on puffin

With this week's spotlight on Puffin, our focus on each yarn contained within our Core Wool 2018 ebook is complete. Our chunky, single-ply bird benefits from the method of top-dyeing that we use (where the fibers are dyed after having been spun and wound into large loops that will later be twisted into skeins), with ever-so-slight felting happening during the process. This slight felting keeps the soft fibers intact in this loosely twisted yarn. It is perfect for pieces that knit up quickly, so that we can slow down and actually enjoy the process of creating a fabric, one loop at a time.

new this week

Elizabeth Smith's Headland pullover, offered up with options for long or ¾-length sleeves, as well as straight-waisted cropped body or long, a-line tunic length. With the subtlest of detail in the dipped hem, cuffs, and neckline, this sweater is all about just…enjoying the feel of wool between our fingers.

quick cowls

Pam Allen's Cullin Cowl was part of our inaugural pattern launch in July 2010 (later organized into our Prima ebook), a super-quick, pretty neck warmer for a late summer/early fall walk on the beach. Shown here in Frost.

Katherine Mehls designed 90 degrees for our Scarves, etc 4 collection, launched in late February 2015. It is super warm: Katherine, a fellow New Englander, used two strands of Puffin in fisherman's rib for a massively effective chill blocker. Shown in Slate.

The Big Texture Cowl  by Hannah Fettig, published in her latest book Texture in January 2017, is meditative knitting at its best. Simple moss stitch and 1x1 ribbing at either end knitted in the round is a recipe for something perhaps finished in a day.

left to right: Cullin Cowl by Pam Allen, 90 Degrees by Katherine Mehls, Big Texture Cowl by Hannah Fettig

cozy wearables

From Whitney Hayward's Cascades collection, launched at the beginning of this year, Rainier was a popular one within our ranks, with some of us here at Quince knitting it during the winter. Shown here in Slate.

The original sample of the Park Street Cardi, shown in the photo below, lives in the Quince office in Portland and gets a lot of wear by members of our staff during most of the year (even in summer, now that our office is air-conditioned!!). Pam designed this in the early years of the company, published in February 2011, and we love the reverse broken rib and the cozy collar. Shown here in Storm.

Pam's Butte, published in late 2015 and shown in Twig, can be made as a tunic or a dress. Released in tandem with the Great Falls pullover, a few of us here at Quince knitted one or the other that winter.

left to right: Rainier by Whitney Hayward, Park Street Cardi by Pam Allen, Butte by Pam Allen

meditative home

Pam designed this ultra-simple welted blanket, the November Blanket, shown in bright Nasturtium. Published in late 2010, this would be the perfect candidate for comfort knitting as it literally is a blanket that grows in your lap. Bind off, set the needles down, and just…sit and enjoy for a minute (or several).

The Alder pillow, published in Home in late 2014, again designed by Pam Allen, is a sweet reverse stockinette field with a single, simple, twisted stitch branch motif. Shown in Twig.

Carrie Bostick Hoge's Field blanket, shown in Split Pea, was published in 2011. The macro cables on this piece are perfect for Puffin. Another wonderful process knit.

left to right: November Blanket by Pam Allen, Alder by Pam Allen, Field by Carrie Bostick Hoge

We love Puffin's potential as something just to savor as we enjoy being rooted in the present moment. To see what else you can make with this sweet bird and your own two hands, check out all of our Puffin patterns here.

Thank you for coming along with us on this journey through our Core wools, Puffin, Finch, Osprey, Chickadee, and Lark! Happy knitting, friends.