Trying something new.....Silkystones!

I am a knitter...who loves wool....not cotton, no acrylics here, prefers her wool to NOT be super washed, and definitely I don't knit with Linen or Silk.

Until now...

Part of being a  Rowan Ambassador is that you receive sample balls of new yarns that are being introduced by Rowan...and Spring/Summer 2014...yup, you guessed it, lots of Linen and Silk...

So, I've decided to be brave, and give it a go!

First up......Rowan's new Silkystones, which is 52% Tussah Silk, and 48% Linen.  




The shades are gorgeous and rich....there is so much depth....I wanted to knit with them right away, but I was frankly a bit intimidated - Silk and Linen!

So, I decided that I needed to knit something small and easy....something relatively pain free...if it doesn't work, not a big deal....but if it does...Bonus!

Ravelry is a great resource for free patterns...and I recalled a "Kerchief" that I had liked, but hadn't knit yet....

The Age of Brass and Steam Kerchief, called for 230 yards of yarn (I had 3 balls so 327 yards - more than enough) so I cast on and changed up the colours at appropriate points in the pattern, and voila.....



This was knit on a 5mm needle (large for this yarn) and it grew significantly when washed and hand blocked (no wires or anything) flat to dry.

What did knitting this teach me?  Well, this yarn is not like wool I can tell you for sure!  It has NO GIVE....which told me that if I was going to knit something fitted out of this yarn, I was going to have to swatch, Swatch, SWATCH....until I had it right.


 The cardigan "Brooke" caught my eye, and I decided
that I'd knit it (with a few adjustments, as usual)
in the shade Grassland (083)



The Silkystones brochure is a collection of 12 designs by Marie Wallin....


Beautifully photographed in Spain,
there are a wide variety of garments....from comfortable unstructured designs....


To a skin baring halter top!


Lackie says....if you are not going to play, you might want to.....


Visit the Silkystones Collection on the KnitRowan web site!



OR, view all of the designs on RowanYarns Silkystones Collection Pinterest board here!


OR, Visit Marie Wallin's blog where she reviews the collection and tells us a little bit about the location shoot in Spain!







The more I look at this collection, the more I like it....and if I only had 10 hands and didn't have to sleep I would have quite a few of these in my summer wardrobe!

'Til next time....when we talk about swatching (naked versus dressed) and gauge!


DON'T FORGET TO ENTER TO WIN A SKEIN OF ROWAN'S FINE ART ARAN!  IT'S EASY, JUST LEAVE A COMMENT!



#KnitRowan #RowanYarns #Silkystones #MarieWallin



Comments

  1. Really nice shawl Anne! I am presently knitting with the new Rowan linen. It does leave a bit of floss and unfortunately my tension has changed from the front of the project to the back. One must not be going through anything major in life when knitting linen... no give and no forgiveness...

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    Replies
    1. Carmen, these yarns are just very luxurious string! I've got some Pure Linen too! What are you knitting with yours?

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  2. Looks absolutely lovely!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Colleen, it is finished, washed and blocking now. Too bed the weather isn't going to be spring like for a while yet :)

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    2. Where are you located Anne? It is cold and still some snow here in Southern Ontario! BTW I loved the sweater you knit for your husband. It is very nice.

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    3. I'm in Milton Colleen.....with snow and freezing rain expected tonight?!? And it was a great day today.....yeah for Spring!

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