Skip to main content

Westknits Earth & Sky KAL - Day 1!

What?  August is here already?  I feel a bit like Rip Van Winkle...minus the laziness and beard worthy of ZZ Top.  I have no idea where the summer went, but being a lover of all things woolen, I start preparing for fall right about now - which is what makes the first-ever Westknits KAL so perfectly timed! 

If you're a little late to the party, here are the details:

Stephen West, knitwear-designing powerhouse, has created another exciting shawl pattern and is releasing it in the form of weekly clues sent to everyone who has purchased the Ravelry download (it should also be noted that anyone who purchases the download during the month of August will get the pattern for $4, and once the KAL is over the pattern will be $6!).  Today the first clue was released and hundreds (thousands?) of Westknits fans are casting on.

Me?  I'm not much of a joiner - I've done a few non-mystery KALs with mixed results in terms of my actual participation/finishing within the constraints of the KAL rules.  The one mystery KAL I participated in a few years back, I ended up not finishing because I just wasn't into the pattern.  However, I think Mr. West is a pretty safe bet, and I'm willing to give this whole Mystery KAL thing another crack!

Bonus:  great way to destash - here I've selected three skeins from my sock yarn bin.  The silvery color is from The Cocoa Beach Yarn Company - it's not terribly soft yarn, but it is a superwash wool/nylon blend and I do like the silvery-grey color (it's apparently some special Harry Potter color - but I wouldn't know, being that I'm one of 20 people in the world who hasn't read the books or seen the movies).  The other two are from my days at Lorna's Laces - the multicolor is one of the color options I created for Jimmy Beans Wool many moons ago (they eventually went for a different version which became January 2008 Ice Storm) and I'm sure you recognize good 'ol 24ns Navy - that's nearly half a skein leftover from a previous project!

Can't wait to see how this turns out - rest assured, I will keep you posted!

Comments

  1. I feel the same way, I was pretty industrious in July but it whipped by me.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Overdyeing A Finished Knit

Even after just a few years of knitting or crocheting, you're bound to have some finished projects lying around that never get worn or used. After 10+ years of crafting, I have more than just "some" or "a few"....and with my ongoing quest to declutter my house this year, I've become obsessed with going through these forlorn projects and making some Big Decisions. Sometimes, they are perfectly fine and just need a new and loving home. Other projects may have not turned out quite right: there might have been some mistakes in the knitting that I thought I could live with, or the yarn was gorgeous but not well-matched to the pattern, or my  taste has drastically changed since I finished making the project...in any case, why on earth did I keep knitting?! Who knows, but I don't feel good about gifting anything that falls into this category to someone else. These projects have been relegated to the "frog pile" (or should I say, frog pond?), to b

Easy DIY: Beaded Vintage Snowflake Ornament Kits from Solid Oak Inc.

I was really excited to step outside of my comfort zone and try something new as part of my "Christmas in July" theme this month. The kind folks at Solid Oak Inc offered me a chance to review one of their Nostalgic Christmas beaded crystal ornament kits I couldn't resist. My tree is already full of ornaments I've inherited or been gifted from other family members and friends,  so these pretty crystal beaded ornaments will fit right in I think! I was super impressed with  this compact little kit , which includes everything needed to create three gorgeous vintage-style ornaments - just add a pair of round nose pliers (I found mine on Amazon for less than ten bucks).  The instructions had some fabulous tips for newbies like me; for example, it recommended sorting the beads and laying them out in order on a towel or beading mat to prevent them from rolling away. That may seem obvious, but I was totally ready to start beading on my kitchen table without a

What If I Didn't Add Heels?

Last weekend, I finished the first sock with my Waterlilies yarn , and just for yuks, I tried it on even though it was basically just a tube sock. Much to my surprise, it fit really well, even without a heel. Who knew? So, that got me thinking: what if I just didn't add the heels?  I never thought a tube sock would actually fit nicely, but I genuinely like the fit, so...why spend time to add the heels? As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.... Let's say I decide not to add heels once the second sock is done - there will still be placeholder yarn for the afterthought heels, as you can see above, so should I leave it in and just weave in the ends? Or should I remove it, put the live stitches back on needles and at least graft them together using more of the Waterlilies yarn? I plan on mulling all of this over as I knit the second sock, and I'd love to hear your opinions of what you think would look best (or if you think this whole "n