Row@n December 2015 eNewsletter
December’s enewsletter is here! This month, we bring you details of a second Pure Wool Superwash Worsted knit along with Martin Storey in January, news of Marie Wallin’s fairisle blanket club and some free snuggly sock patterns. In addition to this, don’t miss out on booking your place on Debbie Abrahams’ Mystery Blanket Club 2016 and read about the talented Caroline Austin and her work.
December’s enewsletter is here! This month, we bring you details of a second Pure Wool Superwash Worsted knit along with Martin Storey in January, news of Marie Wallin’s fairisle blanket club and some free snuggly sock patterns.
In addition to this, don’t miss out on booking your place on Debbie Abrahams’ Mystery Blanket Club 2016 and read about the talented Caroline Austin and her work.
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<strong>December</strong> <strong>2015</strong><br />
January 2012 - 1
CONTENTS<br />
Welcome Letter 4<br />
Monthly Free Pattern 5<br />
Retailer in the Spotlight…<br />
The Old Pharmacy 6<br />
Amy Herzog Options Knit Along <strong>2015</strong> 7<br />
Marie Wallin 8<br />
Caroline Austin 10<br />
The Sock Collection by Sarah Hatton 12<br />
Our Second Martin Storey Knit Along 14<br />
Mystery Blanket Club 16<br />
2 - <strong>December</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
Longdendale<br />
by Sarah Hatton<br />
using Alpaca Merino DK<br />
Winterscapes<br />
<strong>December</strong> <strong>2015</strong> - 3
Hello and welcome to a fabulously festive <strong>December</strong> <strong>eNewsletter</strong>!<br />
As we move into holiday season, we are starting to think about all the lovely knitting<br />
time we will treat ourselves to over the break – what better way to spend time than<br />
tucked under a cosy blanket in front of a log fire with your needles!<br />
As part of this, we bring you news of our stunning FREE sock pattern collection by<br />
the wonderful Sarah Hatton – the perfect gift – and of course your monthly exclusive<br />
design, this issue Rathlin in Big Wool by Heather Dixon.<br />
We also give you a hint about an exciting knit along we have coming soon early next<br />
year and look at details of Marie Wallin’s fairisle blanket club.<br />
We’d like to take this opportunity to wish you a very happy holiday season and a<br />
fabulous New Year, here’s to an amazing 2016!<br />
The Rowan team<br />
Front Cover:<br />
Wedenshaw Hat & Scarf<br />
by Sarah Hatton<br />
Alpaca Merino DK<br />
Winterscapes<br />
Click on the symbol<br />
where it appears for a link to<br />
further information<br />
Keep in touch with us on<br />
social media…<br />
4 - November <strong>2015</strong>
EXCLUSIVE<br />
Rathlin<br />
by Heather Dixon<br />
Fur<br />
DOWNLOAD<br />
For this and hundreds of<br />
FREE patterns exclusive to<br />
members,<br />
click the button below:<br />
<strong>December</strong> <strong>2015</strong> - 5
Retailer in the Spotlight…<br />
The Old Pharmacy<br />
Kent<br />
Take a step back in time in The Old Pharmacy; a beautiful character building turned<br />
craft haven in the historic town of Faversham.<br />
The shop carries a good range of Rowan alongside friendly tips, advice and regular<br />
events.<br />
To find out more about the shop, visit www.theoldpharmacyfaversham.co.uk, where<br />
you can also see pictures of its unique and historic setting.<br />
6 - <strong>December</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
Amy Herzog<br />
Options<br />
Knit Along <strong>2015</strong><br />
We are now nearly at the end of our<br />
fantastic Options Knit Along with Amy<br />
Herzog, the final video is available and<br />
discusses finishing. It also features a<br />
helpful demonstration on how to pin in<br />
a sleeve cap and advice on mattress<br />
stitch.<br />
Don’t forget to share your progress on<br />
our Facebook and Ravelry pages!<br />
<strong>December</strong> <strong>2015</strong> - 7
– What a difference 18 months makes!<br />
It’s 18 months since Marie Wallin, former Rowan Head<br />
Designer had a heart attack. This dramatic life changing<br />
event saw Marie reduce her design work and involvement<br />
with Rowan to gradually grow her design company into a<br />
successful business.<br />
Marie actually started ‘Marie Wallin Designs’ in May 2012 whilst still being Rowan’s<br />
Head Designer, but it wasn’t until she was recovering from her illness that she had the<br />
time to concentrate on developing her own self published books and workshops. This<br />
year saw the addition of kits and the Fairisle Club to her repertoire.<br />
The last two years have seen the launch of five successful books, all using Rowan yarn:<br />
Windswept – Collection One, sold out quickly. Lakeland was next, followed by Filigree<br />
and Once Upon a Time. October saw the launch of Autumn, a stunning collection of<br />
