Introducing Rowan's New All-British Yarn: Moordale

If you're a Rowan Yarns lover, you know that the brand evokes its Brit-ness through masterful woolen designs and prancing-through-the-heathered-hills photography. When I think of Rowan, my mind jumps to my first (and still favorite) Rowan Magazine 38 and this spread:

I wanted to be that lady, in that coat, in front of that THAT castle. This little American thought, "How British!

Being British is one thing, but sourcing wares is a global endeavor. Where does Rowan yarn come from? Everywhere! That's no different from any worldwide fiber brand, if you think about it. Cotton can come from Brazil and Egypt, Merino wool from Australia, Alpaca from Peru, etc. Then it has to travel to the fiber mill to be spun -- and that could be anywhere.

Throughout its 40+ years, Rowan has always been committed to showcasing a yarn that was British to some degree -- for instance, spun in Great Britain. One current example is the lovely and rustic Valley Tweed, spun in Huddersfield, Yorkshire.

But the Rowan fans asked, "Where is our beautiful British fiber, bred and fed from our land?!"

It's here! Rowan has introduced a yarn to please us all, Moordale. It's an all-British blend of 50% wool and 50% alpaca. At a DK weight, it comes in generous 100g hanks packed with 230m/251 yds per skein. Just look at that shine.

According to Rowan:

Moordale is made using fine micron wool of the Bluefaced Leicester breed, known for being both soft and strong. Blending with Alpaca adds a lustrous, silky touch culminating in a natural, robust yet tender yarn that drapes well and feels comfortable to the skin.

Want to know what Bluefaced Leicester looks like? Ha, this is the first yarn I've seen with a sheep selfie!

The yarn will ask you to touch it the moment you set eyes on it and feels quite sumptuous in the skein. It has a firm woolen feel, but with a soft downy layer of hair on top, which I assume is where the alpaca comes in.

At first the addition of alpaca gave me pause. Why aren't we just using wool? Alpaca has guard hairs that tickle, and it really has very little elasticity. I see now that adding wool to alpaca tempers that inelasticity, and the final product is surprisingly springy. The addition of the alpaca is also very visible, giving it a downy, mohair-like halo.

Well -- it's knitting up beautifully in cables, don't you think!! (find out more about the pattern below 😊)

Moordale comes in a great palette. I almost gave in to that yellow, but settled on the rusty color Bronzed.

Here's where you can see that alpaca!

GIVEAWAY! (now closed) 

CONGRATULATIONS Patricia N. from Massachusetts!

You have won one skein of Moordale in the dark green shade Thai, and a pattern book of 14 designs by Martin Storey. Good news --- one skein is enough to make the Buckler Hat featured on the cover.

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Let's open this lovely book, shall we? It's got something for everyone. Cardis, pullovers (women's and men's), ponchos, hats and cowls. Some patterns, OF COURSE, feature detailed cabling, so you Martin Storey lovers will be very happy.

NOTE: The following patterns are available as single .pdfs! Click the captions below each photo for Ravelry or go to Rowan to browse the book.

Bowland -- the pattern I'm working on!

Skylark

Buckler Hat -- you only need one skein!

Torr -- I almost made this one instead!

Pipit

Rosedale

Forge

Sundew

Fingle

Tussock

Cloudberry

Curlew

Sedge

Buckler

Until next time!

XO,

Dayana Knits

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