we love mohair

Here in northern New England, when we get into deep winter, we think of soft, cozy fibers that are lovely next to the skin and wonderful to work with; our two single-ply mohair yarns—lace weight Piper and worsted weight Crane—fit the bill so nicely.

Both take cables and lace wonderfully, defining the details while also providing a soft halo and a relaxed fabric.

As we're about to offer up a new design this coming week in our beloved Crane—which, hard to believe, just had its first birthday!—we thought we'd celebrate both of our mohair yarns and all the gorgeous ways in which they can be worked up. Enjoy!

Crane

Beatrice, named for its designer, Beatrice Perron Dahlen, was the pattern we published the the official launch of Crane in January 2019. Featuring a classic shale border and a subtle garter stripe motif in the body, this cozy shawl is a fun and meditative knit, and feels so good on the shoulders, warm and soft. Shown in pale champagne Blanco.

Allison Jane designed Rime for us, a sweet top-down, round-yoke pullover shown here in light steel-blue Quanah. We published this in February 2019. The yoke increases are cleverly baked into the cables. It's a classic pullover shape in a luscious fabric.

In Leila Raven's new book, To the Point: The Knitted Triangle (November 2019), mohair is solidly represented. Clary Sage, shown here in silvery Abilene, is a really amazing thing to knit (I should know, I made the sample you see photographed!). Leila's expert stitch-building skills are showcased here and Crane is the perfect match for these intricate cable and lace motifs.

left to right: Beatrice by Beatrice Perron Dahlen, Rime by Allison Jane, Clary Sage by Leila Raven

Piper

Poe, designed also by Leila, made its debut in our Piper 2018 collection, released in February of that year. Shown here in Avocet, this pullover has an a-line body shape, a raglan yoke using cabled decreases, and very subtle finishing at the cuffs, hem, and neckline. A peak of geometric honeycomb raises the front hemline slightly without the use of short rows.

We published Allison Jane's Avalon in January 2019. Everything about this roomy pullover is amazing: Reverse stockinette in Piper looks pretty stunning, the stripes and woven strand details are compelling, and the sheer depth of the yoke makes it look like the comfiest thing ever…shown in Abilene (MC) and Avocet (CC), this is a must-knit.

Sara Kay Hartmann designed Celia for us, which we published in our Crochet collection in mid-2016. This pretty shawl shows what Piper looks like in an allover mesh fabric, very cool. Shown here in Pampa.

left to right: Poe by Leila Raven, Avalon by Allison Jane, Celia by Sara Kay Hartmann

Color study: Off the deep end

Our richest shades are the ones that get me very excited to work with this fiber: Here, Boreas, worked up in Crane and shown in almost-Navy El Paso, was included in our inaugural level 2 box for our Quince Quarterly subscription in early January 2019. Designed by Dawn Catanzaro, this is offered in a scarf version (shown) and shawl version.

In her Summer Ebbs mini-collection (published in early August 2016), Paulina Popiolek came up with this ridiculously awesome shawl, Palmetto, shown in deep, rich purple Laredo in Piper. The sideways-knit border is deceptively simple, with just a four-row repeat that combines a saw tooth edge, ladder lace, and a beautiful center leaf motif. The body is picked up along the side and worked in stockinette stitch, shaped with short rows.

Leila's Shelley, also part of our 2018 Piper collection, is worked up in stunning auburn Austin. A large wrap with arm openings is always a great thing to have on hand! The two sections of welts going in different directions give this piece a modern, graphic vibe.

left to right: Boreas by Dawn Catanzaro, Palmetto by Paulina Popiolek, Shelley by Leila Raven

We are excited to grow our mohair offerings, since we have so much fun working with them (and looking at them, and touching them), so keep your eye out! (Hint: If you get our e-letter, you'll be among the first to know…) View all of our Crane patterns here. For all Piper patterns, see this page.

We hope you love our mohair birds as much as we do!