Showing posts with label Game of Thrones Mystery KAL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Game of Thrones Mystery KAL. Show all posts

The Game is On! Game of Thrones MKAL Progress

by : Unknown





The Game of Thrones Mystery Knit-along has officially begun! Kristen posted the first clue on Ravelry on May 3rd, and Ravelers grabbed their needles and cast on for this bulky-weight mystery project inspired by Tyrion Lannister. Using Lorna's Laces Cloudgate in our April 2015 Limited Edition color, Casterly Rock, the first clue flew by and we soon had the beginning of something special on the needles! Take a look at some of the progress Ravelers have made:



Jennilynn's Mystery Project in Casterly Rock
Hmmm...is that eyelet lace I spy in there? It's making that hand-dyed yarn look great!

moonrevel's Game of Thrones Mystery project is looking nice!



Some Ravelers have chosen alternate colorways, and they look gorgeous as well!


CakerKnits chose Cloudgate in the Campbell colorway

Our Leanne chose Prepare to Dye (another Lorna's Limited Edition color!) for her colorful creation

And different yarns are knitting up quite nicely, as well!

knitwitkara is using Classic Elite Chalet and she thinks it's heavenly!


annelacanne is proving Cascade 128 is also a great choice! (We have it in Superwash, too!)

How is your Game of Thrones mystery project looking? Share some photos with us!

We can't wait to see what next week brings! You can read even more about it over here on Kristen's blog!

Happy Knitting!

Heather












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Game of Thrones Mystery Knit-A-Long 2014!

by : KristenJBW
Hi everyone, and welcome! We hope you’ll join us for this year’s MKAL! It’s going to be SO much fun, I can hardly wait to get started!



Here are the details for this year’s Game of Thrones Mystery KAL:


  • The MKAL will begin on Sunday, May 4th and run for 6 weeks (through the end of Season 4 of Game of Thrones.)
  • We will be knitting a lace shawl inspired by Daenerys Targaryen! The mystery is in the design…
  • The recommended yarn is 2 skeins of Lorna’s Laces Shepherd Sock and we are using the Limited Edition color “Fire and Blood” (avail. 4/25.) Lorna’s Laces Solemate is also a great substitute, and as usual, you are welcome to use ANY fingering weight yarn of your choosing. You are never required to buy yarn from us to participate in one of our KALs. Anyone is welcome!  
  • The pattern difficulty level is considered Intermediate. The stitches are basic enough (a list of abbreviations is available immediately when you download the pattern in case you need to brush up on any skills), but there is some interesting shaping that may challenge you a bit (in a good way of course.)
  • The pattern will include both written instructions AND charts (by popular demand!)
  • The KAL will be hosted entirely on Ravelry, so the pattern will also only be available on Ravelry this year.
  • You will need to go here to download the pattern: Game of Thrones MKAL 2014
  • Each Sunday during the KAL, you’ll receive a message that the pattern has been updated. You can download and print each clue individually, week by week. 
  • As usual, we’ll have threads for each clue in the JBW Group on Ravelry, so come on over and join in the conversation, ask questions, get help with the pattern, etc.!!!


Since we started doing these MKAL’s a little over a year ago, we have learned a ton! With each one, we’ve tried to improve the participant experience a little bit, and learned a little more each time as we go. After this year’s Downton Abbey MKAL, we received tons of great feedback (thank you all!) and think we’ve hit the nail on the head in terms of optimizing the KAL experience for all of you, and streamlining the process and information as much as possible. If you are returning this year for your 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) MKAL with us, you’ll notice a few key changes:

1) The pattern will now be available as a Ravelry download making it easier for you to print, store on an iPad or e-reader device, save for future reference, etc.

2) Each week, the new clue will be published separately from the week before (and e-mailed to you on Ravelry) so all you have to do is print the new section, not the whole thing over again. Once the KAL is over, you will receive a fully formatted all-in-one version of the pattern.

3) Because of this huge change, we’ll no longer be putting the instructions on the JBW Blog (which most of you mentioned is tough to print from anyway. Win-win!)

4) This also means no more going back and forth between the blog and Ravelry. Everything is in one place! Hurray!

5) Last time (for the Downton KAL 2014 AND the Game of Thrones KAL last year) the yardage on the pattern ran really close to the yardage needed to finish the KAL piece. I will never do that to you all again! This time there is ample yardage to finish the project, with extra to spare! (Gauge is still important! So please do check your gauge!)

