Wednesday, February 01, 2006

The Wait Is Over

Wow - for the first time I got my Rowan magazine early. Yes folks, Rowan 39 arrived on Saturday and boy was I excited. It is full of lots of good stuff, some I'll definitely want to make, some I won't, and some that will probably grow on me. But for sure there is enough in there to please most people. And if more classic stuff is your thing, then there are loads of RYC booklets out plus some new Jaeger ones. They don't do much for me I'm afraid, but wouldn't life be so boring if we were all the same?

Me, I'm excited about the new Holiday yarn which I can't wait to see in the flesh. Its chunky which is always a plus for me and I've seen a couple of the patterns for it that really do it for me. The other new yarn, Glimmer Print, is umm, how can I put it..... different!!! What's with the gold in yarn?? But I'm sure people will like it, its just so not my cup of tea. But I think you could probably sub Cotton Tape for Glimmer Print so I may end up getting the booklet for that too.



Back to Rowan 39. Straight away Deep caught my eye and I have some Summer Tweed stash in Lilac that would be fab for this. I won't be doing stripes, just a nice plain version. All that ribbing doesn't look like fun, but I shall persevere!



Nicole is the funkiest 4 ply pattern I've seen. It says you need 4 balls but I might be tempted to try and get away with 3 as I've already got some in my stash. As most of you know, pure cotton and me really don't get along too well so I'd prefer to use my stash rather than get any more. Rowan is notorious for over estimating yarn requirements which is a good thing, as its very rare that I run out. A lot of the time I end up with a ball over.



Sea Horse is a great design, but its in Cotton Glace so I'd probably do it plain in Linen Drape - using up more stash and avoiding chronic arm ache from all that darned cotton!



Bliss and Jewel are the designs in my favourite Calmer that have caught my eye. Both are very 'pretty' designs though, so whether I'll end up making them I'm not sure. I generally don't do 'pretty' too well. But they both keep talking to me.... I just can't visualise me wearing them at the mo.



The Vina Bag is just beautiful. Unfortunately I don't have enough in my stash to make it, or the colours I'd like, so it's on the possible list for now. I just can't justify the cost, especially as I haven't yet finished a HK Cotton bag from Rowan 37 I started last year......yep, its that cotton arm ache again :(

There is also another beautiful new wrap Victoria in KSH in this mag. I still have Birch on my list but am sure I've got enough Cherry Tree Lace to do both, as of course I'm allergic to KSH. So all in all a fabulous mag - these designs are just my top favourites! A welcome addition for this issue is the new easy reference guide which is just fab. Verdict - LOVE IT!



Knitting has been going really well. Elspeth has one front, and I'm currently on the other. Laura has a collar so now needs sewing up and buttons added. I had a dippy day last week and just couldn't follow a pattern, so picked up my Regia sock and finished it the following day. Thats the great thing about 6 ply yarn - it knits up ever so quick. So another January FO!



Thunder says hello and isn't it about time more pics were posted of him. He really is the sweetest rabbit and we are just so lucky to have him. Here he is munching on his absolute favourite, organic celery! I'm just so fed up with taking indoor pics and having to use the flash. I want nice bright days so I can get some decent pics without flash! Then I could show you my lovely Cotton Rope bag Marakesh which is all done too. Maybe next time!

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for showing the pictures, I hardly ever pick up a Rowan magazine, not out of not liking, but out of limited availability in my area. Occassionally I'll grab one of their books at Ebay.

Thunder you are just too cute.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the review. It's always interesting to read what other people think of magazines - often I find a design that I hadn't taken much notice of really jumps out when someone else highlights it.

Anonymous said...

I've only seen the colourway pictures but I already noticed some nice calmer pictures. I try not to get too excited until the magazine is in my hot little hands because sometimes they look so different. I like some Glimmer Print patterns but can't imagine what the yarn is like despite seeing photos of the balls.

Anonymous said...

I really like the two Calmer designs too, pondering whether I'd wear them though, maybe with long sleeves. Looking forward to seeing which one you'll start first! xx

Chris said...

Wow, I don't think I've ever seen pictures from a Rowan magazine. The picture for that bag is crazy!

Yay completed socks!

Hi Thunder. That looks like a tasty snack indeed.