R O W A NKNITTING & CROCHET

Magazine Number 52

Digital Edition

KNITTING & CROCHETMagazine Number 52

Digital Edition

DESIGNERS

Marie Wallin • Martin Storey • Lisa RichardsonKaffe Fassett • Brandon Mably • Jennie AtkinsonAmanda Crawford • Sarah Hatton • Ruth Green

Josh Bennett • Julia Frank • Jemma WestonSarah Dallas • Erika Knight

ON THE COVER

Sole by Ruth GreenPhotographer Peter Christian ChristensenArt Direction & Styling Marie WallinHair & Make-up Frances Prescott (One Make Up)Model Sif Agustsdottir (Models 1)

Rowan Brand Manager Kate BullerRowan Head Designer Marie WallinDesign & Publications Manager David MacLeodMarketing and Publications Co-ordinator Lyndsay KayeGraphic Designer Web and Print Karl HallamRowan Graphic Designer Paul CalvertGraphic Designer and Web Assistant James KnaptonRowan Designer & Pattern Editor Lisa RichardsonRowan Assistant Designer Gemma AtkinsonYarn & Photoshoot Co-ordinator Ann HinchliffeGarment Co-ordinatorVicky SedgwickKnitting Co-ordinator Andrea McHughGarment finishing Lisa Parnaby & Pauline Ellis

Rowan Magazine Design Layout Simon Wagstaff

Commercial Director Emma MychajlowskyjMarketing Manager Hayley Howell

With special thanks to the following handknitters:Ann Newton, Marjorie Pickering, Ella Ferguson, Glenis Garnett, Wendy Shipman, Ella Taylor, Vicky Browning,Audrey Kidd, Elizabeth Jones, Elsie Eland, Yvonne Rawlinson,Chris Davies, Val Deeks, Andrea McHugh, Mary Salmon, Linda Watson, Ros Miller, Shari Bolton, Janet Oakey,Jenny Shore, Gwynneth Allen, Brenda Willows, Ann Banks,Wendy Stevens, Linda Szemiako, Angela Cheyne, Clare Landi,Pauline Ellis, Sandra Richardson, Emily Platt, Cindy Noble,Fiona McCabe, Ann Holdsworth, Karen King, Jenny Cooper,Janet Mann, Sandra Taylor, Christine Holman, Honey Ingram,Carol Bayless, Margaret Goddard, Joyce Limon, Carol Ibbetson.

All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or any part of all material, including illustrations, in this magazine is strictlyforbidden. No part may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanicalphotocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permissionof the copyright owners having been given in writing. The designs in this magazine are copyrighted and must not be knitted for re-sale. Reproduction of thispublication is protected by copyright and is sold on thecondition that it used for non-commercial purposes. Yarn quantities are approximate as they are based on average requirements. Colour reproduction is as close asprinting will allow.

First published in Great Britain in 2012 by Coats Crafts. Green Lane Mill, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England, HD9 2DX E-mail: mail@knitrowan.com

British Library Cataloguing in Publication DataRowan Yarns. Rowan Knitting & Crochet Magazine Number 52ISSN 2045-340X

Copyright Rowan 2012Printed in the UK by Taylor BloxhamReprographics by Gloss Solutions

It is with great pleasure that I introduce the turning page versionof Magazine 52. The turning page really does bring the magazineto life. The next best thing to having the magazine actually in yourhands. Once you have viewed all these beautiful designs why notgo that step further and become a Rowan subscriber to themagazine and have it delivered direct to your door as a special treatto yourself. After all we all need something to look forward to asthe summer comes to a close.

This season I hope we have given you all the traditional themes andtechniques you have come to expect from Rowan. Thewonderfully colourful and playful fairisle, the Scottish plaid steppedin history, the cable that travels with elegant ease up the fabric ofthe jumper and the modern colour blocking that makes intarsia ajoy to work.

The designs in Magazine 52 have been created by the Rowaninhouse team and our stable of freelances. This season we are alsointroducing new talent and faces to the Rowan family with RuthGreen, Jem Weston and showcasing a stylish yet modern designfrom Josh Bennett.

So whether its a two colour fairisle, an intarsia colour block sweateror a rhythmical cable design you choose to knit, I hope you enjoythe journey from casting on to casting off.

Kate BullerRowan Brand Manager

EDITOR’SLETTER

DOWNLOAD

STORIES

HEBRIDEANA romantic castle on the dramatic coastline overlooking the Moray Firth in the Highlands of Scotland is the perfect setting for this beautiful collection of womens and mens patterned knits.

