HYS Baby!

We have a Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe Baby!

Tanith has been visiting HYS since before she was born. Although she is only a few months old, Bex has got her working!

Tanith is shown here wearing NatureSpeak A Hug and a Kiss by our designer friend Jeanne Abel. The yarn is the stunningly soft Quellon (82% Viscose, 18% Cotton) from Araucania.

Bex promises to have many more items for Baby Tanith to model in the coming months and years.

----Denyse for Bex of Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe

Fri-DYE!

Continuing to celebrate Bex's Birthday Week...

Today any independently hand-dyed yarn by Bex or one of her friends is 20% off. This includes OakGrove, D'zined, Ellyn Cooper's, and Ellen's 1/2 Pint.

Debbie Daniels of D'zined (home of the wonderful wool and hemp yarns) captures the magic of the hand-dyer's art:

The excitement of blending color in the dyepot is always a surprise, always a delight. Each three pound dyelot of yarn is a unique experience—and the slight variations occasionally encountered from skein to skein allow for truly one-of-a-kind creations. By using dyes that have an affinity for only the animal fibers (wool and mohair), the wool/hemp blends become beautiful, soft heathers.

Because the DZine^® dyeing technique utilizes multiple colors in a single dyepot, colors swirl and blend randomly. Although typically no more than three colors are used in a dyelot, the end result is a harmonious blending of dozens of colors.

Our featured yarns today are all dyed here in the U.S. and are known personally by Bex and the Hillcreek Family. Ellen's 1/2 Pint, Oak Grove, and Ellyn Cooper are all in the NorthEast;D'Zined and Bex's Blends are here in the Midwest. And all of today's featured yarns are hand-dyed by independent business people. These two statements -- buying locally and from independent businesses -- exemplify Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe's central beliefs.

Let's not forget that Bex and Shella are creating beautiful yarns in silk, wool, mohair - anything that sits still long enough to get dyed! The growing collection of their yarns indicates the signature colorways that they are developing. (Reminder: Bex also teaches dye classes and graciously shares her expertise. )

Stop in the Shoppe and check out the wonderful hand-dyed yarns featured today. And wish Bex a Happy Birthday!

----Denyse for Bex of Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe

Elsebeth Lavold day!

If it's Thursday...
the patterns and yarn of Bex's favorite designer, Elsebeth Lavold, are 20% off today!

We've talked about Elsebeth Lavold before (July 26). She has beautiful yarns that are great in any pattern, but when combined with HER patterns? Magnificent! Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe has all her patterns (obviously! She is Bex's favorite designer!) as well as her yarns.





Elsebeth Lavold is known for adapting Celtic patterns to knits. Her patterns appear in many knitting magazines as well as in her own pattern books. You can recognize them by their sensual lines and cables.

Her work is also recognizable because of its simplicity. Clean lines. Whether its for adult or child.


Come into the Shoppe today and wish Bex a Happy Birthday - and get 20% off all Elsebeth Lavold yarns and patterns!

----Denyse for Bex of Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe

YIPPEE!! Sales all week! Happy B-Day, Bex!

It's happening!

Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe is celebrating Bex's birthday all week!

• Wednesday - any book or kit by Bex's favorite author, Ana Zilboorg, is 20% off.


• Thursday - patterns and yarn of Bex's favorite designer, Elsebeth Lavold, are 20% off.


• Friday - any independently hand-dyed yarn by Bex or one of her friends is 20% off. This includes OakGrove, Dzined, Ellyn Cooper's, and Ellen's 1/2 Pint.


• Saturday - we don't know for sure what's planned, but this is Bex's actual birthday, and she's taking the day off to go to the races. Who knows what Rose and Joan will plan!

Don't forget ...
the other big sale that runs the entire month of August -the Book Blowout! The firstbook is 5% off. Buy two and get 10% off. Buy three and get 15% off. Buy four and get 20% off.

What a week! Come on in and stock up!

----Denyse for Bex of Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe

Bex's Birthday Week!

