Rowan Loves: Pure Wool and Creative Focus Worsted

Take a peek at another one of my favorite collections from Rowan's 2015 A/W releases – Rowan Loves: Creative Focus Worsted & Pure Wool Superwash Worsted. This is the third brochure in the Rowan Loves series, and features nine designs that can be knit in either yarn, giving you lots and lots of options. I am absolutely in love with the photography and styling of this collection, and no surprise, these were all designed by the talented Marin Storey. See for yourself why I adore all of these gorgeous sweaters and accessories. So wearable with fun details ... and it's so much fun seeing the design variations and differences between the two yarns! Enjoy.

 

Let's start off with Bellerose, a classic striped cardigan or sweater. The contrasting colors in the cuffs and bottom edge are so cool; I'm in love with both versions of this sweater.

 

Use either yarn to knit Rockette, too. This casual sweater has ribbed edgings, semi set in sleeves and a pouch pocket. I would wear this all of the time.

 

Bergen would clearly be gorgeous in either Creative Focus Pure Wool Superwash. This boyfriend style cardigan has contrasting pocket and cuff detail. I love the shape of this and again, the color-blocked sections are super fun.

Corona is a textured cardigan or sweater. The longer length cardigan has placement pockets and the longline sweater has a deep rib collar and edgings.

Astoria is a chunky cable sweater with a roll neck and raglan sleeves. It can be knitted in either a shorter or longer length version.

Driscoll is a classic sweater with semi set in sleeves. It has a stand up rib collar and can be knitted in either a shorter or longer length version.

Haven is a boxy sweater or jacket. Both of these loose-fitting designs are knitted in moss stitch with delicate, contrasting lace panels.

Skyland is a scarf or shawl! How clever. Knitted in garter stitch and finished with pom poms, you can choose either a shorter length scarf or a longer length shawl. (I love pom poms.)

And finally, Union is a slouchy hat knitted in garter stitch. It uses just one ball of yarn!

Keep an eye out for Rowan Loves this fall at your local or online Rowan stockists ... you'll love this collection!

TNNA recap: the Rowan adventures

I have a few more TNNA photos to share, and this time it's all about Rowan. I was invited to attend the trade show with Rowan via Westminster Fibers, which was a super cool experience. The highlight of the weekend was getting the opportunity meeting some of the Rowan team from the U.K. One of my favorite knitwear designers of all time is Martin Storey, and it was a real treat to be able to chat with him over the weekend. Pictured above is my wonderfully talented TNNA roommate, Kristen from Knitionary, Martin and I. He is one of the head designers at Rowan and learning about what goes on behind the scenes (the photo shoots, design stories, pattern design, putting together collections) was absolutely fascinating. He's such a nice guy!

There was a knitwear fashion show on first evening of TNNA which featured 75 designs by various yarn companies. Rowan showed four designs – a vest, a fair isle sweater, a wrap and a wedding dress. This gorgeous Kidsilk Haze bridal gown was saved for the finale and was a showstopper! 

The next day, we got to check out the Rowan booth which was bursting with brand new designs and new yarns.

One of my new favorite yarns for fall is Hemp Tweed, which feels a bit squishy and seems to have great memory/stretch to it. I loved all the designs that were showcased using this yarn and can't wait to knit with it this fall. (I believe it's available beginning July 2015.)

And Kristen and I had fun checking out the new Swarovski + Rowan collaboration, which includes yarn pre-strung with Swarovski crystals and packages of crystals/baubles/beads that are available for purchase on their own.

Martin Storey and the lovely Kate Buller brought out champagne and chocolate covered strawberries for everyone during their knitting with Swarovski demonstration, which was really neat. Martin showed us all how to knit with pre-strung crystals.

And they had a sweet little baby garment display showcasing Rowan's Super Fine Merino 4ply, which is another favorite of mine. It feels so nice and will be amazing to knit with. It's washable, too.

