Tuesday, June 19, 2012

The blog has moved!

Find the HYS blog at the newly redesigned Hillsborough Yarn Shop website! Have you updated your bookmarks or your RSS feed aggregator? Take a minute to peruse the new site and bookmark it. All of the blog archives are now housed there, as well, so you can still access old posts, if you like.

Thank you so much for reading! See you at the new site...

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Noro Kureyon Sock.


(Psst! Did you notice the new Hillsborough Yarn Shop website? The HYS blog is now integrated into the site, meaning I'll no longer be updating at this blogspot address. Click here to see the blog in its new home and remember to update your Google Reader, or whatever RSS feed aggregator you use to keep up with the blog. And thank you, as always, for reading!)


I know I already mentioned Noro Kureyon Sock when I introduced Week 3 of the Going-to-Market sale. But this morning, as I pulled every skein of Kureyon Sock out from back-room storage to display our whole supply in one big basket, I thought a bullet-point on a list might not have been enough. After all, this yarn has its devoteees. 


I've seen many pairs of incredible socks made up in Kureyon Sock. Like most Noro yarns, Kureyon Sock is self-striping, making a simple vanilla sock exciting, and shining in entrelac and colorwork patterns. Kureyon Sock is also ideal for fine-gauge scarves, shawls, cowls, hats, and mitts. I haven't worked with it myself, but again and again, I hear that it softens and blooms after washing.


Come by the shop this week to snag a skein or two of Kureyon Sock at 25% off. At less than fifteen dollars a skein, it's a good time to stock up on a yarn you love or sample a yarn you've never tried. 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!

Monday, June 11, 2012

Going-to-Market sale! Week 3.

Tomorrow marks the first day of our last week of Going-to-Market sales. Each week, we've featured a different yarn company and discounted select yarns by that company by 25%. This week, select yarns from four companies are on sale, meaning that there are a wide variety of discounted yarns to choose from.


Tuesday June 12th - Sunday June 17th: Select yarns by Ella Rae, Katia, Louisa Harding, and Noro are 25% off!

  • Ella Rae Bamboo & Silk
  • Ella Rae Classic Wool
  • Katia Irish Tweed
  • Louisa Harding Albero
  • Louisa Harding Kashmir DK
  • Louisa Harding Kimono Ribbon
  • Louisa Harding Rosetti
  • Noro Bonbori
  • Noro Hotaru
  • Noro Kureyon Sock
  • Noro Maiko
  • Noro Niji
  • Noro Silk Mountain


Yes, there are plenty of choices here: self-striping fingering weight yarn, super-bulky tweed, boucle and other textured yarn, ribbon yarn, worsted weights in plant and animal fibers, yarns that are happy to be machine-washed and yarns that are happy to felt. Come by the shop this week to take advantage of these deep discounts, and to get your fiber fix before we close the shop to go to market! We'll be closed from Thursday June 21st to Sunday June 24th, opening again at our regular hours on Tuesday June 26th. 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!

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Berroco Touche.

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!

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Berroco Pure Pima.

Allow me to introduce you to one of the Berroco yarns we have on sale this week: Pure Pima.


Pure Pima is a dk weight cotton which comes in bright, solid colors, with 115 yards on each 50 gram ball. I've written here before about a lovely Norah Gaughan sweater we have at the shop made in Pure Pima, which beautifully illustrates its use in garments. Poking around on Ravelry, I found a cute free pattern from Knitty which calls for Pure Pima--a retro-styled sleeveless top called "Petrie." What else is a dk weight cotton good for? Baby sweaters, blankets and hats, of course, as well as lightweight shawls and scarves, market bags... and dishcloths.


Yes, I took home a few fistfulls of Pure Pima over the weekend and started knitting a kitchen towel, using the classic Ballband Dishcloth pattern with a few extra pattern repeats. It's a classic for a reason, as it turns out: free, easy to memorize, and pleasant to look at. I never thought I'd knit something that I planned to wipe my hands, dishes, and counters with, but there you have it: I'm knitting a kitchen towel and loving it.


Come by the shop to pick up some Pure Pima for your own burgeoning collection of handknit kitchenwares, or for any other project wanting dk weight cotton. Be sure to check out the other discounted Berroco yarns this week, too!


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

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

KnitScene Accessories.

A special issue of KnitScene has arrived at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop.


KnitScene Accessories is filled to the brim with patterns for cowls, mitts, hats, socks, and shawls.


Several techniques are featured as well, and explained in a friendly way. If you've never done colorwork before, or worked a pattern with intentionally dropped stitches, there's enough information in these tutorials to get you through a project with these techniques.


In fact, a small project like a hat or a pair of fingerless mitts is the perfect place to learn a new technique. Short and sweet, then onto the next thing. Little projects with little challenges like these keep me motivated between (and sometimes during) bigger, more involved projects.


Come by the shop to take a closer look!

Monday, June 4, 2012

Going-to-Market sale! Week 2.

Our three-week Going-to-Market sale continues! This week, we're featuring select Berroco yarns at a 25% discount. 




Tuesday June 5th - Sunday June 10th: Select Berroco yarns are 25% off!
  • Boho
  • Cotton Twist
  • Inca Gold
  • Jasper
  • Latitude
  • Linen Jeans
  • NaturLin
  • Pure Merino
  • Pure Pima
  • Touche

Come by the shop between Tuesday June 5th and Sunday June 10th to get these Berroco yarns at a 25% discount. We'll have select Berroco pattern books at a discount, too. Most of these yarns are plant fibers, rather than animal fibers, so lovers of cotton, linen, and rayon will find some great deals for warm-weather knitting and crocheting. I've spent the last week knitting a few simple projects with these yarns, to give a sense of how they work up and what they're good for. More on that soon. 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!

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Debbie Bliss Stella.

Week 1 of our Going-to-Market sale is almost over, meaning that you have until 5 pm on Sunday, June 3rd, to get select Debbie Bliss yarns at 25% off! This is the time to buy your sweater's-worth of Fez, a few indulgent skeins of Pure Silk or Pure Cashmere, a stockpile of Pure Cotton for baby blankets or washcloths, or enough Cashmerino Aran to make fingerless mitts for everyone you know this winter.

With this in mind, may I present another of this week's discounted Debbie Bliss yarns: Stella.


Stella is an aran weight blend of silk, rayon, and cotton, which comes in bright solid colors. Stella is great for garments as well as accessories, especially for the animal-fiber-averse among us. It's wool-free but soft and squishy, so if someone you love has requested a scarf or hat but insisted that wool is too scratchy, Stella is a good substitute.


Inspired by a customer who stocked up on Pure Cotton for knitting kitchen towels this week, Anne used Stella to make a quick hot pad or trivet. Knit on smaller needles than recommended by the ball band, Stella makes a nice sturdy fabric.


Come by the shop to check out Debbie Bliss Stella, along with all the other discounted Debbie Bliss yarns and booklets. See you there!

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

Friday, June 1, 2012

Noro Knitting Magazine.

The premiere issue of Noro Knitting Magazine has arrived at the Hillsborough Yarn Shop.


Inside, you'll find many, many projects that make good use of Noro yarns, which self-stripe in vibrant and often surprising color combinations. These patterns take advantage of those qualities to create all kinds of garments, from dresses, sweaters, and skirts to shawls, hats, and other accessories.




Despite the its title, Noro Knitting Magazine offers crochet patterns as well as knitting patterns.


Come by the shop to take a closer look at Noro yarns and Noro Knitting Magazine!