Despite the disgusting weather here today, we are continuing to receive new spring yarns at an incredible rate which is about the only thing keeping all of us from having a complete breakdown.  We keep it together because we are all knitters and we’d never forgive ourselves if we missed anything new that arrived while we were off in a padded room somewhere.  Although, if this winter continues the way it has been, I’m not sure there’s enough yarn to appease us until spring.

With that said, he arrival of Rowan’s new line each season is always a treat.  Not only is it about the yarn, it’s about the new magazine and let me tell you, #45 will not disappoint!

Rowan Magazine #45 is among the best values out there – 47 designs plus amazing content and stunning photography for $23.95.  Worth every penny.

I’m not including a bunch of shots – I don’t want to have so many photographs in this post that it becomes overwhelming and I do want to talk about the yarn.

First Rowan is introducing Lenpur Linen for spring.  This yarn is a blend of 75″% Lenpur/25% Linen.  What is Lenpur you ask?   Lenpur is a cellulose fiber created from trees. Lenpur is different because it is extremely soft, very absorbent, releases dampness, and has deodorant properties.  The blend is interesting, the yarn is very soft and I think would be very comfy during warm months.  It knits at 5.5 sts/inch on #6 needles and has 126 yards.  It retails at $8.95/ball and has a dedicated pattern book.

Last Spring, Rowan introduced Pure Life Cotton DK.  Although we saw many organic cottons on the market, what made this one standout was not only the cotton organic, the dyes organic, the packaging from recycled materials, but each ball is marked with a code that makes the yarn traceable back to the farm where the cotton was grown.  Based on the success of Pure Life Cotton, Rowan has introduced the yarn in a 4-ply with a dedicated book:

(Sorry for the price tags – I was in a rush taking these shots yesterday before I left, knowing today was going to be a snow day).

I love the knitted animals, but please know the book is full of adorable children’s garments.

The pattern booklet has 15 designs for children aged 0-3 and 4-8 using both the 4-ply and DK weight.  The book is $17.95.  (Inside scoop – this shot was nearly the cover of our Spring catalog).

Pure Life Organic Cotton 4-ply knits at 7 sts/inch on #3 needles and has 180 yards.  There are 10 lovely colors and the yarn is $9.95/ball.

The last new product is not completely new.  If you remember and enjoyed working with Jaeger Siena, you will equally adore and enjoy using Rowan Classic Siena.  Same yarn, updated color range.  For those of you not familiar with Siena, it’s a 100% mercerized cotton that knits at 7 sts/inch on a #2-#3 needle.  Each ball has 153 yards and it is machine washable, which often makes it a choice for baby/children’s garments.  A ball is $8.95 and I think that’s what it was when it was a Jaeger yarn.

The Rowan Classic Pattern Book – Romance – features 14 designs using Siena.  They are all adult garments and as the title implies, they are very flirty, feminine designs.  The book retails for $18.95 and is really lovely.

Rowan’s Milk Cotton is not new, but has a lovely pattern booklet for Spring ’09:

I’m not sure how well you’ll be able to see this, but I particularly like this pattern:

The booklet has 15 designs and is $17.95.

Before I wrap up, you may remember at the first of the year, I made a committment that I would work to finish my UFO’s and not just get wrapped up with starting new projects.  I had one small project that I had to complete before attacking any of my UFO’s.  I was able to accomplish that on my trip to TNNA (yay me!) and I’ve picked up and been working on my top down sweater.  I’m quite pleased with it:

I figure I’ve got about 4″ to go and then I can bind off.  I’ve always planned to add a bit of crochet trim to the cuffs and bottom.  Kirsten, our design coordinator thinks I may also want to consider doing something along the neckline.  Not sure about that but we’ll see.  I have some car time over the next few days plus a hockey practice so I am cautiously optimistic I might actually be able to bind off this weekend!

How are all of you doing on your projects?  Working on any UFO’s or have you jumped into something new?  I’d love to know what you’re working on!

Kathy

Tags: crochet, Rowan, WIP