Thank you so much for welcoming me back to the blog and for all your lovely comments!
It’s always a joy to read your thoughts and share our mutual love for knitting and crochet. This past week has been quite busy at work, but I’m thrilled to say it’s also been incredibly productive on the crafting front.
The Excitement of MKAL Season
As we approach the beginning of MKAL season I’ve been diving into my latest yarn purchases and getting ready for my favourite time of the knitting year which is a time of great excitement and anticipation in the knitting community. For those unfamiliar, an MKAL is a project where the pattern is released in parts over several weeks, and the final design remains a mystery until the end. It’s a wonderful way to connect with fellow knitters and share in the joy of creating something unique and unexpected. Every year Stephen West designs incredible shawls and its great to be part of this community and join in with everyone.
The first clue drops at the end of this week and I’m using up some annual leave from work too, so I’m officially on holiday Thursday and Friday - the perfect way to spend a few knitting days.
Preparing for the Cast-On
In preparation for the MKAL my week will start with me winding my yarn into neat cakes. There’s something incredibly satisfying about the ritual of preparing for a new project and something really sooting about seeing the skeins of yarn become ready for use.
I’m even going to swatch… I know… deep breaths everyone… but rather than swatching for tension - the practice of making sure my stitches will be the same size as Stephen’s - I’m swatching to see how the colours interact with each other. This is especially important for the suri yarn that I’ve chosen this year to make sure the black and green work well together. In my head the black is going to darken the green into a moody hue, but I’d rather see it before I spend hours using it on my shawl only to realise I don’t like it!
Viewers of my YouTube channel will know of my love of Wicked the Musical. With the movie coming out this year there was only really one choice for my colour choice when I heard that we needed two colours.
So in honour of Elphaba and Glinda, I’m pleased to share my yarn choice for this years Go Go Dynamo shawl. Nic from Cool Woolings has made the perfect neon green and pink and I can’t wait to get started.
Pink goes good with green!
But for me, much more important than the colour choice, is the excitement of the unknown and the camaraderie of fellow knitters. Community is what makes MKAL season the highlight of the year.
So whether you’re a seasoned knitter or just starting out, I hope the return of autumn brings you projects filled with warmth, colour, and the joy of handmade creations.
Are you joining in with the MKAL? What are you working on this week? Tell me in the comments below!
I am loving your colours especially the Wicked ones!!! Can't wait to see how that comes out. The Grellow is just perfect for you. I have signed up for MKAL but I have never done it before and am not sure if I will actually do it. Will see how the first two clues come out and if they look ok I will then join in... But the next two months are pretty crazy for me so I will definitely not be keeping up!
You are where I was two years ago. Embrace your own pace and jump in is my recommendation. The Humans of Westknits is such a great group and there is no need to keep up. And Martyn does a fabulous job with his vlogtober Youtube videos. I have a demanding job with lots of evening meetings after a full day of work and if I can finish before my Christmas holidays, I will be happy. There are folks that take the entire year. It isn't a race. If you can join the Zoom meetups - the schedule is on @welsh_tenor and/or @fibrechat instagram - you can share your ups and downs with like minded people from other parts of the world.
Yes Catherine I do watch Martyn and Irina's youtube . I usually can't join in the zooms as I am in Australia and the times don't work but I do watch the replay. I have plenty of knitting friends here to help me also. I love seeing everyone's colours and how they are going. Thank you for your lovely positive message
I know you’ve now joined in Melissa, it’s great to have you onboard! As Catherine said, embrace your pace and enjoy the process. There will be two extra Zooms on 12th and 26th October at 7pm Eastern, which I think is 9am your time? I’ll try to join but it will be midnight here in the UK!
I am participating in the MKAL this year! I'm so excited and after a mix up with my yarn order, I ended up receiving my order twice. Since the company told me to keep it, my "swatch" to see how the colors would work was a hat that I have already gotten almost done! I'm so excited to see how your colors work together and to see your finished shawl!!!
