Could It Be? Fall?!?

 

We got a bit of a respite from the twins names Heat & Humidity heat last week. While it was lovely to be without them, Summer has come back for one last round (hopefully, one last round because really I can't take any more of this sweltering punishment!). However, Fall is in full force in the knitting world and what better way to realize it than to receive the new Rowan Fall magazine!

It arrived in the shop on Friday with a few boxes accompanying it of some new Nashua yarns. The rest of the yarn was still being packed and should arrive this week, if not later today! The three stories in Rowan's 48th issue are Nomad, designs with over-sized cables in loose-fitting shapes for men & women. Cables are everywhere as the focus of the garment while the construction is simple.  

To the right, Rambler; bottom left, Wayfarer; bottom right, Drifter.

Russian Doll focuses on colorwork and lots of it. This storyline is inspired by the folkloric designs of historic matryoshka nesting dolls and showcases a collection of floral & fair isle garments. Most of them have a look that makes you think appropriately of the very thing the colletion is named for, with the garments having shapes that cocoon the body. Think wraps, shawls, & layering tunics & vests when browsing through these pieces from your favorite designers including Kaffe Fassett & Marie Wallin.

To the left: Nonna

Bottom, left to right: Tamara Scarf & Gloves, Polina, and Lidiya/Lidiya Scarf   

Last but not least is Timeless, a story that shows that classic silhouettes have no age. You'll notice the emphasis on shoudler & sleeve details & vintage colors. No matter the age or the shape, these simple pullovers & cardigans are projects that will last long after you've weaved in the last end. Most of these designs are knit using Cashsoft 4 Ply and Kid Silk Haze, employing the less is more approach to the weight of yarn, ensuring that whatever the body shape, the fabric will flatter!

     

Top: Wanda

Middle: Agatha x 2

Bottom: Tara 

Well, hopefully that was enough to whet your appetite. Stop in and check out a copy near the front display and take a peek at the yarns featured inside along with the new Vogue Knitting Fall magazine!

Crochet Friday

Yarn is made. Patterns are made to support said yarn. Some like to let the yarn do the work and keep the stitch pattern to a simple stockinette or some knit/purl combination. Other patterns want to show off the stitch definition and work cables and/or lace to make each stitch pop. I can't speak for anyone, but I wonder if anyone thinks of whether a yarn will look better when crocheted rather than offering only knitting patterns.

Well someone at Rowan realized that crochet is no longer the bald-headed stepchild of the craft world. That's been said for some time, but support is being developed to back up that statement more often it seems. The staff of Rosie's has never been crochet-discriminatory, but more of us have been picking up hooks lately.You can imagine that we were excited to see that Rowan 47 had crocheted garments. Not just some toaster cozy/pillow cover amalgamation made solely of granny squares, but things that you could wear with a pair of jeans, a pair of cute knee boots (brown always works), and go out the door feeling stylish without having tried too hard. 

Enter Cheery, an over-sized crocheted pullover with knit ribbing at the hems & neckline. As soon as I laid eyes on it, I knew I was going to make it. At first, I sighed. Summer Tweed is 70% silk/30% cotton. I will be completely honest and say that cotton isn't exactly my favorite fiber for knits. I like a bit of stretch in my sweaters and you just don't get that with a cotton/silk blend. So what do you do? You crochet!!!!

The sweater has a knit ribbing that is bound off before working the crochet pattern. The jump from knitting Summer Tweed to crocheting it almost feels as if you were working two different projects. (The ribbing does seem to go for a bit longer than you want it to, but it wouldn't be ribbing if it didn't, now would it?) After that's done, you crochet the body, which doesn't even take that long compared to how long it'd take you to knit it. Crochet isn't always faster than knitting, but this is one of those times when it is. 

Summer Tweed won't mind if you knit it. Rosie's regular Karen has nothing but amazing things to say about her Hey Teach cardigan. It's just something about the texture of the yarn that makes it feel lovely when you crochet it. Hopefully, by next week there should be a finished product with pictures to boot! Check out all of the Summer Tweed colors we have here! 

