Tag: MKAL

My Finished Shawl, TTL Mystery Shawl 18 Knit Along

July 27th was the day our last clue arrived for the mystery shawl knit along, provided by designer Kirsten Kapur / Through the Loops.  We knitters had until August 27th to enter our finished shawl photos to the Finished Shawls, TTL Mystery Shawl 18 thread at Ravelry for a chance to win prizes.    That means all done knitting, washed, blocked and photos taken.

On August 3rd I added my finished shawl photo to the thread. Finally the colors looked right as I took the shawl outdoors to get some photos.  Taking selfies of this long shawl on my own body was not easy, but finally I got it right!

MKAL finished shawl
Vine Pops shawl

Never before have I worn or knit a shawl like this one. It took nearly 2 skeins of yarn. As you can see, the lace pattern ended up gorgeous. I am very happy with the end result, and truthfully quite amazed that I could knit this!

Clue #1 was given out June 22nd, so in little over a month I had knit myself this beautiful accessory. Too bad I live in Florida where I will seldom get a chance to wear it. I will take it with me on every trip back to New Hampshire.

This shawl was named VINE POPS and the pattern can be purchased here on Ravelry.

The MKAL Story in a Nutshell, or Longer

yellow and blue balls of yarn
Balls of yarn (Miss Babs “Cumin” and “Coventry”) are ready for knitting

As I finish up with this fun event, looking back I first thought that I may have chosen my yarn differently. I love the Woodbury from Miss Babs, which is soft and wonderful, but I wasn’t too sure about the yellow “cumin” color.  The light blue “Coventry” is so pretty, I would probably use it again in another project.

Some knitters began running out of Color A yarn (my color A is yellow “cumin”) during Clue 3. The designer, Kirsten Kapur, suggested that I might want to use a third, contrast color, at this point. My yarn stash is pretty small, so all I could come up with was anther Miss Babs yarn called “Canyon Wren”.  This became my Color C, which was added in Clues 3, 4 and 6.

(This shawl pattern is available for anyone to purchase although the MKAL is just about over.)

Now that the project is finished, I do like my color choices.  I think adding the color C (rust red) was a good choice as well.  Not many knitters did that, so mine is a unique in that way.

knitting a shawl
Color C added in Clue #3 because I ran out of yarn

My stitch markers were a life saver, but during Clue 5 the markers moved! This really threw me off. When I counted my stitches they didn’t stay the same between the markers and I didn’t know if it was my mistake or the pattern. Someone in the forum said to look at the chart pattern, which would show this happening.  That did help me even though I can’t read a chart well.  (Something else to learn.)

I ended up okay, but made a bunch of mistakes during this clue. I did a lot of counting too, and the fact that Kirsten gave us counts for all the rows in her pattern was super helpful.  Somehow the lace ended up looking fine – that was pure luck!  It is so pretty.

finished knitting the shawl
Shawl is done!

I was very worried about the bind off, which was like picot flowers. It looked very involved, and I could easily see myself messing it up. Since it is an edging, it would stand out, and I didn’t want that mistake to be obvious.  Clue 6 was one of the easiest to knit, except for the bind-off.  Kirsten kindly created a video to show the bind off, but I still didn’t feel confident about it.

Mystery shawl knit-along in lace

When I visited the “Clue 6” forum at Ravelry, I saw that some other knitters had also decided not to do the fancy bind-off. Their shawls looked great. I did a regular bind-off and it looks fine.

Lots of Firsts For Me

I’ve never knit lace.
I’ve never followed such an intricate pattern.
I’ve never knit an asymmetrical shawl.
I’ve never before done a knit along, mystery or otherwise.
I had never done a cdd or sk2p stitch.
This was the first knitting pattern I have ever purchased online.

Because I have conquered all these firsts, and ended up with a decent, wearable shawl, I have the confidence to continue trying difficult, more advanced patterns. Kirsten has so many beautiful items, with patterns for sale. Since I live in a hot climate, most of what I knit is for my daughter who lives up north, or for me to take when I travel.

finished shawl mystery knit along
Nature and knitting – the finished Vine Pops shaw.

I love to knit, and to learn new things.  The only way to expand our knowledge is to step out of our comfort zone and dive into something new.

I’m wondering what will be next.  A summer shawl knit along is now offered, so maybe that……….

