a year in the life

What a year 2019 has been here at Quince. We welcomed new folks onto our team and saw seasoned ones off to their next adventures; experienced personal trials, triumphs, and milestones; bought our very own warehouse building and moved all the yarn, shelves, and everything into it; and! through it all, we continued to bring new yarns, new colors, new patterns and collections, and other goodies, to you, our customers.

Not only is this the end of 2019, but the end of the 2010s, and the end of the first decade of Quince's existence as a company! Though we launched in July of 2010 (and we're all excited for Quince to turn 10 in about 7 months), its seed was planted many months before, growing and growing: The first yarns developing at the mill, the first colors coming from the dye house, the first designs turning around in the minds of those who put the first collection together, and so much more.

While we will do plenty of reflection on the last decade in the coming year, today the spotlight is on this last year. We've been super proud and happy to serve you, offering up beautiful fibers in gorgeous colors and drool-worthy projects to make and wear.

Winter

Yarn: In January, we launched Piper's big sister Crane (pictured below)—our luscious mohair/merino single-ply—in a worsted weight. We can't get enough of this yarn, seriously. Plus, we expanded the color ranges of little Piper, superfine merino Phoebe, and silky Tern.

Design: We published some sweet garments and accessories in Piper, Crane, and Tern at the beginning of the year, including Danes by Bristol Ivy (pictured below) in Tern Cumulus. Gorgeous lace in a simple silhouette is sometimes all you need to feel fancy. Also new to our pattern catalog: cozy pullovers Rime and Avalon by Allison Jane, and Beatrice, a sweet shawl by Beatrice Perron Dahlen.

Quince Quarterly: This was our maiden voyage with our subscription service! At the new year, we shipped out boxes of Crane and Piper with secret projects (Agni, pictured below, and Boreas) and extra goodies to folks who signed up. We had a lot of fun seeing our QQ subscribers open their boxes and start posting their projects! 

left to right: Crane in twelve colors; Danes by Bristol Ivy; Agni by Leila Raven

Spring

Yarn: Our linen shipment arrived with three new colors each in Sparrow (pictured below) and Kestrel. Not only that, but on its heels we also offered up five new shades each of our soft cottons Willet and Whimbrel. Lastly, we made a limited edition shade in Tern, creamy Magnolia, for Mother's Day.

Design: Ten brand-new linen knits went live in April: Our Sparrow collection focused on our latest crop of marled shades, and undyed Senza was the queen of our Kestrel collection. Designed by Dawn Catanzaro, Leila Raven, Allison Jane (Brin pictured below), Elizabeth Smith, and myself, we loved seeing the collections come together. We also published a crop of Whimbrel and Willet pullovers: Frieze by Josée Paquin, Aiden and Little Aiden by Dawn Catanzaro, and Mariana by Elizabeth Smith.

Quince Quarterly: This installment featured designs by Isabell Kraemer, and some fun colorwork options! Spathe in Finch (pictured below) and Husk in Lark were a hit, and it was really great to see our subscribers finishing up their projects.

left to right: Sparrow in Catmint, Chicory, and Milkweed; Brin by Allison Jane; Spathe by Isabell Kraemer

Summer

Yarn: Summer can be quiet on the yarn front, as we are typically busy planning for the upcoming year and celebrating our birthday in July. This year, we released another limited edition shade in Tern, deep green Terra (pictured below).

Design: Our eighth annual shawls collection launched in late June, with brilliant offerings by Dawn Catanzaro, Paulina Popiolek, and Hanna Maciejewska (Pleasant Road in Owl pictured below). Jessica McDonald made a precious layette set for us in wispy Finch, and we released a couple of transitional pieces in August: Bloem by Jessica McDonald in Finch, and Vaughn by yours truly in Tern.

Quince Quarterly: Josée Paquin was the star of our summer box, designing two irresistible cotton shawls, one for each level: Lacewing in Whimbrel, and Damsel in Willet (pictured below). Summer knitting at its best! Quick and easy to wear in warm weather.

left to right: Tern in Terra (sold out); Pleasant Road by Hanna Maciejewska; Damsel by Josée Paquin

Fall

Yarn: New, luscious shades abounded this fall. Finch and Puffin (warm-black Rook, warm off-white Parchment, and olive-green Hunter, pictured below) came out in September during our Core Wool celebration, followed in late October by a limited edition Osprey shade, Cauldron, and three new shades of Crane (Pearland, Aquilla, Bandera) in November.

Design: Two gigantic projects came into the world in the past few months! Our 2019 Core Wool celebration featured vintage shapes and warm colors for kid and adult sizes, many with an eye toward a unisex style (Burl pictured below). Over October and November we focused on our Creative Director's new book, To the Point: The Knitted Triangle. A stunning collection of 12 triangular shawls, with nearly all of our yarn lines and weights represented, from wispy Piper to Aran weight Osprey. We also published two more lovely shawls: Alva in Chickadee by Sarah Pope, and Eloise in Crane by Beatrice Perron Dahlen.

Quince Quarterly: The Hawthorn shawl, a companion for To the Point designed to be worked at any gauge, appeared in the fall box for Quince Quarterly, in print. The print version was tailored to a specific yarn: Phoebe (pictured below in Sol) or Chickadee Organic Heathers. Also in the box was a hand-crafted shawl pin, made right here in Maine; and level 2 folks also got a signed copy of the book!

left to right: Puffin in Hunter, Parchment, and Rook; Burl by Leila Raven; Hawthorn by Leila Raven

From all of us here at Quince, we hope that 2019 has been fruitful for you, and we wish you a bright, warm, and happy New Year.