Susan Pine started out as a jewelry designer in 1982
making Christmas ornaments out of polished brass sheet,
although always a knitter. Susan also makes earrings,
necklaces and other gift items, but in 2002 she decided
to add the love of her fiber to her brick and mortar
store in Cumberland Maine.
In building the website, I’ve come across a lot of shop owners
that combine their knit shops with other endeavors to
make it work; art, quilting, beads, tea, picture framing,
even books, but jewelry…..now you’re talkin’ my language. Susan
even makes jewelry for your knitting; her stitch markers are exquisite. Take
a look at her website to see all that she does – her talent
is vast and deep!
Another thing of great interest
is Susan’s’ brass sheep needle sizer. I’m sure you’ve
seen them, you may even own one; Susan is the designer
and developer of that product. Out of her frustration
to find a knitting needle gauge that went down to the smallest
size, her design came into being; you could say “necessity
is the mother of invention” fits this situation. “I
realized that even though I couldn’t find one to buy, I
could design the tool I needed for myself” Susan said. She
loves the way her two passions, knitting and jewelry design,
have been married in her business.
So part of Susan’s store is her jewelry
and Christmas ornaments and part of her store includes
yarn by brand name and also yarn that she spins, books,
tools, magazines, knitting needle cases and other accessories
like knitting bags. Because Cumberland Maine is such
a small place, she has an on-line store as well. Susan
loves lace knitting and the Zephyr line of yarn from Jagger is a favorite. She
favors strong gem colors in her own knitting, but loves
the neutrals as well.
Cumberland is a rural area just north of
Maine’s largest city Portland. Cumberland is centrally
located, 20 minutes from Portland, and 20 minutes from
L. L. Bean in Freeport, and the coast. Once a year,
Cumberland has the Cumberland Craft Fair which lasts four
days at their fairgrounds, which is just four miles from
Susan’s store. This fair has over 300 craftsmen.
Cumberland Maine is in Cumberland County. Maine
is home to more surviving forts like Fort William Henry
in New Harbor, than any other state in the country. Maine
also has more than 60 lighthouses standing guard along
their coastline. If you are visiting Maine this summer,
look up Susan and The Elegant Knitter at Goose Pond in
Cumberland, or visit her online store for a look inside
this quaint business!