Keep Reading the Blog

Year-Round Camping in Florida; Enjoying Nature While I Knit

The peaceful days of camping in the wilderness go perfectly with knitting. What could be better than having coffee outside, with knitting on my lap? We camped twice in the last month and here is a look at the knitting projects I took along.

Pam's avatar by Pam

Pattern Review: Beginning the Magnolia Chunky Cardigan

I’m knitting a beautiful cardigan pattern by Camilla Vad. The Magnolia Chunky Cardigan is knit top-down with lace and bobbles on the body and sleeves. On this page I cover some issues I had in the beginning.

Pam's avatar by Pam

Mystery Knit Along Clue Three Changes Made, Spoiler Images

I’m blogging about my journey as I attempt to complete a MKAL (mystery knit along) challenge.  Well, for me it’s a challenge.  I have spoiler images on this page, if you are beginning this KAL!

In the Through the Loops forum at Ravelry we are sharing progress, problems, questions, and ideas while knitting an asymmetrical shawl from clues doled out over the course of about six weeks by the designer. I’ve been behind from the beginning, but only by a few days.  This requires a LOT of knitting.  Far more knitting than I have ever done in such a short amount of time, and in a pattern far more difficult than I have ever attempted.

It takes discipline and concentration and I am having fun!

Although the shawl requires 2 skeins of yarn, a number of knitters were worried about running out of yarn.  Some ran out, and I am one of them.  As I began Clue #3 which would have had 3 rows of color A (my yellow color), I knew there wasn’t enough.

mystery shawl knit-along clue three
Starting Clue 3 and realizing the yellow yarn is gone!

I decided to ask in the forum if anyone had simply changed to Color B, or if that would mean running out of that color eventually.

The designer, Kirsten Kapur, suggested I could use a contrast color from my stash, which could also be added in later in the pattern. I liked this idea, so I wouldn’t have to stop knitting and fall further behind. Many people have already moved on to Clue Four at this point.  I guess I will also add this new color in somewhere else.  It’s my backup if Color B begins to get short.

The trouble was, my stash of yarn is pretty small. And I needed fingering weight in a color that would go with light blue and cumin yellow! Probably a pretty green or another shade of blue would have been the best choice, but I didn’t have either of those. So to finish up my Clue #3 rows I substituted a rust color for the yellow.

Now my shawl will contain three colors, but only little of the third color.  I hope in the long run it will all look okay.

shawl knitting clue 3
Added Color C, which is rust to finish up Clue #3

I have now begun Clue #4, but it’s a toughie, so I’ll wait until morning, when my mind is fresh and full of coffee, to do more knitting.

By the way, some people are actually knitting 2 of these shawls at once! And many knitters get the clue finished within a day! Then there are those who have only just decided to start, or are behind like me. At least I don’t feel like I am the worst knitter in the group.

Miss bags rust color ball of yarn
“Canyon Wren” is a rust color yarn and is now my Color C for this project.

 

So How Is The Mystery Knit-along Going?

I finished the first “clue” which is basically the beginning of the shawl pattern in the MKAL.  I’m working with the yellow yarn, which show a different coloring all my photos.  The second photo down is closest to the real color.

knitting a shawl
Assymetrical triangle shawl MKAL

I am proud of my self for getting through Clue 1 and finishing.

Now I have begun Clue 2 and it’s a different story.

My inexperience is beginning to show and slow me down. I’ve already made a bunch of mistakes, and asked a question in the forum. I’ll continue to knit, but I have a feeling my Clue 2 is not going to be so pretty.

I still consider this to be good experience for me. The only way to gain knitting experience is to knit! Stepping out of my comfort zone is needed to gain expertise. We learn from our mistakes.

The designer (Kirsten Kapur) of this shawl knit-along made it clear this was intended for experienced knitters. I can only blame myself if I am unable to finish.  It has been fun, and I will continue until it’s obvious that my shawl will turn out a mess. Or, maybe I will be surprised and it won’t look so bad.

Clue #2 Started

After some trouble with the cdd (center double decrease) stitch, I began to move along on clue #2. Many fast knitters finished right away, but it will probably take me another week at least to get this part done. I have made bunches of mistakes, but I managed to get past them and move on.