6) As mentioned in the KAL details above, I have created charts along with the written instructions for this pattern. I have been asked for charts in the past, but not been able to provide them for various reasons. Now, thanks to my awesome new chart software, I’ve got nice, clean, and easy to read charts for every section of the project. :)

7) Lastly, (and please don’t tar and feather me for this) we are going to be charging a small fee for the pattern this year. The KAL promotional price for the pattern is just $3 and helps to cover the awesome changes I’ve listed here as well as my time in the design process and running the KAL. After the KAL is over, the price will go up to $6, so if you think you want to knit the shawl but are planning to wait to cast on, be sure to order it now and save the pattern in your Ravelry library for a rainy day to take advantage of the 50% off price!

I hope this covers any questions you might have about this year’s Game of Thrones Mystery KAL! As usual, you are welcome to leave comment/questions here, or send me a message on Ravelry at either JimmyBeansWool or Marinade (my personal account.) Also, be sure to join in the conversation in the Jimmy Beans Wool Group!

Hope to see you all in this year’s MKAL!

Happy knitting,
Kristen


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The MKAL of Ice and Fire- Wrappin' Up! Let's see some FO's!

by : KristenJBW
Hi everyone!

It sounds like it's been a good week for a lot of folks and the KAL projects are flying off the needles! There has been a lot of talk of buttons on the Ravelry Thread and I love what folks have come up with. So many unique and beautiful buttons!

Several of you submitted your gorgeous FO's to me this week and I am so excited to show them off here. All of you did such a great job!

First up we have Cyprienne's Cowl! She used Cascade Pacific since she allergic to wool. Didn't it turn out great? She also has a knitting blog--Big Knitting Trouble. Feel free to check it out!

Cyprienne

The next FO came from LukaArcane who MADE her own buttons! How cool is that? I think they are perfect on her steely gray cowl!


LukaArcane
Luka Arcane






The next FO (knit in Lorna's Laces Haymarket) came from lauramv who actually got to wear her Water Dancer Cowl the other day when it SNOWED in CO! I guess winter IS still here in some places...



Lauramv
Lauramv






Next up we have neechee49's project. She hails from Belgium! I think it's so cool that we had so many international knitters join us for this KAL! :)

neechee49

Lastly, and perhaps the most adorable of all of the photos I received, is parke's FO! I'm gonna guess that parke is not modeling this herself, but what a cute model she has! :) (Parke is also a talented poet! She won our National Poetry Month contest this month! Check out her knitting poem, and the other finalists here.)

parke

Thank you all for submitting pics of your FO's and allowing us to share them on the blog! I am sad to see this KAL end! As I mentioned in the last post, I will leave the GoTMKAL Threads on Ravelry active for a while so please feel free to continue the chat, otherwise I hope you all enjoy the rest of GoT season 3! Can you believe it's already 1/2 over?!?!

Also, don't forget that the final formatted version of the pattern will be available as a PDF on the Jimmy Beans Wool Free Patterns page on May 17th, in case you are waiting for it to come out to finish your project.

Thanks to everyone for being a part of this wonderfully fun MKAL!

Until next time, happy knitting!
Kristen

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The MKAL of Ice and Fire- Clue #5

by : KristenJBW
Hi everyone!

Whew what a week! I hope all of you were able to make it thorough the last clue ok. I know there were many folks hung up on getting the correct stitch counts at the front and back split, and I hope everyone was able to either figure it out, or at least move forward. Remember, if you haven't yet, make sure to take a look at the photo tutorial I provided to illustrate the split. I think a lot of folks found it helpful.


Another way to wear it.
Finished weaving the ends
at the ballpark recently.
This week's instructions will prove to be much simpler. This clue will also be the final clue for this KAL. I think now it's time to tell you all what you've made. Most of you guessed it-- it is indeed a cowl! It's hooded cowl to be exact, because it can be worn up over the head (which explains the short- row shaping.) Not only that, but the buttoned flaps at the bottom allow you to open the cowl up to accommodate the shoulders a bit and give it a more customizable fit.


This design, as I may have hinted at, is inspired by Arya, who is one of my favorite characters in the books and the show. (We also named one of our chickens after her. Can you tell I am obsessed?) I am calling this pattern the "Water Dancer Cowl" in honor of her "dancing" lessons with Syrio. I find it highly appropriate that we all "needled" this cowl into existence using sharp sticks. I think Arya would approve. :)


Arya the chicken. She is
our feistiest hen by far.

With that, here are the instructions for finishing your cowl:
Front view.

Back Flap:

-Pick up sts with your needle and join yarn with wrong side facing.
-K 5, P to last 5 sts, K 5
-Work in 4 row lace pattern until flap measures 5.5" from front and back split.

*Note, you will not work buttonholes on this flap.

Birds Eye Lace Pattern:


-Row 1: k5, *k2tog (twice), yo2; repeat from * to 4 sts before marker, k2tog (twice), k5 (64 sts)
-Row 2: k5, *p2, (k1, p1) into double yo; repeat from * to 2 sts before marker, p2, k5.