Bex's birthday is next Saturday, August 26, but I think we should celebrate her birthday the entire week! I made that suggestion at the shop, too, so let's see what they do ....

Here in Columbia, Missouri, school starts this week. ALL the schools. The public schools, the private schools, Stephens College, Columbia College, and the University of Missouri, too. EVERYONE IS BACK! And ready to tackle another school year.

Why don't you take a class, too? Hillcreek will be setting up their fall schedule soon. Last Saturday Bex had a full class of mobius basket knitters. Do you have something you've been wanting to try? Call the shop and let them know! (449-KNIT)

How about trying a new yarn? or a new pattern? Or a new yarn AND a new pattern?

I've talked about the aMAIZing corn yarn and the bamboo.
(Did you see this pattern for a knit skirt in bamboo?? How fun! Look at those great pleats!)



How about Karaoke? It's a soy silk/wool yarn that has colorways that are reminiscent of Noro but slightly more defined. I've knit a sample, and find it to have a nice crisp feel as it is knitted and a very drapey quality to the finished piece.

(Sorry. The flash was a little too strong for this snapshot. You can see the colorway of the sample, and the other Karaoke yarns are below it. They're not as glossy as the picture makes them look but they definitely have a presence. FYI: The yarn above the Karaoke sample is aMAIZing.)

The weather is starting to hint that it's changing over to fall, and we're actually getting some rainy days. School is starting. It's a time to shake off summer and start a new project! When you call or visit the shop, be sure to wish Bex a happy birthday week!

----Denyse for Bex of Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe

Stitches Midwest and What Bex Found There

There is proof that Bex, Chrisma, and Shella attended Stitches Midwest - here's a picture posted to the Panopticon blog. Wearing their one-of-a-kind yet very-similar fiber t-shirts. Bex promises to post more about this later.

In the meantime, here's a new book and project that Bex found at Stitches and brought back for us.

Knitting Nell. It turns out that Knitting Nell knits. and knits. and knits. But she doesn't talk very much. The story explains why she isn't very talkative and goes on to tell about her MANY knitting projects!

An outgrowth of this book is the Good Scarf Project. Child knitters are invited to knit a scarf and send a picture of it to the Good Scarf Project's Web site. The scarf can be for anyone and made of any material. The only requirement? Well, here's how the Good Scarf Project explains it.

With the good scarf project, Nell and her friends hope to promote the idea of doing good while having fun knitting. An individual or group* knits a piece of what will become a "virtual" scarf. That's a scarf which is "knit" together with other pieces on this website. Each section is knit in honor of something good, and this information, along with your name or your group's name, is attached to your knitting at the website. Something good can be:

• a good thought (knitting each stitch for peace)

• a good cause (a charitable organization, maybe in your community, or maybe even in your school)
• a good person or persons

There are even ideas of how a group can knit the scarf!

This whole idea fits in with Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe's Knitting for Peace concept. Project Linus, afghansforAfghans, Warm Up America, and local charity projects all find a home with the knitters here in the shop.

Come in and check out Knitting Nell - and find your own project to knit!

----Denyse for Bex of Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe

it's aMAIZing!

Yesterday I talked about non-wool yarns that Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe has in stock. Remember that I mentioned that there are many new plant-based yarns coming on the market, including soy, bamboo, and corn? The corn is here!


Our supplier is South West Trading Company, and here's what they have to say:

"A-MAIZING™ (made from CORN!) leads the newest collection from SWTC INC. This spectacular yarn is soft and luxurious to work with . Most exciting – its machine washable/dryable. With 16 colors in the debut collection, A-MAIZING™ delivers."

100% corn fiber; 130 meters/50 grams
6 sts & 5 rows = 1 in US 7
Machine wash/dry

Machine wash and dry! Now THAT's amazing!!

Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe just got its first shipment of this wonder fiber - so we have a full stock of colors! Come in and try something new!

----Denyse for Bex of Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe

Not just wool!

Some times technology improves things - like yarns. Remember when all we could get at the local yarn store was acrylic yarn? Barrels and pounds and big balls of acrylic yarn.

