So … last year I competed on the first (and so far, only) season of The Fiber Factor. This year, Skacel and The Fiber Factor have been hosting a series of Knit-A-Longs (KALs) for some of the designs featured on the show. My design for the first Challenge (“Knit Your Life”) was Evolution, a big heart-shaped shawl that begins simply and ends with a flourish of lace. Evolution is the November KAL for The Fiber Factor’s “Year of the KAL.”
I led an informal KAL right after the pattern was published by Skacel, and I’ve heard about several knitting guilds selecting Evolution as a group KAL pattern — last time I checked, there were 90+ project pages for Evolution, including just over 40 finished shawls. Nothing thrills me more than knitters making stuff from my patterns. It makes my heart sing!
This latest, greatest Evolution KAL will be hosted by yours truly on the Fiber Factor forum on Ravelry. I’ve re-knit the pattern in Rylie (a great sportweight yarn made of alpaca, silk, and linen), and made little videos for each week of knitting.
Cast On: November 3rd
Cast Off: December 8th
Prizes: provided by Skacel, awarded to three lucky randomly-selected KAL participants (see the forum post for full information).
We are a week away from the release of Clue #1 of the Flywheel M-KAL! I’ve decided to start the prizes early for this M-KAL. If you know me, you know I think swatching is a valuable and important part of the knitting process. Any M-KAL-er who posts a photo of their swatch for Flywheel is eligible to win this pair of hand-made stitch markers:
Many thanks to Jane for crafting these (and many more!) fabulous stitch markers especially for me to give away during this M-KAL. She does beautiful work.
I do so love a mystery KAL. Please join in the fun! I’m hosting the Flywheel M-KAL in the Remily Knits forum on Ravelry. You’ll find all the details there, of course, but here is most crucial information.
Pattern Information This triangular shawl is worked from the top down. Flywheel begins with a garter-stitch tab and progresses through all stitch patterns with regular increases at the spine and both edges. The shawl is designed to be made with two skeins of fingering-weight yarn in complementary colorways (choose semi-solid or tonal colorways for best results). Clues alternate between the two colorways, resulting in broad stripes. Each clue features a different stitch pattern, with transitions between clues.
Finished Size: appx 74” tip to tip and 37” down the spine
Yarn: A Hundred Ravens Llyr 438 yd/400 m per 3.5 oz/100 g skein; Color 1: “Thames” (sample used about 340 yards); Color 2: “Grass” (sample used about 430 yards) Gauge: 20 sts = 4” in stockinette stitch (exact gauge is not critical for this project; however it will affect yardage needed to complete shawl) Tools: #4/3.5mm circular needle, stitch markers, cable needle, tapestry needle
I’m very excited about my latest design project! I hardly dare say it (because jinx), but it’s coming together so effortlessly, and I looooove it so much! Here’s a bit of the first motif:
One of the joys of being and indie designer is that I can share photos whenever I like! So there.
My new collection of shawls is called “Clockwork.” Each shawl will feature different fingering-weight yarn from A Hundred Ravens. I’m using the yet-to-be-released spring/summer colors, and each two-skein shawl will feature two different colorways. I’ve seen some preview skeins, and they are unspeakably lovely, so I hope you are all super jealous 🙂 :).
I swatched madly and then cast on for the first shawl, Flywheel, this week, using Llyr, a silk/wool blend with all the drape and shine you’d expect. I’m using two semi-solid colorways, and some really interesting and fun stitch patterns. This design will probably be my mystery KAL pattern for the collection. (Interested? Make sure to sign up for my email list to be notified first about mystery KAL updates.)
Beads: A: Miyuki Triangle Seed Bead 8/0 Metallic Gunmetal from Auracrystals.com MY-TR08-0451; B: Miyuki Round Seed Bead 8/0 Transparent Crystal AB from Auracrystals.com MY-08-0250
I think this kind of lace speaks for itself. I thoroughly enjoyed this Mystery KAL. I managed to keep up, which is saying something! “Morticia” is just plain beautiful — a totally fun and challenging knit. I loved ALL the beading. I thought I might die from the final cast-off … took me the better part of two solid evenings … but I did finish, and it was completely worth the effort.
The 5th challenge of The Fiber Factor was all-consuming for me … lots of new techniques to conquer, and leagues of hand-sewing and hand-embroidery to do before I could rest. My fingers bled, my eyes crossed: my piece was a harsh mistress :). One thing that kept me at my task was knowing that I had not one, not two, but THREE mystery KALs lined up to start right when the project was due. Yippee! Naturally I started them all as quickly as I could. We shall not mention that I already have the specs (and a bit of bling) for Challenge #6.
