Life LackaDaisiCal

Marilyn - Rowan 53 a design by Galina Carroll using Rowan Purelife Revive with accents of Rowan Summerspun This Revive had been in my stash for a couple of years.  I bought it for a pattern, but changed my mind.   (How often has that happened to you?)  So it was there, waiting patiently for the perfect design.  When I first saw Marilyn, I loved the neckline and the striped detail...but it was a little too stripey for me, if you know what I mean.   By changing the colourway to something with subtle contrast, I kept the integrity of the design, but made it my own. (Sometimes we can't see past the shades used in the original....tweaking the shades used in a design like this is easy to do.) The only deviation from the pattern was this bust shaping that I incorporated - you can hardly see it but it makes a huge difference to how the sweater fits and hangs. This added two inches to the front piece and gave me the fullness I required, where I req...

Just a little modification to the front of Marilyn... Short row wraps to create a bust dart... Pick up the wraps on the last row and it gives you a nice slope. Thanks to Ysolda Teague's "Your Perfect Sweater" Class that I just took via Squam Arts.....I was able to add short row shaping to the front of Marilyn to create bust darts for a more flattering fit. Fingers crossed that this works! Don't forget to enter for the Rowan Magazine 53 draw !

One of my very first actually finished knitting projects was a yellow sleeveless shell done in Rowan Glace.....I LOVED IT Over the years when knitting time was restricted due to work and life commitments, I knit wool....because it might take me a year to finish something! I got away from summer knits,  but this year I decided I wanted to be able to wear hand knits all year round.  (I've been thinking this for a few years actually, but it takes a while to get going on something this new and radical :) ) Rowan 53 has some wonderful summer knits in it....now I wish I had more time, or more hands! On the needles right now......Marilyn, Rowan 53 I blogged about this design back in  February .....how I was going to change the colorway..... I started with the front.....because I hadn't realized that this design only has stripes on the front piece.  Then I started Ysolda's Perfect Fit class....and I'm planning on putting a bit of short row shaping in the front piece to make ...

Rowan posted this video (don't worry - there is no sound!) of the designs in Rowan Magazine 53! How wonderful to be looking at these summery designs..... Looks beautiful from a distance - but look at the end of the driveway!   When we have a winter wonderland happening here this morning!

When my Rowan Magazine 53 arrived, I was so excited, and I did a review of my favourites . The semi-annual Rowan Magazines are covering a lot of area, offering designs for everyone.  Each time a new magazine comes out, the blogs and Ravelry are full of "I Love" and "I don't know why?" and even "I don't like" comments! After my initial review, I prefer to let things simmer for a while and see what comes to the surface! For example - Marilyn.....one of my favourites....from the "ikon" collection... ikon ..is inspired by strong Modernist graphic patterning with a 1960's  retro feel, creating a clean,  sophisticated and fun collection of women's and men's knits. quoted from Rowan 53 with it's retro feel - I love the collar and the length,  but not so much the high-contrast horizontal stripes! But done in Rowan Purelife Revive Shade 462 Basalt, with Rowan Summerspun Shades 113 Knightsbridge and 123 Victoria as accents, well, I ...

Now that Rowan 53 is officially released....let me tell you what my favourites are.... HIP Panama, Siena 4 ply & Kidsilk Haze designed by Lisa Richardson With my love for lots of colour - well, this one is my favourite for sure! It looks spectacular paired with the bright red/orange skirt...a shade which you will notice is NOT used in the design.  Hmmm....interesting. I love the way Rowan styles their magazines! (Note to self:  What about your orange silk slim legged pants?) MARILYN Summerspun & Purelife Revive design by Galina Carroll Shown knit up in Pumice Revive, with Piccadilly and Greenwich Summerspun. This has a retro vibe that I love...and checking my stash, I have some Revive waiting patiently in it's storage box to be united with some Summerspun! I love the neckline on this! (Note to self:  Get some big bangles in the Summerspun shades!) TUTTI FRUTTI Summerspun design by Marie Wallin I KNOW!!!! This is so unlike me!  But with my new crochet skills, ...