Stash up: Rowan Creative Linen and Rowan Kidsilk Haze Glamour

I couldn't resist stashing up when Jannette's Rare Yarns had a free shipping sale.

(As any Canadian knows, her packages never get stopped at customs!)

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My husband is always on the look-out for his next sweater-to-be, and a while ago, he picked Vidal (by Josh Bennett) from the newest Rowan Magazine 53.  I like it because while it looks simple, the entire front is actually knit using intarsia.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I love making things difficult for myself:

Lucky me, as a recently chosen Rowan Ambassador for Rowan Yarns, I received the magazine AND a shade book of all the current Rowan yarns.

HOLD ON:  I need to emphasize how earth-shattering a shade card is for ladies who knit regularly for men:

1. No longer do you pick colors you think he likes, only to find out he doesn't like them!
2. No longer do you wait for the planets to align for a chance to drag him to the yarn store!
3. No longer do you order the beautiful skeins shown in red on your computer screen, only to find a pile of hot pink skeins in your mailbox, just in time to knit his new gansey!

Oh, no no no.  What you do now is sit leisurely over a Saturday lunch of delicious oven-baked cherry tomato risotto, and pleasantly discuss the color choices.  Ahhhhh.

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Did you notice the holes in my shade card for Rowan Creative Linen?  Yes, we tore those babies right out so we could truly compare.  I'm debating whether to glue them back.

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We didn't pick my absolute favorite combo, Teal and Foggy (above left), because the teal was rather bright for him.  To my delight, however, he picked a dark purple as the main color (Eggplant) with a hippie brown contrast (Straw).

It's the first time I've ever seen Rowan yarn wound into a skein.  Beware -- they only tie it once, unlike 3 or 4 times for all other skeins I've wound.  Each of 2 had some tough tangled parts at the beginning and end.  Be patient!

Perhaps you can see the occasional firm, wiry linen fibers in the close-up.  There is definite vegetable matter in there, which I respect.  They're, like, "Hi, we're linen!"  And I'm, like, "Why yes, yes you are!"  The yarn is firm but soft and very cool to the touch.  I really think this color combo will highlight the organic feel of the stuff.

As expected, it has quite a bit of weight.  I will have to be careful to knit the sleeves on the short side, as I'm sure the sweater will grow.

I also bought 2 more balls of Kidsilk Haze Glamour (YES, those are sequins!) to supplement the 1 ball I was gifted from Rowan.  I don't know what I shall do with them, but my sadness over only having one is relieved.  I love my photo, it makes me want to jump into a bathtub of Glamour skeins.  A girl can dream.

See my Vidal on Ravelry

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