10 years of shawls
Above: our 10th annual Shawls collection is now available—find the lookbook here!
In April of 2020, when I suddenly found myself jobless and with a lot more time on my hands, I picked up knitting needles for the second time in my life. And that time, for whatever reason, marked the start of my knitting adventures—I was hooked! Knitting became my sweet solace, my daily meditation, my gateway to the wonderful world of handmade things and its beautiful community of makers.
Next, through a virtual intro to knitting class, and then, through a maddening search for Outlander knitting patterns, I became familiar with an incredibly versatile accessory, that falls somewhere between a blanket and a hug: the shawl. For me, knitting my first couple of shawls not only taught me new techniques, but gave me a new perspective on, well, the way I looked at my own wardrobe. My world shifted and expanded, as I tumbled down the rabbit hole that is knitting.
And the rest, they say, is history.
Fast forward to the present, and I have the pleasure of introducing you, dear reader, to our team’s latest collection: Shawls 2022. Marking Quince’s 10th annual tradition of sharing shawls in the spring, it only seemed right to dig into the archives and revisit some of our team favorites from years past. To be sure, we only scratched the surface in handpicking ten shawls from the last decade; however, we hope this serves as an enjoyable sampling of inspiring shawl patterns, designed by a variety of makers, and knit with some of our softest yarns.
Above: Piper’s Journey by Paula Emons-Fuessle knit with Chickadee Organic Heathers in color Kumlien’s Gull.
2012: Piper’s Journey by Paula Emons-Fuessle
Piper’s Journey is one of seven stunning shawls that Paula designed for Quince over the years. Knit with Chickadee Organic Heathers, this crescent-shaped shawl features long ends that can be wrapped or tied. The body of the shawl is simple garter stitch with a stretchy top edge. Its crescent shape is made with increases that form a natural lacy border along the edge, making it the perfect project for travel knitting.
In honor of Paula's incredible fundraising work in support of ovarian cancer research, Quince & Co. will be donating proceeds from our sales of her patterns to Dr. Katherine Fuh's Ovarian Cancer Research Lab at Washington University; read more on our blog post, Remembering Paula Emons-Fuessle.
Pictured left to right: Leaves by Kristen TenDyke knit with Sparrow in color Little Fern , and Love & Lemons by Melanie Berg, knit with Piper in color Amarillo.
2013: Leaves by Kristen TenDyke
Leaves is a drapey, open shawl with a deep border knit with fingering weight Sparrow. The piece begins at its pointy end with a lacy leaf border. After three sections of the border pattern are established, the edging diverges into the side borders and the garter stitch body fills in between them. You can easily lengthen or shorten the shawl by working more or fewer repeats of the left and right edge charts.
2014: Love & Lemons by Melanie Berg
Love and lemons – what more do you need for a perfect summer? Maybe a sweet shawl for summer evenings! As breezy to wear as it is to knit, this asymmetrical triangle shawl is slightly textured, with rows of eyelets and a playfully pointed picot trim. Knit in pretty Piper, it will be as warm and light as sunshine on your shoulders.
Pictured above: Cave Point by Paula Emons-Fuessle knit with Chickadee in color Lichen.
2015: Cave Point by Paula Emons-Fuessle
Cave Point is a crescent-shaped shawl, knit from the top down in bands of garter stitch and stockinette. A textured lace border looks like dragonflies hovering at the edge of the water. The lace forms a slightly scalloped edge at the bottom of the shawl.
Pictured left to right: Waves in Lace by Peg Blechman knit with Owl in color Albertine, and Whimbrel by Beatrice Perron Dahlen knit with Tern in color Mist.
2016: Waves in Lace by Peg Blechman
Feather and Fan is eternal—knitters ‘round the world know it well. Peg does the well-loved stitch pattern ample justice in Waves in Lace, a cozy stole in our wool/alpaca Owl. Worked sideways, the long, textural waves are balanced with garter stitch bands and borders, subduing the curving nature of this traditional Shetland motif into a straight-sided rectangle.
2017: Whimbrel by Beatrice Perron Dahlen
Beatrice created a cabled masterpiece with Whimbrel. Bird-like cables take flight across the main body of this crescent-shaped shawl, transitioning into the plaited cable border, topped off with simple garter stitch. Knitted in wool/silk Tern creates a graceful, sweeping shawl to wrap around and within.
Pictured left to right: Palmatum by Hanna Maciejewska, knit with Phoebe in color Mars and Jocelyn by Hanna Maciejewska knit with Willet in color Bowsprit.
2018: Palmatum by Hanna Maciejewska
This shawl is a fun challenge, featuring a wide cable panel using twisted stitches, several kinds of cables, eyelets, short rows…and the result is stunning, especially worked up in Phoebe. The garter body balances out the action happening in the border, making for a truly interesting knit.
2019: Jocelyn by Hanna Maciejewska
Hanna gave Jocelyn a deep garter body and finished it with a boldly graphic blossom motif. We love this classic top-down shawl in our organic cotton sport weight Willet.
Pictured left to right: Higgins by Quince & Co. knit with Kestrel in color Tellin and Prunis by Audrey Borrego knit with Chickadee in color Maple.
2020: Higgins by Quince & Co.
We nabbed the ultra-pretty stitch pattern from Pam Allen's Scarborough shrug, re-worked it in Kestrel, and made it into a triangular shawl. Offered in several sizes, this gorgeous piece offers up an elegant summer wrap that still lets the warm breezes through.
2021: Prunis by Audrey Borrego
With a delicate lace panel that floats down the back and a dramatic wingspan, Prunis is a show-stopper. This triangular shawl by Audrey Borrego is knit in our plump and springy Chickadee for excellent stitch definition and warmth, making the finished wrap both beautiful and imminently wearable. Crafted in garter stitch and richly textured lacework, bounded by tidy I-cord trims, Prunis is the kind of gratifying knit that flies off the needles.
And there you have it, 10 years of shawls. We hope you enjoyed reading, and found a little inspiration along the way for your future knits. Care to take a deeper dive into the Quince archives? Check out our shawls collection archive below! Or hop on over to our pattern page and view our comprehensive collection of shawls and scarves.
2 comments
Great post to bookmark to investigate when stash diving!!! Thanks.
Great read! And inspiring! Shawls are my favorite project and a great accessory. Thank you for posting this.