And that's it! I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity to meet these sweet and talented people and spend the weekend with other knitting enthusiasts, doing what we do best. A huge thanks to Rowan for everything – I had such a great time!

on my way to TNNA

I'm headed to Columbus, OH this weekend for the 2015 Summer National Needle Arts Association show. I'm excited to be attending with Rowan and rooming with one of my very favorite Rowan ambassador friends, Kristen from Knitionary. I know we will have a fantastic time together and I'm looking forward to meeting up with lots of other knitting pals over the course of the weekend. This will be my first time attending TNNA but from what I've heard, I can look forward to a weekend of exploring downtown Columbus, checking out the new yarns/products/books, attending Marly Bird's Designer Dinner, meeting up with long-distance friends, good food, tasty drinks and the legendary Jeni's Ice Cream that I have heard so much about. I cannot wait.

I am the world's worst over-packer. But the hardest thing is deciding which knitting projects to bring. So much knitting time on the plane! And all of my projects are super bulky. Hmm. Shoes or yarn? Yarn or shoes. That is the question. 

Will I see you there? Have you attended in the past? Do you have any last-minute packing advice for me? I'm all ears.  ;)

Echoes

You must see Kim Hargreave's new beachy collection, Echoes! This collection of 21 designs uses some of my favorite Rowan yarns including Original Denim, Creative Linen, Cotton Lustre, Handknit Cotton, Summerlite 4ply, All Seasons Cotton, Panama, Mohair Haze and of course, Kidsilk Haze. The light and breezy cardigan above might be my favorite so far; it's called Spray and is worked in Cotton Lustre. But check out the rest of these beauties. Wow.

This eyelet skirt with fringe is a must-knit. So cool. This is Reed and it's made with Cotton Lustre.

 This is Aqua, an amazing openwork sweater. Also worked in Cotton Lustre.

And Wave, a longline cardigan using Kidsilk Haze.

Cape is a preppy, short-sleeved sweater made with cotton Summerlite 4ply.

Coral is cropped cardigan with broad shadow stripes. It's made with Panama (linen, cotton and viscose.)

Drift is made with gorgeous Mohair Haze.

Harbour is a long sleeved cardigan with a soft ruffled hemline, made with Panama.

 Lagoon is a cool garter stitch tank made with Cotton Lustre.

This classic sweater, Ocean, is worked in Creative Linen.

Reef is a long line hooded cardigan, worked in a textured stitch with a garter stitch edging in lovely All Seasons Cotton.

Splash, a simple raglan sweater has a gorgeous neckline and is made with Creative Linen. I would wear this a ton, I have a feeling!

Tide, a generous cabled and textured pullover is made with Handknit Cotton.

 And Ebb is a close fitting raglan made with Kidsilk Haze.

I'm guessing you're in the mood for spring and summer beachy knitting now, right? Echoes is available at Kim's website and at Rowan stockists everywhere. You can check out the details for each pattern right here.

Rowan swatch party (and a giveaway!)

Hey hey! I don't know what the weather is like where you live, but around here we've been seeing a lot of snow. (Like almost 12" in 24 hours.) Which means lots of shoveling, lots of layers, lots of blankets and, of course, it's the perfect time for knitting. I haven't had a chance yet to show off some of my favorite new Rowan yarns from the Autumn/Winter release so I decided to knit up some swatches and let the yarn do the talking. From left to right, we have Brushed Fleece, Rowan Fine Tweed, Rowan Finest, Fazed Tweed and Chenille.

The dark blue swatch on the left is one of my new favorite yarns (of all time.) This is Brushed Fleece – lightweight but extremely warm and not itchy whatsoever. I'm knitting a cardigan (called Stour) with Brushed Fleece right now. The green swatch was made with Rowan Finest, which is luxurious and oh-so-soft. This yarn is a blend of extra fine merino, cashmere and royal alpaca wool. The marled blue and white swatch is a new yarn called Fazed Tweed, and is (in my opinion) the most innovative of the bunch! Fazed Tweed is a mix of wool and fine alpaca with a filled tube-like construction held together with a fine net-like fiber. Finally, on the far right is Chenille, which is absolutely gorgeous in person. Chenille is 100% cotton, very soft and has a great texture that makes it super fun to knit with.

