on chickadee

This week, we highlighted our sport weight wool Chickadee, the second yarn spotlight of five for our new Core Wool 2018 ebook. Among Chickadee's shining characteristics is its ability to render textures in a beautiful way—its three plies creating the tiniest bit of nubbly, tactile textures that set it apart from its worsted weight big sister, Lark. 

Showcasing the textural qualities of Chickadee is the Etchplain wrap, designed by Isabell Kraemer. In the photo above, Isabell swatched Etchplain's stitch pattern in our heathered wool shades: Audouin, Caspian, Iceland, Kumlien's Gull, Kittywake, and Sabine. The lightness or darkness of a shade impacts how much texture is visible to the eye: Choosing a darker shade softens the etched appearance of texture, while going lighter allows stitch definition to take center stage.

(Sharp eyes will notice a different stitch pattern in the Iceland swatch: This is the Moss Diamond pattern, an Etchplain extra included in the Core Wool 2018 ebook, provided as a chart and written instructions. Choices!)

Below, some of our wrap/shawl patterns that sing with an abundance of textured stitches:

left to right: Etchplain by Isabell Kraemer, Mucha by Leila Raabe, and Naamah by Paula Pereira

Etchplain, shown in color Iceland, features all-over nestled diamonds with gorgeous stitch definition in its knit-purl patterning. In the center of each diamond are bobbles—which can be replaced by a plain purl stitch if you prefer a subtler result. 

Mucha, from the Shawls 2017 collection and shown in color Honey, is a balanced mix of textures, with slipped stitches, cartridge rib, and a drop-dead gorgeous lace border.

From Scarves, etc 6, Paula Pereira's Naamah shawl shows off the beauty of the twisted stitch—knitting stitches through the back loop to create a snug stitch that stands out in sharper relief than a plain knit stitch—the twisted rib giving way to pretty wave motifs in the border.

Texture is well represented in our sweater patterns, too:

left to right: Lassi by Elizabeth Smith, Sibella by Carrie Bostick Hoge, and Effervescence by Olga Buraya-Kefelian

Elizabeth Smith's Lassi cardigan, from the Spice collection and shown in color Sedum, uses texture as an embellishment in its front bands, with a little flourish at sleeve cuff, and tiny textures in its bands of broken rib.

Sibella, by Carrie Bostick Hoge and shown in Kittywake, has a sweetly textured yoke that looks irresistible in wooly Chickadee.

And from the Circles + Dots collection by Olga Buraya-Kefelian, the Effervescence cardigan, shown in Chanterelle, with its mesmerizing eyelet, cable, and seed stitch motif gracing the front of the sweater, is a perfect example of Chickadee's wonderful stitch definition.

Texture isn't all that Chickadee is noted for, however; with its 65+ color palette, it's also a favorite for colorwork:

left to right: Zeeland by Trin-Annelie, Ebba by Dianna Walla, and Linnae by Bristol Ivy

From our recent Shawls 2018 collection, Trin-Annelie's Zeeland is a pretty mix of subtle shades of Chickadee, creating multicolor textures that beg to be touched.

Dianna Walla's masterful use of colorwork is apparent in Ebba, with a nod to Norwegian knitting tradition and steeked construction (a tutorial for which can be found right here on the Quince blog).

Linnae, by Bristol Ivy, is worked in two colors and has dotted colorwork—fun, simple, and simply beautiful in any combination of Chickadee shades. We could dream up new color combinations for this one all day.

Crocheters, we have you covered, too:

left to right: Andersen by Rebecca Velasquez, Hop La Vie by Louise Belair, and Latham by Sara Kay Hartmann

Rebecca Velasquez's Andersen shawl, from the Crochet 2017 collection and shown in Audouin, is a sweet take on traditional Danish shawls, with ties to secure the ends at the back of the wearer.

From Crochet 2016, Louise Belair's Hop La Vie, also shown in Audouin, is the perfect crocheted cowl to have at the ready for the cold season—so snuggly, sophisticated, and warm.

And Latham, also from Crochet 2017, is what we picture when we think of the quintessential crocheted shawl, shown above in Sedum.

We adore Chickadee's incomparable qualities of texture and fantastic range of colors to choose from! We hope you enjoyed taking this little walk down memory lane with us and that it inspires you to cast on with our sweet sport weight bird. View all of our Chickadee patterns here.

Next week, we turn to the next of our 100% wool, 100% American-made wool yarns for Core Wool 2018: Osprey. This one's all about squish. Purchase the ebook now, and in addition to Etchplain (plus Dale, Ridge, and Dune from our earlier Lark focus) you'll be the first to receive the ebook installment with two new patterns we have coming your way next week. Sign up for our e-letter for first announcements.