Monday 13 January 2014

Rowan Knitting & Crochet Magazine 55 Review

Last week the doorbell rang and it was our postie delivering Rowan's magazine number 55 - a heavy tome that's far too big to go through the letter box. I'm a big fan of Rowan partly because they're based in Yorkshire and I'm a Yorkshire lass, but more importantly because of the quality and range of their wool and designs.

As a Rowan subscriber I receive a knitting kit of my choice per year, small leaflets and the biannual knitting and crochet magazine. Number 55 showcases Spring/Summer 2014's design and is, as usual, beautifully photographed and sumptuously designed.

The three design themes are:
  1. Clarity - "a beautiful, feminine collection of fine knits"
  2. Legacy - "inspired by Moorish art"
  3. Essentials - "a collection of the key shapes and textures on trend".
Trouble is, there's nothing I want to knit.  I'm just not a Summer knits kind of girl: shawls and shrugs aren't my thing and many of the jumpers are intricately designed but the number of colours used and the amount of intarsia in the pattern puts me off. Plus they're not something I would wear - I adore the Kaffe Fassett look but could never carry it off myself.

For me magazine 55's strength is as a coffee table book to gain inspiration from the designs. I was also pleased to read the features on The Knitting & Crochet Guild's archive and the lovely Ann Kingstone's new book Stranded Knits. Roll on magazine number 56 where I'm sure I'll find lots of cosy scarfs, hats and jumpers I want to knit for Winter.

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