Rowan 50

Remember when you were a little kid and the new Sears Wishbook came out?  It was chocked full of fantastic toys and games - dolls and wagons - roller skates and who knows what else, but it felt so wonderful just to look at the pictures and imagine the possiblities.  That's exactly the feeling I got when Rowan Magazine 50 arrived.  There are 40 patterns in this book, and fully half of them are things I personally want to knit RIGHT NOW!  If only there were more hours in the day.


Rowan has collected four different "looks" with about 10 patterns each for the magazine.  Each look invokes a different feel and communicates its own perspective on this season's smart knitwear.  Certainly, none of us is going to love every single design, but I guarantee that you will fall madly in love with at least 6 different patterns.  They won't be the same 6 for every person, but isn't that the beauty of fashion -we can each find our own space on the spectrum of style.

As I said in this week's newsletter, I love 15 of the patterns, but I'm going to limit this post to my top 6.  Here they are in no particular order:  (All photos are courtesy of Rowan)


Hornbeam - similar in shape to the vest we're doing for our "First Garment" class, this is embellished with smart intarsia flowers

Alder Wrap - multiple colors of Kid Silk Haze combined in simple stockinette stripes for a beautiful and subtle effect only Kaffe Fassett can produce.

Loretta - sweet and easy to wear.  Worked in a delicious shade of Pure Wool DK.  

Martha -  A lady-like cardigan with gentle waist shaping and clean lines in smooth, elegant Wool Cotton.

Passion - This cozy turtle neck makes me long for long walks in the crisp fall air and hearty stews and homemade bread.  I see it worked in soft luxurious Sulka. 

Affection - Gorgeous Lima knit into classic cables bring to mind everything I always liked about back-to-school clothes.   I see this work as shown, or over a crisp white blouse for a very school-girl look.

Okay, I lied, I have seven favorites, and I just couldn't leave this one out -

Cordial - this cardigan is knit on size 15 needles in Rowan Drift - a super chunky merino yarn.  I would probably pair this with jeans and a cotton turtle neck for a super-relaxed feel that still looks pulled together.