Kay's Korner - A Knitters Notes

For my sister Cathy's Christmas present this year, I wanted a project that I knew would not only be lovely, but practical, as well. I got a late start, so I needed a bulky yarn for quick knitting, giving me the excuse to splurge a bit and work with Rowan's Colourscape Chunky, a gorgeous single ply of pure, perfect lambswool. I am a fool over about anything baby but especially baby fiber, and it is not often that I happen across 100% lambswool! After checking out the patterns for this fabulous yarn at www.knitrowan.com, I decided on Solace, a design from the Colourscape Chunky Collection pattern book by Sarah Hatton. This casual cardigan is an easy knit and shows off the gorgeous long stripes of color in this yarn. The half sleeve sweater will easily slip over Cathy's scrubs, keeping her warm in the chilly recovery room where she works and without encumbering her as she tends to her patients. All of the colorways of Colourscape Chunky are quite appealing, but I chose the Cloud colorway (a blending of greens, pinks, periwinkle, gray, and lavender), knowing it will look great with most of Sissie's work scrubs.

Cathy's sweater in Rowan Colourscape Chunky

Before I knit Solace, I read through the details in the pattern book, describing how this artisanal yarn is produced. An understanding of the unusual process by which this yarn is milled, greatly enhanced my knitting experience. Kaffe Fassett, a renowned color expert - or "colour" as they spell it across the pond - lovingly describes how the lambswool fiber is first dyed, then added in measured (by weight) amounts to a carder, producing roving in a set progression of colors. This roving is then spun into Rowan Colourscape Chunky. This process is time consuming and each machine can only produce 300 kilos of yarn in a week, reflected in the price tag. At $24/hank, it is the most expensive 100% wool yarn at Rare Purls, but I have to say that this uniquely dyed, lofty lambswool is worth it. It offers the experience of knitting with a piece of fiber art!

Colourscape Chunky - Cloud colorway

Truly, I cannot remember enjoying a yarn quite this much in some time. First, it is soft in a fluffy way. On my # 10.5 US Addis, the rows of stockinette flew off my needles so easily, I did not even have to look at my stitches most of the time. Yes, occasionally where two colors joined in the progression, the ply tried to split a bit, but once noted, I made sure to cleanly catch the strand and had no further issue. The single ply at times varied in weight from one color to another, kind of like my attempts at hand spun. In one particular hank, a section of lavender skinnied down to worsted weight for yards, causing a slight difference in the look of my field of stockinette. At first, I considered cutting out that section of the skein, but that would have upset the color progression and it really was just a part of this yarn's character. I decided to judge this yarn like my hand spun and allow for some variation in the ply, for overall, it is a lovely yarn. The colors are magnificent and the way they progress, exciting. As I worked the rows of stockinette, there was an idyllic picture of gnome like workers in my head, adding fluffy batches of colorful fiber into an old fashioned carder. I was in a happy place.

The back yoke of Solace

Although I am looking forward to using this yarn again soon, it is worth noting that Rowan Colourscape Chunky requires a gentle hand. I don't know if it is a short staple length or the mere hint of twist in the fiber, but you will not need scissors to work with this yarn. It easily pulls apart with a soft tug. This is not a flaw in the yarn and is inherent to the composition. This soft, lofty composition is one reason why the 100 gram hanks of bulky wool each have a generous 175 yards. (A 4 ply wool yarn of the same gauge has only approx. 120 yards.) It only took 5 hanks to knit Cathy's cardigan.

Melissa, Park Cafe's sweetest server, models Solace

If you look through the Rowan patterns for Colourscape Chunky, you will notice that the projects are fairly simple, using few pieces and basic stitches. I applaud that in her designs, Sarah Hatton, the designer of this collection of patterns, allowed the yarn to be the star of the show. The fashionable pieces are very wearable and the colors are show stopping. Her Cora, a free pattern from www.knitRowan.com , consists of one huge cable repeated the length of the scarf, another example of this incredible yarn standing out front and center in a design. We chose Cora as the sample knit for display at Rare Purls, as it illustrates the beauty of this yarn perfectly in an impressive two hank design.

Our friend Melissa sports Cora

As for my sister's reaction to her sweater, she loved it! Cathy immediately noticed that her new sweater would match her scrubs and the fit was great. I always love how she reacts to her hand knit gifts, for as a crafty gal herself, she knows the love and effort that goes into them. She even said the gals would be jealous, which made this sassy sister smile

Happy knitting!
Kay Mather
Copyright Jan. 2011
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