Rowan have published a free knitting pattern on their website as part of the Rowan Studio 20 collection.  The pattern is Flare by Grace Melville, and it’s really quite nice.

Rowan’s Studio 20 has arrived… finally!

Rowan Studio 20

Lima from Rowan

We’ve got three of the four new shades of Rowan Lima yarn now.  I like the purple in particular.  I’ve yet to knit anything with Lima but I think I’ll try and find something this Autumn because it feels so lovely to handle.

The shade still to come is this one:

Hopefully it won’t be too long.

Another of Rowan’s new knitting pattern books for this Autumn is Rowan Homestead Classics by Martin Storey.

Rowan Homestead Classics

Rowan Homestead Classics is a rustic collection of 15 designs inspired by the crafts and textiles of the American pioneer. Ethnic and geometric intarsia, folkloric textures and homespun cabling contrast with more simple, stocking stitch designs, all fashioned in an autumnal palette of damson, plum, electric blue and spruce green using Lima, Alpaca Cotton and Baby Alpaca DK.

You can see more from Rowan Homestead Classics on our website.

Winter Drift is one of Rowan’s new knitting pattern books for Autumn 2010.

Rowan Winter Drift

Winter Drift contains 15 designs for men and women showcasing the new Rowan Drift yarn alongside the longstanding favourite Big Wool. Big, chunky, easy to wear knits range from heavily textured men’s knits through to cute, simple cropped knits for women.  And it’s just £7.95.

These are just a few of the patterns in this book.  More pictures can be seen on the shop website.

We had lots of deliveries today and the first to tell you about is Rowan Magazine 48.  If you pre-ordered your copy from us, then it’s in the post already.  If you didn’t pre-order, do not fear – we still have some copies, but they are selling fast.

Rowan Knitting and Crochet Magazine 48

I think this is one of my favourite of the Rowan Magazines.  I absolutely love the Russian Doll story which were inspired by the romantic folkloric designs painted on historic matryoshka nesting dolls. Highly patterned colorwork in the form of florals, fairisle stripes and tartan checks make each design a masterpiece. I think I’m going to try one of the scarf patterns.

The other two stories are Nomad which focuses on the key fall fashion trends of chunky, exaggerated cables and textured stitches and Timeless which features one-color knits and classic styles that look equally good on young and mature women.

Pictures from Rowan Studio 20 pattern book are now available on our website.  Patterns use Rowan Pima Cotton and Denim.

Rowan Studio 20

It’ll be here in early July.

As part of the Rowan Studio pattern collection, Rowan release two extra free knitting patterns to download from their website.  These are the two which are part of Rowan Studio 19.

Firstly Mint, a delicate sweater made from Kidsilk Haze.

Mint from Rowan Studio 19

And this is Ice, knitted in Rowan Siena.

Download them free from Rowan’s website.

This weekend saw me travelling to Bradford for The Knit Show – a trade show for yarn shop owners.  It was an opportunity for the manufacturers to tell their stockists about what’s coming this Autumn.

Chunky yarns seem to be very “in” this Autumn.  Everyone seems to be launching them and whereas the chunky patterns from last year were quite big and a little shapeless in my opinion, this year the patterns for chunky yarns are a bit more fitted, which I much prefer.

The Sublime stand was my first stop and they haven’t disappointed with their Autumn collection. There is just one new yarn this season: Chunky Merino Tweed.  It comes in 10 shades and is 80% merino wool. It has an accompanying pattern book with several designs that I quite liked.  It should be in stock in early August.

There are new shades in the baby cashmere merino silk 4 ply and DK, cashmere merino silk DK and extra fine merino DK and new books for each: all of which I’ve got coming.  Many of the new shades are very Autumny – golds, browns, greens, reds.  I really liked the overall tone for this season.  In particular there was a baby blanket, knitted in an olive green, which was simply beautiful.  I’d love to try it.  I wish I could show you a picture of it.

I spent a lot of time on the Rowan stand too.  I’m sure that many of you will love Magazine 48.  I particularly loved the Russian Doll story (cover image) and if you like, or would like to try, fair-isle, then you’ll definitely be inspired by one of the patterns.

Rowan Magazine 48

There are four new Rowan yarns:

• Drift: a 100% merino chunky, much like Big Wool; in fact the pattern book Winter Drift contains patterns that use both Drift and Big Wool.
• Silky Twist: 53% silk, 30% wool, 12% superkid mohair and 5% polyamid and it is an aran weight in 10 jewel-like colours. The pattern book contains some classic designs by Martin Storey.
• Renew: a recycled wool that is a sort of tweed.
• Rowan British Sheep Breeds Boucle: a single shade in natural cream.  A pattern book combines both this and the Renew yarn.

There are some new shades in many of the other yarns, including last year’s new ones Lima and Alpaca Cotton.  Another Martin Storey book called Homestead Classics contains patterns using these yarns.

Rowan Studio 19 has just arrived!

Rowan Studio 19 is inspired by the fresh pastel shades seen up and down the Spring/Summer 2010 catwalks. Light-weight floaty layers in sherbert shades and lace are this issue’s key themes, created in kidsilk haze and siena.  Designs are by Grace Melville.