mystery knitting!

I spend entirely too much time on Ravelry - but why not?  I can connect with other fiber artists, keep track of my projects and supplies and gather endless inspiration for new projects.  One Ravelry trend I hadn't tried, however, is a knit-a-long (KAL) or weave-a-along (WAL) in which a group of people starts making the same item at the same time - that is, until now.

My favorite local yarn store announced that they were participating in a KAL - and not just that, it was a Mystery KAL (MKAL).  For the KAL to be a mystery, a designer initiates the project without releasing a photo of the finished object.  Instructions are released gradually, with the idea that participants will complete a clue in time for the next clue to be released.  Through the magic of Ravelry, participants can share their progress with or without spoiler photos and information.

This MKAL was initiated by Joji Locatelli, an Argentine designer I like.  And my favorite yarn store was participating. And they day they designated for knitting gathering worked for my schedule. And the project called for weights and quantities of yarn I already had on hand.  I'm in!

We are just now past Week 5, and all the instructions have been released. The project calls for two identical pieces.  Part of the mystery has been how they will be joined. I have nearly finished Clue 4 with my second piece and I'll soon begin Clue 5 - joining!  I've really enjoyed the project, largely because it has encouraged me to return to knitting after a months-long break to heal a wrist injury.  I had almost forgotten how much I love to knit!

October 2017                           I've finally finished this giant shawl.  Only half the finished project can be seen in the photo above!  The join (below) was fun and different.  You pick up half the stitches from each of the two original pieces and then decrease to form chevrons pointing to the middle.  

When I first finished, this shawl seemed over-large and over-stretchy, but washing and drying (delicate machine cycles suitable for superwash merino) brought it all together.