McAree Brothers on Howe Street is celebrating with a week of special events to mark the 40th anniversary of Yorkshire wool spinners, Rowan Yarns.
Tomorrow (Wednesday) you are invited to take along your half-finished projects to get some help to continue, to get over the difficult bits of the pattern or even just show them off.
On Thursday in a nod to social media’s Throwback Thursday (you can follow McAree Brothers here on Twitter…)they are featuring some exclusive in store deals on Rowan’s Timeless booklets.
Friday is Tweed Friday which will celebrate their most iconic yarn Felted Tweed. Really colourful garments made to patterns and designs by the famed designer Kaffe Fassett will be on display. All customers will get a free Rowan patterns along with any in store purchase of Felted Tweed.
McAree Brothers was established in 1878 in Stirling where they still have a shop, but this business has a reputation far beyond Scotland.
We had a lovely time at @McAdirect earlier when we met owner Lucy Bailey with David and Addy from @RowanYarns all celebrating the 40th anniversary of the wool spinners with Stuart’s biscuits from @bonpapillon Listen to our interviews here pic.twitter.com/Kyq76JwTBp
— Edinburgh Reporter (@EdinReporter) October 23, 2018
Howe Street is a Rowan Flagship store, and is described by its customers as an Aladdin’s Cave. They also supply online, but most of all they promote knitting and crochet and explore all of its benefits with newcomers. And of course they applaud the work of those who are already established crafters.
Lucy Bailey said : ““We are delighted that we can offer Scottish knitters the chance to join in the celebrations. So far Rowan’s celebration events have focused on the London flagship stores of Liberty and Peter Jones, and we’re pleased to be able to deliver these exciting events here in Scotland’s flagship Rowan store.”
I met David MacLeod the Brand Manager of Rowan who was visiting for the day. He started his working life at The Scotsman a few years back, and is Edinburgh born and bred. This is his hometown so don’t be fooled by his accent!
Mr MacLeod looks after the Head Office site for the business, but manages the design team within that. He looks after all the designers, technical pattern writers and the yarn development. He told me about the way that Rowan is embracing the renaissance of knitting as a hobby.
David said : “Knitting is on the up and up. Crafts tend to go in a seven year cycle and we are definitely on the crest of a wave right now. We have lots of knitters coming in. ‘Slow fashion’ is coming back, it is seen as the proper way to go. We have a collaboration with a whole teaching project called Knitting for All which is about teaching young knitters and new knitters.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
