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R O W A N
KNITTING & CROCHET
Magazine Number 58
Digital Edition
designers
lisa richardson • sarah hatton • gemma atkinson
martin storey • marie wallin • kaffe fassett
brandon mably • vibe ulr ik • carlo volpi
amy herzog • heather dixon
contents
stories
features
regular features
Tranquil
Zandra Rhodes
Our Members Clubs
An elegant collection using flecked tweeds
A look into the life of designer,
A preview of 6 exclusive designs for
and softly graduated yarns, with delicate tones
Zandra Rhodes.
Members and a look at the
and muted colour work creating a relaxed,
benefits of joining Rowan Subscription.
tranquil look.
www.knitrowan.com
Frost
What’s new
Icy landscapes and frost encrusted foliage is the
Our seasonal review of current and
inspiration for this collection of wintery delights.
forthcoming publications.
Essentials
Travel Journal
A collection of the key shapes and textures on
A behind the scenes look at the location
trend, designed into simple, easy to wear styles that
complement the season’s ESSENTIAL looks.
Click on the
symbol where it appears for
a link to further information.
DOWNLOAD
Click on the download button where it
appears to download the pattern PDF
and photo shoot for frost.
editors
letter
Welcome to the Digital Edition of Magazine 58 and this
season we are offering you a ‘tricolore’ of themes. I am
pleased to introduce 3 very different stories each led by
Rowans’ well known designers, Lisa Richardson, Sarah
Hatton and Marie Wallin.
As you would expect each designer has a different look
and feel so I very much hope there will be something
for every taste and skill level.
Tranquil...
Sarah has created the backdrop for this collection of both
men’s and women’s wear which offers an elegant take
on the timeless trend for colour work based handknit
designs. Using a range of tweeds and flecked yarns, this
collections offers a gentle muted colour palette.
Frost…
Lisa draws inspiration from frosty mornings and the
natural beauty of winter in this story . Shapes are simple
and unstructured, with loose fitting cardigans and coats
which can be layered for the cold frosty days.
Essentials...
Marie’s story showcases the key shapes of the season
which she has photographed in a simple way. Easy to
wear, these styles will perfectly complement the
season’s ESSENTIAL looks.
Kate Buller
Rowan Brand Manager
tranquil
an elegant collection using flecked tweeds
and softly graduated yarns, with delicate tones
and muted colour work creating a relaxed,
tranquil look.
View Movie
COLONSAY | Rowan Tweed & Rowan Fine Tweed | Lisa Richardson | 154
FINGLE | Kid Classic | Brandon Mably | 160
SCILLY | Kidsilk Haze & Felted Tweed | Gemma Atkinson | 170
EDDYSTONE | Creative Focus™ Worsted | Martin Storey | 158
ULVA | Felted Tweed | Lisa Richardson | 121
ANGLESEY | Kid Classic & Chenille | Marie Wallin | 155
GUERNSEY | Colourspun | Kaffe Fassett | 163
MERSEA | Pure Wool Superwash Worsted, Kid Classic & Alpaca Colour | Carlo Volpi | 168
HAYLING | Alpaca Colour | Martin Storey | 171
UNST | Rowan Fine Tweed & Rowan Tweed | Lisa Richardson | 123
LINDISFARNE | Fazed Tweed & Felted Tweed Aran | Marie Wallin | 166
ALDERNEY | Alpaca Colour | Martin Storey | 150
SARK WRAP | Kid Classic | Martin Storey | 161
JERSEY HAT & SCARF | Felted Tweed | Lisa Richardson | 169
Photographer: Moy Williams. Styling: Sarah Hatton. Hair & Make Up: Michaela Taylor (Boss). Art Direction: Sarah Hatton. Models: Samantha Gilder (FM Models) & Freddie Abrahams (Nevs Models). Location: 4 Princelet Street, London E1.
frost
Icy landscapes and frost encrusted foliage is the
inspiration for this collection of wintery delights.