NORTH SEAThe rugged North East coast of Scotland is the inspiration behind this wonderful collection of womens and mens fisherman knits.

ESSENTIALSA collection of the key shapes and textures on trend, designed into simple, easy to wear styles that compliment the season's ESSENTIAL looks.

FEATURES

DOWNLOADABLE PATTERNSDownload your free exclusive patterns to digital Magazine 52.

KAFFE: A JUBILEE CELEBRATIONShowcasing a beautiful heirloom throw made from Kaffe's favourite Rowan designs and an exclusive Hebridean inspired womens sweater.

NORTH SEA- A BEHIND THE SCENES VIEWMarie Wallin gives a 'behind the scenes' description of the photography shoot behind the north Sea collection.

SHAUNA AND HER LIONHEARTA fascinating insight into the world of this celebrated crochet sculptor, including new information on the 'Lion Heart' tour.

ROWAN DESIGN AWARDSA celebration of the exceptional work of the students of the Royal College of Art for the Rowan Design Award 2011 and Wool Week 2011.

RUTH GREENA fascinating interview with Rowan's latest contributing designer.

REGULAR FEATURES

ROWAN WEBSITERowan Digital Magazine 52 & New Members Clubs

TRAVEL JOURNALInteresting information on the location we used for Hebridean.

CONTENTS

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46

90

6

16

42

72

74

108

112

114

6

downloadable

BISCAY

LimaMarie Wallin

DOWNLOAD

BUTE MENS

Felted TweedColourspun

Lisa Richardson

DOWNLOAD

8

HARBOUR BAG

British Sheep Breeds BoucleSarah Hatton

DOWNLOAD

HEBRIDES

Kidsilk Haze StripeLisa Richardson

DOWNLOAD

10

STROMA LEGWARMERS

Felted TweedJemma Weston

DOWNLOAD

THAMES

CocoonErika Knight

DOWNLOAD

12

BARRA

Felted Tweed AranSarah Dallas

DOWNLOAD

BAILEY MENS

DriftBig WoolMarie Wallin

DOWNLOAD

14

WIGHT

CocoonLisa Richardson

DOWNLOAD

LEWIS

Pure Wool DKMartin Storey

DOWNLOAD

Kaffe:

DOWNLOAD

Click to view & downloadJubilee Throw pattern.

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Kaffe Fassett is an inspirational andinternationally renowned textile artist.Kaffe has been working with Rowanfrom the start in the 1980’s and has beeninstrumental in the growth of Rowaninto the success that it is today. Evennow, Kaffe is still a prolific designerproducing wonderful designs for hisquilting fabrics, quilts and of coursehand knitting.

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With 2012 being an important year inrespect to Her Majesty’s QueenElizabeth II Diamond Jubilee and theLondon Olympic Games, we decidedto ask Kaffe to select his favourite handknitting designs from over the years andthen translate these into a wonderfulpatchwork throw. The ‘Jubilee Throw’,knitted in one of Kaffe’s favourite yarns– Felted Tweed, is a beautiful work ofart and will grace the interior of anywell dressed home. It surely is destinedto become a much treasured heirloomto pass down the family for the futuregenerations to enjoy.

To compliment the throw we also askedKaffe to design this beautiful women’ssweater ‘Islay’. This is a quintessentialKaffe design also knitted in thewonderful Felted Tweed. Designed withthe ‘Hebridean’ story in mind, Kaffe hasmixed his signature square plaid designwith a border inspired from the ‘FoolishVirgins’ design, creating this verywearable, lovely colour-work design.

DOWNLOAD

Click to view & downloadIslay pattern.

h e b r i d e a nInspired by the history of Fairisle

knitting, HEBRIDEAN is a beautifulcollection of womens and menswear knits

which evokes the spirit of the OuterHebrides and the Far North.