Last but not least, in something unrelated to Summer Tweed, check out the new First Fall Knitty! Milly is worked in Felted Tweed, Winnow calls for Louet Gems, the Coquille Shawl features the amazing Swans Island Fingering, and Lamina shows off Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend. It's good to see Fall things coming down the pipeline when the low for the week is 89 degrees!

Rowan Alpaca Cotton

I knew we had to have this yarn

as soon as I saw it, which completely baffled Courtney and Kate. When all the Rowan yarns arrived, before it even came out of the box, I think I heard Jenna say "Alpaca and cotton? Isn't that the most ridiculous fiber combination ever?"

Yes, it's 72% alpaca and 28% cotton. Yes, it's fuzzy/shaggy. It does shed while you knit it (ask me how I know). And I still say: it's fantastic. Here's why:

It's light and lofty; it knits at a pretty quick gauge (4 sts per inch, US #8), but it isn't bulky at all. It looks fuzzy like a brushed mohair, but it's much lower pile (so it doesn't add visual bulk to your silhouette), and it doesn't itch (because the fuzz is from alpaca, not mohair). It's nowhere near as warm as 100% alpaca would be (because of the cotton).

To look at it another way, this skein has 148 yds and weighs 50g. Let's compare it to some other yarns that knit at 4 sts per inch: Manos Wool Clasica (and you sure won't catch me dissin' Manos) comes in a 100g skein, but if it were 50g, it would have 69 yds -- less than half. Reynolds' Andean Alpaca Regal would have 55. Even a brushed mohair like Classic Elite's La Gran has only 90. And an all-cotton yarn like Schaefer Laurel would be 88.

Compared to all of those yarns, a ball of Alpaca Cotton will go much farther. This has the potential to make it quite cost-effective, but what I want to point out now is that your finished garment will weigh about half what it would if you made it in any of those other yarns.

What particular applications do I imagine for this yarn? I imagine it for ME. I am (for any of you who haven't seen me recently) significantly overweight. I'm too warm more often than I'm too cold, I don't need any yarn that makes me look any bigger than I am, and my current responsibilities preclude knitting myself a sweater in a small gauge. If this description fits you as well, you might want to consider one of these:

All are sized up to 50" finished bust circumference, by the way -- that's a lot of knitters who won't need to rewrite the patterns.

But don't think this yarn is only for those who wear larger sizes. If you like a warm, cuddly sweater without the itch, check this:

And if you want something a little dramatic for fall-into-winter, try this:

In short, not only do I like the yarn, I think this collection does an unparalleled job of matching the designs to the yarn's inherent qualities.

Rowan 45 is Here!

I am happy to announce that yesterday we received a little box from the lovely folks at Westminster Fibers. What was inside? You guessed it! The new Spring Rowan magazine is here! There are three fashion stories in the issue:
Driftwood, which makes you want to wrap yourself in a comfy sweater and walk along a rocky shore somewhere:

Blossom, which is sooo beautiful! All the sweaters are named for different flowers, like Lotus shown below, and the look is ultra feminissima. Think floral motifs, ruffles, lace:

And Evergreen, photgraphed in the French countryside. This collection features multiple designs by Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably, among others, and is casual, colorful and rustic:

There are also some great articles, including a bio on designer Erika Knight and a section with patterns for some cute summery accessories like a little crocheted bud vase, a picnic table cloth and a nautically inspired throw pillow. Great beach projects (yes, I know it's really really cold out)!

Stop in to take a peek for yourself, or buy a copy online!

Rowan KAL

This Tuesday evening join us for a Rowan Knit-a-Long! There are so many of us who are gearing up to cast on (or have already) from the new Rowan Magazine that we thought it would be more fun if we all got together to work on our projects. On Tuesday evenings for the next 6 weeks we'll meet up at Rosie's from 5-7 to work on our Rowan projects. My hope is that this will get my project finished quicker, so I can actually wear it this Winter and still get some holiday knitting done when it's finished. I hope to see you there!