Love Rowan? Become an Ambassador

I was just at a blogging conference over the weekend and we were talking about that the next big thing in company to consumer interactions is going to be blog ambassadors. What that means is that people who write blogs will connect with companies they love in long-term relationships that will involve the blogger getting free products and the opportunity to try out new products while sharing that information and enthusiasm for a brand with their readers.

And what should land in my mailbox a couple days later but an invitation from Rowan Yarns looking for its own brand ambassadors? Rowan is seeking knitters and bloggers from around the world to take part in its ambassador program, which will allow participants to receive yarn packs and color cards each season, early previews of collections, yarn to knit your own garment, access to online meetings and an invitation to visit the Rowan mill.

People interested in participating in the program need to send a picture of themselves in their latest Rowan knit along with 100 words about why they would be a great choice for the program. Applications are due Sept. 28, and the short-list of participants will be contacted in October.

This sounds like so much fun for all you Rowan lovers out there! I haven’t used Rowan much, but one of my most popular knitting patterns of all time — the bulky Fingerless Gloves — were made with their Big Wool. Maybe I should apply?

[Photo by Rowan.]

I guess I must have had this pattern on my mind, because I had chosen this log cabin blanket recipe to write about, promptly forgot about it and a couple of weeks later started knitting a log cabin blanket using all my pink yarn.

It might stay pink if it makes it to baby blanket sized, or I might add in some pastel green and blue, too, to make a bigger blanket. We’ll see. I’m also holding several strands of yarn together to make a kind of bulky yarn, which means it’s deeply satisfying how much yarn is used even as the project is still relatively small.

In Kristen Finlay’s version, DK weight yarn scraps (or fingering/sock yarn held double) are used to make a simple scrappy log cabin blanket that’s lighter weight than my version. Log cabin is a great technique for knitters of any skill level because it’s worked in garter stitch. The only not completely basic technique you need for log cabin knitting is picking up stitches.

If you’ve never worked a log cabin knitting project before, this is a good introduction, and it is really nice to use all your yarn scraps in one big project you’ll use for years to come.

If you use a lot of DK weight yarn you can keep building on it whenever you finish a project, or if you use more worsted weight you can do the same thing with it, it will just be a little bigger starting out than the pattern calls for. How big it gets is totally up to you.

I have really been enjoying working on my log cabin project, and it’s my current sitting at my desk and need a break knit (do you have one of those or is it just me?).

Ready to start your own log cabin blanket knitting project? You can grab the free pattern from Kristen Finlay on Ravelry.

Need more log cabin inspiration? Check out more log cabin knitting patterns.

[Photo: Kristen Finlay]

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