sea smoke
The Quince design team is back again with our newest Fall collection: Sea Smoke, featuring four designs by Dianna Walla and Bristol Ivy.
For this collection the designers focused on colorwork and textures in maritime blues from two of our core wool lines, Lark (worsted weight) and Chickadee (sport). Fitting choices, as we found ourselves photographing the garments against the backdrop of foggy Maine coastline.
The four (five, actually) gorgeous designs:
Clockwise, from top left, we have Brooke, Bristol Ivy's textural interpretation of the traditional Icelandic lopapeysa, shown here in Lark Fjord; Dalis, a stunning colorwork pullover by Dianna Walla in 5 colors of Lark (Audouin, Delft, Fjord, Carrie's Yellow, and Kumlien's Gull); Dianna's Riva hat and mittens, knitted in Lark Fjord, Egret, and Carrie's Yellow; and last but not least, the Finna shawl in Chickadee Gingerbread, by Bristol Ivy, who drew from Scandinavian knitting/quilting inspiration to make a simple garter-stitch half-star motif the central feature on this irresistible triangular wrap.
Patterns from the Sea Smoke collection are offered as a collection ebook, or as individual patterns.
Color ideas
Our yarn production can be mischievous at times. Over the course of the year and throughout our pattern development, our supply waxes and wanes, swells and recedes, and we keep a close eye all the while. Sometimes, the timing of a new release doesn't always align with what we have on our yarn shelves. A couple of the colors featured in our new designs are low or out of stock at the moment—and with that reality in mind, we have gathered some color substitutions to inspire you.
For Finna, shown here in Chickadee Gingerbread:
Drifting just slightly in either direction from the original color for similar matches, we also recommend (from left to right): Barolo, Gingerbread (for comparison), Fox, Sedum, Nasturtium, and Poppy.
As you can see, Fox is the subtlest substitute, while Barolo takes things deeper (and brighter Poppy, at the far right, is indeed popping).
Don't be afraid to branch out further, though—our 60+ color-strong palette will have your perfect shade well outside of this sliver of autumnal selections.
And some alternates for the Egret in Riva (a color we are out of at the moment, and anxiously await its return):
Dianna Walla's Riva hat and mittens are worked in Lark Fjord, Egret, and Carrie's Yellow. We think the perfect substitution is to stick with as light a shade as possible, to keep that wonderful strong contrast against the blue of Fjord.
Our picks, all of them a close match for Egret, but which bring their own influence into the mix:
clockwise from top left: Egret (original), Audouin, Frost, Iceland
Heathered or solid, warm or cool, there's plenty to choose from. Is your color choice out of stock? Sign up right from the yarn page to receive an email notification as soon as it becomes available again, so you don't miss out.
Keep an eye on the blog next week, when we return to swatch up some color combinations for Dianna Walla's breathtaking Dalis pullover. Our Portland staff had fun experimenting with color and stepping outside of their comfort zones to see what happens. See you then.