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HARRIS

Kid Classic & ColourspunMarie Wallin

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25

KIRKWALL WRAP

Felted TweedJulia Frank

TIREE

Rowan Tweed & ColourspunMartin Storey

26

DOWNLOAD

BUTE WOMENS

Colourspun & Felted TweedLisa Richardson

MULL

Rowan Fine TweedMartin Storey

29

RONALDSAY

Wool CottonLisa Richardson

30

KINTYRE

Wool Cotton, Kidsilk Haze & Pure Wool DKMarie Wallin

Thr

ow a

nd c

ushi

on b

y A

nta

32

UIST

Pure Wool DKJennie Atkinson

Thr

ows

and

cush

ions

by

Ant

a

33

ORKNEY

Felted TweedMarie Wallin

SKYE

ColourspunBrandon Mably

Men

's ki

lt by

Ant

a

35

ARRAN SOCKS

Colourspun & Felted TweedJemma Weston

WESTRAY THROW

Rowan TweedMartin Storey

36

EIGG SLIPPERS

Colourspun, Felted Tweed, Purelife British Sheep Breeds Boucle

Jemma Weston

Check throws by Anta

TOBERMORY

Kid ClassicMarie Wallin

39

LERWICK

Felted Tweed AranMarie Wallin

41

Photo

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north- a behind the scenes viewWords by Marie Wallin

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I arrived in Anstruther after a mammoth five hour drivedown from Tain in the Western Highlands (the locationfor the HEBRIDEAN collection). Thankfully theweather was kind to us for the drive – a week later themain route from the north was blocked with heavy snow!

The crew – myself, Peter – the photographer, Carl –Peter’s assistant, Frances – our hair & make up lady andthe two models, Sif and Andrew stayed at the verytraditional but friendly ‘Craws Nest Hotel’ in Anstruther.The staff were very welcoming, the food very good andthe rooms nice and warm, just what you need after along cold day on shoot!

The beautiful northeast corner of Fife,Scotland was the perfect location for ourNORTH SEA collection. Just lyingsouth of the historic town of StAndrews are the tiny stone harbours ofthe fishing villages of the East Neuk –Anstruther, Crail, St Monans andPittenweem. We photographedNORTH SEA in St Monans and Crailin November last year.

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On the first day of shooting we went to St Monans andit was blowing an absolute gale, but thankfully it was stillfairly mild for the time of year. Even so we had to keepSif ’s hair tied up to keep it from blowing across her face!Luckily we had lots of blankets and hot water bottles tokeep people warm as we had to change outfits in theback of my hire car! We shot by the harbour amongst thefishing boats and in some of streets of St Monans. Laterin the day we went to Crail, to explore for the next daybut also to shoot a few pictures.

The second day, we were not so lucky with the weather.We had to dodge heavy showers, it was even windierthan the day before and it had also turned very cold.Thankfully there was a very warm welcome at the lovely‘Crail Harbour Gallery and Tea Room’. This little havenwas invaluable as the owners allowed us to change in theshop and kept us supplied with copious amounts of themost delicious hot chocolate! So many thanks to theStampers for their kind hospitality. You can see from someof the pictures that we had to battle with the elements.Especially on the second day Carl nearly blew awaywhilst hold a large reflector!

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n o r t h s e aInspired by the wild and rugged seascapes of the North East coast of Scotland, NORTH SEA is a

wonderful and exhilarating collection of womens and mens British heritage

fisherman knits.

FASTNET

Pure Wool AranJosh Bennett

49

LUNDY MENS

CocoonMarie Wallin

SOLE

LimaRuth Green

51

52

LUNDY MENS

CocoonMarie Wallin

SHANNON

Kid ClassicMarie Wallin

FITZROY

Creative Focus™ WorstedLisa Richardson

55

56

SHANTY SCARF

Kid Classic & Alpaca CottonSarah Hatton

UTSIRE

Kid ClassicSarah Hatton

58

HUMBER

Creative Focus™ Worsted Ruth Green

60

VIKING

Felted Tweed AranMartin Storey

LUNDY WOMENS

CocoonMarie Wallin

ROCKALL SOCKS

LimaSarah Hatton

DOWNLOAD

Click to view & downloadBute Mens pattern.

63

ROCKALL SOCKS

LimaSarah Hatton

MALIN

Felted Tweed AranRuth Green

64

PLYMOUTH

Pure Wool AranSarah Hatton

67

FISHER

Creative Focus™ WorstedMartin Storey

69

DOVER

CocoonAmanda Crawford

70

Photo

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Chr

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72

Shauna

- latest newsWords by Dr Margy Cockburn

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The biggest crochet sculpture in theworld went on show on Tuesday May1st when the official launch of theLionheart Project, part of the CulturalOlympiad, took place at ChatsworthHouse, Derbyshire.