Times have changed! Now we've got wool from all kinds of sheep. And alpaca. and quiviat. and llama. and camel! And bamboo!

Bamboo? Yes! Plant fibers are making a real entry into the yarn market. This is great for those who want to try something new - but it's also great for those who have (or who knit for people who have) allergies.

One vendor that is providing a great variety of plant fibers is South West Trading Company . They began with introducing soy silk (see their story about their company and introducing soy silk) into the collection. What a testament to trying new things! They are gradually adding new plant fibers and Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe is including them in the store. Bamboo is in the store now along with the soy silk. And soon there will be CORN based yarn! How fun is that!

The texture as you knit iwith plant fibers s slightly different than knitting with wool - I think that I can even HEAR a difference but that's probably just me. Because of the difference in fiber, dyes will take differently. The fiber itself can be shiny or matte depending on the content and how it's processed.

Try something new - try bamboo! or soy! or CORN!

---Denyse for Bex at Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe

Buttons? Who's got the Buttons? WE DO!

I mentioned buttons in yesterday's post. I've got some pictures of buttons that are available at the shop.

Here is a selection of our Frog Tree buttons. They are ceramic and range from brightly and multicolored to rather quiet and single color. They make excellent and practical closures for felt bags, and they can also be used to make a splash of color against your yarn or fabric garment.

We've been talking about Hillcreek's penchant for featuring Fair Trade items. They also like to find independent craftsmen and artisans. One of our mid-Missouri favorites is Carrol Hibbard, a button maker!

Carrol's buttons come in multiple sizes and range from shimmery metallic finishes to matte natural pallettes.

Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe also has a large collection of pewter buttons in all sizes and several motifs. The pewter buttons are available as multiple buttons/card for garments or as single large buttons for clasps or as design elements.

Whether you need a button for a closure or a splash of color, Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe has what you need! Stop by and check out the buttons!

---- Denyse for Bex at Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe

Frog Tree Yarns

Frog Tree Yarns is another Fair Trade group featured at Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe.
Specially gorgeous is their alpaca yarn in glorious colors and weights from fingering to chunky.

The story of Frog Tree is one of fair trade and success. The project has outgrown their Chile group and has expanded to include Peru! The products have expanded as well, now including pima cotton, cotton/silk, buttons, and patterns.

Be sure to stop and feel the Frog Tree yarns when you're in the shop! When you purchase Frog Tree from Hillcreek, you're not only supporting your local yarn store, you're also supporting artisans and their families in South America!

----Denyse for Bex at Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe

Specialities of the Shoppe

Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe and Hillcreek Fiber Studio are run by people with a conscience. They specialize in locally grown and produced materials and actively promote independent artisans, who make one-of-a-kind and original products. They also import Fair Trade materials, in an effort to ensure that the worker who produced the material gets fair pay for his/her workmanship.

One of the companies that Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe is proud to distribute is Philosopher's Wool. Eugene has written the full story of their company.

In short, Eugene and Ann Bourgeois began a company in 1986 that has benefitted Ontario farmers as well as knitters around the world. Eugene says it all began when he sold some wool at market and then, on his way home, bought some yarn for Ann. He realized that he'd sold his wool for pennies and then bought wool yarn for dollars. He figured there had to be a way for Ontario wool growers to make a fair living, and he set out to find the way.


Along the way, Eugene and Ann have become teachers in the best sense of the word. Yes, they do teach their special version of Fair Isle knitting in person, on video, and in their books. HYS carries their video and books, and proudly sponsored their workshop two years ago. No one who attended that workshop will forget the trunks of beautiful sweaters that were distributed among the students to try out and wear as they learned how to knit the pattern. Nor will they forget the initial surge of terror as Ann explained steeking to the class!

The message of Philosopher's Wool--that one family--can make a difference in the world rings loud and strong. Be sure to stop by and visit Ann and Eugene at Stitches Midwest. Rebecca will be there, too, renewing a long-time friendship.

----Denyse for Bex of Hillcreek Yarn Shoppe

ps - Check out Eugene -- one of the top 10 men in knitting!