Sundry KAL.

Over the weekend, I started a thread on Ravelry announcing our next KAL (here). And I did get a one "love" response…but nothing else. I can only hope that means y'all are so busy watching the weather forecasts you aren't thinking about knitting?! Of course I don't know about the rest of you, but if I'm facing a forced day or two at home, the only thing I'm thinking about is "what am I going to knit?" (once I've made sure I have ample milk, coffee, popcorn and wine in the house!)

So let's just forget about the winter weather advisory for a bit and start thinking about Sundry. Click here to ooh and ahh over the project gallery . The pattern is available for in-store purchase (or on Ravelry).

Jennifer Dassau, the designer, describes it like this:

An elongated, asymmetrical wrap that combines the warmth and style of a shawl with the wearability of a scarf; Sundry means various or diverse, and this wrap features two colors, two stitch patterns and endless styling options. Cast on at the long, pointed end, Sundry has shaping at each end of rows that grow ever wider. Two colors contrast yet harmonize in solid garter stitch and houndstooth slipstitch sections; the slipstitch is easily worked using just one color per row. A simple picot bind off finishes the long straight end.

She suggests a sport-weight yarn, about 380 yards each of two colors, on a size 7 needle. The finished piece measures approximately 24" deep and 112" wide (measured along the longest edge of the triangle).

The nice thing about a shawl is that you really can knit it out of anything; your finished piece and yarn/needle requirements will just…be different.

Here is Kathy modeling her Sundry. It's big and cozy, knit at a DK-ish gauge. The brown she used is the Lotus Mimi…100% mink!…doubled. And she really does love it… even though I failed to capture her smiling! (sorry, Kathy!)

I mean the details…what's not to love?

Here it is blocking to give you a better idea on the size and the shape (I think that's a queen-sized bed).

This piece is all about COLOR! We really love contrasting solids: black (or navy) and white with a pop of red or yellow; charcoal or lavendar and cream. This one, by stormyk9 is a gorgeous example (and she's written detailed notes about how she did it on her Ravelry project page). Shibui Staccato, Fibre Company Canopy Fingering, Spud & Chloe Fine and Marion Foale are all great choices for solid colors in a fingering weight. Mirasol Nuna and Shibui Cima doubled would be lovely in a sport weight. Contrasting tonals work, too. I've chosen Malabrigo Sock in Eggplant and Turner for mine (that combination has been a favorite since Stephen West's Lakedale Shawl way back in Malabrigo Book 3).

If you want to use a variegated colorway (Claudia Handpaints fingering or Sweet Georgia Tough Love) - and those yarns make the houndstooth section look like a mosaic - just be sure to choose a contrasting solid or semi-solid for the second color. The key is contrast. You want the two colors to really pop in that houndstooth section; don't choose yarns that share colors - you'll get mud in the middle.

Adjust your needle size up or down depending on your yarn's weight - and your personal preferences. I know I like Malabrigo Sock knitted on a size 6, so I'm going to start there. If I don't like the way it looks after a few inches, I can always rip it out and start over! (in other words, I'm considering the first couple of inches my "swatch"  :-)

For yardage, we don't suggest less than about 350 yards of a fingering or sport weight (unless you want a much smaller piece). The designer has included notes that describe how to get the most out of the yarn you have. We do have a lot of experience with this shawl, so if you have any questions, just ask!

The official cast-on is this Friday afternoon (January 31, 2014). We hope you'll join us in person or virtually. If you do join virtually, please share your project with our Ravelry group…and post photos. We can't wait to see!

...and now the snow is falling…I'm off to another pot of coffee and some knitting. stay warm, y'all!

Our Next KAL | 100 Diamonds.

If you follow me on Instagram, I hope you weren't too unhappy with me when I posted this teaser photo yesterday afternoon.

In my defense, I figured a pile of pretty yarn would brighten anyone's day! I had a wonderful time pulling the yarns and posing the skeins just so. (and of course that whole effort resulted in a few balls disappearing from my pile - and the shelves - the Findley is really popular!) I understand; it's the yarn I've chosen myself to knit 100 Diamonds. Don't miss this - yes, our next KAL is 100 Diamonds and we're going to cast on November 1 (which sounds like it should be months away, but is really just two weeks from tomorrow - yikes!)

