An opening reception will be held Saturday, April 10th, from 5pm-8pm.

For more information, contact Debbie Carter at 413-441-3220.

COLORFUL STITCHES SPONSORS WORLD TRAVELING FASHION EXHIBITION

Rowan 30th Anniversary Exhibition to appear at Welles Gallery in Lenox, November 6-28

Lenox, MA, October 28, 2009…Colorful Stitches, Lenox, MA retailer of fine designer knitting yarns, announces that it is sponsoring the Massachusetts portion of the North American tour of the Rowan 30th Anniversary Exhibition, bringing the show to the Welles Gallery in the historic Lenox Library this November. The exhibition, presenting 30 years of hand knitted garments and quilts from Rowan, U.K., international leader in the fashion knitting yarn and design industry, is on display through Thanksgiving weekend.

Rowan is the U.K.’s leading premium yarn company and the Exhibition will showcase examples of vintage designer garments tracing three decades of design in the hand knitting industry. This touring exhibition has already appeared in several European countries as well as Australia and the Lenox venue is part of a year-long North American tour.

The Exhibition will feature a selection of iconic designs and profiles the key designers who have helped create the individuality that is the Rowan brand, designers like Kaffe Fassett, Kim Hargreaves, Annabel Fox, Louisa Harding, Jean Moss, Brandon Mably, Marion Foale, Erika Knight, Sarah Dallas, Sasha Kagan, Martin Storey and Marie Wallin. The exhibit showcases a wide range of garment styles for women and men: cardigans, jackets, sweaters, coats, dresses, vests and shawls. The work involved in the exhibit garments is evident. An outstanding knitted garment on view in the show will be Kaffe Fassett’s Long Leaf Coat with some knit rows requiring over 30 color changes. This amazing coat is made from over 70,000 stitches and is a testament to what hand knitters can achieve. In all the exhibit’s thirty-three garments span the years from 1983 to 2008.

The past 30 years have seen Rowan develop from life in a small office above a grocery store into an internationally recognized center of hand knitting excellence. Rowan’s aim over the years has been to produce hand knit and crochet designs that echo the world of fashion, yet remain timeless and unique in the wardrobe of today.

Colorful Stitches saw the opportunity to pair the style and classic elegance of Rowan’s designs with the knitters of New England and negotiated the exhibit for Massachusetts at Lenox Library’s Welles Gallery. Colorful Stitches has long been one of the largest suppliers of Rowan yarn and designs nationwide, earning the sought-after title of “Rowan Stockist”. Styles created by British designers have been well appreciated by Colorful Stitches’ customers through both the retail store in Lenox and the full online store at www.colorful-stitches.com.

In addition to the Exhibition, Colorful Stitches will host two Rowan workshops with Sharon Brandt, Rowan Retail and Brand Development Manager for Rowan Yarns on November 14-15 to coincide with the Exhibition. Ms. Brandt will present “Rowan’s Autumn/Winter Collection Workshop” on November 14 and “Design Your Own Accessory Workshop” on November 15 at the Colorful Stitches store. Author of several knitting books, Brandt has been operating her own knitwear business for 20 years.

The Exhibition will formally open at the Welles Gallery in the Lenox Library, 18 Main Street, Lenox, MA on Friday, November 6 and continues Tuesdays to Saturdays through November 28, daily from 10:00AM to 5:00PM. Admission to the Exhibition is free. The Welles Gallery has its own private entrance; it is also accessible for visitors through the Lenox Library’s ground floor Sedgwick Reading Room.

The Workshops, held at Colorful Stitches, 48 Main Street, Lenox, MA, are available while space permits with pre-registration through Colorful Stitches. A full workshop itinerary and prices are available at http://www.colorful-stitches.com/. For workshop registration, please contact Colorful Stitches: 413-637-8206, 800-413-6111.

Colorful Stitches operates a two-story fashion yarn retail store at 48 Main Street (rear of building) in Lenox, MA as well as the full online store at www.colorful-stitches.com. Colorful Stitches specializes in natural fiber yarns including exotic fibers from around the world, patterns, books, notions and equipment for fine knitting and crocheting. Colorful Stitches is co-owned by Mary McGurn and Bonnie J. Burton.

Rowan of Holmfirth, United Kingdom distributes yarn and pattern instructions/books worldwide.

Their yarns and patterns are distributed in the U.S. by Westminster Fibers, Inc., Nashua, NH.

There will be an artists reception on October 10th , from 4:30 pm to 7:00 pm.

The show will run from Wed. Oct. 8 thru Sat. Oct 31. It will be open from 10 am to 5 pm every day except Monday, with the exception of Columbus Day Monday , Oct. 12 , when it will be open as well.

above artwork by Sean McCusker