-Row 3: k5, k1, *yo2, k2tog (twice); repeat from * to 1 st before marker, yo2, k1, k5. (66 sts)
-Row 4: k5, p1, *(k1, p1) into double yo, p2; repeat from * to 3 sts before marker, (k1, p1) into double yo, p1, k5.
Back view.

-Once flap measures 5.5", knit 6 rows in garter stitch (knit every row).
-Bind off all sts.
-Weave in all ends and block.
-Attach buttons on back flap edges to line up with button holes.

And that's it! Your Game of Thrones MKAL knitting is complete! Next week I'd love to post a photo gallery of people's finished cowls so hopefully you'll all share your photos with me. :) If you'd like me to feature your finished cowl on the blog, please e-mail your photo to me directly: kristen(at)jimmybeanswool(dot)com. Please don't be shy!!! I can't wait to see all of your beautiful FOs!




Side
Front
Back

Also, I will be re-formatting the pattern, and having it re-edited, and taking nicer photos taken of the cowl in order to release the pattern as a PDF. I will try to have this all done by the middle of May, so stay tuned for that if you'd like a copy for your collection.

Lastly, I'll keep all of the Clue threads "Sticky" on Ravelry for the next month and a half so that folks who are taking their time with the KAL can still find them easily if needed.

I hope you all have enjoyed this KAL. I know I certainly enjoyed chatting with all of you and designing this fun piece for you all. I love the result and I hope you all do too. I know it's definitely time for summer now and it's warming up all over the place, but just think, next fall you'll have a beautiful new cowl to wear when it gets chilly again. I can't wait! Winter IS coming. Eventually. :)

Happy knitting everyone!
Kristen

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The MKAL of Ice and Fire- Clue #4 Tutorial

by : KristenJBW
Hi everyone!

As promised, I've put together a little tutorial for separating the back from the front on your Mystery KAL project. I will encourage you all once again, as I did on the Ravelry thread, to follow the directions step by step and very literally. I would even go as far as to say you may not want to read through them all the way for this section..just do it! If you over-think it too much, it will become more confusing than it's worth.

That said, many people are visual learners. Sometimes, with more complicated directions like this, there is just no "right way" to explain it, regardless of how carefully you edit your directions. However, I do apologize for some of the silly mistakes that I made in my sleep deprived state. I should have been more careful with the directions for this post and I am sorry for all of the confusion. The directions in Clue #4 should be fully updated now, and much clearer than what I posted early on Sunday. (Some people said they are having issues getting the edited version. If this is the case, remember to refresh your browser or clear your cache as your computer may be storing old versions of the post.)

Ok, so on to the tutorial for dividing the back from the front. This starts AFTER you have placed the side stitch markers. Please forgive my ugly orange yarn. At least you can see the sts really well! :)

Also, you may have noticed that for this tutorial I didn't use the full 120 sts. If you follow these directions as written, you should still have the 64 sts on front and 66 sts on back.


Separating the front from the back:

-Remove beginning of round marker and cut yarn leaving at least a 6" tail.



-Working from the beginning of the round, slip stitches from left to right needle to 2 sts before the first side marker. 



-Rejoin yarn, K1 f&b (5 times), slipping marker when you come to it. (You should have 2 increases on the right side of the marker and 3 on the left side.)


5 increases: 2 on right, 3 on left of marker

-Knit to 3 sts before the next marker.


-K1 f&b (5 times), slipping marker when you come to it. (You should have 3 increases on the right side of the marker and 2 on the left side.)

2 increases left, 3 increases right

-K to 4 sts before the next marker.

-Knit next st with main needle, slip 2nd st onto extra needle holding towards the inside of your work (or you can use a darning needle to thread in your waste yarn).

-Continue working the next 8 stitches in this manner, knit one with main needle, slip one on extra needle or waste yarn. Remove stitch marker when you come to it.

I left the stitch marker on for reference.

-You will have knit 5 sts on main needle, and slipped 5 onto extra circular or waste yarn. (As shown in picture above.)

-Leaving main needle for a minute, use extra circular needle or waste yarn to slip all stitches up to 5 sts before the next marker onto the holder or waste yarn.


-Slip next stitch with extra double point needle (DPN) or cable needle and hold to front, slip next stitch onto circular needle or waste yarn held in back.

-Continue slipping 1 stitch onto DPN or cable needle, and the next stitch onto extra circular or waste yarn until you have 5 sts on the DPN or cable needle. Remove stitch marker when you come to it.

