Are you making or are interested in making Foolish Virgins? Here’s a link to the Foolish Virgins Ravelry Group - http://www.ravelry.com/groups/foolish-virgins

Updated: April, 2017 - In conjunction with the current interest in this design, Rowan is adding the scan of the pattern to Ravelry as a free design. This is the same scan that was offered upon the publication of Rowan’s Greatest Knits.

While many original shades of Cotton Glace have been discontinued in the 20+ years since this sweater was designed in the early 1990’s, here’s a partial list of current substitutions in Cotton Glace. Original shades were compared from a 1991 shade card.

A. Black: 727 - Still available
B. Gentian: 743 - disc. Suggest Summerlite DK 450 Indigo.
C. Quince: 745 - disc. Suggest Cotton Glace 812 Ivy
D. Clay: 738 - disc. Pale grayed peach
E. Rowan: 736 - disc. Dark rust.
F. Provence: 744- disc. Suggest Cotton Glace 849 Winsor
G. Harebell: disc. Suggest Cotton Glace 831
H. Water Melon: disc. Suggest Cotton Glace 832 Persimmon
J. Spice: 737 - A circulated copper penny shade
M. Putty: 733 - Linen shade with very slight green tint. This is for the faces, so use your best judgement.
N. Dijon: 739 Still available.
O. Matador: 742. disc. Suggest Cotton Glace 445 Blood Orange
V. Navy: 746. disc. Suggest Cotton Glace 746 Nightshade
X. Poppy: 741 - still available

Based on pattern gauge given, finished design will have an approximate 24.25” back measurement.
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Notes below continue the fascinating story of this design.

Fassett based this design on Norwegian tapestries from the 17th Century. Pattern description here is from the Lands’ End publication.

The version in Rowan for Liberty Book No. 3 is written for a mixture of wool (dk), wool-silk (silkstones), and wool-silk (Kaffe Fassett Kid Silk) blends, all in lines discontinued by Rowan (though some in production lines are similar--like kidsilk aura for the last).

The version in Rowan 7 is written for Rowan’s Cotton Glacé. Many of the called for colors have been discontinued. The lying on the snow pictured sweater is knit in Brown Sheep Nature Spun Worsted. DK or light worsted yarns should substitute well.

Difficulty level is high for the intarsia work if only because of all the different yarn changes--over 40 in some rows and rarely the same colors in any two consecutive rows.

There are 14 colors. The instructions call for 1-4 skeins of each but you will have left overs of many of the colors. Yardage is for all 26 skeins.

The Lands’ End version at least is written for only one size. It would be very difficult to change the size unless you knit it to a different gauge.

Only the collar edging is crocheted and requires a 3mm crochet hook.

Lands’ End had this booklet available only one year.