First up: the RHK Mystery KAL by Sara Elizabeth Kellner. RHK stands for Rabbit Hole Knits — Sara designs adorable stuffed toys to knit, and this seemed like a great opportunity to make one. This MKAL is free — all you have to do is join her forum. I’m using some left-over Tosh Vintage in Rosewood:
Next up: the Autumn Mystery KAL by Susanna IC. Right now the pattern is still $3, but the price will go up as clues are released. Buy now to get the best price! 🙂 I’m using two skeins of Tosh Sock in Mare and the browner beads:
Last but not least, the Morticia Halloween KAL 2013 by Boo Knits. I’ve been dying to do a Boo Knits pattern, and I had this skein of Alfar just begging for a good use. I’m doing the “two kids of beads” option, making the larger shawl:
Yarn: Dream in Color Wisp in 712 Brilliant (2 skeins, sample used about 770 yards)
Design/Skills Needed:
Flock is a crescent-shaped shawl worked from the bottom edge up. The main lace pattern features nupps. The curved stockinette body is achieved with short rows (no wraps, just decreases). The top edge is finished with an echo of the main lace pattern that transitions to purls to help fight curling.
Flock is fully charted, except for setup and finishing rows. Complete written translations for all charts are also provided.
Special thanks go out to Dream in Color, which provided yarn support for this design, and also gave me a skein of Wisp to give away! I’m hosting a KAL for Flock in the Remily Knits forum, and I’ll be giving the Wisp away to a KAL-er who uses any DIC yarn for their Flock (and finishes by the end date).
I will be hosting a KAL in the Remily Knits forum — let’s make the official start date June 24th, so people have time to get their yarn together and clear some WIPs off their needles.
You are, of course, welcome to use any yarn your like — but if you haven’t tried it, please consider Unisono. It’s fantastically sproingy and comes in beautiful solid colors (as well as the self-striping, which I chose for the design).
What you’ll need for the KAL:
US #7 needles (or there-abouts)
975 yards of sport-weight yarn
a generous handful of stitch markers
The pattern is currently published with CHARTS ONLY, with the right-hand side of the shawl shown — the left-hand side is mirrored.
However, I’ve been given the go-ahead to write out directions for all the charts. I’ll be working on this over the next week or so — I’ll get them done as quickly as I can. The written translations of all charts will be made available through an updated download from The Fiber Factor, as soon as they are complete and have been proofed.
For more details and to officially “sign in” — go see the forum!
I would like to invite all my readers to join my new mystery KAL for Capriole.
This semi-circular shawlette is worked from the top down. With a wide cast-on edge and curved shape, Capriole hugs the shoulders for easy wearing. The simple, bold lace pattern allows variegated yarn to shine; Capriole is equally beautiful in solid or semi-solid colorways.
Capriole is part of the upcoming Airs Above the Ground Collection. Each of four shawlettes in the collection can be made with a single skein of fingering-weight yarn. “Courbette” (sideways, modular, crescent-shaped, lace) will be available on March 20th, 2013. “Mezair” (lace border worked sideways, crescent-shaped, short-row body) will be released sometime in April, and “Levade” (bottom-up, heart-shaped, lace) will come out in late May.
KAL Details:
The Mystery KAL for Capriole begins now, with the release of this Swatch Clue. The swatch includes several special stitches, and will thus allow you to practice them before beginning your actual shawl. All clues will be given both as complete charts and full written directions.
Schedule for Clues:
Clues will be released via Ravelry sometime after midnight, EST, on four consecutive Wednesdays.
March 27th: Clue #1 – Setup and first 40 rows.
April 3rd: Clue #2 – Rows 41-68
April 10th: Clue #3 – Rows 69-88
April 17th: Clue #4 – Rows 89-101, plus blocking advice
Cost:
For the duration of the KAL, and for at least two weeks after the release of the final clue, Capriole will cost only $1. After that point, the pattern will be changed to the regular price of $6. When I release the final version of the pattern, it will replace the individual clues in your Ravelry library.
Prizes:
All knitters who post a photo of their finished Capriole by April 30th will receive a Ravelry coupon for any of my patterns on Ravelry, including the Airs Above the Ground collection. In addition, I will be giving away other prizes by random draw of finished projects, including at least one skein of yarn from “A Hundred Ravens” and a copy of the entire “Airs Above the Ground” collection.
3-in-3: One of the trickier stitches in this shawl pattern is a 3-in-3. Here is the description from the pattern:
3-in-3: Over the next three stitches, work a sk2p; yo, then knit 1 stitch through the three stitches just worked (stitch count does not change)
I anticipated that this stitch might be a bit troublesome, so I made sure to include it in the swatch so knitters could practice ahead of time. I’ve also made a quick video demonstrating two ways to make the 3-in-3 stitch. I demo both “English” and “continental” style, because I know it can be hard for knitters to understand the “other” way from their own style.
As I neared the end of several projects this week …. cast-on-itis hit with a vengeance!
Not satisfied with running my (very first) KAL (ever), I joined the Frau Holle Mystery KAL. It’s not too late to join the KAL — the first clue is mostly stockinette. Laceweight! Beads! I couldn’t resist. I’m using some stash laceweight from ages ago, and beads I bought for another project. Yay for repurposing?
I managed to channel some of the cast-on-itis into a Christmas gift project. I don’t want to say too much, on the off chance the giftee reads this blog. Suffice to say Heartsick and another “Rare Gems” skein seemed a match made in heaven:
Remily Knits 