A Treasury of Rowan Knits: 80 Patterns from Favorite Designers [Hardcover]

Stephen Sheard (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2002

Find designs to suit every taste, occasion, and skill level in this one-of-a-kind collection. These gorgeous, hand-knit designer fashions range from elegant evening vests to chunky pullovers; ribbed turtlenecks to textured tunic tops with beads and bobbles; and sweet baby jackets to ultrachic cardigans in cotton, cashmere, and denim.

• Packed with 80 classic designs from Debbie Bliss, Kaffe Fassett, Kim Hargreaves, Zoë Mellor, and many more

• Simple to sophisticated fashions are showcased by season and include wearables for men, women, and children

• Choose from dozens of techniques, from basic moss stitches and stripes to decorative lace, Aran, and Fair Isle

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Hometown: Yorkshire, England

Editor Stephen Sheard is general manager and founder of Rowan Yarns, known best for its inspiring patterns, top fashion photography, and beautiful range of knitting yarns. More than 20 years after the company’s creation, Rowan’s yarns, patterns, and magazines are renowned throughout the world of knitting.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Martingale and Company (October 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1564774368
• ISBN-13: 978-1564774361
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 9.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,221,251 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best $$ Dollars You'll Spend on Knitting, July 23, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: A Treasury of Rowan Knits: 80 Patterns from Favorite Designers (Hardcover)

If you're new to knitting, here's something you need to know: if you seen a yarn or pattern you love, don't go home and mull it over, or put it in next year's budget. GRAB IT. Because the knitting world is very exclusive. Yarns come and go; they're issued like fashion collections and disappear just as quickly. And patterns, well, you may think of them like a classic -- Moby Dick can always be found, right? It's more like a magazine. You'll see it around for a month or two, and then good luck tracking down another copy if you didn't save it. It's one of the reasons knitters turn into such hoarders and savers, afraid to let go of that 12 inches of Scottish Heather because who knows where they'll find that yarn again? And of all the yarn companies and pattern designers, Rowan was worst of all.
Their pattern books were more like vintages of wine. Good luck getting your hands on a good year once the word is out. Until now. FINALLY. Finally, someone at Rowan has had the sense to realise that these patterns are wanted, needed, and they deserve to live on with new knitters discovering them and experienced knitters turning back to them again and again, if not to knit, that just to enjoy the design work, or get an idea for a collar or sleeve. This doesn't have all of Rowans patterns, but it has many of the best, and a smattering of all the patterns and designers. It's got some stunning works and many ideas from the best design handknit design company in the world today. A must-have, and a great deal.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not what it promises to be, December 27, 2005

By 

Ute Larson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Treasury of Rowan Knits: 80 Patterns from Favorite Designers (Hardcover)

This book promises 80 patterns from 10 favorite disigners.
However, 90% of the patterns are by Kim Hargreaves. The other designers have one or two patterns each. Very disappointing, if you are looking for a variety of designer choices. Many of the photos are soft focus, example: the full page photo on page 199 is really fuzzy. There is a blue sweater on page 171 which one can not even make out what it looks like. Not what I expect from a book with a $39.95 retail price and the Roawn name. It has some nice designs, but gets boring due to the same designer contributing most of the patterns. I give it 3 stars because it does contain some good patterns and the patters come in many sizes. The book also presents variations of some patterns by showing them made with different yarns, for men & women and children. Some good children's patterns are included. I'll keep it for future reference, but check it out before you shell out the bucks, it might be worth it to you. It is not a bad book. I am just a little disappointed and feel that Rowan should be up front with their content and good with their photos.

28 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful assortment of designs - no fat chicks allowed, July 14, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: A Treasury of Rowan Knits: 80 Patterns from Favorite Designers (Hardcover)

I'll preface this by saying I've never been a fan of Rowan yarns or patterns - the former because they tend to be too tame and expensive for my tastes, the latter because they seem aimed at bony women. I spoke with their reps and mentioned the fact that they are excluding a large share of knitters and was told that they didn't know whether it would be thought offensive to have a separate book of larger patterns or if they should pepper them throughout another book. Two years later, I think continuing to ignore larger or plus-sized women and men is the offensive part.

On the upside, the patterns really are gorgeous (which is why I'm upset that I can't wear or alter them) and use varied techniques and skill levels, so everyone can find something they like. A number of child patterns are repeated in "Pipsqueaks" and "Tadpoles and Tiddlers", so if you only want to make kid clothes, check those out first - you may save a few dollars. I traded Brown Sheep for Rowan yarn and my Odd Job sweater is coming along nicely, so just match fibers in the back yarn listing and hit your gauge to substitute.