YOTD: Rowan Romance

Today's YOTD is Rowan Romance. I bought this one at the same time as Twinkle at the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace two years ago, and having recently been to the latest one I am using up some of the old stash! It is a bulky weight yarn and knits on 7mm needles. I used this yarn  ages ago in one of my techniques post and here is the picture from that post so you can see it in the ball.

Rowan Romance is unfortunately another discontinued yarn, but I have found some and on sale!! Here at English Yarns they are £3.55 a ball, a saving of 30%!! Rowan Romance comes in 50g balls and you get around 60yrds/55m on a ball which is good for a chunky yarn and is made from a massive combination of 36% Acrylic, 27% Nylon, 26% Mohair, 8% Polyester, and 3% Wool. Now that sure is a mix!!! The tension is hidden on the picture but over 10cm it is 11.5sts over 15 rows. 

As you can see, the yarn is quite a loose ply and there is a glitter strand running through it. It is a really easy yarn to work with, and this project was actually my first ever project knit entirely in the round. So it was a great achievement for me too so I do love the cowl that I knit with this. It is a bit scratchy for me, but I have incredibly sensitive skin so that could just be me. I am so sensitive I can't even wear certain cashmere!!! In my view, it is one of the softer yarns I have worked with and It is so so pretty knitted up.

Here is my cowl here, being fetchingly modelled by my water jug, but you get the idea. This is a very long cowl that you double up. In terms of the pattern I used, well I made that up as I went along. Kinda cast on some stitches and knit until I was happy. (when you see happy, actually read fed up!!)




I think this is really pretty and I love all the colours available. You are looking at shade 99 which is a deep grey colour, but available at English yarns are a soft pink, white, light grey, green and a deeper grey. The only problem- Hand Washable! This is a great yarn for accessories, especially scarves and cowls like mine. Great yarn, enjoyed working with it. Would I buy it again? No, its too itchy for my skin and I really don't need any more scarves. Simple as that!!!!
Have a great day all!!

Shawl we dance?

Here in the Blattcave, as I am sure you can see, we like to get ahead on our christmas knitting. I am also stash busting, so what can you do with all those odd balls left over from projects and those that were just too much of a bargain to miss out on? Well if you are here, you make shawls/shrugs/scarves with them. With the help of Ravelry of course this is so blooming easy. I have now knit 8 of them, and the mass shawl-a-thon doesnt seem to be stopping any time soon!  So here we go, ill show you what Ive been working on, with the pattern links so you can shawl along with me!!! Here are 6 of the 8, as the shrug im knitting Falling Leaves, still needs to be sewn up and the last Gedifra Samina Impossibly big needs casting off.

Number 1: Lace Triangle Scarf- knit in Tivoli Ocean I got on holiday in Shropshire in February in colour number 164 (i think) Beautiful wool yarn and so so pretty colourway

Number 2: Snap Knit in another yarn I bought in Shropshire. It is white, and has glitter running through it. It is called Pearl. Looks fab now I have blocked it

Number 3: A Chinook Scarf, knit in a yarn I bought in Wilkinsons for £1 a ball. (this is a normal line not on offer and so good to knit with) I think it is called Stripes. The pattern is amazing, the straight edge is an I-cord knit into the pattern and then the other side is a lovely lace edge. loved this pattern so much!!

Number 4: This is a Lacy Baktus, made in Sirdar Juicy in orange (which was on sale in Hobbycraft-this particular yarn was a leftover from my mum when she made a top). this is a great pattern if you have a couple of balls of yarn because you increase for one ball then decrease for the second which makes sure you use up all those old balls but also creates a fab scarf/shawl

These last two are called impossible large, impossibly easy- and i promise this is exactly right. Although the pattern calls for 10mm needles, I chose 7mm circulars (and my first time on circulars and Im converted) and created these amazing shawls. So good and so pretty, and im about to finish my third of these and probably cast on the fourth!!
This blue one is made from some yarn from the Roof, ie my grannys loft. It is a beautiful wool with a gold thread running through which makes it shine.

This white one is made from Picasso. As you can see it is white, but actually has shades of colour in the stripes. It is so pretty and so soft, which probably comes down to the fact that it is baby wool. I love it so so much and it reminds me of a pretty crystal rainbow.

So thats what Ive been up to!!!