The photo below is very close to the actual color of the yarn. It’s called “cumin” and is a Miss Babs yarn made of Merino wool and Tussah silk. In my head, I call the color “baby potty”, but I do like it.  I have 2 more sections (40 rows each) before I finish this clue.

knitting a shawl
Into Clue #2 on the mystery shawl knit-along

In the meantime, I continue to finish up the Spindrift Shawl. That one is turning out nicely.  I’m adding the lavender picot bind off.

Nearly There For Clue #3

I’m part way through the last repeat for Clue #3. This has been a long one, but after one complete run through, the knitting got easier.

Two things have helped me greatly while doing Clue 2:

Add stitch markers at each 10 stitch repeat.
And mark off the 10 count repeat on my pattern print out. I simply added a little dot at the place where the next 10 stitches began. By doing these two things the pattern is broken up enough for me to catch a mistake sooner.

mystery knitting shawl knit along
Beginning my 3rd repeat on Clue #2

Thanks to the little freebies Miss Babs includes (cute stitch markers) I had them to use to mark my stitches.

And speaking of Miss Babs (one of my favorite yarn places to shop online), some of the knitters who have gone on to work Clue #3, which is available now, have been worried about running out of Color A yarn. Yesterday I read in the forum that the Miss Babs company has offered to send 20 extra yards of yarn to those who run out. In addition, if you need more yarn than that, they will give 20% off the purchase of an entire skein!

Miss Babs has beautiful yarn, gives away cool freebies with a purchase, and now is offering this! So many reasons to buy from them. I won’t know for a few days if I will run out of yarn, and hopefully not. My plan was to simply use another color, but I may ask for that 20 yards. I’d better get knitting.

I did run out of my Cumin yarn… see what happened next.

My First Mystery Shawl Knit Along (MKAL)

Ever see abbreviations while searching knitting yarn and patterns and wonder what that was all about? Until I found Ravelry, I was pretty clueless, but now I know KAL stands for “knit along” where knitters knit the same pattern at the same time and help each other out along the way.

“M” is For Mystery

Putting the “M” in front simply means that what we are knitting is a “mystery” to all but the designer. This MKAL (or MSKAL- because it’s a Shawl) takes place at Ravelry, with forum posts to update the group on what is happening, with photos as the project progresses… very cool! I love this idea of sharing when we are all doing the same thing.

I don’t know what made me jump in and join the knit along except that I thought it was about time to stretch my abilities. I’ve knit one complete shawl, and started a couple more, (still working on the Spindrift) but this one will be different, in a more difficult sort of way.

The pattern was on sale for $4.00 before the event began, so I thought I couldn’t loose. This is the first time I have purchased an online pattern to knit. Another reason I was interested in this project is that the item is an asymmetrical triangle shawl. It requires approximately 2 skeins of yarn, so it will be large.

I have ordered some lovely yarn from one of my favorite shops, Miss Babs, I chose the suggested “Woodbury” in yellow “Cumin” and light blue “Coventry” colors. Since I was a bit late in joining and ordering the yarn, I am still waiting for delivery. Yarn photo to come. (Update: yarn has arrived!)

yellow and blue balls of yarn
Balls of yarn are ready for knitting

June 22 – Clue #1 – Let the Fun Begin

The first “clue” (which is the beginning of the pattern) has been shared and lots of knitters have begun the shawl. I will be a little behind, but at least I have a chance to look at the pattern. It will be the most involved thing I have ever knit, so the challenge is real! Even so, there is an air of excitement that I am caught up in as (almost) everyone begins.  I’m starting with the yellow Cumin color.

The clues are given out about once a week, with the last one coming July 27th. I have a feeling I will not be able to keep up, but eventually I will get there! This will take some real concentration on my part.

An Experienced Knitter Has Created This MKAL

The MKAL is by Kristen Kapur at Through the Loops and you can find her at Ravelry, or at her website: Kristenkapurdesigns.com. She has so many lovely patterns and does these KAL’s often it looks like.

The shawl directions are written very well, with charts and written instructions. I can’t read a chart yet, so I prefer to follow the written lines. My printer is giving me trouble too and I will need to print out the directions.

Give it a Try, or Wait Until the Next KAL

There is still time to buy into the knit-along.  The pattern will cost $6.00 and you will be knitting with many others.  I look forward to seeing the end products done by all the knitters in this group. They can share photos on the Ravelry forum pages, which makes this knit along thing so nice.

Read more about my progress on the page, “How is the Mystery Knit-along Going?”