Thursday - Upcoming October KALS

Once again I give you a preview of next month's KALs to come.  I'm finding the only dangerous thing about this is that it tempts me to start something else new!  Have fun looking and being tempted!

A Shawl for October - 2016 MKAL

October 2016 MKAL

  October 2016 MKAL by bunnymuff 

  This is a pattern for a worsted weight mystery shawl. This shawl will have 4 panels and worked from the bottom up with lace work on both sides. It includes lace, a few cables, texture, and beads. Size is easily adjustable by adding panels or going up needles sizes. 

Dates: Release of Clues: 

Clue 1 - 1 October 

Clue 2 - 8 October 

Clue 3 - 15 October 

Clue 4 - 22 October 

Price: 4.99 USD 

KAL Chat

Oktoberfest Shawl

Oktoberfest Shawl by Cindy Garland 
  Wild Prairie Knits 
  MKAL worsted weight, crescent shaped shawl. 3 size options. Lace. 
  Begins October 1st
Price: $6.00 (but price will increase once clues are released) 
MKAL Chat thread

"Starting October 1st we will begin our fourth WPKnits Club Mystery Knit Along for 2016. As we knit our projects, we will virtually tour Germany and learn all about this amazing country’s history, food and people."

The Colorwork KALs

  Any Colorwork Pattern by Susan Ashcroft plus complementary themes selected by the moderators 
 The Colorwork KALs 
  The fifth KAL of this forum will explore the colorwork designs of Susan Ashcroft, OR any knit colorwork project for the head or hands, OR any colorwork project that will be a gift. There are prizes and this is a friendly and supportive group that welcomes knitters with any level of colorwork experience. Please join us to learn or share your expertise. 
 October 1 - December 31, 2016

Blueberry Waffle Socks

 Blueberry Waffle Socks by Sandy Turner 
  Marigold’s Loft 
 Come and join in the Sock-along knitting fun. You can join me in knitting the pattern stated above, or feel free to knit along on your own choice of pattern. Double-dipping welcome. 
  There are prizes up for grabs too :) 
  1st October - 1st November 
  Free

MKAL Memories of Angels

In memory of passed beloved pets.

MKAL Memories of Angels by Karin Iden 

 Never Enough Lace 

 MKAL large asymmetrical triangular shaped shawl. The shawl is composed by 8 sections and each of them does have a different stitch pattern/motif. Pattern contains written directions only. 

Clue 1: October 2, 2016 

Clue 2: October 5, 2016 

Clue 3: October 9, 2016 

Clue 4: October 19, 2016 

Clue 5: October 23, 2016

Price: $2.95 EUR (about $3.50 USD) - price to increase as clues are released. 

MKAL Chat thread

Latvian Sampler KAL

Latvian Sampler kal by Wieke van Keulen 
Requires sign up here and you may need to use google translate or some other means to translate the page. 
The Latvian Sampler will be a new knit-a-long consists of 43 parts. It's fair-isle work.  In October 2016 the Latvian Sampler starts as a kal (knit-a-long). The Sampler is knit in the round, and at the end of the 43 weeks, you will have a lovely scarf. English and Dutch. 
 Begins October 
Free.  

Note - One project follower suggests Knit Picks Palette Yarn for a more locally sourced yarn for this Latvian Scarf, colors of the yarn are given when we join the KAL.  

You will also need a circular needle in #2.5/3.0 mm and #4/3.5 mm, one source  - Caspian Interchangeable Circular Knitting Needle Tips and Caspian Fixed Circular Knitting Needles.

Some notes - I just signed up and it does take patience navigating the Dutch site with English translation -you're going to learn a few dutch words to do this.  You need to create an account to access and "buy" the pattern.  It is either for Free or a donation (she mentions the tremendous amount of work this has been for her, if you can't give now, we've got 43 more weeks to do so! ) I think the effort to get the pattern worth it - just think of it as a treasure hunt.  Create an account, look for the above drop down for the KAL and you'll get through! Good luck.