The three enormous hand-crocheted lions, housed in acustom-built glass exhibition truck, 16 metres long and 4metres wide, are the result of 36 miles of yarn and twoyears of hard work by artist Shauna Richardson:

“The Olympic Games offers an opportunity to celebratethe human spirit and showcase how unique we in theUK really are. Lionheart is an interpretation of Richardthe Lionheart�s crest, using locally-sourced wool, and waschosen to represent the East Midlands as it celebrates therich textile heritage of the region.”

The project has been designed to actively engage andinspire audiences and the lions will be going on tour,with stops at Skegness, Louth, Twycross and of coursecentral London.

You can find out more about the artist and her shedeveloped her own particular medium of ‘crochetdermy’in the printed edition of the Rowan Magazine 52.

If you want to find out more about the project and theexact tour dates go to www.lionheartproject.com

Lionheart Project / LondonThe world’s largest hand-crochetedlions roar into the city!From 1.00pm on Thursday July 19th the lions willbe touring Central London from Trafalgar Square toTower Bridge and back again, before taking upresidency at The Natural History Museum on Friday20th July until 10th September 2012.Meet the artist Shauna Richardson and the lions at10.30am Friday 20th July at The Natural HistoryMuseum, London.

lionheartproject.com

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“Everyone’s a winner”, was the verdict from headdesigner, Marie Wallin, as she addressed the crowdgathered at Liberty’s of London for the Rowan DesignAward prize-giving. All eight student finalists from theRoyal College of Art had come up with their own takeon traditional British heritage hand knits and, faced witha stunning collection of oversized Fair Isles, asymmetricArans, and reworked Guernseys, the judges had found itnearly impossible to make a choice. Olwen Walsh got firstprize (a raft of goodies from the main sponsors – Rowan,Laxton’s, The British Wool Marketing Board and Libertys)but they all deserved congratulating.

And the success story doesn’t stop there. The Campaignfor Wool, launched by HRH The Prince of Wales last yearto help revive the wool industry, is definitely getting itsmessage across. Wool may not be a ‘fast fibre’, as BridgetteKelly of the BWMB was the first to admit, (the students

who received their yarns just a week before the finaldesigns had to be submitted may beg to differ!) but themessage about its value is spreading pretty quickly andthe number of businesses joining the Campaign continuesto grow. There were sheep on the pavements, windowdisplays full of designer knits, an installation at the DesignCentre in Chelsea Harbour, fashion archives and photosat Wool Modern in Pall Mall and even sheep-shapedshort bread to buy at cafes. And that was just centralLondon.

All round the country people got involved with LoveWool UK and there were gatherings of spinners, felters,dyers, weavers and knitters in every conceivable location– one enterprising group of ladies went mobile andboarded a train to Paris planning to knit a collection ofwoolly cakes to deposit in selected patisseries throughoutthe French capital!

rowan designaward 2011– held during Wool Week 2011 at Liberty in London. Words by Dr Margy Cockburn

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Olwen’s been into wool since shewas a child, in every sense. Hergrandmother knitted her countlesssweaters and, when she grew out ofthose, she moved into the ones thathad been knitted for her mother.She’d hung on to a particular creamAran cardigan and, when she heardabout the Wool Week Award withRowan, she knew exactly where tostart.“The project is such a great platformto show how innovative and excitinghand knitting can be. I choose towork with wool because it almostalways has the aesthetic I want in myown designs and the competitiongave me a chance to research thetraditional jumpers the fishermen’swives knitted on the Channel andAran islands.”

Actually there’s a bit of a debateabout just how traditional the Aransweater is, with some historianssuggesting that the version we knowtoday didn’t appear until the early1900’s in when the knitters tried toextend their market and make somemoney from their work. But thedifferent stitch techniques in the

jumpers have certainly been used forcenturies and each one carries adifferent message – the diamond isfor wealth and treasure, the basketstitch means fingers crossed for asuccessful catch and the cable is awish for safety.

“We face such strong competition inyarn production from Europe and it’svital to establish the importance ofmaintaining the production of Britishyarn. Events like Wool Week are achance to highlight that and, as Icontinue my career, I hope I cankeep reminding people how excitingand desirable the use of wool canbe.”

OlwenWalsh- 1st Prize

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“Using stitches that I found on myown fisherman’s cardigan I attempted

to create a unique interpretation ofthe fisherman’s jumper. Intertwiningand overlaying stitches, I exaggeratedthe traditional techniques originally

used into a structured, three-dimensional, over-sized form.”

