Tag Archives: worsted weight

Artyarns Mohair Splash and Rhapsody Glitter Light.

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Before we reorganized the shop last month, all of the sparkly, tempting skeins from ArtYarns lived together in one sparkly, tempting basket near the desk. Now that all our yarn is organized by weight and suggested gauge, those sparkly skeins have been divided up by type and moved into their new homes. Those whose labels suggest 5.5 stitches per inch, like the Regal Silk, were sent to the DK weight section, and those whose labels suggested 4.5 stitches per inch went to the Aran section, and so on. When our most recent ArtYarns shipment came in, I was pleased to see that both the Mohair Splash and Rhapsody Glitter Light suggest 5 stitches per inch–a Worsted weight gauge. Though many of the ArtYarns are separated, these two can still share a cubby.

Mohair Splash is composed of silk and mohair, and it gets its sparkle from splashes of beads and sequins that are strung intermittently along one ply of the yarn. We are often asked if the sequins interrupt the knitting, bothering ones hands, or catching on stray fibers, and the answer is, blissfully, no. Anne reports that the yarn is dreamy to work with, soft, smooth, and easy.

We selected only three new colors in Mohair Splash for Fall, but they really brighten up the spectrum.

Rhapsody Glitter Light is also a silk and mohair blend, but instead of beads and sequins, it sparkles with a shimmering strand of metallic Lurex. When you’re choosing between these yarns (which can be a difficult task, indeed), consider how much sparkle your project-to-be wants. Should the whole thing glimmer consistently, like the Rhapsody Glitter Light, or would you rather have a dash of shine here and there, as in Mohair Splash?

Come by the shop to ooh and ahh. See you there!

Rios!

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Anne and I were elated to open a giant box from Malabrigo last week. Inside, we found 16 bags of Rios in 16 brand new colorways that have never before been seen in Malabrigo’s worsted weight washable merino.

Rios has been well-loved at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop for its softness and gorgeous hand-dyed colorways, and the fact that it’s machine-washable doesn’t hurt, either. This quality makes it perfect for baby things, or for grown up things that are sure to get a lot of wear. Last year, for example, I used Rios to make a cowl for my sister, who, as the mother of an almost-3-year-old, requested “superwash only.” Anne made a beautiful blanket for her granddaughter in Rios, too.

We’re happy to have s0 many new colorways available in this yarn which is as practical as it is beautiful. Consider Rios for your next project!

Noro Slip-Stitch Cowl.

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On Tuesday morning when I first opened the shop for the week, a new knit sample caught my eye. A cozy, woolen cowl in a riot of colors made me reach for my camera. Take a look at this Slip-Stitch Cowl from Knit Noro Accessories.

This cowl was knit by Katherine, an amazing knitter and crocheter that we are proud to have as a teacher at the shop. Her latest class is on this very cowl, which uses a simple slip-stitch pattern and two colors of the self-striping Noro Kureyon yarn to give the illusion of stranded colorwork. As I write this, there are only two spaces left in the class, which begins in September. Sign up now if you’d like to join Katherine and a great group of knitters in the making of your own Slip-Stitch Cowl!

If you’re unable to secure a space in the class, or would like to tackle this project on your own, come by the shop to page through the beautiful book Knit Noro Accessories. We have many colors of Kureyon in stock, as well; come and lose yourself in the endless color combinations!

Ella Rae Classic Wool.

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This week, we have select yarns on sale at the shop, and they’re a diverse bunch. Among the ribbon yarn, self-striping sock yarn, bulky tweed, and fuzzy boucle, you’ll find Ella Rae Classic Wool. One of the bunch, but different.

Classic Wool is so named for a reason: it’s a basic, smooth, worsted weight wool, a real workhorse yarn. With 219 yards on each 100 gram ball, it’s a generous skein, enough for a pair of mittens, a hat, or a small scarf. It’s one of the yarns we suggest to beginning knitters, who find it well-behaved and easy to use. Classic Wool is also perfect for felting projects, like bags, slippers, hats, hotpads, and oven mitts. Anne knit this one with Classic Wool held doubled, which ensured a sturdy felted fabric.

Come by the shop this week to get Classic Wool at a 25% discount! Our last week of Going-to-Market sales will end when we close up shop at 5:00 pm on Sunday the 17th. Hope to see you at the shop before then!

Berroco Touche.

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Here’s another Berroco yarn that we have on sale this week: Touche.

Touche is a machine-washable, worsted weight blend of cotton and rayon. It’s soft and squishy, with a bit more elasticity than one usually expects from plant fibers, making it quite pleasant to knit with. It’s softness and easy care make it perfect for baby things, like this simple baby hat. I made it with one skein of Touche this week, and it took only a few hours. The pattern is the Super Simple Hat Calculator, a free pattern that gives instructions for a variety of sizes and gauges. This means that whatever yarn you choose can successfully become a hat with the help of the Super Simple Hat Calculator. This means that we turn to the Super Simple Hat Calculator again and again and again.

Touche and many other Berroco yarns are 25% off until Sunday the 10th, which, as I write this, is tomorrow, so come by soon to shop Week 2 of our Going-to-Market sale! Many of these Berroco yarns were quite affordable to begin with, making them irresistibly inexpensive at 25% off. Between the free pattern and the sale yarn, you could be knitting this baby hat for less than four dollars. Irresistible, no? See you at the shop!

 

Just a reminder–all sales are final on sale items; there can be no exchanges, no returns, nor will we special order. Thanks!

Hello, Ewe Ewe.

