what happened at quince in july?

July was both hectic and quiet at the same time, if that’s possible. I didn’t travel to Maine for the first time since taking on my role at Quince & Co, so there was lots of much-needed time spent at home with my family. Still, the month was full of preparation for the fast-approaching fall season—we have so many exciting new patterns coming, I personally can’t wait for the weather to allow for a sweater and a pair of blue jeans. At the same time, there is sadness at the passing of another summer. This season always makes me feel like a kid again, with its ending feeling like I’ve turned another year older; and my older kids have all left home once again, and I miss them terribly.

New at Quince & Co.

On a lighter note, this month was really exciting for new Quince product launches. 

We launched our Keep Collection, our clever solution for keeping all that knitting gear in order and looking beautiful. It’s really a versatile piece that will keep all the little daily items organized and in clear view—it also fits brilliantly in the kitchen, closet, or entryway.  

We also just launched our Natural Dyer’s Starter Bundle! I can’t wait to get my hands on this kit—it’s already in the mail! I am planning to dye 8 skeins of Owl in Cochineal and then knit Ash by Pam Allen. I love dyeing in my backyard, and am planning to make a weekend of it as soon as I am able.

Lastly, we launched our beautiful Limited Edition Kestrel in Beach Plum. I love how this gorgeous color goes with Byzantium, Minos, and Hyacinth. I knit the Aster tank in this luscious color, but imagine the Waves of Change Jacket by Denise Bayron would knit up incredibly in this!  

On My Needles

I am knitting my first baby sweater: the Nara Jacket in Finch Glacier. This is my first time knitting with Finch and it is absolutely beautiful, and is making the most-perfectly squishy, defined garter stitches. I can’t wait to give this sweater to a sweet new friend I just met for the first time.

I also knit the Simple Hat and Puck’s Scarf in Osprey Clay.  These pieces are for an upcoming bundle that we are working on. I love Osprey, it’s one of my favorite yarns—a bit thicker than Finch and so satisfying to knit up.

Knitting Notes

This month I have been working hard on improving my knitting tension. I taught myself to knit by watching YouTube and definitely did not pay any attention to the gauge I was achieving. The result was that all of my knits were giant compared to the patterns I was knitting. I really want to keep improving and feel like I am ready to tackle how I hold my yarn while knitting. Knitting with more even tension has definitely slowed me down, but my results have been 100% better.  For example, with the Nara Jacket I was able to achieve perfect gauge—the first time that’s ever been the case. I know with practice I will get more comfortable and will get faster in my knitting.  To see how far I have come I am planning to reknit Great Falls, one of my early sweaters, so that I can compare the results. Wish me luck!