Pam Allen Honored as One to Watch in Maine

Each year MaineBiz names a handful of “women to watch” in various categories, including women-owned businesses. For 2012, the woman to watch who owns her business is Pam Allen, owner of Quince & Co. yarns.

The awards presentation is next month, and you can read more about how the business got started and watch a video with Allen talking about why her business is successful (hint: because she is her customer).

If you don’t know about Quince & Co., it’s based in Maine and uses American-sourced fiber to produce its yarn, which is spun in Maine (the story indicates they’re setting up their own dye company, too, which will also be in Maine). The colors are gorgeous — though Allen says she’d only produce neutrals if she were really just making yarn for herself! — and the yarn can be purchased in a couple of stores in Maine and one in the UK and otherwise is available direct from the company.

Allen says this is one way to keep the cost of the yarn low when faced with the higher production costs involved in using American fiber and doing what they can to keep their footprint small. If you’d like to know more you can sign up for their weekly e-newsletter. (There’s a box at the top-right corner of the home page.)

[Photo by Quince & Co.]

It feels like it’s too early to be thinking about back to school, but as I write this my daughter has just a couple of weeks of summer left! So let’s get in that school and fall knitting spirit by looking at some apple knitting projects.

If you have a 22 needle circular knitting machine, knitting an apple is one of the easiest things you can do. I have an apple pattern over at Our Daily Craft that will take you just a few minutes to knit and they’re a great addition to your fall decor.

Apple hats are a classic, and whether you want to knit a hat that looks like an apple or one with apples on it, we’ve got you covered. For hats that look like apples check out the rolled brim version from Emma Crochet Design 4 U, which uses worsted weight yarn and comes in sizes for kids of all ages; and the ribbed brim version from Hand Knit Hugs. This one also calls for worsted weight yarn and comes in four kids sizes. Both include a stem and leaf.

If you’d rather have apples on your hat, try the Red Apple Hat from Little Red Window. This one is sized from newborn to 2T and calls for four colors of worsted weight yarn.

How about apple socks? You’ll find Ariel Chang’s Apple Picnic Socks as a free download on Ravelry. These use three colors of sock yarn and come in three sizes. Stone Knits also a pair of stripey apple socks that show the inside of the apple. These also have three sizes but they use six colors total, with the main color being a self-striping yarn.

If you want a little apple accessory for the house, the apple potholder from Nifty Knitter Designs is cute and a great way to practice double knitting. It uses two colors and you’ll find the colors in the reverse on the other side. The pattern only uses about 50 yards of each color of worsted weight yarn, so it’s a great use for odd balls, too.

Once you’ve got your double knitting skills sorted you can also try the double knit apple scarf from Crow and Chai Shop. The Winter Apples scarf is shown in red and gold, but you can use whatever colors you like. There are apples, stars and random stitches in the design, which calls for DK weight yarn. There’s also a matching fingerless glove pattern.

Have you read?