We are excited to have a gueast writer on the blog today to share her experience during the KAL. If you visited us at Twist and the Almonte Fiber Fest you would have got a chance to meet Stephanie as she was helping us out in our booth. She is a fantastic friend and knitter. Enjoy her story and wonderful pictures :)
Ashley
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Isn’t it always fun to get gifts? Just out of the blue, totally unexpected; especially at the end of a really long week! So wasn’t I just thrilled when I saw my dear friend Ashley, of Red Sock Blue Sock Yarns, at knit night, with a large bag of goodies ready to duel out Christmas gifts for all in attendance! And she couldn’t have picked a nicer yarn for me.
She gifted me a skein of her Feather; a gorgeous light fingering 70/20/10 Alpaca/Silk/Cashmere. How much more spoiled can you get! Then again, she knows me well, as I do tend to proclaim to be a bit of a yarn snob. What can I say, I love my luxury fibers! And in a colour that I do not have enough of in my stash either; Hayfield Yellow. Upon receiving the gift and after squeeing over it, I remembered that I hadn’t added Ashley’s group to my favourites in Ravelry. When I got home from knit night I went straight to the computer to hop on Ravelry and add the group in. And what was at the top of the discussion board when I added it? A RSBS Winter KAL… What a great reason to cast on a project right away! When I read the deadline for the KAL, I was even more excited to cast on. I would have 16 days to knit a shawl, block it, and photograph it in order to qualify for awesome prizes. What a great challenge! I couldn’t say no…
Using the gifted skein, I casted on a French CanCan by Mademoiselle C (bought the pattern through Ravelry as a PDF download). I used the recommended needle size of US 3.5 (4mm) in my Chiao Goo Interchangeable Needle set. I love using Chiao Goo for anything involving lace to make sure I avoid splitting yarn in YOs and picking up stitches. Once it was knit up, I blocked it using Knitter’s Pride blocking wires and T-Pins for the lovely points. I made the garment in the 16 days that was left in the KAL.
The pattern itself is clear to follow. Instructions are well written and flow nicely, and the chart used for the attached border is very easy to read. I can see myself making more French CanCans in the future as gifts for others and in other colours for myself.
As for the skein of yarn… Let’s just say I’m super sad to see it go. It was so nice and soft as it glided over my fingers during the knitting process, and knit up the most soft, luscious fabric that feels absolutely fantastic around my neck! The colour throughout the yarn was pretty darn even for being hand dyed. There are some areas of tonal-age happening, but it suits the yarn and shawl very well.
I have already worn this shawl a few times since it’s been completed, and I’m getting great comments from it. The KAL was well run, with both Chantal and Ashley popping in at good intervals to make sure things are still rolling. And they answer questions in a very timely manner. I’ll be participating in future KALs with Red Sock Blue Sock Yarn. It helps to keep me on track with my goals, and the prizes put up are also a nice incentive.
Stephanie