Yes of course I’ll be participating in the MKAL again this year——- I can’t wait !!!! I also can’t wait to see your Wicked Shawl —— how cool !!!!! For me, it’s You and Irena at fiberchats that makes this so much fun for me—— I visit all the zooms and love it—— thank you so much for the time you guys put into it. GO GO DYNAMO !!!!!
2 days off for the MKAL is great. Unfortunately I have to work and have a very busy weekend. I love MKAL season. I really enjoy the collaboration with Fiberchats.
It was great to see you and your yarn choices on Sunday's Zoom meeting. I really did think the grellow kit was perfect for you! And you don't have a grellow MKAL shawl yet, I don't think. Right after the Zoom was over, I spent a couple of hours winding my yarn. I wound each skein twice (because I thought there might have been extra pulling in a few spots), including the mohair, which was surprisingly easy to wind after washing it- it did come in a hank, not a ball, so that was helpful with washing. Can hardly wait for tomorrow!
Thanks for all your support Catherine, its lovely to have you with us again and I’m thankful for you always taking the time to join us and be part of the fun!
Yes! I am joining the MKAL this year. The yarn is prepped and I even have 2 colors of mohair to choose from. I am currently working on the huge number of tails from last years MKAL.
Also started STARFLAKE an MKAL from a few years ago. I am loving it, the design so far has been very easy to memorize, so I’m zooming along.
I’m still undecided on whether to make a Starflake instead of another Go Go Dynamo with my 2nd kit… I’m going to wait a few more weeks before making the final decision.
I love the pink with the green, they are so pretty and bright. Martyn will you be doing vlogtober again this year? I love watching your podcasts/vlogs they are so fun and relaxing. I'm not taking part in MKAL but I do love seeing others knitting it. At the moment I'm knitting Christmas presents. xxx
Hello Martyn! I'm participating in the MKAL again this year, my third time doing it. In the few days leading up to the first clue I have a pair of socks to finish and a hat for a test knit. Hoping to get all these done before Thursday!
I was going to do the MKAL again this year, I even bought the wool from Punk Rock Unicorn for it, but I also have 2 test knits on the go, which also have to be finished by the end of October (both sweaters) , so I'll probably only start in November once everyone else is finished. But I don't mind spoilers, so i'll be watching all the MKAL content!
I'm such a PRU stan. I did start 2024 with good intentions of doing a no-buy and then they came out with new colours and of course that went out the window immediately :-) But as you say, knitting and collecting wool are two different hobbies!
Nick did a wonderful job with the color! The green really does go with the pink.
I will be participating again this year too, and wound my yarn up, yesterday. I will be using some Qing Fibre dashing sassy that are in two wonderful colors! One is called timberwolf and is a dark blueish grey and the other is called time traveller, a multi color of greens and pinks and pale blue. Not anything I would usually pick but I love it!
I am loving your colours especially the Wicked ones!!! Can't wait to see how that comes out. The Grellow is just perfect for you. I have signed up for MKAL but I have never done it before and am not sure if I will actually do it. Will see how the first two clues come out and if they look ok I will then join in... But the next two months are pretty crazy for me so I will definitely not be keeping up!
You are where I was two years ago. Embrace your own pace and jump in is my recommendation. The Humans of Westknits is such a great group and there is no need to keep up. And Martyn does a fabulous job with his vlogtober Youtube videos. I have a demanding job with lots of evening meetings after a full day of work and if I can finish before my Christmas holidays, I will be happy. There are folks that take the entire year. It isn't a race. If you can join the Zoom meetups - the schedule is on @welsh_tenor and/or @fibrechat instagram - you can share your ups and downs with like minded people from other parts of the world.
Yes Catherine I do watch Martyn and Irina's youtube . I usually can't join in the zooms as I am in Australia and the times don't work but I do watch the replay. I have plenty of knitting friends here to help me also. I love seeing everyone's colours and how they are going. Thank you for your lovely positive message
I know you’ve now joined in Melissa, it’s great to have you onboard! As Catherine said, embrace your pace and enjoy the process. There will be two extra Zooms on 12th and 26th October at 7pm Eastern, which I think is 9am your time? I’ll try to join but it will be midnight here in the UK!
