knitalong

MKALs - are surprises overrated?

It’s an interesting question isn’t it - and one which I’ve thought about a lot in my years as a knitter. It’s that time of year again when knitalongs abound and the FOMO (fear of missing out) is strong as I survey Instagram and see everyone’s amazing yarn choices and spoiler alerts.

It looks so tempting, and a very large part of me is desperate to throw my WIPs to the wind and dive into the glorious planning stage of a Shiny New Project.

Perusing websites, squishing yarns and generally having a lovely 'high-on-yarn-fumes’ time.

Because while you are in the planning stage, this project is perfect. It can literally do no wrong. It is going to be amazing, the best shawl ever.

But is it though? I think we all know the answer to this one and it starts with ‘Maybe…’.

With a mystery KAL especially there is always that tiny voice at the back of my mind that says ‘ah, but will you wear it though?’ Will it join the very large, 5-skein shawl at the back of the wardrobe that cost you an arm and leg, and yet to my shame I never wear.

Shame isn’t an emotion that I particularly want to have attached to my knitting, but nevertheless there it is. Looking at me every time I reach to the back of the wardrobe.

One argument for an MKAL is that you invariably learn something new along the way, and that’s undoubtably true but at the end of the day it’s all about balance. And I can learn new techniques once I’ve actually seen what I am supposed to be achieving.

I don’t deal well with uncertainty at the best of times and grappling with an unfamiliar technique when I’m totally in the dark about how it is ‘supposed’ to look can send my blood pressure sky high.

In addition, I have to be sensible (groans) and recognise that I have limited time available to knit the designs I have in my pipeline, never mind the socks and other items that my knit-worthy family ask for. When I do have a bit of knitting downtime, often I’m looking for something super simple rather than something that will challenge me. There’s a reason that I’ve knit over 10 Hitchhiker shawls.

And who would I be knitting it for? That’s a slightly more tricky question because then I would be forced to ask myself whether I’m knitting it for me, really for me, or so that I have something new and shiny to share on social media, so that I felt part of a club.

Obviously, this is entirely my own thought process here and I’m attaching no judgement of others to this at all - just sharing my own jumbled up thoughts. I have definitely taken part in KALs and MKALs before and had a whale of a time. I think it’s more a case of context - at a time when I have a lot going on, the added pressure of keeping up with a KAL can just feel like one more thing on my to-do list and no-one wants to feel like that about their hobby.

All this is a very long winded way of saying ‘it depends’ isn’t it?

I guess it just shows that we don’t knit in a vacuum and that our choices on what to knit are governed as much by timings and personal cicrcumstances as anything else.

How about you? How do you feel about MKALs - and are there are any particular designers who always have you rushing to take part? Or you happy to watch from a distance and maybe cast on later, once you have had a good look at it?

Where did a year go?

How on earth is it August already?

But leaving that aside I was amazed, reading through some old journals to realise that it's been a year since I decided to move away from the old Everyday Knitter Facebook group and set up a new community on the Mighty Networks platform.

The old Facebook group feels like a whole world away now and I can't ever imagine going back to Facebook groups again.

In fact, if I didn't need to maintain an account in order to have any kind of business presence I'd delete my FB in a heartbeat. I hate that I can't do that, but at least I can minimise my presence there as much as possible.

If you haven't had a look at our Everyday Knitter community on Mighty Networks I'd really urge you to give us a try. It takes a bit of getting used to, as does any new platform but it is a refreshingly different and advert/algorithm free place to be.

And we have a new KAL starting today - for the Pattern Please Shawl - just in case you needed an incentive. You can find all the KAL information on my previous blog post.

And if you’d like to check out the group, please just tap on the link below.

A Summer KAL

I wanted to let you know about a relaxed, no hassle KAL that I’m running over on the Everyday Knitter Mighty Networks community. If you are a member of the group, the pattern is being made available free to you for the duration of the KAL so do pop over there to get the code. And if you haven’t joined us yet, please do consider checking us out - here.

If you would rather knit-along in your own way there is a 50% discount code as well - see below for details.

About The PPS

It stands for Pattern Please Shawl - a slightly cheeky reference to the eternal ‘pattern please’ requests that pop up perennially in Facebook groups. The PPS is an elongated kite shape, that is fun to knit but does take a little more yarn than the average ‘one skein’ project.

Where can I get the pattern?

Go to the link below and use the code PPSSUMMERKAL, this will allow you to download the pattern for a 50% discount (until 31 August 2021)

https://payhip.com/b/DY5j

When does the KAL run?