And I didn't get around to making swatches for these guys, but another favorite yarn that I'm loving this season is definitely Rowan Fine Tweed. It comes in a zillion fantastic shades that all work amazingly well together.  This is a beautifully soft, 100% wool, traditionally spun tweed yarn made in one of the few surviving mills in Yorkshire. But again, the colors are what draws me to this yarn ... it's perfect for colorwork and Rowan offers tons of gorgeous patterns that encourage you to let your imagination run wild with color combinations.

GIVEAWAY!

THE PRIZE

One lucky reader will win will get a ball of Chenille, Fazed Tweed and Brushed Fleece. (I might have a few more secret surprises from Rowan to throw in your package as well!)

HOW TO ENTER

• Comment below telling me what you are knitting right now.
• Like Rowan Yarns on Facebook.

THE RULES

• U.S. residents only. (Sorry!)
• Giveaway is open until February 16th, 2015 at 11:30 PM CST.
• Comments must include a valid email address or Ravelry ID so I can contact you if you are the winner. :)
• Winner will be chosen via random number generator and will be contacted within 48 hours after giveaway ends. 

Best of luck and thanks so much for reading!

Still

My three favorite things this winter are: hot Tazo Passion tea, knitting while watching 'Lilyhammer' on Netflix, and looking at pattern collections by Kim Hargreaves. HA. But seriously, check out 'Still' by Kim Hargreaves. This soft and cozy collection includes 21 designs using Rowan Brushed Fleece, Mohair Haze, Kidsilk Haze, Fine Lace, Kid Classic, Kidsilk Haze Stripe, Cocoon, Lima, Felted Tweed DK and Felted Tweed Aran. Here are some of my favorites. 

Comfort

 Cold

 Darkness

 

Cosy (sweater) and Mist (hat)

 Hushed

Comfort (cardigan) and Mist (hat)

 Black

 Light

Mist

 

 Intense

 Tranquil

 Silence

'Still' is available at Kim's website and also at local knitting shops. Such a phenomenal collection;  gorgeous and soft. This might make a lovely gift for any knitter on your holiday list, fyi. Happy December!

You can purchase the book on Kim's website or at your local knitting shop. - See more at: http://knitionary.blogspot.com/2014/10/still.html#sthash.NIjh4a5I.dpuf

Ferris

A new hat for me! I've picked out five different things I want to make from Rowan's Big Accessories collection (because who doesn't like a project that you can whip up in an evening/weekend?) The first thing I had to make was this awesome hat, Ferris.

Ferris was designed by Sarah Hatton using Alpaca Chunky. (I used shade 73/Pigeon.) This was a super quick knit and if you're not familiar with this yarn, it is softer than soft. It has a rounded chain construction which gives it a bit of stretch and makes it incredibly lightweight, but it's also very, very warm. This hat uses exactly one ball of Alpaca Chunky and I'm in love with all of the natural colorways that are available. 

The next project I want to knit from this collection is Bandit, which is a super cool cowl with fur trim on the cover of Big Accessories. Check it out – it's so neat! What's on your needles right now? The time (and the weather) is right for knitting.

Rowan Loves

Wow, right? I just received a new stack of gorgeous Rowan publications on my doorstep, and I wanted to share this collection right off the bat. It's called 'Rowan Loves Kidsilk Haze & Felted Tweed' by Sarah Hatton, and it's kind of a big deal because this book is like no other. All 9 designs can be knitted in either Felted Tweed DK – or – Kidsilk Haze (held single or double) and all of the designs can be customized. It's so much fun to see the two yarn usage options and dream of all the possibilities. Just look...

9 designs, all classics with updated twists, have multiple options for customizing.  Plus every pattern can either be knit in Felted Tweed DK for a more casual look, or for a more glam look, knit in Kidsilk Haze single or doubled. - See more at: http://www.knitionary.blogspot.com/#sthash.eg84eO4D.dpuf

all 9 designs, all classics with updated twists, have multiple options for customizing.  Plus every pattern can either be knit in Felted Tweed DK for a more casual look, or for a more glam look, knit in Kidsilk Haze single or doubled. - See more at: http://www.knitionary.blogspot.com/#sthash.eg84eO4D.dpuf

all 9 designs, all classics with updated twists, have multiple options for customizing.  Plus every pattern can either be knit in Felted Tweed DK for a more casual look, or for a more glam look, knit in Kidsilk Haze single or doubled. - See more at: http://www.knitionary.blogspot.com/#sthash.eg84eO4D.dpuf

Sarah Hatton.nd it's a particularly unique collection because

The first pic (top) is of 'Gemma' knit in Kidsilk Haze ... and here is 'Gemma' in Felted Tweed DK. I love both looks! (Do you see how much fun this is?)

