splish splash

March 10, 2014






 

Good news for all you denim lovers out there: Rowan Denim is out of retirement!  It was discontinued for one year, perhaps you heard the wails and moans. After a decade of popularity it took a year long break. Often it's an issue with the mill and doesn't have much to do with it's popularity.  I am a newbie to Rowan Denim yarn and only know it from seeing it on Ravelry so was excited when I was given two skeins to review.  I do admit to letting it languish for a while.  I'm so fussy about cotton yarn.  It must be soft and easy to knit, and sadly this is not true for too many cotton yarns.  Still I was intrigued to finally find out what all the fuss was about and with needles in hand, set about to make another striped baby cardigan.  I could review it and make something at the same time!

Even while casting on for my swatch, I knew the yarn would be very soft in the hand and easy to knit.  The stitches lined up beautifully and was easy to get an even tension.  With my pointy Lace Addis it was surprisingly easy to maneuver stitches into cables and lace.  That was all I needed to know, so I ripped my swatch back and cast on for this baby sweater.  True to it's type, Rowan Denim is meant to fade in the wash over time.  While knitting the navy, your hands will turn blue, don't be alarmed, it washes off with soap and water! The extra dye will come out of the garment with the first wash, and after that it will gently fade over time and give you the look and feel of your much loved pair of 501s back in the day.  Denim will shrink on the first wash so if you are not using a Rowan pattern, you must make allowances for this. Not a big deal, I think just adding some length to the body and sleeves would be it.  Rowan patterns have the shrinkage built into the design.  There are dozens of free patterns designed specifically for this yarn at this link: Rowan Original Denim Online Collection.  A new pattern collection including a return of some popular vintage patterns is set to be out in May, just when the summer knitting is getting underway.  




I love using the Waterlogue app.

The sweater above is the Basic Raglan Baby Cardigan pattern by Keya Kuhn.  I added an unidentified white yarn that was in my stash but appeared to be a dk weight and was most definitely cotton.  After knitting I put it in a lingerie bag and machine washed it on warm.  I threw it in the dryer on low and kept it in until it was dry.  The stitches tightened up and the whole fabric looked really pretty, more cohesive, but I didn't notice much shrinkage, only about 1/4" in length if my measurements were correct.  It did fade, not much, but it looks good and I can only imagine that it will look pretty cool the more it is washed.  I love the crisp look of this blue and white and even after the washing detected no bleeding into the white.  I messed around with all sorts of buttons, red, then yellow, but white looked best.  I ended up with slightly mismatched vintage buttons from grandmother's button box that never seems to get slimmer no matter how often I dip into it!  Splish Splash is a gift for the third son of a busy young family.  For that reason, I'm very happy that this will go in and out of the washer and dryer without a care.

I really loved this yarn and hope I manage to knit a dark navy jacket this year! 

 Free pattern Download for Basic Raglan Baby Cardigan
Edited: This pattern is no longer available on Rav but if you contact me through email (found on the sidebar of the blog website) I don't think the designer would mind if I shared it with you. PLEASE make sure you provide your email address as sometimes the app does not provide me with your email address.
Rowan Original Denim at Jannettes Rare Yarns 
Two more free patterns:
Use this pattern to knit a striped baby cardigan like this in fingering or sport weight .
Use this pattern to knit one in worsted weight.



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6 Comments

  1. ooh, that baby sweater is gorgeous, and great use of both the denim colourways!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I can't say Denim is one of my favorite yarns, but I always considered it to be a staple that would always be there. Nothing else has that true denim feel and look. I was so disappointed when it was retired - my first thought was, "But I never got to knit Kim Hargreaves' Haven sweater!" I'm so glad they brought it back!

    That's one sweet little sweater, and I love that app - so cool!

    ReplyDelete
  3. So adorable - love the mix of the two Denim shades with the cream....hope they bring back the cream shade! I love Waterlogue too! (So much easier than getting out the watercolours and painting....and a lot less messy too!)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love your splash splash baby cardigan, the pattern is no longer available from the link, is there any other source?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes. Please send me your email and I will send it to you. You can find my email on the sidebar of the blog website. You must include your email as my email app does not often provide your return email.

      Delete

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