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“Wool for me is a sensual material,it gives warmth, it feels good, it isalive and smells nice. It‘s alsotimeless, durable and elegant thesequalities make it especially relevantto these times.”

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JuliaMackenroth- 2nd Prize

Julia jumped at the chance to getinvolved with Rowan too. Shestarted at the RCA a year ago, aftergraduating from HamburgUniversity, and spent the first yeargrappling with machine knitting. Buther real passion is for beingimmersed in yarn and the Rowanbrief put her right back in herelement.

“When designing, the mostimportant aspects for me are the

colour and the tactile texture.” Thetraditional Fair Isle gave her all theinspiration she needed and shestarted cooking batches of yarn in teaand various fruit juices to perfect thecolour combinations, loving the factthat no two batches ever turn outexactly the same. She thenmanipulated some traditional knitpatterns, changing their size andshape and, putting the two together,produced her winning contemporaryversion of a much-loved classic.

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“My inspiration for this project wasSailing Sheep. I split the brief in twoand took it quite literally - looking atthe qualities of the sheep themselvesand the stitch techniques found in thetraditional Guernsey fishermen’sjumpers and combining the two. Myfinal design was derived from thesculptural quality of the horns oframs and the knit purl of thetraditional Guernsey’s. “

Rachel Hall's design

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RachaelHall- 3rd Prize

“The competition has reminded mejust what can be achieved with acouple of wooden sticks and someyarn and it’s really highlighted what’savailable in Britain – the differentsheep breeds and the beautifulqualities found in their wool.” It alsotempted Rachael to add crochet tothe hand knitting skills she’d firstacquired while doing her BA atRavensbourne College. And she’s adesigner that really does put theemphasis on the ‘hand’ bit.

“I may start by drawing but I’m veryhands-on and I have to leave thepaper, pick up the yarn and start toknit to see what it feels like. It’s theonly way I can really check if it’sgoing to be OK.”

She’s also quite clear about herpriorities: “It’s important as a

designer to take responsibility forwhat I do in terms of theenvironment, to know where mymaterials come from and to createthat awareness.

She’s impressed by ‘Izzy Lane’, acompany that employs a network ofhome-based hand knitters who usewool that is spun and dyed locally,and has set her sights on working fora small studio or swatching: “I don’tsuppose it will ever make me richbut that’s the way I would like towork.”

“It’s more important than ever tosupport Britain and make the mostof existing industries and resources.We have a unique heritage and set ofskills and it’s up to us to make surethey’re passed on to futuregenerations.

LucyHammond

At the tender age of seven, Lucyproudly presented her new-bornbaby brother with his first hat - alsoher first hand-knit. The designincluded plenty of ‘ventilation’ holesbut was the first of many, includingshow pieces for Giles and JasperConran while an intern at KnithouseStudio.

“I’ve always knitted and take stuffwith me everywhere. I had quite abit of explaining to do when thebouncers on the door of a nightclubI went to recently started doing a bagsearch!”

Multi-tasking has its dangers, though,and after a lack of concentration that

was a little longer than momentary,Lucy found she’d knitted the front ofa jumper – twice!

A graduate of Kingston University,Lucy now lives in a warehouse witha group of artisans who are allwaving the ‘Made in the UK’ flag:“It’s really important we keep ourskills going so things can be madehere in England. It’s difficult at themoment to find a career path thatlets you do that but, hopefully,initiatives like the Campaign forWool will encourage traditionalindustries and help bring Britishsheep farming to the fore again andturn the tide of the import/exporttrend in our favour.”

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“Taking inspiration from traditionalfisherman knits I investigated the

crashing together of historical cablesand Fair Isle techniques - playing

with the idea of collision andextending it to asymmetry. The

overall silhouette was purposely largeand oversized ‘boyfriend’ fit to

recognise the fishermen’s wives whowere an integral part of the

traditional fishing industry and whonever knew if their men would

return safely.”

Lucy Hammond's design

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“My garment was knitted entirely inthe round, and the argyle pattern onthe body of the sweater was createdby reversing the knit/purl columns.Since fisherman’s ribs create areversible fabric, my garment can beworn inside out too - the inside hasexactly the same pattern as theoutside, in reversed colours.” Carlo Volpi's design

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CarloVolpi

“If everyone does their bit we canmove mountains.” Carlo’s beendoing his bit for knitting since hisNan first taught him in an attempt tokeep him quiet. He’s nowdetermined to start on movingmountains and launch himself as aknitwear designer who’s passionateabout his craft and the social,economic and environmentalimportance of supporting the Britishyarn industry.