Fairisles and cables mainly using Felted Tweed and Cocoon.<br />
For two years now, Marie has been hosting very popular workshops in her home<br />
village in Leicestershire. With a growing reputation for a fun day in lovely surroundings<br />
with fabulous handknit and crochet projects and great food, her workshops sell out<br />
very quickly when announced.<br />
Blanket<br />
by Marie Wallin<br />
using Felted Tweed<br />
Fairisle Club<br />
Sage<br />
by Marie Wallin<br />
using Felted Tweed<br />
Lakeland<br />
8 - <strong>December</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
November 1 st saw the start of the first<br />
Fairisle Club knit along. Members are<br />
making a beautiful Fairisle blanket (large<br />
enough to cover a double bed) by knitting<br />
a different Fairisle square each month.<br />
Even though the knit along has started you<br />
can join at any time. For more details and<br />
to book, click on the Fairisle Club button.<br />
What’s planned for 2016? Well a lot<br />
actually!<br />
Two new books are planned for next year,<br />
both in Rowan yarn – Springtime will be<br />
out on the 1 st May and Winter Crochet<br />
on the 15 th July. Marie is also hoping to<br />
add weekend luxury workshops to the<br />
workshop diary. These will be held in<br />
different parts of the country, the first one<br />
is likely to be in the beautiful Yorkshire<br />
Dales. Printed patterns will shortly be<br />
available from the online shop and Marie<br />
is currently working on a small collection<br />
of beautiful handknit and crochet related<br />
gifts which are planned to be released in<br />
spring 2016. And of course Fairisle Club 2<br />
will happen in autumn next year!<br />
Why not subscribe to Marie’s newsletter<br />
to get the latest information on all future<br />
events.<br />
Marie continues to have a close relationship<br />
with Rowan. You can see her exclusive<br />
designs for Rowan in the forthcoming<br />
Rowan Magazine 59 and in a new yarn<br />
brochure collection.<br />
FAIRISLE CLUB<br />
NEWSLETTER<br />
Cherry<br />
by Marie Wallin<br />
using Felted Tweed<br />
Autumn<br />
<strong>December</strong> <strong>2015</strong> - 9
Caroline Austin,<br />
Two Turtle Doves Design<br />
Caroline Austin designs her range by taking inspiration from her two young children<br />
Finlay and Harris, friend’s children and everyday sketches. Caroline creates<br />
her imaginative and quirky art by sketching out her composition then discovering the<br />
fabrics in her appliqué stage of the design to bring it to life.<br />
We love these three knitting themed designs, visit www.twoturtledovesdesign.com to<br />
find out more about Caroline’s work.<br />
10 - <strong>December</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
<strong>December</strong> <strong>2015</strong> - 11
Calendula<br />
by Sarah Hatton<br />
using Fine Art<br />
DOWNLOAD<br />
The Sock Collection<br />
by Sarah Hatton<br />
Why not knit your gifts this Christmas?<br />
What better present than a hand crafted<br />
pair of snuggly socks!<br />
Sarah Hatton has used our Fine Art sock<br />
yarn in beautiful new colours to create a<br />
collection of six designs inspired by the<br />
English Kitchen Garden. It features toe<br />
up as well as cuff down designs using a<br />
range of techniques.<br />
12 - <strong>December</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
Espalier<br />
by Sarah Hatton<br />
using Fine Art<br />
Fallow<br />
by Sarah Hatton<br />
using Fine Art<br />
Potager<br />
by Sarah Hatton<br />
using Fine Art<br />
DOWNLOAD<br />
DOWNLOAD<br />
DOWNLOAD<br />
Stolon<br />
by Sarah Hatton<br />
using Fine Art<br />
Verbena<br />
by Sarah Hatton<br />
using Fine Art<br />
DOWNLOAD<br />
DOWNLOAD<br />
<strong>December</strong> <strong>2015</strong> - 13
Coming Soon…<br />
Our Second Martin Storey<br />
Knit Along<br />
The end of January will bring a brand new, fabulous Pure Wool Superwash Worsted<br />
blanket knit along, with squares being released each fortnight to culminate in a<br />
stunning design made up of 48 squares in total. Why not get prepared ahead and<br />
download your shopping list – available on knitrowan now.<br />
We chatted to Martin about the details of the new KAL.<br />
Design Inspiration<br />
For my KAL 2 in the Pure Wool Superwash Worsted, I looked to the motifs, textures<br />
and colours of our North Europe knitting traditions. The knitted textures and fairisle<br />
patterns of the Shetland Isles; the Faeroe Isles; Norway, Denmark, Sweden and<br />
Iceland. A look which is currently very popular in interior fabric, wallpaper and<br />
fashion design. Unlike my first KAL, the knitter can now choose from four, classic<br />
tonal palettes, chosen to fit in with most popular, interior colour schemes. A very soft<br />
and natural palette: a calming, blue palette; a fresh green and a zingy, spice palette.<br />
