(All photos used in this post are photographed by Carrie Bostick Hoge for Quince & Co. and are from the book Knit with Me.)
Hi, Knitters,
Ahhhhhh, Gudrun Johnston..... what's not to love? I have admired her work for a long time now. She's originally from the Shetland Islands and now lives in the woods in Western Massachusetts with her family. Gurdrun is talented, smart, adorable, prolific, her husband writes novels, she has beautiful children, she makes a fantastic model.... and now she has a brand new collection of knitwear that celebrates mothers and daughters, well, really just women in general. When Gudrun asked if I would be interested in being on the blog tour for Knit with Me, A Mother Daughter Collection, I already had her book in my hands as I had purchased it from Quince & Co. the day it came out. The answer was an easy yes!
The idea for this mother daughter inspired collection came when Gudrun and her teenage daughter knit Agnes (remember mine?) together, one for each of them. Click here to see their mother daughter Anges sweaters. Gudrun was experiencing the same exact thing I have going on at my house with two teenage girls. My own girls, like Gudrun's daughter, enjoy my knitwear, the sweaters, socks, hats, mittens, and cowls and they like to wear it all and often.
Gudrun decided to take action and help her daughter knit her own sweater while making the same sweater right along with her. Gudrun had so much fun with the mother daughter knitting adventure of making Agnes together that it sparked the idea for this collection made in collaboration with Quince & Co. Gudrun's intention for the Knit with Me collection is to provide knits that mothers and daughters, grandmas and granddaughters, aunts and nieces, or simply friends with friends, can make together. It's a great idea and a wonderful, warm, charming, accessible collection for girls and women of any age.
The collection includes seven sweaters and cardigans that come in a huge range of sizes to fit from the upper 20s to well over a 50-inch bust. The sweaters are simple and doable with elegant and interesting touches. There are also cute legwarmers, hats, a scarf, and a cowl. Every item is classic and timeless which is always a good combination for knitwear.
Let's take a look at a few of the projects together.
The cover cardigan is called Ambrosia. Guess what? I already have the yarn, Quince & Co. Puffin in the Frank's Plum colorway, in my house waiting to be wound and knit into my own Ambrosia. It's a deep, dark and vibrant purple. I can't wait to whip this one up this winter. It will go so fast with the bulky weight yarn on US size 11 needles. Purple delight! I can't wait to start and I'll keep you posted on my progress. I mean, how could you not love this cardigan?
By the way, Gudrun has a very simple sweater included in this collection called, Granny Smith (click here to see it). This sweater is intended to be a first-time sweater knit for you and/or for your younger knitter. She is hosting a knitalong that starts on January 7th for the Granny Smith sweater and she also has a general Knit with Me knitalong starting for any project in the book on January 7th.
I love this photo in the book. Carrie Bostick Hoge does such an incredible job with the photography. As always, Quince & Co. produces fantastic patterns that use their yarns to the fullest. It's all very impressive.
Here is an example of some interesting detail. On a few of the sweaters/cardigans Gudrun shapes the bottom edge so it doesn't hang in a straight line. I love this design element so much. Braeburn (above), McIntosh, and Brock all have this feature.
What a stunning color!
The setting for the photos is breathtaking and there are lots of extra photos included in the book.
Gudrun models with her daughter in the book along with several other mother daughter teams. They are all fresh, real and adorable together. I love this sweet cardigan, Empire, above. What a perfect all-season piece for any wardrobe.
By the way, if you haven't noticed the projects in the book are all named after different kinds of apples. That makes it even better in my eyes!
Who doesn't love a chunky cowl? If you don't want to start teaching someone to knit with a sweater Gudrun offers some simple accessories knit on big needles that will do the trick. Instant gratification is motivating for everyone, hands down.
Here is Gudrun with her beautiful daughter both wearing Soay. I am making this little cardigan, too. I love Gudrun's expression of pride and love while looking at her daughter in the photo above. This photo tells a story. Knit with Me is simply a treat, a feast for the eyes, an inspiring sampling.... you can tell that so much love and effort went into this amazing collection.
I love Knit with Me on so many levels. You don't have to be teaching someone to knit to enjoy this book of simple, fast, doable, affordable projects (yes, the yarn is so affordable!). The pairing of Gudrun Johnston and Quince is genius. Quince & Co. makes knitting accessible to everyone with affordable quality yarns and patterns. You can't go wrong, trust me.
I am happy to offer a copy of Knit with Me to one lucky winner today! Please leave one and only one comment on this blog post that includes your Ravelry ID or your email address. Remember to be patient when posting a comment. There is a delay before your comment will appear and is posted on the blog because I have to approve each comment to avoid spam. I will contact the winner in a few days to collect a mailing address so Gudrun can get you your book.
Good luck and let the comments begin!
best, susie