A Profile of Rowan Yarns

Transcription

1 A Profile of Rowan Yarns L inda Pratt Rowan magazine Unless otherwise noted, all photographs courtesy of Rowan. Named for the European mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia), a sturdy, deep-rooted tree that grows throughout England s Yorkshire hills, Rowan Yarns was established in Its founders were Stephen Sheard, a textile specialist with years of weaving experience in Scandinavia and the United Kingdom, and his childhood friend Simon Cockin, a civil engineer who, after working on construction projects around the world, had returned to his hometown of Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, looking for a new challenge. With a mission of providing a wide palette of natural-fiber weaving yarns around the United Kingdom, the new company began by developing and marketing a line of rug kits and supplies to craft shops. The partners next sought funding to start their own mill, but the global recession of the early 1980s made banks reluctant to lend them the necessary funds. Sheard and Cockin had to rethink their business plan. Still, they were lucky: handknitting was booming, and Rowan s yarns were perfect for this craft. Traditional twodimensional artwork had blossomed into textural and color creations, especially among United Kingdom art students, and Rowan became a major source of colorful yarns for their boutique collections. One could say that Rowan yarns became the paint that inspired many of the artists in the British wave of Arts and Crafts inspired knitting designers. The visionary Sheard exchanged ideas on art, design, and fashion with designers Sasha Kagan, Erika Knight, Sarah Dallas, Susan Duckworth, Sandy Black, Angela King, Annabel Fox, and Jean Moss as well as with partnerships such as Artwork (a collaboration between British designers Jane Foster and Patrick Gottelier), and began creating new yarns, including tweeds, chenille, and simple cottons; many of these were produced and dyed in the United Kingdom. A collaboration between Sheard and the designer Kaffe Fassett began in 1983 and continues to this day. Fassett supported Sheard s belief that innovative artist- created garments, such as the colorful ones that Fassett had been fashioning, could inspire hobby knitters to break out and explore these same techniques and self-expression. After a promotion in Woman and Home magazine sold more than 7,000 kits of Fassett s Super Triangles jacket, rowan began to produce patterns by other designers as well. As for the Super Triangles pattern, it became the impetus for the publication of Fassett s first book, Glorious Knits: Thirty Designs for Sweaters, Dresses, Vests and Shawls (New York: Clarkson Potter, 1985). Among key players in Rowan s growth have been three members of the Hargreaves family: Mother Kathleen, who 1 Copyright PieceW ork Magazine, Interweave Press LLC. Not to be reprinted. All rights Reserved. p iecew ork Online

2 top to bottom: Photograph taken in the 1920s of the Cooperative building in Almondbury, West Yorkshire, England. Rowan s original premises were in this building above the grocer s shop. Rowen s Green Lane Mill, West Yorkshire, England, in The mill was built in the early 1800s and produced woven gabardine fabric; the business closed in 1912 following a boiler explosion. For the next seventy years, it was used by Washpit Mill. left to right: Simon Cockin, Stephen Sheard, and Stephen s wife, Kath Sheard, in the showroom at Rowan Mill, West Yorkshire, England. Early 1980s. joined Rowan early on in the warehouse, distinguished herself through her knitting and technical skills. Eldest daughter Kim became Sheard s design protégée and was Rowan s first design director until leaving in 2004 to start her own design company. Youngest daughter Lindsay continues to work in the Rowan sales office. With the collaboration of New Hampshire residents and United Kingdom expatriates Ken and June Bridgewater, Rowan began distributing its yarns in the United States in Selling knitting kits at first, then expanding into open-stock yarn a few years later, the Bridgewater s company, Westminster Trading (now Westminster Fibers), and Rowan set up a distribution system. In 1985, Sheard created a semiannual magazine that interprets Rowan s design vision for the season. A few years later, he developed Rowan International, whose subscribers receive not only copies of current issues of Rowan s Knitting and Crochet Magazine but also quarterly newsletters, discounts on workshops held in the United Kingdom, and access to a special online forum of knitters and technical consultants. During the 1990s, Rowan added new designers and initiated a program of Rowan consultants in major United Kingdom department stores as a way of creating a long-term bridge between Rowan and consumers. Nevertheless, the dismal economic climate in the mid-1990s eventually forced Sheard and Cockin to sell the Rowan business to Coats Crafts UK. Cockin continued to run the Rowan operation, with a new sales manager, Colin Chawner, joining the Holmfirth team. Sheard s expertise was embraced by Coats, and he soon expanded his responsibilties to encompass Jaeger Handknits, a licensee of the German fashion house known for its distinctive European style. With Hargreaves at the design helm, Rowan entered the new millennium with innovative design collections and new yarns such as Big Wool (100% merino), Calmer (75% cotton, 25% acrylic), and Summer Tweed (70% silk, 30% cotton) complementing the company s more traditional offerings. As Rowan celebrated its first twentyfive years, Sheard became Coats s global yarn marketing manager, the designer Kate Buller succeeded him as the Rowan brand manager, and Marie Wallin replaced Kim Hargreaves as head of design. At Coats, Sheard consulted in the development and growth of Germany s Gedifra, Regia, and Schachenmayr brands, North America s Nashua Handknits, and Patons, 2 Copyright PieceW ork Magazine, Interweave Press LLC. Not to be reprinted. All rights Reserved. p iecew ork Online