Whichever colour suits your mood and interior.<br />
Techniques<br />
Once again this KAL has been designed with the beginner knitter in mind. In the first<br />
KAL we explored simple texture created by knit & purl stitches, together with simple<br />
lace and cable techniques. Having gained those skills, I’ve developed them a stage<br />
further and in this blanket we start to create more recognisable motifs in both one<br />
colour and two colour squares. Delicate motifs in simple texture, lace and with a further<br />
option that introduces the beginner knitter to a simple bead technique, patterns and<br />
different stitches. Linking all these motif squares together and introducing a brand<br />
new ‘colourwork’ skill for this KAL, I have designed three squares in two colours and<br />
without the ‘fairisle-headache’ of stranding or weaving the yarns at the wrong side of<br />
work. All will be revealed in time…!<br />
SHOPPING<br />
LIST<br />
14 - <strong>December</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
<strong>December</strong> <strong>2015</strong> - 15
Debbie Abrahams’<br />
Mystery Blanket Club 2016<br />
“My passion for designing knitting patterns has always been inspired by the infinite<br />
possibilities that colour, stitch and embellishment offer, and this has been the focus<br />
of my work for many years. I launched my first Mystery Blanket Club in 2008, and<br />
this project gave me the perfect vehicle to explore all of these things through the<br />
squares that I design for the blankets. Next year sees the launch of the ninth design<br />
in my Mystery Blanket collection, for which there are six-hundred memberships<br />
available to knitters worldwide. The patterns for each blanket are only available to the<br />
members that join, and as a consequence they have become very collectable items.<br />
The concept of the Mystery Blanket Club is very simple. Members receive the knitting<br />
kit in three instalments which include all the yarn and embellishments needed for the<br />
whole project. They then receive the patterns in ten monthly instalments, beginning<br />
in January and finishing in October. The theme of the project is kept secret, only to<br />
be discovered as the squares are completed and the blanket takes shape. There<br />
is a monthly blog on my website which keeps the members up to date with all the<br />
latest news, advice and knitting tips for the project. And many of the members have<br />
created localised groups that meet up regularly to knit their squares and talk about<br />
the project. For the 2016 blanket I am using some of my favourite Rowan yarns<br />
including Glace Cotton, Kidsilk Haze, True Silk and Tetra Cotton. And although I am<br />
not going to give you any hints about the theme, I can tell you that the colour palette<br />
is a mix of soft sweet shades, combining dove grey, coral pink, lavender, greengage<br />
and biscuit with brilliant white. If you are interested in joining my 2016 Mystery Blanket<br />
Club then you can sign up straight away by visiting the online shop on my website. “<br />
Click below to view a fabulous interview video from Debbie, containing details on<br />
inspiration and techniques.<br />
Click below to find out how to join in!<br />
DEBBIE<br />
ABRAHAMS.COM<br />
VIEW<br />
VIDEO<br />
16 - <strong>December</strong> <strong>2015</strong>
Stockists<br />
To find your local stockist view our<br />
store locator at www.knitrowan.com by<br />
clicking the button below<br />
STOCKISTS<br />
Workshops<br />
To view a full list of workshop dates<br />
visit www.knitrowan.com by clicking the<br />
button below<br />
WORKSHOPS<br />
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or any part of all material, including illustrations, in this publication is strictly<br />
forbidden. No part may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic,<br />
electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission of the copyright<br />
owners having been given in writing.<br />
The designs in this publication are copyrighted and must not be knitted for re-sale. Reproduction of this publication is protected by copyright and is<br />
sold on the condition that it is used for non commercial purposes. Yarn quantities are approximate as they are based on average requirements. Colour<br />
reproduction is as close as printing will allow.<br />
First published in Great Britain <strong>2015</strong> by Mez Crafts UK LTD 17F Brooke’s Mill, Armitage Bridge, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD4 7NR.<br />
E-mail: mail@knitrowan.com Web: www.knitrowan.com © Copyright Mez Crafts UK LTD <strong>2015</strong><br />
<strong>December</strong> <strong>2015</strong> - 17
Cortina<br />
by Lisa Richardson<br />
using Thick ‘n’ Thin<br />
Simple Shapes Thick ‘n’<br />
Thin
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