The 2023 Westknits Mystery Knit Along (MKAL) is starting in less than a week! I wasn’t sure if I was going to participate (still not 100%), but I have selected yarn and I’m ready to go just in case. Keep reading to see my color choices, thoughts on participating this year, and predictions for the Geogradient Shawl!
LET’S TALK ABOUT IT
Twists and Turns Shawl – Westknits MKAL 2022
I can’t post about this year’s Geogradient MKAL without mentioning last years’ :/ If you read my post last year about choosing colors and making my predictions on the Twists and Turns Shawl, you may have noticed I never posted about my progress or knitting experience. My yarn was beautiful (^look at this gorgeous palette from La Bien Aimee), and I was really excited to be participating in my second MKAL, so what happened?
I worked through the first two clues and I enjoyed some of the unique construction, but ultimately, the shawl design wasn’t for me. I’ve now bound off and Twists and Turns will live as a mini-shawl memory of my experience. I had so much fun knitting my first MKAL, the Shawlography, so I felt a little bummed that the Twists and Turns wasn’t a similar experience for me.
But that’s part of participating in a MKAL! Here are a few pics of my Twists and Turns shawl so it can have its moment:
Ok, now that that’s been addressed, let’s talk about MKALs and why one would want to participate.
WHAT’S A MKAL?
A Mystery Knit Along is a community knitting event where a pattern is released in phases and the final design is revealed at the end.
Why Participate?
Community
Knit alongs are fun because you are creating with so many other people! It’s a really exciting time because everyone is knitting the same project and experiencing the mystery together.
If you don’t have a knitting community IRL, there are many online platforms where you can share your progress and experience — like Ravelry or Discord.
Learning Opportunities
Mystery Knit Along patterns often contain unique design elements and construction. If you are a less experienced knitter, it’s a good opportunity to learn new techniques. There are often additional resources available (like tutorial videos from the designer, or just help from all the other participating knitters). Even if you are more experienced at knitting, you may learn something new or a new way of doing a technique.
Variety
I’ve noticed that there is often a lot of variety in a MKAL project. Usually multiple stitch patterns or unique design elements appear throughout the project. I really like that variety because it keeps a project interesting. If you don’t like a particular section very much, you’ll probably be moving on to something completely different next.
Motivation
There is no time frame in completing a MKAL; you can definitely knit at your own pace. But for me, I like to try and “keep up with the clues” and finish each section before the next weekly release. It’s just a little extra motivation and it’s something that really keeps me excited to knit as the project grows.
Sounds all good, right? Here’s a quick rundown of why one might not want to participate:
Why Not Participate?
If you don’t like surprises, the MKAL might not be for you. Since the entire shawl is a mystery, you have to really trust the designer for everything. It can be risky to invest the money on yarn and the time on knitting, if you end up not liking the overall design or not having fun during the process.
On The Fence?
If you’re on the fence about participating (like I am), a good starting place is to look back at the designer’s past work. Do you like those projects? Would you be happy if you knit one of those as this year’s MKAL? If the answer is yes, then you may want to start looking at your stash just in case you decide to participate.
Another thing you can look at is the yarn color recommendation and requirements. You can infer a lot by the type of yarn required. If you like the color prompt, you may like to participate in the MKAL.
And then finally: wait until the first clue comes out and people start posting what they’ve knit. Then decide if it seems like something you’re interested in knitting. There’s no rush to decide! And even if you choose not to participate during the MKAL pattern release, you can still knit the pattern after the fact. The MKAL should be fun, so if you aren’t enjoying it just frog it and reclaim the yarn for something else.
GEOGRADIENT COLOR REQUIREMENTS
The Geogradient shawl uses four colors arranged in a gradient of light to dark. I currently have a beautiful rainbow of yarn that I could have used to create many different gradients, but I chose to buy a separate palette just for the MKAL.
To be honest, I’m a little nervous to invest the yarn and the time into another MKAL. I really enjoyed Shawlography, but like I mentioned, Twists and Turns just wasn’t for me. I’m not really into surprises in general, so knitting a mystery is already a test in letting go for me. I’m definitely in the *on the fence* category I mentioned above.
But just in case I do decide to participate in this year’s MKAL, I wanted to have yarn ready to go. I ordered 4 skeins of Cascade Heritage in: Macadamia, Camel, Walnut, and Brown; and Sandnes Garn Tynn Silk Mohair in: Light Acorn for a possible accent.
I am happy with this yarn and think it would work well with my stash if I end up deciding not to participate.
GEOGRADIENT PREDICTIONS
I am really hopeful that I will like the Geogradient Shawl and want to participate in the MKAL. Here’s what I’m predicting for the Geogradient:
Brioche
I love brioche so I really hope we get the option to include it. If we do, it would be one-color brioche because in one of his videos, Stephen said something about the gradient being “the exact color relationship”, “the colors will be used in sequential order”, and “no fading or blending.” So I wouldn’t expect a section with two color brioche, but I’m hopeful we will see brioche this year.
Modular Construction
I’m inferring this from the requirement to have a spare cable/waste yarn, but also because the Ravelry page describes this year’s shawl as a “geometric explosion of color”. I’m currently knitting the Jigsaw Blanket, so I’m excited to see if the Geogradient uses some of that pattern’s techniques.
Intarsia
I am thinking that there could possibly be intarsia, or some kind of color work transitions between colors. I’m imagining a sort of entrelac diamond pattern section, or maybe like growing arches of each color like a rainbow. Stephen said something about the colors “not striping” and again “the colors being used in sequential order”, so I’m excited to see how the color changes will be incorporated into the design.
Crispy Stitch Patterns
The color recommendations for Geogradient are for four solid/semi-solid colors. With that recommendation, I think we can expect some really cool stitch motifs that stand out and give a fun texture. Since solid color yarns will really highlight the stitches, I’m looking forward to seeing what the Geogradient will look like.
Size
With just 4 skeins of fingering weight yarn, we know that this shawl will be a little smaller than recent MKALs. The Ravelry page says it’ll be similar in size to the Starflake (which also used 4 skeins). According to Ravelry, there will be an option at the end of the MKAL to customize the size to be larger if you have extra yarn. I am working on another Aurora Cabin Shawl now (which uses 5 skeins), and while I prefer a larger shlanket size, I think a 4-skein shawl is a really nice size, especially for a MKAL.
GEOGRADIENT MKAL
The Geogradient MKAL begins on October 5th. I’m super excited to see what the Geogradient will look like. Check out my Ravelry to see what I’m working on, and if I end up knitting a Geogradient along with the MKAL!
