FO Friday - Shawlography

Shawlography: Stephen West's 2021 mystery knit-a-long report.

I had so much fun with last year's MKAL, and we were in a similar situation, (ending a long lockdown) that I was very excited for this KAL.

I had four of the five yarns in stash, and I dyed the fifth, so it seemed a good use of a number of really pretty yarns that I loved, but didn't know what I was going to use them for.

I found some of the knitting this year really annoying. Fiddly stitches that look great, but there was no flow in the knitting. I think this was more reflective of my state of mind than anything else.

I was actually quite pleased with the way it looked when finished.

The problem is, because of the bobble row (the bright pink) it doesn't have as much stretch as you might expect. So I can't wear it wrapped around my shoulders like I would with a shallow triangle, and it's too bulky to wear around the neck like a scarf. It's sort of similar to last year's shawl shape, but less wearable.

And that's the thing about an MKAL - you get what you get. It's a bit more like being a process knitter than a product knitter, a direction I have definitely been heading.

I'm just not sure what to do with this multi-coloured rag of glory. I'm going to give it away, but I'd like it to go to someone who thinks it's wonderful.

There was quite a lot of left over yarn. I'm going to get a little bit more left-overs together and make a little Pengweeno, because I think I need little more Stephen West, crazy colours and fun techniques.

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Geogradiant MKAL Part 1 - that was unexpected (spoilers)

Stephen West released the first MKAL clue on Thursday night. I started knitting it without looking at spoilers. When I got up on Friday he had sent through an "alternative" clue one. I then went and had a look at the spoiler thread to try to work out what was going on. Which was that some people thought the pattern looked like a "German hate symbol". I knit on anyway, since I was half-way through. Then he took down the original clue, replacing it with a mitred square in garter stitch. The Ravelry forums and Instagram are a complete shit-show, even though Rav is being moderated. It's been a bit disheartening, having something that is usually quite light and fun weighed down with all this. I admire Stephen's quick and sensitive response to this drama. I also feel that anything can look like anything if you squint. To me this looks like a Celtic knot. I think mine is pretty, and I'll knit on through all crises.

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What I made, by Sharon

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