This pattern came across my radar a few months back when the designer posted photos of a slightly modified version of the shawl.

photo copyright knittimo on Ravelry

I loved that it could be modified...and that the resulting pieces could look so different from the original...and that every one of them is gorgeous! But I hadn't thought about it for a knit-along until Saturday, when I awoke to a text from Becca suggesting it. Really, it's perfect for a KAL - the pattern isn't all that complicated for anyone who's worked a lace chart, it's customizable (I love "knit your own adventure" patterns for knit-alongs), and it's a fair amount of knitting which always goes better with company, right?! And for those of us who have knit innumerable a few lace shawls, this one uses a different construction - it starts at the bottom point and knits up.

The designer hosted a KAL on Ravelry last month so we have a few dozen FOs (and a good bit of experience) to help us . Based on the projects/photos I've seen, I am loving the design in the pattern-suggested laceweight and (despite my personal yarn choice - driven by two past frogged KALs - which I am only admitting to y'all) a winter neutral. With Theresa's help, we've gathered eight yarn suggestions*.

Please note that the pattern suggests 630 yards of a laceweight yarn at a blocked gauge of 18 st/4 inches to create a finished shawl 68" wide by 34" deep.

Shibui Silk Cloud (pattern suggestion) :: 60% mohair/40% silk; 330 yds/25 g; suggest 2 skeins

Shibui Cima :: 70% alpaca/30% silk; 328 yds/50 g; suggest 2 skeins

Shibui Pebble :: 48% recycled silk/36% merino/16% cashmere; 224 yds/25 g; suggest 3 skeins

Juniper Moon Farm Findley :: 50% silk/50% merino; 798 yds/100 gr; suggest 1 skein

Fibre Co Meadow :: 40% merino/25% baby llama/20% silk/15% linen; 545 yds/100 g; suggest 1 skein (and modifying to make slightly smaller - like the designer modifications I linked above)
Swans Island Laceweight :: 50% merino/50% tussah silk; 530 yds/50 g; suggest 1-2 skeins (1 skein would mean modifications; 2 skeins would allow you to follow the pattern as written)

Habu Tsumugi Silk :: 100% silk; 450 yd/48g; suggest 2 cones

Malabrigo Silkpaca :: 70% alpaca/30% silk; 420 yds/50 g; suggest 2 skeins

*of course we have more laceweight yarns in the shop; we also have plenty of other lovely yarns that would make gorgeous shawls - these are just the eight we pulled to highlight here.

The pattern also suggests beads, but I'm not planning to use them. Although if I were knitting this with the suggested Silk Cloud...I would definitely consider it, if only to add a bit of weight to keep the shawl in place. We do have beads at the shop and they are not hard to incorporate.

I emailed Theresa on Tuesday that the only bad news I'd encountered about the project was size 3 needles. I knew the pattern suggested them, but I was hoping, especially after Boxy, we'd have a project on at least size 6s or 7s, alas no. I think the pattern suggested size 3 needle works best. I tried 4s and 3s and really like the fabric better on the 3s:

Of course if you use a thinner/thicker yarn or you're a looser/tighter knitter, you might need to go down (!!) or up. The best way to tell is to swatch! really!! these two swatches took me about an hour - and I'm pretty sure the finished shawl is going to be worth that little investment up front. (please note I did not wet-block these swatches - I merely pinned them like I plan to pin my wet-blocked finished piece)

The pattern is available online only. The instructions are clear and easy-to-follow. I am planning to knit my piece as written, without beads. If I had less yarn OR if I were using a heavier weight, I would work fewer repeats of chart B (and maybe of chart D) to make fewer diamonds. The cool thing about the construction is that we can easily get an idea how big the finished piece will be while it's still on the needles. That can all come later - for now, all you need to think about is your yarn choice, your needle (work a swatch with chart A - it's quick and easy!) and the cast-on date: November 1.

If you have any questions/comments/etc, please leave a comment here or in our Ravelry forum.

ready to go! (my yarn is Findley Dappled in the Woodland colorway and those are size 3 needles :-)

I do hope you'll join us!