Rowan Yarns - Beauty And The Beast
I have been an avid knitter and designer for many years and have designed several garments using most of the Rowan Yarns including Pure Wool, Big Wool, Wool Cotton and Tapestry. This has given me an incredible insight into the positives and negatives of working with these yarns and these “pros and cons” are presented in this article.
Rowan was founded in 1978 in the UK and now offers over 70 different, high quality yarns. Ranging from classic to fashionable these yarns were responsible for the renaissance of hand knitting in the UK in the mid-80s - largely because of their availability in a wide range of colors but also because of the major innovation of providing concession stores in Department stores.
Despite the variety of Rowan Yarns, the intent of this article is to focus on the three yarns where I have most experience. Other yarns from the Rowan family that fall into roughly similar categories are likely to exhibit similar properties.
Rowan Wool - Pros
The Pure Wool DK and Aran are examples of Rowan Wool. These yarns are extremely soft and a delight to knit with. They produce great textural stitch patterns such as bobbles and are extremely easy to knit with. The yarn is tightly twisted which prevents splitting and the knit project shows errors clearly. This final point is really a positive as mistakes can be caught early.
The finished project will knit up to a beautiful soft finish but with a strength that can endure machine washing and provides good durability.
These yarns are available in a wide selection of colors which make them suitable for lots of garment designs including fair isle.
Rowan Wool - Cons
The major problem when using Rowan Pure Wool designs is that the finished garment can stretch excessively after washing. The garment should not be lifted out of the water soaking wet and should not be wrung to dry otherwise the tendency of the yarn to stretch will be exacerbated. A related problem is that the stronger colors may run during washing. Always test for stretching and color running before starting a project.
Rowan Pure Wools can pill slightly. Like any wool that is soft, pilling can be a problem, particularly in areas of a garment that rub such as the underarm of a sweater.
The final problem with these yarns (and to be fair the pros far outweigh the cons) is that there can be a lot of knots in a ball of wool and it is always advisable to overbuy before a given project to account for wastage.
Rowan Big Wool - Pros
Rowan Big Wool is wonderfully soft which makes it great to knit with and sensational to wear. Projects using Big Wool also knit up really quickly and it is possible to knit, for example, a hat from a single ball in just a few hours.
As with Rowan Pure Wool, Big Wool is very good for textural stitches such as cables and is available in several great colors.
Rowan Big Wool - Cons
The issues with Rowan Pure Wools are amplified with Rowan Big Wool. Its super softness and weight will result in a garment that can be very floppy making this yarn unsuitable for things like long cardigans. Washing only exacerbates the problem.
Rowan Big Wool yarn can be quite messy to knit with as it has the tendency to shed fibers which can be a particular problem for those who may be allergic to these fibers or even dust generally.
The softness of the yarn can lead to a fuzzy look brought on by handing during the knitting process and, as with any soft yarn, pilling can occur. Indeed pilling is likely to be a worse problem than with other soft yarns as Rowan Big Wool is made from 100% merino wool.
Rowan Big Wool is a very expensive yarn. Look out for end of season sales and discontinued colors for potential bargains.
Rowan Wool Cotton - Pros
Rowan Wool Cottons are also great to knit with and wear due to their softness. The softness from the merino wool comes with additional warmth and elasticity because of the cotton mix. The Rowan Wool Cottons knit up very evenly from a color perspective and have good stitch definition making them great for cables and bobbles.
The DK is perfect for year round sweaters while the 4 ply is super for lacy designs such as shawls.
Rowan Wool Cotton - Cons
The major problem with the Rowan Wool Cotton yarns is that they can grow after washing. Even after a cold machine wash, the chances are that the garment will grow. Much testing is required before starting the project to evaluate the likely impact of washing. Once this is known, knit to an appropriate size.
Some pilling is possible owing to the use of merino wool but as it is mixed with cotton, the degree of pilling should be less than with the Pure Wool yarns.
Inexperienced knitters may find this yarn type has a tendency to split but this is more down to poor knitting technique than any deficiency of the yarn itself.
Rowan Wool Cotton yarns are relatively expensive and, because they are not seasonal yarns, less likely to be available at a discount compared with the Big Wool range.
