Yep, this is me doing something I never thought I'd ever do; post pictures of me taking bathroom selfies. But only out of desperation and because we were in a hotel room that had decent lighting and a big mirror, I just...did it. And they didn't turn out too bad really, but I'm still kind of embarrassed about them so I'll just move on and talk about the pattern and the yarn.
The pattern, Bay by Kim Hargreaves is my perfect sweater. I wear it open mostly, but it looks cute buttoned up too. I finished it in May so have been wearing it all summer and love it each time I put it on. The yarn is Rowan Original Denim, a newish yarn for me, but not for many of you I know. Rowan Denim has been around for years, then went on hiatus for a year or two, and now is in production again. The original producer from years ago was found to be back in business and was commissioned to create the "Original Denim", thus the name. I love this stuff but don't want to repeat myself as I first reviewed it when knitting a baby sweater that you can read about here. I hope you don't mind if I give you my yarn review from that post:
Good news for all you denim lovers out there: Rowan Denim is out of retirement! It was discontinued for one year, perhaps you heard the wails and moans. After a decade of popularity it took a year long break. Often it's an issue with the mill and doesn't have much to do with it's popularity. I am a newbie to Rowan Denim yarn and only know it from seeing it on Ravelry so was excited when I was given two skeins to review. I do admit to letting it languish for a while. I'm so fussy about cotton yarn. It must be soft and easy to knit, and sadly this is not true for too many cotton yarns. Still I was intrigued to finally find out what all the fuss was about and with needles in hand, set about to make another striped baby cardigan. I could review it and make something at the same time!
Even while casting on for my swatch, I knew the yarn would be very soft in the hand and easy to knit. The stitches lined up beautifully and was easy to get an even tension. With my pointy Lace Addis it was surprisingly easy to maneuver stitches into cables and lace. That was all I needed to know, so I ripped my swatch back and cast on for this baby sweater. True to it's type, Rowan Denim is meant to fade in the wash over time. While knitting the navy, your hands will turn blue, don't be alarmed, it washes off with soap and water! The extra dye will come out of the garment with the first wash, and after that it will gently fade over time and give you the look and feel of your much loved pair of 501s back in the day. Denim will shrink on the first wash so if you are not using a Rowan pattern, you must make allowances for this. Not a big deal, I think just adding some length to the body and sleeves would be it. Rowan patterns have the shrinkage built into the design. There are dozens of free patterns designed specifically for this yarn at this link: Rowan Original Denim Online Collection.
Now for the giveaway! I have a copy of the new book, Denim, the Next Generation by Martin Storey to give away. Denim The Next Generation is a collection of seven classic, Martin Storey family knits re-worked with a contemporary feel and style. Casual denim shirt styles, Breton stripe guernseys and rugged-look cables feature in this on trend collection for men, women and children. You can see all the patterns here.
It's easy to enter the giveaway, just be a follower of Knitionary and leave a comment. Make sure you leave a way for me to contact you, such as your Rav ID or your email address. For a second chance to win, become a follower of the Knitionary Facebook page and leave a message there, under the giveaway post. Scroll through to find the post with the selfie Bay Sweater picture and leave a comment under the picture, that will enter you a second time. I'll leave this open until early next week, and it's open to international readers too. Good luck! (And I apologize for having to have capcha on my comments section. I get way to much spam if I don't.)
Good news for all you denim lovers out there: Rowan Denim is out of retirement! It was discontinued for one year, perhaps you heard the wails and moans. After a decade of popularity it took a year long break. Often it's an issue with the mill and doesn't have much to do with it's popularity. I am a newbie to Rowan Denim yarn and only know it from seeing it on Ravelry so was excited when I was given two skeins to review. I do admit to letting it languish for a while. I'm so fussy about cotton yarn. It must be soft and easy to knit, and sadly this is not true for too many cotton yarns. Still I was intrigued to finally find out what all the fuss was about and with needles in hand, set about to make another striped baby cardigan. I could review it and make something at the same time!
Even while casting on for my swatch, I knew the yarn would be very soft in the hand and easy to knit. The stitches lined up beautifully and was easy to get an even tension. With my pointy Lace Addis it was surprisingly easy to maneuver stitches into cables and lace. That was all I needed to know, so I ripped my swatch back and cast on for this baby sweater. True to it's type, Rowan Denim is meant to fade in the wash over time. While knitting the navy, your hands will turn blue, don't be alarmed, it washes off with soap and water! The extra dye will come out of the garment with the first wash, and after that it will gently fade over time and give you the look and feel of your much loved pair of 501s back in the day. Denim will shrink on the first wash so if you are not using a Rowan pattern, you must make allowances for this. Not a big deal, I think just adding some length to the body and sleeves would be it. Rowan patterns have the shrinkage built into the design. There are dozens of free patterns designed specifically for this yarn at this link: Rowan Original Denim Online Collection. A new pattern collection including a return of some popular vintage patterns is set to be out in May, just when the summer knitting is getting underway.
- See more at: http://knitionary.blogspot.com/2014/03/splish-splash.html#sthash.S65P4gaE.dpufGood news for all you denim lovers out there: Rowan Denim is out of retirement! It was discontinued for one year, perhaps you heard the wails and moans. After a decade of popularity it took a year long break. Often it's an issue with the mill and doesn't have much to do with it's popularity. I am a newbie to Rowan Denim yarn and only know it from seeing it on Ravelry so was excited when I was given two skeins to review. I do admit to letting it languish for a while. I'm so fussy about cotton yarn. It must be soft and easy to knit, and sadly this is not true for too many cotton yarns. Still I was intrigued to finally find out what all the fuss was about and with needles in hand, set about to make another striped baby cardigan. I could review it and make something at the same time!
Even while casting on for my swatch, I knew the yarn would be very soft in the hand and easy to knit. The stitches lined up beautifully and was easy to get an even tension. With my pointy Lace Addis it was surprisingly easy to maneuver stitches into cables and lace. That was all I needed to know, so I ripped my swatch back and cast on for this baby sweater. True to it's type, Rowan Denim is meant to fade in the wash over time. While knitting the navy, your hands will turn blue, don't be alarmed, it washes off with soap and water! The extra dye will come out of the garment with the first wash, and after that it will gently fade over time and give you the look and feel of your much loved pair of 501s back in the day. Denim will shrink on the first wash so if you are not using a Rowan pattern, you must make allowances for this. Not a big deal, I think just adding some length to the body and sleeves would be it. Rowan patterns have the shrinkage built into the design. There are dozens of free patterns designed specifically for this yarn at this link: Rowan Original Denim Online Collection. A new pattern collection including a return of some popular vintage patterns is set to be out in May, just when the summer knitting is getting underway.
- See more at: http://knitionary.blogspot.com/2014/03/splish-splash.html#sthash.S65P4gaE.dpuf
I hope you can find Rowan Original Denim at your lys, but if not,
here are some online stores that I recommend:
