KAL Season

The holidays are fast approaching and it’s KAL season for knitters! Knit-alongs are a great way for knitters to motivate and encourage each other, and they’re fun! They are also a good way to learn new techniques if you are trying a difficult pattern for the first time. With a whole group of people working on the same pattern, it’s easy to get help if you run into a problem.

Last week I joined the Stephen West MKAL, (the M is for mystery) for research. Recently, I watched Stephen West’s Shawlscapes Craftsy class, which was filmed a few years ago. He has added new techniques to his shawl design repertoire since then, and I was curious to see what he is doing now. What better way to understand the inner workings of knitting mastermind than to join 4,000 other knitters working on one of his shawl patterns?  The first clue for The Doodler was released on Thursday, and I have been working on it over the weekend, but I’m not quite finished. There will be three more clues after this one, so you have a week to work each section. You can see in the photo below that the shape is an odd one, and I have no idea how the rest of it will look, which is part of the fun!

The Doodler

There is another KAL I’m excited about because it is using my pattern! On Friday, November 13th, the Ladies at Yarn Nook are beginning their November KAL with my Tide shawl pattern! I’ll be at the shop that day to talk about my Keeley Sweater design in the December issue of Interweave Knits, and I’ll have samples of the shawls from Knitting the Beach with me. I’ll be there from noon to 4:00 to chat, knit, and play with yarn! I am so looking forward to it, and a group of my knitting friends will be joining me. What better way could there be to spend the day than knitting with friends?Tide

If you are knitting one of the beach shawls I would love to see your progress! You can tag me on instagram @kephrenknitting, or post on my Facebook page. If you have a question about one of my patterns I am always happy to answer email at kephrenknittingstudio(at)gmail(dot)com, or send me a message on Ravelry.

Thank you for knitting!