
December 17: Celebration of Color
No one quite does color like Rowan, with multiple yarns in an amazing array of shades, coupled with designs from legendary colorists, artists, and designers
kaffe fassett
A name synonymous with Rowan, legendary designer Kaffe Fassett continues to inspire people across the world with his colorful work in knitting, fabric, needlepoint, patchwork, painting, and mosaic. With a background in fine arts, Kaffe has collaborated with fashion design houses including Missoni and Coach. His hand-knitted garments are now in museum collections around the world, including the 1970 Dress of the Year created in collaboration with designer Bill Gibb.


Kaffe has dedicated the last 50 years to promoting the craft of knitting, and his work continues to wow us today.



dee hardwicke
Dee’s designs are distinct and beautiful. With a background in fine art, she loves translating sketches and watercolors into gorgeous knits and creating colorwork designs inspired by nature.


Dee begins with a seasonal palette, and the designs she creates based on this palette are outstanding!



arne & carlos
This duo of highly talented Scandinavian textile designers and artists are known for their original, colorful, and visually striking designs. Based out of rural Norway, their work is on permanent display in museums throughout Oslo.


This team of designers works as a pair, and began by launching a high-end fashion brand before shifting into hand knit design. Collaborating through visual collages, they create a veritable feast of colourwork in their hallmark twist on Scandi style. They are quite entertaining too, recording numerous videos from their home in a converted railway station north of Oslo.



the yarns
Felted Tweed and Kidsilk Haze are favorite yarns for colorwork designers. Both are available in a mind-boggling range of shades.

Felted Tweed is a favorite among designers and Rowan fans alike. We stock the full forty-eight color palette, including colors created by Kaffe Fassett and Dee Hardwicke.

Kidsilk Haze, a staple Rowan yarn for decades, remains as popular as when first introduced. This lace weight blend of silk and mohair works beautifully at a variety of gauges worked alone, multi-stranded, or in combination with other yarns.
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Felted Tweed$13.50
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Kidsilk Haze$14.95
Today one lucky reader will win a very special prize bundle!


We are giving away a set of four Rowan pattern books from Kaffe Fassett and Arne & Carlos. Dee Hardwick sent these watercolor inspiration boards that inspired her latest collection. They arrived from England a few weeks back. I am including this in today’s prize.
And while Rowan shines when it comes to intarsia design, they fall flat in the technique department. When we first introduced our Intarsia instruction booklet many years ago, I remember Rowan founder Stephen Sheard coming into our both at wholesale market. The difference between the workmanship of our intarsia knits versus theirs was quite striking. He even commented that “we really should feature you in our magazine,” but I’m not British so that idea never came to pass.