I’m joining in the MKAL and also chose a Wicked theme but keeping my colour pallet darker with moody greens and grey/blacks 💚🖤
Loving your colour choices and Coolwoolings yarn is a dream to knit!!
Ahhhh I can’t wait to see that and how similar but different ours will be!
I am participating in the MKAL this year! I'm so excited and after a mix up with my yarn order, I ended up receiving my order twice. Since the company told me to keep it, my "swatch" to see how the colors would work was a hat that I have already gotten almost done! I'm so excited to see how your colors work together and to see your finished shawl!!!
A lovely way to turn an initially bad experience into a positive one. Have you started yet?
YES! I loved Clue 1! So excited to get going on Clue 2 today! He's so ridiculously talented and creative.
Yes of course I’ll be participating in the MKAL again this year——- I can’t wait !!!! I also can’t wait to see your Wicked Shawl —— how cool !!!!! For me, it’s You and Irena at fiberchats that makes this so much fun for me—— I visit all the zooms and love it—— thank you so much for the time you guys put into it. GO GO DYNAMO !!!!!
Woo hoo, so glad you’re here again!
2 days off for the MKAL is great. Unfortunately I have to work and have a very busy weekend. I love MKAL season. I really enjoy the collaboration with Fiberchats.
You could always use the black held double
A few people have said to hold the black double, we’ll see what the next clue holds before making any final decisions….
It was great to see you and your yarn choices on Sunday's Zoom meeting. I really did think the grellow kit was perfect for you! And you don't have a grellow MKAL shawl yet, I don't think. Right after the Zoom was over, I spent a couple of hours winding my yarn. I wound each skein twice (because I thought there might have been extra pulling in a few spots), including the mohair, which was surprisingly easy to wind after washing it- it did come in a hank, not a ball, so that was helpful with washing. Can hardly wait for tomorrow!
Thanks for all your support Catherine, its lovely to have you with us again and I’m thankful for you always taking the time to join us and be part of the fun!
Yes! I am joining the MKAL this year. The yarn is prepped and I even have 2 colors of mohair to choose from. I am currently working on the huge number of tails from last years MKAL.
Also started STARFLAKE an MKAL from a few years ago. I am loving it, the design so far has been very easy to memorize, so I’m zooming along.
I’m still undecided on whether to make a Starflake instead of another Go Go Dynamo with my 2nd kit… I’m going to wait a few more weeks before making the final decision.
I love the pink with the green, they are so pretty and bright. Martyn will you be doing vlogtober again this year? I love watching your podcasts/vlogs they are so fun and relaxing. I'm not taking part in MKAL but I do love seeing others knitting it. At the moment I'm knitting Christmas presents. xxx
vlogtober is underway! So excited!
Hello Martyn! I'm participating in the MKAL again this year, my third time doing it. In the few days leading up to the first clue I have a pair of socks to finish and a hat for a test knit. Hoping to get all these done before Thursday!
How did you get on? Did you finish your test knits?
Finished the test knits on time, and just finished knitting the Go Go Dynamo last night! Blocking will happen today. I absolutely love this shawl!
I was going to do the MKAL again this year, I even bought the wool from Punk Rock Unicorn for it, but I also have 2 test knits on the go, which also have to be finished by the end of October (both sweaters) , so I'll probably only start in November once everyone else is finished. But I don't mind spoilers, so i'll be watching all the MKAL content!
I loved using the PRU kit from last year, it is such lovely wool to work with you’re in for a treat when you get started!
I'm such a PRU stan. I did start 2024 with good intentions of doing a no-buy and then they came out with new colours and of course that went out the window immediately :-) But as you say, knitting and collecting wool are two different hobbies!
Nick did a wonderful job with the color! The green really does go with the pink.
I will be participating again this year too, and wound my yarn up, yesterday. I will be using some Qing Fibre dashing sassy that are in two wonderful colors! One is called timberwolf and is a dark blueish grey and the other is called time traveller, a multi color of greens and pinks and pale blue. Not anything I would usually pick but I love it!
I love that Mark came up with the idea for a Wicked themed colourway and Nic had the wool already dyed in her shop - it was perfect timing!