Monthly Archives: August 2005

Letter sent to Rowan regarding this book:

I have been looking forward to this book for some time as I have found it hard to find attractive, plus-size designs in yarns that are readily available in the UK. I like designs in magazines such as Vogue Knitting and Interweave Knits, but often the yarn is hard to get and I am wary of substituting yarns.

I have been a member of Rowan International for some years, and although I love the Rowan magazine, have always been limited to knitting scarves, accessories or children’s wear because of the size restrictions. I hoped that this book would enable me to knit a Rowan jumper or cardigan for myself at last.

However, having seen the patterns in the book, I am deeply disappointed. There is nothing there that I couldn’t design for myself with a book of sweater design and a stitch pattern reference. Where is the sense of style that epitomises Rowan? Where are the colours? Why is every design a big, shapeless sack? The patterns are plain, monotone, shapeless and just DULL.

I find it hard to understand why you consider this to be the style preference of larger knitters. We aren’t all over 50; some of us are young women who want to knit and wear attractive, shapely styles as much as our slimmer sisters do. And even larger knitters over 50 that I know are also less than impressed with the designs. I do not see why the designs in the Rowan magazine cannot be sized up to at least a 46� bust as standard anyway, instead of making larger knitters wait for a book to cater for them because they are “special�.

I will not be renewing my membership of Rowan International for the foreseeable future, because I feel that Rowan do not or are unwilling to cater for those knitters who do not have a model figure.

Just a couple of very tiny baby items. The hat pattern is the Umbilical Cord Hat from Stitch ‘n Bitch, knitted with Colinette Skye in “Neptune”. The matching booties are knitted from this pattern. All very quick to knit up, which makes a change from the Cardigan From Hell. It’s sitting in the corner looking dejected at the moment. It will have buttons by the end of the week, or else!

Stunning, isn’t it?! The pattern was from here, and knitted with bargainously cheap Hayfield Bonus Toytime DK. It’s 100% acrylic but not awful to knit with, and the colours are perfect. You just can’t get egg yolk yellow or bacon fat beige in Rowan or Debbie Bliss yarns! I changed the pattern slightly, so I could knit the hat in the round and avoid as much sewing up as possible. Also added a sausage to the hat instead of the recommended peas because… well, sausages are just funnier.

Still waiting for buttons for the Zoe Mellor baby cardigan, but hope to have it finished and blogged before the end of the week. For a small, insignificant looking piece of knitwear, it has become the bane of my life.

The latest issue of “Knitting” arrived today. Better than the last one, there were a couple of designs which caught my eye: “Siren”, a pink buckled cardigan and “Grasshopper”, a twinset which I would do in a very different colourway – green isn’t really “me”!

Also bought a copy of Stitch ‘n Bitch Nation today. More lovely patterns. I definitely want to knit a bear hat for myself. The first project from there will be a cotton wrap cardigan, though. When I’ve finished clearing the current backlog, that is…

…taken the plunge, and set up my own Blog, where I can flaunt my knitting, yarn and rant and rave about whatever takes my fancy. As I was next to useless in keeping a diary when I was a teenager, it remains to be seen whether this blog will fall by the wayside as well…