Westknits Mystery Shawl KAL 2016 - Building Blocks 

- Stephen West

Westknits Mystery Shawl KAL 2016 - Building Blocks by Stephen West 
 Westknits Mystery Shawl KAL 2016 Moderator: westknits 
A scarf/shawl/wrap - small and large size instructions 
Dates: 
Clue 1 - Friday, October 7 
Clue 2 - Friday, October 14 
Clue 3 - Friday, October 21 
Clue 4 - Friday, October 28 
Price: $6.50 USD 

Info for Westknits Mystery Shawl KAL newbies 
Chat

Gocce di Nostalgia

Gocce di Nostalgia by Maria Zilakou 
Maria Zilakou Designs/ moderator hosting :mariazil 
“Gocce di nostalgia” is a romantic shawl. The pattern is easy to follow; even beginners will be able to knit this shawl using basic techniques and following the detailed instructions. 
KAL Starts on Friday, October 7th and ends on November 4th 
It is already available in Italian and will be released in English on September 24, 2016. 
Price 2.00EUR (+VAT where applicable) until September 30, 2016; after that, it goes up to 5.00EUR. 
More info on my website, and on the KAL thread

Lucienne Stole

Lucienne Stole by Katy H. Carroll 
 Katinka Designs Moderator: Katinka 
With a touch of lace, a little bit of cabling, and a handful of dropped stitches, the Lucienne Stole will keep you entertained while using almost every last bit of a beautiful hand-dyed gradient set. 
 Monday, October 10th, through Saturday, December 10th 
Price: regularly $6.00 USD - 25% off through the end of day on Tuesday, 9/27 
KAL Chat

For the complete listing of KALs from KAL Fanatics on Ravelry - KALs October 2016.

Have Fun!

Wednesday's Yarn Along

Today I'm sharing with Ginny and her friends at her "Small Things" blog; come join me and share what you are reading and knitting in "Yarn Along".

I've been knitting my Just Knit It with Gifted Stash.  More details - Monday Moments.

 I'm reading on my tablet "Catching the Bad Guy" (Janet Maple Series Book 2) Kindle Edition by Marie Astor.  It's the second in a series and it's great!  High finance, dirty dealings and an honest girl caught in a bad situation, with a hot undercover treasury spy at her heels to help.  I reviewed it on Monday so come visit - Musing Mondays.

Book 1 -  "To Catch a Bad Guy" (Janet Maple Series Book 1) Kindle Edition by Marie Astor is by the way a free book on kindle through Amazon.  It was a fun read!

Please join us at Ginny's "Small Things" blog to share-

"~ Two of my favorite things are knitting and reading and I love sharing my projects and current reads here.  I would love for you to join me every Wednesday to share a single photo of what you are knitting (or crocheting) and reading too! "  Share with Ginny at Small Things.

Postscript - I just had to add this note at the end of the day when I looked at my stats and checked where my readers are from.  I'm always amazed at how far flung my words go- Australia, Singapore, Ireland, United Kingdom, Algeria, Canada, Germany, Portugal, Russia at times.  But today there were 4 page views from the Isle of Man.  I had to look it up to see where it was!  Here's a very pretty photo site, one picture has lots of sheep, we know what they're doing! Earth Photography

Tuesday - What's Up In My Knitting World

Joining "Frontier Dreams" today and sharing my creations.

I've finished my Garter & Seeds Hat and while I like the hat, it didn't work on me.  So it'll go into a small pile of hats that I've made, but just doesn't quite work on my head and I'm taking them to Maine with me to give to my son.  I figure he must have some college friends who'd like them and it does get cold there!

     My The Really Improv Sweater! sweater is back knit-up to where I had ripped it out last week (Monday Moments - A Step Backwards to go Forwards), and I'm ready to knit the connecting bottom of the scoop neck.  Then I'm going to take it off on a scrap of yarn and see how it fits.  I'm not in a hurry with this and it'll probably take back seat to my shawl which I'd like to be wearing in Maine.  

I've freed myself up to work mainly on my Just Knit It with Gifted Stash Shawl.   I can't tell at this point (because I'm using Stash yarn from a friend - no wrapper with yardage information) that it'll be a shawl or a small kerchief, so we shall see.

Join "Frontier Dreams" to post your  projects on Tuesday or later in the week.

Nicole says: "The act of creating, in one form or another, preserves my sanity amongst the chaos of life. This explains why I always have more than one project going at a time as well as why my housework tends to fall behind. I enjoy seeing what others are working on and keeping calm with, too. What are you creating? What is keeping you going? Snap a picture or two and share it with the rest of us by leaving your link" on her blog, link above.

Musing Mondays

Joining Books and a Beat for

- I'm currently reading…

- Up next I think I’ll read…

- I bought the following book(s) in the past week…

- I'm super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…

- I'm really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…

- I can’t wait to get a copy of…

- I wish I could read ___, but…

- I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION:  Write out a description of your life, as if it were a book’s description.

PLEASE add your book comments at Books and a Beat, Thanks!

