Pour Moi KAL Parade

My favorite thing about knitalongs is the chance to chat with other knitters and watch their incredible progress, but more than that, KALs spark a ton of pattern ideas, some that I've never seen before. We had such a nice time over at the Pour Moi KAL, and I found the variety of projects so inspiring. Shateen, Ana, Darlene, and Rebecca picked gorgeous shawls to knit for themselves, each as unique as they are.

Shateen's Hitchhiker

Ana's Nautical Dream Stripes

Darlene's Springtime Bandit

Rebecca's Pendulum Shawl

Claire attempted her first pair of socks and they look like she's been knitting socks her whole life.

Claire's Basic Ribbed Socks

And then there's Michelle's awesome knitted shorts ~ she's my fashion-forward guru!

Michelle's Bombshell Shorts

 Last but definitely not least is Lisa's beautiful cardigan, knit in the most beautiful yarn.

My Pour Moi project still has to stay underwraps as it was a test knit for Jane Richmond, one of my favorite designers, but my KAL buddies definitely kept me going.  Thanks, friends, for being my virtual knitting group!

Now that the KAL is over, it's time to announce the winners of our three prizes!  Using the random number generator the winners are (drum roll, please ... ):

Rebecca ~ a Sezza pattern of your choice

Michelle ~a skein of Duck Duck Wool's Spellbreaker

Lisa ~ a Sezza pattern of your choice

Congratulations to the winners of prizes but really, we're all winners, right? We now all have a beautiful FO to add to our wardrobes!

The Summer of KALs

I didn't intend for this to be the summer of KALs, but it sure is shaping up to be just that. The Pour Moi KAL over on my Project: Stash Ravelry group is winding down and ending tomorrow at midnight so if you've been participating but haven't posted a photo of your FO yet, don't forget to head on over and show off your knitting. My Pour Moi project ended up being a beautiful test knit for the uber talented Jane Richmond, but as the pattern won't be released until the fall, I have to keep my FO under wraps. I can say that it's a cardigan and up until now, it's my most accomplished achievement.

I'm happily knitting along on my Holla Knits KAL Nachtfalter, but I've needed to step away from the needles so as not to get too ahead of the rest of the group ... 

... and I just jumped into the Self-Striping Sock KAL being hosted by the Just One More Row podcast gals. My sister, Esther, gifted me a skein of Patons Kroy Socks in a colorway that I've been anxious to try, and this is the perfect yarn for this KAL.

I don't usually have so many projects on my needles (did I mention that I'm test knitting  a cardigan for a German designer?), but these KALs have been hard to resist.  If you're knitting along on a pattern and/or with a group, please share.  I'm sure I have some spare needles lying around.

Resistance

It's been hard to resist not knitting on my Nachtfalter as the baby cable ribbing is so seductive. 

Over on the Holla Knits KAL, we're breaking the knitting down into parts and for week one, our assignment is to knit half of the ribbing which for me would be 3.75 inches.  

Ummm ... yeah, right ... it's the morning of day three, and I've already reached my assigned goal. Several other KAL'ers are finding the ribbing hard to resist, too, so I have a feeling we may be moving ahead a little faster than originally planned.

When I reached my 3.75 inches last night, I put my knitting down and picked up The Fault in Our Stars which has been my read this week.  I finished it and can see what all the fuss has been about ~ it's poignant, intelligent, funny, and deep. I find it interesting how some novels are designated YA when a book such as this one is truly for all ages. If this book hasn't been on your radar, get it ... from your local library, book shop, or online.  It's wonderful.

Summer Projects 1: Nachtfalter KAL

Yesterday was cast on day for the Nachtfalter KAL, and I have been so excited to start that I had all my materials in my I love London project bag ready and waiting to go. I swatched the baby cable ribbing on US4 needles as per the instructions, but since I'm fairly slim hipped, I went down a needle size to US3 for a more snug fit.

It's hard to believe that I've never knit with Knit Picks Comfy Sport before (especially since I've had some in my stash for about two years).  It's soft and easy to handle which for a cotton blend is a plus.
As you can see, I've called today's post Summer Projects 1 ~ being the goal-oriented knitter that I am, I have several warm-weather tops in my queue for the coming weeks, and I'm looking forward to chronicling my progress here.  We'll see if my ambitions are bigger than my stash!