View Movie
GALE | Felted Tweed | Gemma Atkinson |141
ICEBERG | Kid Classic & Kidsilk Haze | Lisa Richardson | 144
BLUSTERY | Lima Colour | Gemma Atkinson | 116
GLACIER | Brushed Fleece | Martin Storey | 142
NIPPY | Cocoon | Amy Herzog | 112
BLIZZARD | Felted Tweed & Chenille | Martin Storey | 129
FROSTY | Felted Tweed | Sarah Hatton | 137
FROZEN | Alpaca Colour & Chenille | Marie Wallin | 173
WINDY SCARF | Pure Wool Superwash Worsted | Martin Storey | 150
SNOWY | Kid Classic | Marie Wallin | 126
BRISK | Fazed Tweed | Sarah Hatton | 139
SHIVERY WRAP | Cocoon | Lisa Richardson | 127
CRISP |Cocoon | Gemma Atkinson | 122
WINTRY | Brushed Fleece | Marie Wallin | 148
Photographer: Craig Fordham. Styling: Lisa Richardson. Hair & Make Up: Jeni Dodson. Art Direction: Lisa Richardson. Model: Bridget Jakes. Location: Copped Hall, Epping, Essex.
CHILLY | Kidsilk Haze | Vibe Ulrik | 119
Zandra Rhodes.
D a m e Z a n d r a ’s
knitting circle
by Katy Bevan
The eminent textile designer Zandra Rhodes has dressed Diana, Princess of Wales, Jackie Onassis, Elizabeth Taylor,
Helen Mirren and Freddie Mercury, and now she has created something especially for Rowan.
I met Zandra Rhodes at her busy studio. I
arrived at nine and already the studio was full of
people who had been there for two hours, plus I
discovered they have a café that does great coffee.
I needn’t have worried about meeting such a
grande dame of fashion. Zandra is disarmingly
friendly in her working uniform of pink hair
with boiler suit to match and over-sized jewellery.
Now a real Dame, she has been honoured in the
Queen’s birthday list.
01
The studio and her penthouse flat are in the same
building as the Fashion and Textiles Museum that
she founded in Bermondsey Street in 2003. The
colourful yellow and pink building announces
itself from some distance. Designed by Mexican
architect Ricardo Legorreta, it’s reminiscent of
Frida Kahlo’s house, or photos I’ve seen of it. The
inside of the studio is not any quieter in terms of
colour and pattern. The walls are covered in tests
for prints in paper — the technique that she still
uses is to print onto paper and hold it up to the
02
01. Knitted Circle Felt Coat, British Vogue, David Bailey 1969. 02. Knitted Circle Chiffon Dresses, British
Vogue, David Bailey 1969. 03 A Dame at last: Zandra Rhodes received a CBE in 1997 and was made a
Dame in 2014. Here she is outside Buckingham Palace after meeting the Princess Royal, February 2015.
Photo: Joan A. Quinn.
body before trying it out on fabric. The rest of the
space is filled with rolls of fabric, piles of books,
photos and bottles of ink and dyes.
Zandra says she remembers being taught to knit
by her grandmother and making some babies
boottees, though she wasn’t sure what baby they
were for. Her grandmother took over for the
tricky part of turning the heel. Her knitwear
ranges throughout the 70s and 80s necessitated a
whole knitwear department. Her jumpers were
03
embellished with flaps and texture, mohair and
pearls and though her prints are mainly coloured,
her knits are often black and white, emphasising
their structure.
Zandra’s early prints, inspired by Pop Art were
thought too extreme to be taken up by another
fashion house, so she had to make her own
garments.
Some of her first prints were for Marian Foale and
Sally Tuffin, fellow students at the Royal College
of Art in the 1960s. Zandra dubbed them “The
Queens of Carnaby Street” when in 1962 they
opened their shop Foale & Tuffin in the heart of
London’s swinging fashion district. With Sylvia
Ayton and the backing of Vanessa Redgrave, she
was a partner in The Fulham Road Clothes Shop,
a mecca for design students and fashionistas alike.
This venture closed a few years later and Rhodes
opened another shop near Bond Street in the
1970s. I remember gazing at the amazing window
display, though I would never have dared go inside.
In 1970 Diana Vreeland at American Vogue
featured her designs modelled by actress Natalie
Wood at the height of her fame. Photographed
by Gianni Penati, Wood wore several long chiffon
dresses from the Knitting Circle collection,
catapulting Rhodes and her designs into the
limelight. By 1972, she was awarded English
Fashion Designer of the Year.
04
Mountain Lace
For Rhodes, it’s all about the pattern and inspiration
comes from many places. The Mountain Lace range
is based on sketches from a trip to Uluru, known as
Ayres Rock, a large sandstone rock formation in the
southern part of the Northern Territory in central
Australia. The spiky Spinifex Grass that grows on
the sand dunes around Ayres is also part of the
designs. Rhodes’ first Ayres Rock prints were part
of her autumn/winter collection in 1974. These
have been re-imagined for Freespirit and may now
be gracing a quilt near you.