Carlo was born in Italy, but happilyacknowledges his delight in workingwith Rowan and British wool andhis appreciation of the particular‘simple, natural’ feel of the home-produced yarn.

He’s quite happy to acknowledge hisdelight in knitting, period:

“What I really like about knitting isits magic: I absolutely love sittingdown in silence for hours watching a

single strand of yarn being slowlyturned into a beautiful, three-dimensional structure that has beencarefully designed and planned. I lovecreating complex stitch structuresand perfect mathematicalarrangements and I’ve always thoughtknitting is like a soap opera: it’s fullof drama, complexities, tears but,most of the time, a happy ending.”

For his competition piece hedeliberately went for a challenge – afisherman’s rib to be knitted entirelyin the round. “I don’t really like anyof the bits that don’t involve knittingand doing garments in the roundavoids the need for sewing up!”Quite.

“Wool is an amazing material to workwith. It’s waterproof yet breathable, it’selastic, can felt and, most importantly,each staple has its own history. Now,how can a man made fibre comparewith that?”

StephanieSzumlakowski

“Being part of the Campaign hasreally opened my eyes to what isavailable in natural colours; I had noidea before but during the summer Ivisited a shop in Skye where theowner had managed to cover theentire colour wheel using stuff likebog plants, dried mushrooms andgreen beans as natural dyes. ”

Stephanie spent her childhood inAyrshire, surrounded by a family ofknitters and the sea; she was inspiredby both. At 16 she’d knitted a babypink scarf but didn’t do much until,returning from Dundee Universityone holiday, she came upon herMum knitting ‘whacky hats with earson them ‘. Stephanie ran with theidea and started a veritable crazeamong her peers for ‘titfers’ with

acoustic additions. And she’s beenknitting presents for people eversince, although the competition pieceis her first complete garment.

Traditional skills have always appealed- she taught herself macrame andtatting while a student at JordanstoneCollege of Art and Design but, if theneed arises, she just makes up a brandnew stitch.

“The RCA has really encouraged meto explore the realm of the hand-made and the Campaign for Wool isa great device to promote wool andget it the respect and interest itdeserves. It offers so much more thatthe primal necessity of warmth – itgives comfort and security and itstands for a purity that we rarely seein contemporary fashion.”

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“I envisaged the flowing lines andasymmetric nature of seaweed andthe water patterns created in sand toconstruct my garment and convey anatural, irregular aesthetic; as if thegarment itself had been washed upon the shore or eroded into the formit is at present.”

Stephanie Szumlakowski's design

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“My cape design is inspired bytraditional knit stitches used infishermen’s sweaters. I developed theiconic cabling technique and re-worked the stitch through drasticallyincreasing the scale and introducinga 3-D element to the fabric byextending the cables into knots.”

Sophie Waterfield's design

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SophieWaterfield

Sophie’s no stranger to awards – she’salready grabbed a couple ofscholarships, the Umbro DesignAward 2011, and had her design forNew Era’s iconic baseball capexhibited across the globe. BernieYates, lecturer at Central St Martin’s,reintroduced her to knitting and she’shappily tackling an MA in KnittedTextiles at the RCA. While shemainly works on fine gauge knitmachines, the challenge of theRowan brief caught her imagination.She admits to not having beingparticularly aware of the issuesaround natural fibres before theAward but, now she knows what’s atstake, she’s giving it her everysupport.

“What I really like in knitting is thelack of control. I start creating the

fabric and that then dictates the formof the garment so you don’t reallyknow exactly where you’re goingwhen you start.” Too true – on oneoccasion, after three days of toil on afine gauge Dubied machine toproduce a complicated fabric for herBA collection, the machine broke,the piece laddered and the wholething ended up on the floor!

“Britain is one of the main pioneersof knitwear and I want to keep theentire chain of production, fromsheep to garment, on home soil.” Toachieve that she’s set herself the taskof closing the price gap betweendesigner and high street products andproducing exceptional qualitygarments at a price that ordinarypeople can afford.

BenedictHolmboe

She doesn’t beat about the bush:“Wool is the best material in theworld and the natural choice for myprojects.”

