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.]

Over the years I have shared a lot of pumpkin knitting patterns, and I’ve knit and crocheted a lot of pumpkins myself. But it feels like there are always more fun things to try with knit pumpkins, so this year I wanted to look a little more beyond basic stockinette or ribbed pumpkins and share some pumpkin patterns with cables, bobbles and colorwork.

In the cable collection we’ve got these cute little basic cable and ribbed pumpkins from Elly Bear Knits. There are two sizes that make a wide, flat pumpkin and a taller round pumpkin. Both are worked in the round as a tube that’s cinched top and bottom when you’re done, and they use bulky weight yarn.

Another cute cable pumpkin knitting pattern comes from Gray Bear Akswokrat. This one is knit flat and it looks like a chunky yarn but you could use other weights to make pumpkins of different sizes. This one also has an I-cord stem and uses yarn to cinch up the sections of the pumpkin, giving it a more natural look.

Add some bobbles to your pumpkins with this design from Autumn Shelter Makes. Also worked in the round in a tube, it features a repeating pattern of bobbles and uses yarn wrapped around the outside to make segments. This one looks like worsted weight yarn to me.

Of course there’s nothing that says your pumpkin has to be a single color, so let’s throw in some colorwork. I love the look of the Cozy Fall Pumpkin knitting pattern from South Stitch Girls. The little leather loop adds a rustic touch but you could also just add a stick. These pumpkins have five colorwork options and are worked in worsted weight yarn in the round.

There’s also the Autumn Fair Isle Trio pumpkins pattern from Equestriann Style, which has three different sizes of pumpkins with four colorwork designs. They are worked in super bulky yarn in the round and look good with high contrast or more muted color combinations.

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