Knitting Circle, 1969, the name of her first range
of patterns was inspired by her mother’s books and
images of chain stitches. Her mother was a fitter
for the Paris Fashion House of Worth and then
a Senior Lecturer in the Fashion Department at
05
04. Paper test prints line the walls of Zandra’s
studio in Bermondsey Street.
05. Gauge sticks in the print room hang on the
wall. These measure the pattern repeat.
06. Knitted Circle Blue: 1969, Zandra Rhodes
Archives, Loaned to FTM.
07. Dame Zandra Rhodes at work in her
trademark pink boiler suit.
08. Dress from the original Knitted Circle
collection and the more recent colour ways for
Freespirit Fabric.
06
07
08
Medway College of Design, so an early influence.
She remembers her mother sewing her own clothes
and having access to sewing and knitting books and
magazines.
09
Zandra studied at Medway College of Art herself,
and then at The Royal College of Art in London,
studying printed textile design. Now, Rhodes
is a Chancellor at the same college and believes
strongly in the value of a creative education. She
has collaborated with the University of the Creative
Arts to create an Open Educational Resource
(OER) of her design archive for students. This
unique Digital Study Collection will be hosted
by the Visual Arts Data Service (VADS) at UCA,
making her work freely available for research.
Much of the studio is taken up with the long print
room where sample lengths are screen-printed. The
walls are lined with the gauge sticks that measure
the important repeat length for each design. After
passing one screen and lifting it, the stick will show
where the next screen has to be laid. Most of the
screens are stored here too, so there is not much
room to manoeuvre. Rhodes has kept samples of all
of her work dating back five decades. It’s just as well
that she opened a textile museum that could help to
house them all.
As well as memories of her mother knitting, she
was also influenced by her visits to the Textile Study
Rooms at the Victoria and Albert Museum in
London to see knitted and embroidered fabrics. She
tells her students if they are looking for inspiration,
“When in doubt walk through a museum”. And
now she doesn’t have to go far. Far from living in
the past, Rhodes’ studio designs for the sustainable
fashion brand People Tree, the occasional opera, as
well as her own collection every year and it doesn’t
look like she’s slowing down. A fantastic legacy
from an exciting designer and one of our national
treasures.
Zandra led me through a warren of corridors,
one of which was inhabited by young designers
producing their own range, before emerging into
the heart of the Museum next door. All this was
before the gallery had even opened to the public.
The Fashion and Textiles Museum, now operated
by Newham College, is a hub of learning with a
great calendar of exhibitions, talks and courses for
the textile enthusiasts among us.
www.zandrarhodes.com
www.ftmlondon.org
www.peopletree.co.uk
09. Shoot for British Vogue, June 1970. Photo: Irving Penn .
journey of a design
1. For her Rowan design, Zandra took inspiration
from a black and white striped draped top from her
existing collection that would translate beautifully
to knit.
2. The next step was to make a paper pattern.
3. A toile, or dummy, was created from fleece and
the stripes marked on it with pen.This was a chance
to check the drape and position of the seams.
1
4
The waist line was adjusted at this point by pinning
it closer to the body, so back to the paper pattern to
make the adjustments.
DOWNLOAD
4. Zandra sat down with the yarn charts to select
yarns to swatch the final garment.
5. Swatches are made up to her designs by a knitter
resulting in the final garment.
2
3
5
essentials
A collection of the key shapes and textures on
trend, designed into simple, easy to wear styles
that complement the season’s ESSENTIAL looks.
View Movie
the
essential
cardigan
NOELLE | Kid Classic | Sarah Hatton | 118
the scoop
neck sweater
with textured
cables
BRANNAGH | Felted Tweed | Marie Wallin | 134
the lace
sweater w ith
raglan detail
CLEONA | Fazed Tweed | Lisa Richardson | 128
the cowl
neck sweater
w ith rov ing
cable
DERVLA | Fine Art | Lisa Richardson | 157
the r ibbed
raglan
sweater
BEVAN | Rowan Fine Tweed | Heather Dixon | 113
the str iped
yoke sweater
D’ARCY | Fazed Tweed | Marie Wallin | 140
the essential
sweater w ith
lace sleeves
SHEENAGH | Rowan Tweed | Martin Storey | 146
the high
neck tunic
Photographer: Peter Christian Christensen. Styling: Marie Wallin. Hair & Make Up: Frances Prescott (One Make Up). Art Direction: Marie Wallin. Model: Eva Manticova (Elite, London). Location: Aldgate, 33 White Church Lane, London.
yoke sweater
BRONA | Mohair Haze | Gemma Atkinson | 115
the casual
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View the collection online: www.knitrowan.com
Rowan
Easy DK
Knits
Rowan
Easy Aran
Knits
Rowan
Winter scapes
Rowan
Hemp
Tw e e d
A collection of 12 designs by
Martin Storey for women, using
Rowan’s new yarns Superfine
Merino DK & Pure Wool
Superwash DK.
