Rowan

From a small Yorkshire business to Rowan

Stephen Sheard and Simon Cockin founded Rowan in 1978, initially working above a grocery shop near Huddersfield in West Yorkshire. Their early business supplied weaving materials and knitting kits. One of its first yarns, Lightweight DK, offered an extensive palette that established colour as an important part of the company’s direction.

In 1979, the founders bought Green Lane Mill in Holmfirth. The Rowan name came from shrubs growing beside the River Holme. The company’s own history connects those beginnings with its continuing Yorkshire identity and emphasis on natural fibres and a painterly approach to colour.

Texture matters as much as gauge

Rowan’s collection includes yarns with markedly different surfaces. Kidsilk Haze combines 70% mohair with 30% silk in a fine strand with a visible halo. It can be used on its own or as part of a combination, depending on the design. Felted Tweed is another recognisable range name in Rowan patterns, including designs that combine the two yarns.

Those combinations deserve attention when looking for an alternative. Replacing only the main strand may change the final fabric less than replacing the strand that contributes its halo, but both need to be assessed together. A yarn with the same labelled weight can still look very different in lace, colourwork or textured knitting.

Start with the pattern’s complete yarn list and make a sample in the relevant stitch. Look at the surface, colour contrast and fabric after washing as well as the stitch count. These details help preserve what makes a Rowan design distinctive while allowing another yarn to do the work.