This is a page from one of our scrapbooks showing mom on the upper right teaching our intarsia technique at the wholesale yarn market, next to Kaffe Fassett signing autographs. We attended that dinner, and were thoroughly entertained by his self-deprecating since of humor. Admittedly he is not a great knitter. He is an artist and designer. Once while knitting on a flight from England, and apparently struggling to do so, a lady sitting next to him mentioned an amazing designer in England named Kaffe Fassett who could really help him with his knitting. He just smiled and said “thank you”.
And technically he isn’t British either. While originally from California, he has been in England so long I’m sure he qualifies as an honorary Brit.
Intarsia: A Workshop for Hand
Instruction on the intarsia knitting technique.
So I thought since I was gifting these amazing pattern books filled with beautiful intarsia designs, that I really should include a copy of our Intarsia book too.
If you’d like to get your name in the hat to win today’s bundle of prizes, simply leave a comment on this post. I’ll keep things simple today – are you dreaming of a white Christmas or not? The thought of getting snowed in and spending Christmas at home sounds really appealing to me this year, but it doesn’t look very likely to happen.
As usual, you have until midnight tonight!
congratulations sarah bailey – you’re the winner of the rowan pattern bundle!
Please note that all prizes must be picked up at our shop no later than February 1, 2020. We do not mail or ship prizes.
Someyeh Mirambeigui
17.12.2019 at 03:28A white Christmas sounds amazing!!!🌨❄️⛄️ Thank you!❤️
Mary Bourne
17.12.2019 at 05:04Do I dream of a couple of days tucked inside knittinhg? Let it snow, let it snow , let it snow!
Mary Bass
17.12.2019 at 06:08Not likely to snow, but if I was snowed in I would start knitting that scarf on the cover of Winter Vintage !!!
Linda Weston
17.12.2019 at 08:07When I was growing up in Pittsburgh, a Christmas without snow was a real disappointment. Here in Oklahoma, I don’t dream of white Christmases so much, because that white is usually ice! I tend to go all “June Cleaver” when we’re iced in — hot cocoa from scratch, baking, cooking …. come to think of it, a white Christmas sounds rather appealing, LOL.
Jennifer Walker
17.12.2019 at 08:11That is really interesting that he is not a great knitter. You would think that in order to design you would have to know how to knit. I love working intarsia pieces! They are fun and keep things interesting! I really don’t want a white Christmas. Maybe a little snow would be ok, but not a blizzard!
Anita Roesler
17.12.2019 at 08:14A white Christmas sounds very peaceful, but I’d have to join the mobs at the grocery store to stock up ahead of time soooo….I think not. 🤗
Amber Ketchum
17.12.2019 at 12:21Yes I want a white Christmas! Thanks for the give-a-ways!
Melissa
17.12.2019 at 08:28Y es, a snowy white Christmas sounds amazing. We will be traveling, so snow is a bit inconvenient but still acceptable!
Judy Smith
17.12.2019 at 08:38Oh yes I would like a white Christmas
Ana Johnson
17.12.2019 at 08:40I could use a couple of days knitting at home. Bring on the snow!! ☃️
Clarissa coble
17.12.2019 at 08:59My husband works outside so snow makes things difficult for him.
Jennifer Elkhair
17.12.2019 at 09:03I am going to say no thank you to the snow.
Jo Jankowski
17.12.2019 at 09:13No thanks snow!
Jennifer Smallwood
17.12.2019 at 09:16If it snows, then I probably won’t get out to see the family, so no white Christmas for me. But it is beautiful, and my kids would love it, so either way we’ll make it work.
Stephenia d
17.12.2019 at 09:25Kaffee fassett is a long time favorite of mine, his quilting fabrics have wonderful prints, inspired by his knitting designs. The grey hat looks like a fun project! I’m a let it snow, let it snow, let it snow girl too…
Tammy Adamson
17.12.2019 at 09:32I’d love a white Christmas!
Tina Adamson
17.12.2019 at 09:34Yes. A white Christmas, my dad wants one too.
Ashley Lorenz
17.12.2019 at 10:18If it helps bring the Christmas spirit to my house, yep, I need snow.
Marilee Camerer
17.12.2019 at 10:22Absolutely I’m dreaming of a White Christmas❣️🌲❄️
Karyn Cook
17.12.2019 at 10:29I’m not ready to make a snowman yet
Sheri Blaylock
17.12.2019 at 10:52If it snowed and then went away, that would be ok! I have to work the day after Christmas and I don’t like to drive in the snow!!! I am ready to knit for the days that I am off before Christmas!!!!
Carol Powers
17.12.2019 at 11:07No white Christmas in store for me but properly learning intarsia is on my 2020 knitting to do list!
Alexandra Edwards
17.12.2019 at 11:23White Christmas, please!
Bonnie Marr
17.12.2019 at 11:34SWAK, my favorite knitting store. I’ve moved to Denton and want to bring my DFW “Knitting Sugars” (my tribe of 10 knitters) up to visit, shop, and just hang out and knit awhile. We’re hoping to do before Christmas ♥️
Ellen McKenzie
17.12.2019 at 11:46Always dreaming of a white Christmas. Interesting story about knitting on the airplane!
Liz Hall
17.12.2019 at 12:12I NOT dreaming of the white Christmas here—but will be traveling to Michigan to get one.
Patricia Riden
17.12.2019 at 13:55As long as my family can all be here with me, I’m all in for a white Christmas. My personal take on cold weather is that it really SHOULD come with snow!
Donna J Miller
17.12.2019 at 14:45No, no White Christmas wanted here! The last two times we’ve been snowed in my families couldn’t get here. However Christmas on New Year’s Day isn’t too bad. On the plus side I finished knitting hats for every family member, about 15.
Jennifer McKinney
17.12.2019 at 15:45White Christmas 🎄
Lesley Rodgers
17.12.2019 at 16:42I love a white Christmas, but that is very unlikely here, the last one we had part of the family and the rest were stuck at their house.
Laura McMahan
17.12.2019 at 17:04not a snow fan but if I can stay home til it clears I am good!
Sarah Bailey
17.12.2019 at 17:47I always dream of a White Christmas. In 2009 we were snowed in with 3 little ones and it was a fun and relaxing day! Most of the time now, I am just glad we don’t have icy roads because we venture to and from the grandparents’ houses.
Keely
18.12.2019 at 09:37Congratulations! You’re the winner. Please pick up your prize anytime before 2/1/20, or it will be put back in the prize hopper.
Evelyn Norvelle
17.12.2019 at 18:36I would love a white Christmas, and starting a new intarsia or fair isle project sounds like a must do activity.
Barbara kinney
17.12.2019 at 18:41I would love a white Christmas, but not the icy roads.
Dana Barnes
17.12.2019 at 20:12Oh oh no to the snow!
Jenna Port
17.12.2019 at 20:24I would love a white Christmas. Enjoyed many of those growing up in New England. What an awesome bundle of gifts! Thank you! Would love to strengthen my intarsia skills.
Sheryl Dial
17.12.2019 at 20:29Dallas will not have a white Christmas this year. It never has. I am goi g out to lunch with friends. Then spending the rest of the day knitting. Merry Christmas to you. Mason and Keith.
Courtney Wilson
17.12.2019 at 21:34I would love a White Christmas. So wouldn’t be mad if I was snowed in through New Year’s.
Betty Schlotthauer
17.12.2019 at 22:33I would love to have a white Christmas! This will be my youngest granddaughter’s first trip to Oklahoma and being 18 months old, it would be a special treat to see her experience the snow. We could build snow people, make snow angels, and maybe make some snow ice cream too!
She and her parents live on the west coast of central California, so we know she won’t experience any snow there.
Brandie Ferguson
17.12.2019 at 22:39Would love a white Christmas!