Saturday, 29 December 2018

It's all about me Knit Along (KAL): decisions, decisions...

A couple of days ago, I announced the launch of a three month long 'This one's for me KAL', starting on January 1st 2019 and ending March 31st 2019 (any time zone). 

All you need to do is to knit something that is destined to be for you and post about it in threads in my Ravelry group (chatter thread;* finished object thread*). Your project can be something big like a sweater or even a blanket, or it can be something small like a hat or a pair of socks. I'll be drawing one winner from each thread, so it doesn't matter if you don't manage to finish your item within the three months. You can read this post for the full details.

So, what am I considering knitting for the KAL? I’ve decided I’ll be knitting myself a jumper, but as I have several sweater quantities of yarn in my stash, that doesn’t narrow it down very much. Here, in no particular order are my top contenders.



This cardigan has been in my queue since it was in testing. It has a lace yoke that is knitted sideways, then the body is picked up along the bottom of the yoke. I have seen so many of these cardigans at yarn festivals, and really want one. The yarn I have planned for this is Rowan Baby Merino Silk DK in the vibrant Grass shade. As the sizing range on this is huge, I might even manage matchy-matchy mummy and baby cardigans.


Image copyright Tin Can Knits

Another ‘I saw this and knew I had to knit it’ jumper, this one is knitted top-down and features a star motif around the circular yoke. The pattern is written for worsted weight yarn, but I have some Drops Karisma (a DK weight) in the perfect colours (charcoal and mustard) that should work with a little tweaking of the pattern.

Image copyright Dieuwke Schack-Mulligan

This isn’t a jumper that would immediately have me itching to cast on, as written - the cropped length and very fitted style doesn’t really work on my long-bodied, ‘I’ve had three children’ figure - but there are some beautiful examples of modified versions in the projects.* I plan to lengthen the jumper to below the hip and to eliminate the waist shaping to make something rather more cozy and relaxed. I’ll be knitting this in Drops Nepal in Deep Red, which was a Christmas present this year.


Image copyright Andi Satterlund

A cardigan I have considering knitting for a while, this one has nice long lines, and pockets! I bought some Drops Karisma in dark grey and an autumnal rainbow at Yarndale this year, and would love to work the yoke in stripes and the rest of the cardigan in grey (omitting the texture on the back), creating something very similar to the Baby Vertebrae I knitted for my daughter in the summer. I think this would be perfect for layering once Spring starts to arrive in a couple of months.


Image copyright Sarah Cooke 

Which one is your favourite? What are you planning on knitting? Enjoy choosing something to cast on!

*Ravelry link. You need to be logged in to Ravelry for this link to work; membership is free.

Thursday, 27 December 2018

This one's for me knit along (KAL)

Over the course of November and December, I did an awful lot of gift knitting. I'm not even sure I meant to. My nieces' blankets that I started in the summer needed finishing, but those, and a stocking for my daughter, were the only gift projects I had planned at the start of November. Yet by the end of November I had committed to knitting two pairs of charity socks, two pairs of gift socks and a hat (that I knew would be perfect for the person I drew in a Secret Santa), so my nice relaxed Advent plans fell by the wayside, I didn't finish my festive jumper, and my daughter's stocking was completed on Christmas Eve (no one is surprised; the stockings for the older two were also finished on Christmas Eve). With this in mind, I have decided that the next project I cast on is going to be something for me, and I suspect some of you also feel that you deserve a little me-knitting.

I like my knitting for myself to be at a very leisurely non-stressful pace, so today I'm announcing a three month long 'This one's for me KAL', starting on January 1st 2019 and ending March 31st 2019 (any time zone). 


All you need to do is to knit something that is destined to be for you and post about it in threads in my Ravelry group. Your project can be something big like a sweater or even a blanket, or it can be something small like a hat or a pair of socks. 

I've set up two threads in my Ravelry group for the KAL. Thread one is a chatter thread and thread two is a finished object (FO) thread. I'll be drawing one winner from each thread, so it doesn't matter if you don't manage to finish your item within the three months.

I really hope you'll join me in some me-knitting. I can't wait to see what you come up with! I'm off to look through my stash and decide what to cast on first...

There are a few rules (clarifications really, this is a very relaxed KAL!):
1. The KAL runs from January 1st to March 31st 2019; works in progress do not count
2. Items should be made for you, not as gifts or for charity
3. Entries can be knitted or crocheted
4. One winner will be drawn from the chatter thread and one from the FO thread; you will only be eligible to win one prize (if the same person is drawn from both threads, I will re-draw from the FO thread)
5. You can make as many items as you like, but please make one entry in the FO thread and edit it to add extra items as you finish each item
6. This KAL is taking place in my Ravelry group; you must be a member of Ravelry to take part (membership is free) 

If you fancy sharing what you’re working on over on Instagram, don’t forget to tag me (@vikkibirddesigns), and use the hashtag #thisonesformekal