Fun
The Open Knitalong Is On! Set Your Game Plan
Dear friends who can’t knit enough,
Today is the day.
We’re off on a knitalong that is going to lead us to heights of lace wonderfulness. I hope you’ll join us, whether you’re new to lace, a veteran, or (like me) a hibernating lace knitter who has been drawn out of my cave by the scent of fresh, delicious lace.
Kay laid out all the details right here.
We’re already seeing some dazzlers popping up—early birds are always great to see, because they inspire me to get going.
The Open Knitalong is for any design from Field Guide No. 15: Open—there are simple scarves and exquisite wraps and even a cocoony cardigan to play with, thanks to Jeanette Sloan’s clever ideas about what modern lace looks like. It’s fun to see how knitters are approaching these projects, on Ravelry.
My Game Plan
I totally jumped the gun and am in the thick of the Clerestory Shawl, working in a single strand of Gleem Lace.
You start with four stitches and a dream.
It is definitely an exercise in delayed gratification—it’s a lumpish pile of stitches at the moment. A glorious day awaits when I’m finished and take this off the blocking board and swoosh it festively around the house. It’s a project for these days of patience. I want to have this as a souvenir of That Time When We All Had To Be Patient.
And I’m aiming to cook up a Mood Cardigan as well. Its cocoony shape seems just right for this fall. And this unusual construction is totally a Jeanette Sloan origami project.
I’m going to have some fun with my yarn choice for this.
The pattern for the Mood Cardigan in Field Guide No. 15: Open calls for two laceweight yarns held together.
What if one strand is Fyberspates Gleem Lace?
And the second strand is Fyberspates Cumulus?
I have knit with Cumulus before, and it is wonderful stuff. Silk forms the base, and its fluffiness comes from the softest alpaca. There’s a reason they named this yarn after a cloud.
But I’m wondering about another possibility.
Cumulus in Gloaming.
What do you think? Magenta or Gloaming? Dial up the color or dial it back?
Where to Share
If you’re on Instagram, our hashtag will be #MDKOpenKAL. Tag your photos with the hashtag and we’ll share them in our posts and stories. (And don’t forget to share any MDK project with the hashtag #mymdk, so we can freshen up the gallery of FOs on our homepage.)
And of course, we’ll be knitting and carrying on together in the MDK Lounge. Be open with us: Ask your questions, and share your trials, tribulations, and triumphs in the MDK Open KAL topic.
Magenta on magenta, all the way,
swatch them both and then show us what happened!
Yes, please swatch!
Exactly what I was thinking! Show us your swatching skills!
I have been salivating over that magenta combo since you guys first showed it to us. I say go with magenta all the way.
I’m not ready to abandon socks and blocks, so I’m going to adapt the rib lace pattern to a cotton dish cloth, maybe even use it for sock cuffs? Does that count?
I’m having similar thoughts, being new here. I practiced just about everything in the guide, trying to settle on a project, got kind of discouraged about my potential for enjoying lace knitting but totally addicted to holding two yarns together after seeing how easy it is. Currently have 99 stitches on 3.25 mm needles, one strand of lace with one strand of “cobweb” (according to Ravelry), knitting the rib lace pattern. What is that? A stole? A really wide scarf? I don’t care because it’s making me really happy and I’m keeping it. But I am wondering if it counts.
The judges say: IT COUNTS
Dial it up and it enhances both colors. You’ll feel better!
Still waiting for my gleem lace and field guide to be delivered. I confess I want to steal your Cumulus idea. That should be gorgeous. Please share a swatch!
I’m usually the give-me-all-the-color queen, but I love the look of the gleem. Will it get overpowered by the LOOK AT ME? Would the cumulus make it the shining star? I think we all want to see them either swatched together, or at least, like, wrapped around a chopstick together. Signed, Lazy about Color Swatching
Dial it up!!! The magentas will have a glorious party together! You can always dial back what you wear it with. Magenta rules!!!!
PS this post may have enticed me to dive in this fall and make my own Magenta Mood Cardigan:)
How about this: Gleem Lace in Burnished and Cumulus in Gloaming? The golden shade will positively glow. The darker Cumulus will help disguise Kermit’s contributions.
Two magentas! Such a pop of color. You will be glad when it is a dreary day and you can wear this and look like a jewel.
Gorgeous colors, but won’t the fuzziness blur the lace pattern?
Ooh, that’s a great question. It might be answered a bit by looking at the aperture stole, but I think this whole situation is really screaming for a couple swatches, to answer the color question and this one. We’re curious!
Is the blue colorway shown for the aperture stole in the thumbnail pictures made from the kit available at MDK? It’s absolutely gorgeous!
Gloaming! It will be like dupioni silk…
I thought you swatched it with each. The gloaming was just great! So dramatic!