It will start on Monday 2 August and run until 20 September 2021

Yarn requirements (uses 4ply/sock weight yarn)

Small version: 70" long and 12" wide/deep (pictured above)

  • 60g main colour plus 5 x 10g contrast colours (CC1-CC5) - 50g contrast in total

Large version: 90” long and 18” wide/deep (pictured below)

  • 2 x 100g skeins 4ply/sock weight yarn

Stashbusting

With 60g of main colour and 50g contrast colour (for the small version) this is the perfect project for making use of mini-skeins if you have any to hand, or using up odds and ends for the stripes. 

Comfort Blanket KAL 2020

Last year I ran the Comfort Blanket KAL - an 8 week KAL which alternated a recipe and ideas for knitting a mitered square blanket, with tips on self care and mindfulness. It was such a lovely, relaxing KAL and coming together to share progress and inspiration was a really uplifting thing to be part of.

As we head into the final quarter of 2020, it’s been a wild ride and the year isn’t done with us yet. I find myself craving comfort even more than ever. And so I have decided to rerun the KAL again this year.

Instead of a dedicated Facebook group for the KAL I’ll be hosting the community aspect of it within the Everyday Knitter Mighty Network community as a private group.

Those who purchase and sign up to the KAL will receive an invitation to join at the bottom of their Introductory PDF. Joining isn’t essential - the weekly PDFs will still be delivered to your inbox - but the chat, support and general ‘cheering each other on’ will happen in the MN group.

For those who joined in the KAL last time I’d love you to join us again, if you’d like to. The beauty of mitered square blankets is that they are never really finished are they? So if you’d like to add a few more squares to last years - or you are in the mood for a brand new one you would be more than welcome.

The newly re-written KAL is available for purchase now. To start with there is a pre-KAL information sheet and the first installment will be released on 28th September - with updates every Monday after that.

The PDFs will go straight to your inbox and will also be available within the Mighty Network group for reference.

If you bought the pattern the first time around and would like to rejoin the KAL, I’ll be sending instructions on how to access the group through the Ravelry mail system. If using Ravelry is a problem for you please let me know and I can email the directions to you directly.

If Ravelry is safe for you to use and you’d like to see what the knit-along folk made last year using the recipe you can find details of their projects here.


Safe At Home KAL

As we near our second week of lockdown here in my part of the UK, things are starting to settle a little into our new-for-now routine and my mind is able to think about knitting again.

I thought now might be a good time for a friendly little KAL to give us something to focus on and give us a good excuse to rootle through our stash? (new purchases are of course permitted, where still available)

I have put together a #SafeAtHomeKAL bundle on Ravelry where a few of my patterns are available with a 25% discount (no code needed) and obviously I would love it if you were to pick a pattern from this to knit. Although as we aren't at home to the knitting police, if you wanted to knit something else that's totally fine too.

Also, if finances are not great right now I have set the Fuss Free Festival shawl to be free for the next month - so do please feel free to download that one too

To give us time to get our supplies together I thought a start date of Monday 6th April would probably work - that way we have the weekend to decide on a pattern and some yarn.

If you’d like to join in, please share your progress either in the Everyday Knitter FB group or on social media with the hashtag #SafeAtHome

Knit The Good Yarn

If there was ever the perfect time to knit up that special skein of yarn from your stash, I think this is it. We all have one of two skeins that we are ridiculously attached to. It might be a souvenir from a fabulous holiday, a gift from a loved friend or in this case an irreplaceable skein of yarn from a talented dyer who passed away much too soon.

Sparkleduck yarn was my first introduction to hand dyed yarn. Stocked at my local yarn shop (sadly also no more) it was like a magnet to my new knitters eyes. I rapidly built up a little collection and over the years I have steadily knitted the skeins - a few of my early sock designs such a Bleaberry Tarn used her yarn and it always drew admirous comments.

This is the skein that I have always held on to - a skein of her sparkle sock yarn in the colourway Here Be Dragons. It is stunningly beautiful - my speedy photo doesn’t do it justice - and so many times I have gone to use it, only to worry that whatever I chose won’t show it off to full effect - and tucked it back into the drawer.

But now seems to the perfect time to go for it. I carefully wound it by hand yesterday. Spent several hours deciding on a pattern - before deciding to go for my usual option of winging it - and cast on this morning over my cup of coffee. Remembering the all to few occasions where I met Heather - both at the Sheep Shop and also at Fibre East.

If you would like to join me in using up something special from your stash while we all cope with the uncertainty and stress of the current situation, please do. I am using the hashtag #KnitTheGoodYarn - please do use it as well and we can all follow each other and offer a little support.

Knit strong!