This is 'Karla' in Felted Tweed DK and 'Kate' in Kidsilk Haze.

Here's 'Kate' again, but in Felted Tweed DK and with a contrast edging + alternate neckline! 

 

This is 'Andrea' in Felted Tweed DK with long sleeves.

 

 And here's an adorable short-sleeved version of 'Andrea' in Kidsilk Haze.

Check out 'Jamie' in this gorgeous blue shade of Kidsilk Haze, called 'Trance.'

And this comfy, cozy version of 'Jamie' in Felted Tweed DK.

 

But 'Rowan Loves' isn't all sweaters! Check out 'Davina,' a gorgeous wrap.

 And 'Paula,' a hat that would look fantastic in both yarns.

You can pick up a copy of 'Rowan Loves Kidsilk Haze & Felted Tweed' at your local Rowan stockist or look for it amongst the many yarn shops online. And keep an eye out for more 'Rowan Loves' books in the future – we've heard that this will become a series. I've been poring over new Rowan designs each night before bed and I can't wait to share more soon!

Rowan Loves by Sarah Hatton will be available soon at your Rowan stockist, if not there already. Rowan Felted Tweed DK and Rowan Kidsilk Haze are very popular yarns and very easy to find.  Your local Rowan stockist will most likely carry a good selection.  My local yarn store, Uncommon Threads in Los Altos is always my first option, support your LYS!  If you don't have that option, there are many many many excellent online stores you can visit worldwide.  

I heard from Rowan that there will be a series of books called Rowan Loves.  I don't know what yarns they will be loving next, but as soon as I know, you'll know!

- See more at: http://www.knitionary.blogspot.com/#sthash.eg84eO4D.dpuf

Latest infatuation: Rowan Felted Tweed + Easy Fairisle Knits

Fairisle kittens and stripes on a scarf! I'm kind of obsessed. If you're still working on perfecting your colorwork skills (like me,) you have to see Martin Storey's newest collection using Rowan Felted Tweed DK. It's called 'Easy Fairisle Knits' and it's a ton of fun.

Fairisle is everywhere this season and I'm convinced that this scarf is the perfect accessory.  

And check out the rest of Martin's contemporary simplified fairisle designs. This collection includes 14 designs – hats, socks, scarves, cushions, a slipover, bag, throw and garland – all with only two colors in a row.

 

 

If you're new to the world of Felted Tweed, I'll let you in on a few details. First of all, this yarn is available in 28 perfect shades (and you will love them all.) Second, these adorable little balls of merino/alpaca/viscose are the perfect yarn for colorwork. You'll want to collect them all because the color combinations are endless. Truly. Third, this yarn is lightly pre-felted which knits up into a gorgeous fabric that's light yet warm, but also looks a tiny bit felted. Felted Tweed is a favorite amongst knitters for a reason and the projects in 'Easy Fairisle Knits' are the perfect way to give it a try.

North

Drab - Kim Hargreaves/North

Sometimes you see a collection of patterns for the first time and fall in love with each and every one. That's what happened to me (and probably what will happen to you) when I first laid eyes 'North' by the wonderful Kim Hargreaves. This collection is a gorgeous showcase of contemporary tweeds, cozy cables and jewel colored arans. I loved diving into all the darks and neutrals to find those exciting brights thrown in – little dashes of orange, pink, blue, chartreuse and yellow amongst oceans of navy and stormy gray. I'm a fan. Take a look.

This collection includes a whopping 21 designs using Rowan Felted Tweed DK, Kid Classic, Kidsilk Haze, Fine Lace, Rowan Finest, Lima, Fur, Brushed Fleece, Mohair Haze, Cocoon and Felted Tweed Aran. Honestly. What more could you ask for? North is available now from Rowan stockists and you can check out the details for each pattern right here.