A collection of 13 designs by
Martin Storey for both men and
women, using Rowan’s new
yarn Super Fine Merino Aran
alongside Fine Art Aran.
A collection of wearable designs
by Sarah Hatton in Rowan’s new
super soft and super lightweight
Alpaca Merino DK.
A collection of 14 designs by
Lisa Richardson for men and
women using Rowan’s new yarn
Hemp Tweed.
Inspired by new season, soft knits
that strike a balance between
boyfriend sweater styles and
feminine, modern relaxed
knits. All coloured in autumn’s
favourite tones and designed to
wear all season long.
Inspired by the colours and
textures of the Yorkshire
landscape, this collection has it
all for a stroll in the countryside.
You’ll find the perfect sweater
or cardigan you need to hit the
hills or for exploring the beauty
of Yorkshire and its pretty market
towns.
The collection features simple
colourwork and textures as well
as cable designs; from quick
knit scarves and hats through to
longer length sweaters to cosy
up in.
The inspiration for the designs
comes from the great outdoors
with garments that are wearable
everyday pieces to suit all ages,
ranging from tank tops, jackets,
simple sweaters and wraps.
Order Code: ZB179
Order Code: ZB180
Order Code: ZB177
Order Code: ZB178
View Movie
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4ply Baby Collection
13 designs for babies and toddlers up to 3 years.
using Super Fine Merino 4ply
Rowan
Autumn
Accessories
Rowan
Simple
Shapes
Rowan
Simple
Shapes
B i g Wo o l &
B i g Wo o l S i l k
Fine Art
& Fine Lace
Thick ‘n’ Thin
A collection of 14 accessory and
garment designs by Marie Wallin
for women using Rowan’s new
yarn Big Wool Silk.
A collection of 8 scarves and
shawls by Sarah Hatton
introducing new subtle shades
of Fine Art. From a simple
reversible loop scarf and cowl to
an intricate triangular shawl we
think there is a project to capture
everyone’s interest.
Inspired by the soft silky touch
of Big Wool Silk and essential
winter accessories, this collection
features many shrugs, cowls,
wraps and small garments with a
touch of modern elegance.
A collection of 12 vibrant
accessories by Lisa Richardson.
Simple scarves, hats, headbands,
wraps and hoods in knit and
crochet using Rowan’s new
colourful blended shades in
Thick ‘n’ Thin.
Order Code: ZB186
Order Code: ZB182
View Movie
A collection inspired by simple
garments with cute colour
mixes and fun embellishments
for babies and toddlers up to 3
years. Designed by the Rowan
team and using the new Super
Fine Merino 4ply, this collection
is sure to offer something for
everyone’s little darlings.
Order Code: ZB183
Order Code: ZB181
View Movie
Rowan
4ply Baby
Collection
View Movie
travel jour nal
frost behind the scenes
by Katy Bevan
View on-location Movie
On a cold, late November day the Rowan team
arrived at Copped Hall in Essex to shoot the Frost
story for Rowan Magazine 58. A romantically
dishevelled Georgian Manor House, Copped
Hall is wedged between Epping Forest and the
M25. The cold and damp probably didn’t feel
so romantic by the end of the day as the team
struggled to keep warm.
Fortunately, the model had the benefit of the
beautiful garments to keep her warm designed for
the collection by Lisa Richardson, Martin Storey,
Marie Wallin, Gemma Atkinson, Sarah Hatton,
Vibe Ulrik and Amy Herzog.
Lisa Richardson, who art-directed the shoot, was
inspired by icy landscapes and frost encrusted
foliage and the fairy-tale land of Narnia. A snow
machine meant they could enjoy snowflakes
without the slush and wet feet that usually go with
them. Experienced fashion photographer Craig
Fordham and hair and make-up artist Jeni Dodson
did their best to negotiate the snow flurries
that landed on everyone and everything. The
photographs inside the abandoned interior of the
house were warmed by the light of many candles
and carefully chosen props giving the images
that intimate look. When the light finally failed,
everyone was glad to get in from the cold.
Green Lane Mill, Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, England HD9 2DX Tel: +44 (0)1484 681881
Internet: www.knitrowan.com Email: mail@knitrowan.com
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