     I'm currently reading: "Catching the Bad Guy" (Janet Maple Series Book 2) Kindle Edition by Marie Astor, after having finished "To Catch a Bad Guy" (Janet Maple Series Book 1) Kindle Edition by Marie Astor last week.  A quick fun read.  It was free on my tablet, the first book and now I'm hooked. Very clean romance, a tad of mystery, suspense and fun.  Janet Maple has been downsized as a lawyer for the DA (could it of had to do with what she was uncovering?), her friend in an act of friendship gives her a job in her firm under her, the internal lawyers for a finance marketing firm.  Apparently though there's no work to do because everything is outsourced to a slick lawyer and the girls apparently weren't supposed to catch on.  But Janet is smart and starts digging around.  Meanwhile this good looking IT tech isn't what he seems. So if I say anything else I'll give things away. Very enjoyable! The hovering romance continues and the hidden mysteries with book 2.   Goodreads - To Catch a Bad Guy and Goodreads - Catching the Bad Guy.

 THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Write out a description of your life, as if it were a book’s description.

     I think what comes to mind is a quip an old man once said to me that stuck - "If they tried to write a book about your life, no one would believe you."

For some knitting inspiration on hats (a great Christmas present) check out my blog today as I finish my hat - Monday Moments.

Monday Moments

      I'm finishing up my Garter & Seeds Hat, a variation  of  Choose Your Own Adventure - Hat KAL.  Previously this summer for the Adventure KAL I did the Fair Isle option:

     So, for the end of the Fall knit along I'll have this one hat, the seed stitch one,  Hat Knit Along.  But, the knit along was a great inspiration for hat patterns and I created several posts on hat patterns; some found on the knit along site and some I found on Ravelry searches.  I'm especially excited to just start knitting for Christmas hats and after this one for me, I'm starting on a grey bulky hat for my hubby.  More later.

  

Hat Patterns

Free Pattern Thursday- Hat Patterns Galore!

Friday Fantasy Knits- Hats To Knit

Free Pattern Thursday - Super Bulky Hats!

Friday Fantasy Knits - More Cowls!!!

I'm continuing my dreaming of cowls from yesterday when I posted Free Pattern Thursday - Cowls.  Here's a lovely collection from Ravelry and some are still free.

Araluen Cowl New!

"To celebrate my new release, Araluen Cowl is 30% off until midnight Monday, September 19, Sydney time (GMT +10).

"Chilly nights spent in front of a blazing wood fire with its crackled wood and twisted flames inspired this comfy cowl.

Worked in the round from the bottom up, the cowl is edged by a twisted rib variation that smoothly transitions both ways, in and out, of the curved rib textured pattern."

Sugar Maple Cowl - Free Pattern

Cowl #001 - Free Pattern 

Translation of Pattern Here

Ondas

Old Davis

Cerchiate

Striped Fleece Lined Cowl

Undertone - Tin Can Knits

"While grown ups have been rocking cowls for ages, we say all hail 

the kiddie cowl! Fashion forward children everywhere are getting on board."

Seafoam Loop Scarf - New!

Diamonds in the Rough - New!

"PATTERN WILL GO LIVE FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23RD. Join my Pattern Release Newsletter to be notified when it is live, AND receive an amazing discount!"

"There are times in life that go by smoothly. You coast through daily routines, effortlessly weaving in and out of life’s decisions and nuances. But then you hit a speed bump, and life starts to get a little…tangled. It’s in those moments where your true self is created. When life gets you down, you rise up and work through it, showing compassion, integrity, and empathy."

"This cowl exemplifies that transitory period of life. You begin with an easy seed stitch, working your way through effortlessly. Then it hits you: a border of i-cord smack dab in the middle of your project! No worries though, you’ve got this. You get through to the lace pattern, learning the stitches, getting to know the design. Before you know it, you’ve completed a beautiful, soft, snuggly cowl to wrap yourself up in. You have your diamond, and you have become a diamond, shaped by the hardships you’ve been through and overcome."

Kaihora Cowl - New!

Be Confident- New!

"Do you feel intimidated sometimes and think: “That’s too hard for me, I couldn’t possibly be able to achieve that”?

Well, “Be Confident” because many things are a lot easier when you actually try them as they had seemed on first glance." 

"The stitch pattern in this generously proportioned cowl, which I immediately fell in love with when I found it online, looks like a complicated shell stitch, but is actually quite easy to make. Just try it!"

"“Be Confident” was designed in collaboration with Malabrigo Yarns."

Have Happy Cowl Dreaming!

Warmer necks for Fall & Winter!