3 Top Row (left to right): Kim Hargreaves in Bond from Rowan magazine 28, Martin Storey in Morris from Rowan magazine 34, Sandy Black, Sasha Kagan in Rosebud from Rowan magazine 34, Kaffe Fassett in Stone Circles from Rowan magazine 28. Center Row: Erika Knight in Pocket Yoke Polo Shirt from Rowan magazine 8. Bottom Row (left to right): Marie Wallin in Rannoch from Rowan magazine 42, Brandon Mably in Crown Sweater from Knitting Colour, Jean Moss in Floral Peplum from Rowan magazine 9, Sarah Hatton in Bridges by Carol Meldrum from Rowan magazine 42, Sarah Dallas in Georgie from Rowan magazine 32. The first Rowan magazine published in Shepherd, and Cleckheaton in Australasia. He and Cockin retired at the end of The year 2008 marked the thirtieth anniversary of the Rowan brand and the beginning of a world tour featuring a retrospective of the history of Rowan yarns and a gallery of its designs. In 2009, the exhibit was seen in stores or at needlework festivals in Paris, New Zealand, and various sites in the United States and Canada. In April 2010, look for it at the Textile Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the Slater Mill Museum in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. From its beginning, Rowan s vision, created by Sheard and Cockin, has been to demand of itself an appreciation of good design, high-quality materials, and the finest colors, and the ability to listen, learn, and give back by teaching. It is this approach that has enabled the company to inspire and foster creativity and technical excellence in its designers and in the knitters who purchase its products. A bout the Author. Linda Pratt is the national marketing manager for needlecraft for Westminster Fibers. She feels fortunate to have spent many hours learning from Stephen Sheard. 3 Copyright PieceW ork Magazine, Interweave Press LLC. Not to be reprinted. All rights Reserved. p iecew ork Online

4 A Kaffe Fassett Inspired Scarf to Knit The Kaffe Fassett inspired scarf. Photograph by Jason Reid. Inspired by Kaffe Fassett s striped sweater and scarf featured in Rowan magazine 42, this project was created in Rowan s Kid Classic and worked on larger needles for faster completion. While no one can compete with Fassett s color mastery, this project did prove to be an exercise in color choice and placement. beg begin; beginning BO bind off CO cast on cont continue; continuing k knit Abbreviations p purl rep repeat st(s) stitch(es) St st stockinette stitch WS wrong side Materials Rowan Kid Classic, 70% lambswool/26% kid mohair/4% nylon, worsted weight, 153 yards (140 m)/50 g skein, 2 skeins each of #864 Precious (aqua), #862 Teal, #856 Tattoo (denim blue), and #855 Smudge (light gray); and 1 skein each of #841 Lavender Ice, #835 Royal (violet), #853 Spruce (dark olive), #865 Dashing (khaki), and #866 Bitter Sweet (brown); visit (click on Stockists in lower left corner) for a list of retailers Needles, size 8 (5 mm) or size as needed to obtain gauge Tapestry needle Finished size: 23½ inches (59.7 cm) wide and 74½ inches (189.2 cm) long Gauge: 17 stitches and 23 rows = 4 inches (10.1 cm) in St st 4 Copyright PieceW ork Magazine, Interweave Press LLC. Not to be reprinted. All rights Reserved. p iecew ork Online

5 Instructions With #864 Precious (aqua), CO 100 sts. K 4 rows, ending with a WS row. Keeping 6 sts at each side in garter st (k all sts every row) and working the center 88 sts in St st, work 107-row stripe sequence as shown in the chart below. Cont as established, rep the entire 107-row stripe sequence two more times, then work the first 102 rows once more, ending with a RS row in #856 Tattoo (denim blue) 423 stripe rows completed. Next row: (WS) With #864 Precious (aqua), k6, p88, k6. With #864 Precious (aqua), k 4 rows piece measures 74½ inches (189.2 cm) from beg. BO all sts. Weave in all ends. Block if desired. 107-Row Stripe Sequence 3 #866 Bitter Sweet (brown) 4 #835 Royal (violet) 3 #865 Dashing (khaki) 4 #855 Smudge (light gray) 2 #864 Precious (aqua) 1 #835 Royal (violet) 2 #841 Lavender Ice 2 #865 Dashing (khaki) 2 #853 Spruce (dark olive) 1 #865 Dashing (khaki) 3 #866 Bitter Sweet (brown) 1 #864 Precious (aqua) 4 #856 Tattoo (denim blue) 1 #855 Smudge (light gray) 2 #864 Precious (aqua) 3 #853 Spruce (dark olive) 2 #841 Lavender Ice 2 #835 Royal (violet) 3 #855 Smudge (light gray) 2 #865 Dashing (khaki) 2 #853 Spruce (dark olive) 2 #862 Teal 3 #855 Smudge (light gray) 3 #841 Lavender Ice 4 #856 Tattoo (denim blue) 2 #866 Bitter Sweet (brown) 1 #841 Lavender Ice 1 #835 Royal (violet) Enter to Win! We re giving away three kits with all of the yarn needed to make your own Kaffe Fassett Inspired Scarf, compliments of Rowan Yarn! Click on the link below for the entry form and the official rules. No Purchase Necessary. The giveaway of three kits of Rowan Kid Classic yarn to make PieceWork s A Kaffe Fassett Inspired Scarf to Knit starts on December 18, 2009, at 12 midnight MST and ends on March 1, 2010, at 12 midnight MST. Giveaway is open to residents of the 50 United States (and D.C.) 18 years and older. Void where prohibited. Sponsor is Interweave Press, LLC, 201 East Fourth Street, Loveland, CO Copyright PieceW ork Magazine, Interweave Press LLC. Not to be reprinted. All rights Reserved. p iecew ork Online