PIPER 2016 from Quince & Co
CONTENTS in tro. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 - 5 march. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 - 9 april. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0 - 1 3 . may. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 4 - 1 7 jun e . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0 - 2 3 de sign er bios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 - 2 7
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iper. Softest kid mohair blended with softest merino. A lovely fairy of a yarn. Light and airy, it’s like knitting on tiptoes. Finished garments are buoyant, hold them in your hands, close your eyes, and you’ll think you’re cradling a feather. Initially, we introduced Piper as our shawl yarn, an almost lace weight. But it turns out that Piper makes lovely sweaters. It’s a natural for webby yarn-over stitches, of course. Witness April, Isabell Kraemer’s allover-lace pullover worked in San Angelo (page 10), a pearly green as delicate as a drift of lichen on a woodland tree. And even though Piper has a halo, see how neatly delineated is the arching lace pattern in Cecily Glowik MacDonald’s June (opposite page). Piper’s airiness shows, too, in tailored stitch patterns, like the upright and tidy knit-and-purl fabric Bristol Ivy used for her little vest, May. See how light peeks through between stitches in the photo on page 16. Finally, even stockinette stitch is pretty in Piper, in which its halo is the main feature. The yarn lends itself, too, to small border patterns and diminutive color changes. It took me many swatches to settle on the combination of colors used in March’s border (page 7). I could have knitted several versions of this sweater, each in a different colorway. And I may yet.
Pam Allen
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March
Pam Allen
yarn: piper colors: abilene rock springs longhorn amarillo 6
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April
Isabell Kraemer
yarn: piper color: san angelo
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May Bristol Ivy
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yarn: piper color: lone oak
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June
Cecily Glowik MacDonald yarn: piper color: pampa
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Pam Allen has worked as a knitwear designer, editor at Interweave Knits, and creative director at Classic Elite Yarns. In 2010 she launched Quince & Co with the idea of sourcing fiber and spinning yarns in the US. The company began with four classic wool yarns in 37 colors. Today the ‘basics’ line comes in 55 colors and Quince now makes and sells eleven yarns originating in the US and two organic linen yarns from Italy. And there’s always a new idea in the works. website: quinceandco.com ravelry: pamallen instagram: quinceandco
Isabell Kraemer describes herself as “chaotic, sometimes nerve-wracking, tiny, cluttered with laughter lines, all-loving, creative, with never enough time to get all the ideas out of my head, always sketching, and a lover of all things related to fashion.” She lives in a small, medieval town in south-west Germany. Her aim is to design everyday items for modern knitters—casual with a little twist. She’s addicted to stripes and seamless construction. She doesn’t mind seaming, but likes the fit-as-you-go aspect of top-down knitting. website: owlsisters.blogspot.com ravelry: lilalu instagram: lilalu72
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Bristol Ivy is a knitting designer and teacher from Portland, Maine. Her work focuses on the intersection of classic tailoring and innovative technique, and has been published with Brooklyn Tweed’s Wool People, Quince & Co, PomPom Quarterly, Interweave Knits, amirisu, and many more. website: bristolivy.com ravelry: BristolIvy instagram: bristolivy
Cecily Glowik MacDonald lives in beautiful Portland, Maine, where she spends her time knitting, designing, and enjoying the wonderful hiking trails, coastline and lovely people of Maine. website: cecilyam.wordpress.com ravelry: cecilyam instagram: cecilyam
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