea Mowry – honeycomb cable yoke pullover

Accessories:

“Skipp,” by Jared Flood – brioche hat

“Seeds,” by Jared Flood – colorwork hat

“Ensata Scarf & Cowl,” by Amy van de Laar – lace and ribbing

“Nysa,” by Jared Flood – garter stitch and eyelet shawl

“SSP (slip stitch party) shawl,” by Isabell Kraemer – six color slip stitch shawl

“Lunae,” by Natasja Hornby – two color slip stitch shawl

I’m the lucky knitter with the assignment of making a shop sample in Tones Light, and all of these vibrant colors had me thinking of Stephen West. I picked “Painting Parallelograms” from Painting Shawls, a slip stitch scarf whose shape and texture intrigued me. I picked three shades of Tones Light for the contrast colors, and a speckled skein of Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio Sock for the main – here’s a peek at my progress so far.

Look for BT Tones Light in the fingering weight section here at HYS – see you at the shop!

Shelter + Color Story.

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Brooklyn Tweed’s vibrant new shades in Shelter have us itching for colorwork, and Tif Neilan’s new “Color Story” sweater looks like the perfect project!

“Color Story,” by Tif Neilan, photo © Tif Neilan

This five color, top down, short sleeved pullover encourages playful, intuitive color combinations. Neilan has selected a light neutral background color and four shades dark enough to contrast against it – here’s a similar palette in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter.

I had fun putting together a few more “Color Story” colorways, sticking with a light background color, but varying the value of the contrast colors a bit.

Between the solid and heathered shades, Shelter now comes in over 45 colors, so there’s lots to choose from – look for Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in the worsted weight section here at our shop, along with Tones, Ranch 02, and much more! We’re open from 11-5:30, Tuesdays-Saturdays; masks required for entry.

Hello, Brooklyn Tweed Tones Light!

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We’re excited to announce that Brooklyn Tweed’s new yarn is here: meet Tones Light!

Brooklyn Tweed Tones Light:

  • fingering weight
  • woolen-spun
  • 2 ply
  • overdyed
  • 100% Columbia wool
  • 225 yards/50g
  • $16.75 each

A lighter weight version of BT Tones, Tones Light brings vibrant overdyed color to our fingering weight section.

At first glance, Tones Light bears a striking resemblance to its neighbor, Loft – both are fingering weight and woolen spun, with the same suggested gauge. There’s one key difference, however, that make Tones Light an exciting new addition to Brooklyn Tweed’s domestically-sourced, breed-specific lineup: color!

Tones Light is overdyed in vibrant, playful colors, starting with two baseline shades of undyed natural gray. The lighter shade is the overtone, and the darker shade is the undertone, and each of them has been dipped in 11 new colorways, creating tone pairs.

Look for Brooklyn Tweed Tones Light in the fingering weight section here at our shop! We are open between 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays; masks are required for entry. You can still order online for local pickup or shipping, as well.

New colors in Brooklyn Tweed Shelter!

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We’re excited to have 12 new shades of Brooklyn Tweed Shelter here at our shop!

Brooklyn Tweed Shelter:

  • worsted weight
  • woolen-spun, 2 ply
  • 100% Targhee-Columbia wool
  • 140 yards/50 g
  • $16.50 each

Shelter is Brooklyn Tweed’s first yarn, and one of the most well-loved – a worsted weight, woolen-spun Targhee-Columbia wool, sourced, dyed, and spun entirely in the USA. So far, all the colors have been created by dyeing the fiber in 16 vibrant solids, then blending them, two or three at a time, into intricate heathers. This new batch of colors is skein-dyed, inspired by nature and designed to enhance and play well with the existing Shelter palette.

What to knit with Brooklyn Tweed Shelter? Here are some of our favorite patterns for this versatile yarn!

Garments:

Accessories:

While BT works to get their classic heathered colorways back into production after a mill closure, we’re happy to have these new colors to brighten our Shelter selection! Look for Shelter in the worsted weight section here at our shop – we’re open from 11am – 5:30pm, Tuesdays – Saturdays.