Knit Along Fun!
I really enjoy Knit Alongs, especially mystery ones. It's exciting to wait for a clue to be released, and it's comforting to know that everyone else is taking just as long to finish the project as you are. It can also be helpful to me to have time limits so that I stay on track with what I'm working on.
Here are a few of the KALs I've participated in over the last few years:
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Joulukalenterisukat 2019
This was my first KAL. Niina hosts multiple KALs in her Taimitarha Facebook group throughout the year, and one of those is called the Christmas Calendar Sock KAL and runs from December 1st through December 24th. I used Cascade 220 yarn for these, which in hindsight, wasn't necessarily the best choice for socks. It is a 100% wool yarn, so there isn't anything to reinforce the fibers against the wear of walking on them. Not that it mattered too much because they were too small for me even to fit my foot in. Regardless of the result, I was hooked after learning that stranded colorwork wasn't all that hard after all. |
| Eat.Sleep.Knit's Yarnathon
The Yarnathon isn't actually a single KAL; it's a year-long adventure that's hosted by Eat.Sleep.Knit. On January 1st of each year, all participants (customers who've made an order with ESK in the past) are divided into four teams. Each year has a different theme, and the teams are named accordingly. If you order for the first time during the year, you'll get randomly assigned a team. Throughout the year, there are KALs and different achievements to participate in, and the team with the most stars at the end of the year wins! And winning means a prize, of course. Throughout the Yarnathon, there are gifts and awards for reaching various milestones. |
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Ystävänpäiväsukat 2022
As you can see, I like Niina's designs and KALs. For these, I used Novita 7 Brothers yarn which is what the pattern calls for. It is a sock yarn with 25% polyamide for strength. Lysti is a perfect match for it. You can probably even see it in the pictures; these fit much better than my first KAL attempt. I used the technique of knitting inside out on these, which helped keep my floats much looser. |
| Äitienpäiväsukat 2022
This KAL was for lace and cabled socks rather than stranded colorwork. I hadn't been brave enough to attempt something like this before, but surprisingly they turned out quite nicely. These also use Novita 7 Brothers yarn, which was what the pattern called for. I don't usually have the exact color on hand, but I think this option turned out quite nicely. Lankava's Lysti is a perfect equivalent for 7 Brothers. |
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Joulukalenterisukat & Jouluruusut 2022 The Christmas KAL on Niina's Taimitarha Facebook group actually has two pairs of socks going simultaneously: a stranded colorwork pair and a lace and cabled pair. This year I felt confident enough in my skills that I would be able to complete both within the actual run of the KAL. The colorwork socks use Novita 7 Brothers yarn leftover from other projects, and the lace and cabled socks use a yarn called Kajastus, which I picked up while in Finland this past summer. |
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by Lankajengi I love foxes and will knit almost every fox sock pattern I come across. The black and white are Novita 7 Brothers yarn, and the orange is Cascade 220 Superwash. The orange was only used on the cuff of the sock, so the lack of nylon or polyamide in the yarn shouldn't be an issue. |
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KALs are going on constantly, and just because a particular KAL is over doesn't mean you can't make the pattern anymore. I wanted to be able to see all the options in one place, so I've created a Knit Along Calendar. Feel free to check it out and see if a KAL (or two or three) interests you. It's a little sparse right this moment since I just created it, but I'll keep adding things as I find them. Let me know which ones you participate in.
P.S. If you need yarn for the Finnish sock knit alongs, check out the selection in the web shop.