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Once again, Clara Parkes inspired us with a recent Knitter’s Review. She never fails to peak our interest. Sometimes it’s a tool, sometimes a book–this time, it’s yarn, from a new company called Ewe Ewe.

Ewe Ewe Wooly Worsted Washable is a squishy, soft yarn which is well described by its alliterative name. With 95 yards of machine-washable merino wool in each 50 gram ball, Wooly Worsted Washable is an excellent choice for accessories and baby things.

The color palette is limited but vibrant, and the pattern support makes good use of it in stripes and colorwork.

This yarn is a pleasure to knit with, with brilliant stitch definition and a springy texture. “It knits itself,” Anne has often remarked since Ewe Ewe’s arrival, and she should know. This baby hat was completed in less than 24 hours, with enough yarn left over to make another with the colors inverted.

Come by the shop to pet Ewe Ewe Wooly Worsted Washable, and remember it for baby- and gift-knitting. Find it on the teacart, and find Ewe Ewe patterns in our recently reorganized pattern binders.

Works completed.

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Satisfaction, to me, is a finished knitting project. Once all the ends have been woven in and the knitted piece has been washed and blocked, I can stand back, admire my work, push aside the urge to point out whatever errors I made, and get ready for the next project. Anne and I have both recently completed samples for the shop, both of which you can see hanging proudly in the front window.

Anne used the Schulana Macaibo yarn to make Little Sister’s Dress, a sweet pattern that’s available as a free download on Ravelry. Like the baby sunhat that Anne was knitting a few weeks ago out of Schulana Tamarillo, this sample shows how differently the yarn knits up than you might have supposed, looking at it in the ball.

Meanwhile, I’ve been working on a brightly colored lace scarf out of SWTC’s Pure yarn, made of 100% soysilk. Pure is one of those yarns that somehow never got swatched, though we’ve had it at the shop for a few years now. I tried my hardest to stretch the yardage of a single skein and managed to get a nice narrow scarf out of just 165 yards. The pattern is Veronik Avery’s Lace Ribbon Scarf, a free pattern from Knitty. I only cast on 26 stitches, though, working two repeats of the lace pattern rather than the suggested five. Like I said: I was trying to stretch a single skein.

Yes, finishing things up is a good feeling, matched only by the excitement of casting on for something new! You can see these and plenty of other sample garments at the shop, and if you have any questions about the yarn or the pattern we used, don’t hesitate to ask. See you at the shop!

New yarns from Schulana.

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Last week, I wrote about two of the most recent knit samples at the shop. If you’ve been in the shop in the past week or so, you may already have seen two more finished samples: hats made with new yarns from Schulana.

First up is a hat I made using Schulana Lambswool, a marled tweed yarn whose fiber content is reflected in its name. The yarn is incredibly soft and light, with 110 yards on each 25 gram ball.

We thought it’s rustic look and lofty nature made Lambswool an excellent substitute for Brooklyn Tweed’s Loft yarn, so we picked Gudrun Johnston’s hat pattern for Loft, Norby. I’m pleased with the result–so pleased, in fact, that I’ve already taken home a sweater’s worth of Lambswool. I can’t wait to figure out what I’m going to do with it!

While I knit up the Lambswool, Anne was working on a top-down baby hat using Schulana Tamarillo, a machine-washable cotton tape yarn with multicolor slubs that pop out from the knitted fabric.

This little hat is a great example of why we try to have samples and swatches of every yarn we carry. It’s not always easy to envision the finished fabric just by looking at the yarn in a ball. Some yarns, like Tamarillo, will surprise you when you knit them up. The pattern, Baby Boy (Or Girl) Sun Hat, is available as a free download from Ravelry.

Finally, our third new Schulana yarn for spring is Macaibo, a self-striping cotton/viscose blend, knit sample forthcoming. Enjoy perusing these new yarns next time you’re at the shop!

Two new colors from Swans Island.

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Just two.

We expanded our Swans Island spectrum a bit, but with some self control–a difficult task in the face of Swans Island’s soft, squishy, organic merino yarns. Upon reordering colors whose numbers were dwindling, we pulled out the colorcard to see if we’d missed any. That’s when we gave in. We have room for a few new colors, right? Well: just two.

I just finished a sweater in the Swans Island Organic Merino Fingering, and while it was blocking, I bought another skein to play with, so I speak from personal experience: this is very special yarn. The care that went into its production is evident in the skein as well as in the finished knitted garment. Perhaps these new colors will inspire you to give Swans Island a try, and perhaps their beautiful pattern support will do the same. Come by the shop to take a peek.

Berroco Inca Gold and Jasper, on sale!

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UPDATE: As of 11/19/2014, we are totally sold out of Berroco Inca Gold and Jasper!

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Last week, we were saddened to discover that Berroco has discontinued two of their yarns, Inca Gold and Jasper. Because we’re unable to continue carrying them, we’re now offering them at a discounted price.

Inca Gold is a springy blend of merino and silk coming in a lovely range of solid colors and boasting excellent stitch definition. At five stitches to the inch, it could be used for almost anything: hats, scarves, sweaters, vests, mitts, whatever. If you’ve been admiring a pattern that calls for worsted weight yarn, consider Inca Gold.

Jasper is a self-striping, single-ply merino in an aran weight. Like Inca Gold, Jasper is a very versatile yarn. Some of our knitters have used it for sweaters, and others have put it to good use in hats and scarves. This has been a popular yarn, and we’re sad to see it go. Come and get it while it’s still here, and know that we have sweater quantities of many colors!