You may remember hearing about a fabulous workshop we had before the holidays with Sharon Brant of Rowan.  I learned so much from this session and I know all who attended did as well.  For those of you who weren’t able to attend, we wanted to share a bit of our wonderful experience with Sharon here with you.

Our customers are very familiar with Rowan and was are tremendous fans at the shop, but can you give us your perspective on what makes Rowan such a special force within our industry and maybe tell us something we might not know about Rowan?

Everybody that works on the design and marketing are just as passionate as the consumers. We often wonder why, I think it was born as a very personal company and we have been lucky enough that Coats have allowed us to keep the ethos of the company even though we are part of a huge global company. I also think it is the detail of styling and briefs that make the seasonal stories so special.

Rowan has always been know for being on the cutting edge of the industry and birthing new fabulous designers. Can you tell us about some of the new and exciting developments at Rowan and any of the new designers that are on your watch list?

We work very closely with the universities and their tutors to make sure we find the new fresh talent. We also have key consultants in the industry that make sure the young designers make themselves known to us.

Your new book “The Ultimate Knitting Bible” has become one of my new favorite go too books.  Can you give readers a bit of insight as to what makes this book different and what you were hoping to achieve with this publication?

This was a reaction to all the workshops I do around the world. I have been asked so many times, “Do I have all of my tips written down somewhere?” Can you come home with me?” This is for those people. I have tried to keep it clear and simple to follow. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did for putting it together.

The workshop you just ran at the shop “How to suit a garment to you” was so fantastic and I learned a lot about how I should approach a project for myself.  What would be the one or two purls of wisdom you might give readers when they approach creating a garment for themselves?

Take time to get the tension right and make samples so you know you are going to like the finished piece. Be brave and try something new prepared that you may have to do it again with all the things you learn form not getting quite right the first time.

Also, it was so exciting to hear about some of the work you’ve done outside of Rowan for film knitwear costume design.  Can you give A Yarn Tale readers a bit of insight as to what your experience has been like in creating knitwear for some films?

Working with the films is so much fun but also quite demanding due to the timings. Working on Phantom of the Opera was my absolute favourite as it linked History and knitting. the detail they go down to is amazing and when you watch the film you wonder why? but it is all those fine details that make wonderful historical stories.

Working on the designs are fun and exciting but the challenge comes once you have produced some obscure piece and they say they love it and then need 6 identical pieces! Have a look at Luna’s jacket in Harry Potter and think of my poor mother who had to copy every single fringe in the same colour pattern as the original I made. (She loves me!!!)

Purchase Sharon’s latest book, The Ultimate Knitting Bible, here.