Born in Norway, Benedicte hastravelled a good deal, learning aboutherself, various cultures and thedifferent ways people live and thinkabout the world. The Rowan Awardappealed as a way to work with herfavourite fibre and explore theknitting heritage of her native landand Britain at the same time. Shedidn’t consider each and try to find ahappy medium, but took the bestfrom both and just, well, put themtogether:

“Through all my travels the feelingof belonging to Norway has grownso it felt natural to focus on the

Norwegian heritage as well asBritish. The right sleeve is an Aranpattern, the left cuff is from a FairIsle and the body is made up ofpatterns from different places inNorway. The middle part comes froma valley called Setesdal and theshoulder part is taken from anIslender.”

Benedicte is aware the homeproduction route costs more moneybut in terms of caring for the climateand ecology has to be the way to go.And her contribution to the futureof the industry?

“I will try and decrease the massconsumption mentality of thecustomer and make clothes that aredesigned to last for more than oneseason.”

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“By using lots of different patternsfrom both Norwegian and Britishtraditions I have created a uniquelook for a modern, confident man,

who appreciates the qualities ofnatural materials.”

Benedict Holmboe's design

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is a collection of the key shapes andtextures on trend, designed into more

simple, easy to wear styles that willcompliment the season's ESSENTIALlooks. Using a bright autumnal colourpalette, ranging from teal blues to softpinks this is the 'must have' collection

of the season.

E s s e n t i a l s

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T H E C H U N K Y

F I S H E R M A N R I B T U N I C

RUBY

Kid ClassicMarie Wallin

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EBBE

LimaMarie Wallin

T H E B O B B L E

T E X T U R E P O L O

WADE

CocoonLisa Richardson

T H E L O O P

C R O P P E DC A R D I G A N

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FALACocoonMartin Storey

T H E N E WT R A D I T I O N A LT U N I C

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BEATRIX

Wool CottonSarah Hatton

T H E F I T T E DB O B B L E

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DALLAN

LimaJennie Atkinson

T H E N E A T C A R D I G A N

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ADDISON

Alpaca CottonAmanda Crawford

T H E W E A V E T E X T U R ES W E A T E R

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PAIGE

Kidsilk HazeLisa Richardson

T H E M O H A I R

S W E A T E R

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Purelife British Sheep Breeds BoucleLisa Richardson

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CocoonLisa Richardson

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NEEFALimaMarie Wallin

T H E C O L O U R

B L O C K T O P

Ruth Green- an interviewWords by Dr Margy Cockburn

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When did you first discover your skills?

Throughout school I spent all my free time in the artroom and I began knitting during my A-levels. I alwaysknew I wanted to be in the creative world, and havingthe right tutors throughout my studies has guided to meto where I am today!

What would you pick out as important influences on your work?

There are so many!

There are some artists I return to over and over again,such as Kyffin Williams and John Knapp Fisher, and I love the landscapes that inspired them; I return toPembrokeshire every year. This year I created the designs for the ‘North Sea’ story for Rowan Mag 52 whilst sitting on a window seat overlooking Newgale beach and cliffs listening to the howl of gale force winds. The best inspiration ever!

And when I’m out and about I examine what everyone is wearing, the small details and checking what I like and, equally as important, what I don’t.

And the Big One - my Mum, who loves knitting and has always inspired me. There have been knitting books around the house for as long as I can remember!

Ruth Green is a Royal College of Art Fashion Womenswear Knitweargraduate who has just launched her own knitwear label and whosedesigns will be featuring for the first time in the 52nd issue of theRowan Magazine, due out this month.

She shares some of her thoughts on designing.

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How you approach design?

The best part of knitwear design is that you have somuch freedom.

I work looking at a wide range of inspirations, fromartists, photos I’ve taken, sampling, experimenting withsilhouette and shapes, sketching and developing thecollection as a whole.

In terms of yarn and colour selection, being at the RCAhas allowed me to make connections with a number ofspinners. I visited the Prato region of Tuscany, while Iwas taking part in an International Design Competitionwith other colleges, and we met a number of differentspinners and really got to grips with the whole process. Ithen worked with Filpucci to create designs to exhibit atPitti Imagine Filati before being lucky enough to gainsponsorship from them for my graduate collection.

I’ve done a number of projects in conjunction withRowan, showcasing some designs during British WoolWeek in Liberty’s. I went on to use my sponsorship fromthem to create hand knit pieces as part of my finalcollection at the RCA; they were really successful.

What are the main changes you’ve seen in theindustry and how do you see its future?

