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Lion Brand Announces Partnership with Quince & Co.

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Here’s a bit of breaking yarn industry news for you that’s pretty short on details, but I will update you as I have more information.

Lion Brand Yarn announced on its Facebook page a partnership with indie yarn maker Quince & Co. The post welcomes the yarn maker “to the pride” and goes on to say:

With the elevated expertise and passion of our combined teams, we look to create an even better experience for our valued customers.

Our consumers should expect the same great quality of products, patterns, accessories, and services – plus so much more. We are excited to see where our newfound engagement takes us next!

Unfortunately that’s about all there is to the statement, and when someone asked for more details the reply from the company was to stay connected and they will share updates.

I’m not seeing any information on the Lion Brand or Quince & Co. websites about the news, nor on the Quince & Co. social media pages, but I will continue to look and provide more details as I have them.

Lion Brand Yarn was founded in 1878 and is the oldest producer of craft yarn in the United States. It has been run by members of the Blumenthal family for five generations, and is celebrating its 145th anniversary this year.

Quince & Co. was launched in 2010 by designer Pam Allen in partnership with a historic mill in Maine. The company’s about us page says Allen wanted to start a yarn company because, after working for a major yarn company, she “wanted to work with mills to design yarns from the ground up” and to be able to produce yarn made in the United States.

It will be interesting to see if Quince & Co. yarn is still produced in the same way and this partnership just gives them wider distribution channels (such as the ability to be sold in big-box craft stores). It also gives Lion Brand a much wider selection of natural fiber yarns that it can introduce to its consumers.

Update: This was first posted on June 21. On the 22nd, Quince & Co. shared the news on its Instagram page, with some of the same wording as the Lion Brand announcement, but a little more for its customers: “As our beloved customer, you should expect the same great quality of our bespoke products, patterns, accessoreis, and services that you have come to know and love from Quince & Co. and Twig & Horn.
[Photo via Lion Brand Facebook page]

 

Have you read?

Book Review: Knitted Safari Friends – 20 Adorable Animals to Make

If you have a weakness for knitted animals wearing tiny clothes, Knitted Safari Friends by Sarah Keen is going to be very difficult to resist.

This colourful collection includes 20 safari and savannah animals to knit, including a lion, tiger, elephant, flamingo, hippo, crocodile, rhinoceros, zebra and giraffe.

And yes, many of them have their own little outfits.

The lion in purple overalls is probably enough to sell me on the whole book.

Cute Animals With Plenty of Personality

What I like about this collection is that the animals are clearly designed as characters rather than realistic wildlife models.

They are bright, friendly and a little quirky, which makes them particularly appealing as handmade gifts for children or animal-loving adults.

Looking at the sample pages, the hippo and flamingo patterns have a cheerful illustrated layout, with the finished animals shown in little safari scenes alongside the practical pattern information.

There is also plenty of variety in the shapes, which means you aren’t simply knitting the same basic body 20 times and changing the ears.

If knitted animals with interchangeable clothes are already your thing, have a look at our Knitted Wild Animal Friends book review. That collection includes elephants, giraffes, lions, tigers, zebras and other animals with an entire wardrobe of tiny knitted clothing.

Is Knitted Safari Friends Beginner Friendly?

The publisher describes the patterns as easy to follow, and the book includes a techniques section, abbreviations and knitting conversions to help you through the projects.

I would still put this more in the confident beginner to intermediate category rather than recommending it as someone’s very first knitting project.

Toy knitting usually involves shaping, joining pieces, stuffing and finishing neatly, and that finishing stage can sometimes take almost as long as the knitting itself.

Ask anyone who has ever had a finished knitted animal sitting in pieces on the craft table for three weeks waiting for its legs to be sewn on.

For knitters who are still learning the basics of toy making, our Knitted Amigurumi Animal Friends review is another useful option, with smaller animals and simple clothing pieces.

A Great Gift Knitting Book

These would make lovely handmade gifts for children, particularly if you matched the animal to their favourite safari creature.

You could also knit several of them together as a nursery display or create your own little safari collection.

The clothes and accessories add another level of fun, too. Once you’ve knitted an elephant, there is something wonderfully satisfying about then deciding what that elephant ought to wear.

Apparently this is where my crafting priorities are now.

My Take

I think Knitted Safari Friends is one of those books that you buy intending to make one project and then immediately start planning an entire knitted zoo.

The bright colours, cute facial expressions and tiny outfits give the animals loads of personality, while the variety of creatures should keep the knitting interesting.

Sarah Keen has been designing knitted toys for years, and that experience shows in the way these animals have been turned into characters rather than simply miniature versions of real wildlife.

If you enjoy toy knitting, handmade gifts or anything involving animals in overalls, this one is definitely worth a look.

Knitted Safari Friends: 20 Adorable Animals to Make is written by Sarah Keen and published by GMC Publications. It was released on April 21, 2026, with a listed RRP of $26.99.