Since graduating I’ve learnt the reality of the Industry ingood and bad ways!

What’s your favourite colour?

I couldn’t possibly choose!

And your favourite place?

I’ve got a few : sitting in the olive groves of LourmarinCastle in the South of France listening to crickets;, sittingon the edge of St David’s head in Pembrokeshirewatching wild horses; or wandering around ClipshamYew Tree Avenue nearer to home!

Can you pick out any particular high spots andlow spots in your career so far?

High spots - Finishing a fully-fashioned neckline is alwaysa good feeling!Being backstage at the RCA fashion show, sharing themoment with everyone and forgetting the exhaustion!

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Arriving in Trieste and experiencing ITS10 for a few daysof madness!

Low Spots - The yarn bill for this season!

What it was like showing in Paris

Paris was great, I was selected by a panel set up byArtsthread and Who’s Next, so was showing alongsideeight other graduates. It was a whole new experiencebeing on ‘the other side’ of one of the huge trade fairs,and meeting a whole range of clientele from buyers, tofactories from Hong Kong. It was really interesting to seewho liked the collection. It was also great to meet othergraduates who are in a similar position to me!

What have you been working on most recently?

I finally got the Autumn/Winter collection all finished,photographed and, with the help of my graphic designhero, Keith Hancox, (www.keithhancox.com) got mylook books, swing tags and all my promo material readyand looking slick for London Fashion Week.

Showing with Vauxhall Fashion Scout during The Weekwas an amazing experience. It exposed my new collectionto a really wide range of buyers and press and I was ableto make some great contacts, from potential buyers topotential manufacturers. Alongside that I’ve been doingmore freelance for Rowan and doing freelance machineknit sample production in my studio.

My samples have just come through for the Skunkfunkcollection which is due for release in September(www.skunkfunk.com) and they look fantastic. Skunkfunkand I are really happy with it and can’t wait for the release.

Yesterday I was at a Rowan photo shoot with MarieWallin in East London, to see some of the designs I’vedone recently for Studio 28 being shot; the team did agreat job and it looked SO good!

And what’s next?

I’m just going to keep working hard and see where ittakes me!

How do you see yourself in ten year’s time?

I’ll have gained a lot more experience and still becreating! Hopefully with a little house in the country,some dogs and a clapped out old land Rover!

And your ultimate dream?

To keep doing something I love.

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travel journalwords by Marie Wallin

BALLONE CASTLE

Hebridean location

Ballone Castle sits on the wonderful, windsweptand dramatic coastal cliffs overlooking the MorayFirth near to the town of Tain in Easter Ross,Scotland. Approaching the castle was animpressive sight and the moment I first saw it inNovember last year I knew it would be the perfectlocation for our HEBRIDEAN collection.

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The castle is a three story, late 16th centurytower house and is said to have been built by aline of the Earls of Ross. In 1623 it was boughtby the Earls of Cromarty but it was leftunoccupied for a couple of generations and itfell into ruin for several centuries. In the 1990’sLachie Stewart (a conservation architect) and hiswife Annie (a talented textile and potterydesigner) rescued Ballone Castle from its ruinousstate and restored it to its now glorious state.

Annie and Lachie are well known for theirinternationally renowned textile, furniture andpottery business called ANTA. Formed over 25years ago, everything from Anta is proudly made

in Scotland. The woollen yarn used in thecarpets and tweed fabrics is sourced from theWestern Isles and is woven in the ScottishBorders. The lovely oak furniture, designed by

Lachie is made in TheHighlands with some of thewood being home grown.

Anta is particularly known fortaking traditional tartans andtweeds and reworking themwith a modern eye creating thebeautiful tonal and colourfuldesigns which are then madeinto their statement bags,throws, cushions, carpets andalso pottery.

All the throws, cushions andthe kilt seen throughout theHebridean story were kindlyloaned by Anta and are fromtheir current collection.

Anta has a shop at their workshop in Fearn, Tain,Ross-shire as well as a lovely new shop inEdinburgh. All their designs and products can alsobe bought online.

For more information on Anta please go towww.anta.co.uk

The Rowan crew stayed at: The Mansfield Castle Hotel, Scotsburn Road, Tain, IV19 1PR, Scotland.

Tel: +44 (0)1862 892052 www.mansfieldcastle.co.uk

Green Lane Mill, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England HD9 2DX Tel: +44 (0)1484 681881Internet: www.knitrowan.com Email: mail@knitrowan.com