I left the stitch marker in pic for reference.
 -You should now have 66 sts (this is the back) on extra circular or waste yarn with 5 sts on either end that overlap with 5 sts on the front section. The back section's sts will be on the inside while the front is on the outside.



-Slip stitches from DPN or cable needle onto right side end of main circular needle.



-You should now have 64 sts on main/front needle, this is the front.


Front is also where the beginning of the
round used to be.

I hope these pictures help to show you what these steps should look like. If I didn't include a photo for a step, it was because the step above or below basically illustrated it, or I couldn't get a decent shot of it. In any case, I think these should help those of you who are struggling with the separating part. Of course, please let me know if you have anymore issues.

If after doing this, you still are having problems with the stitch count and are getting 66 on front and 64 on back, here is my advice:

1) Skip Rows 1-6 of the birds eye lace- these are just set up rows anyway to get your stitch count up to 66 sts. Just follow rows 7-10 of the birds eye lace and you will be fine.

-or-

2) You can decrease two sts on this row by purling 2 together twice in the middle section somewhere:

"Leaving the back sts on holder, work front panel as follows:

-Row 1: k 5, pm, p to last 5 sts, pm, k 5"

-or-

3) You can simply slip one stitch on either end of the needle onto your holder needle or waste yarn.

One last thing I just wanted to say. This was a really tough section. Not just to knit, but also for me to write. It's not so much that the actual knitting part is difficult, but it's just really tough to visualize and execute blindly. It was also a challenge to write it in a way that 600+ people will understand. I have to give all of you a ton of credit for sticking with it and staying positive. It's not easy, but you CAN do it. I think that is why a lot of you are here, not just to be part of a group celebrating a book series/ show that we all love, but also to learn a little something along the way. If it was too easy, you'd be bored, and if it was crazy hard, then no one would be here. 

Think of this one clue as the really tough uphill section just before you get to the top of the mountain peak. You are so close to the summit, and when you get there you are going to have the sweetest view, which makes it all worth it. At least after this you won't be out of breath and sore afterwards. Well, at least I hope not. :) I guess what I mean is that I don't want this section to discourage people from continuing on. Powering forth and struggling through the tough spots is how we get better at our craft. This discussion we've been having on Ravelry the past few days has been a huge learning opportunity for me as well. I thank you all for that opportunity and for being so thoughtful and patient with me in your discussion.

I really hope this helps you all! Please let me know if you have anymore questions, concerns, or issues with the pattern. I am here to help!

Happy knitting,
Kristen

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The MKAL of Ice and Fire- Clue #4

by : KristenJBW

Guten morgen, meine liebe Freunde!

Forgive my German and the slight lateness of this blog post. :) I've been spending the weekend with German relatives in Tahoe. My younger brother got married last night and all of the family is visiting. The above greeting means "Good morning my dear friends!" Or something close to that. :) In any case, I do truly apologize for being a bit late. This post is a bit of a long one and it was important to me that it be just right because it could be a bit confusing if you haven't done this type of project before.

I am really excited about today though, because we get to do a little lace. I think many of you are rested and ready for a little excitement too. The beginning of this section is a bit tricky because we are separating the front from the back and working the lace sections flat wit button bands on either side. 

You will need some extra stitch markers for this section, so grab two that are a different color than what you have used for your beginning of the round marker. Also, you are going to need an extra circular needle and a cable needle or double point needle to hold some live stitches. These "extra" needles can be of any size. They are just going to be place holders. 

Since we will be working the fronts and backs separately, we'll start with the front, and the back stitches will rest on the extra circular needle while we do that. You can also use stitch holders or waste yarn to hold those stitches as well. Whatever is easiest for you. For those of you who have no clue what I mean, I'll explain more when we get to that point.

Abbreviations:

k- knit
p- purl
yo- yarn over
yo2- yarn over 2 times, double yo
k1 f&b- knit on front and back, an increase
k2tog- knit 2 together, a decrease

*For help with any of these knitting terms, I find that www.knittinghelp.com has the best glossary with videos. 

Here we go with Clue #4. You've just finished your third repeat of the purl ridge. We are going to continue working in garter stitch for 4 more rounds as follows- see * note below for directions on placing stitch markers on the 4th Round:

Round 1: Knit
Round 2: Purl
Round 3: Knit
Round 4: Purl

*On the last purl round, place markers as follows: p30, pm (place marker), p60, pm, p30.

Separating the front from the back:

-Remove beginning of round marker and cut yarn leaving at least a 6" tail.
-Working from the beginning of the round, slip stitches from left to right needle to 2 sts before the first side marker. 
-Rejoin yarn, K1 f&b (5 times), slipping marker when you come to it. (You should have 2 increases on the right side of the marker and 3 on the left side.)
-Knit to 3 sts before the next marker.
-K1 f&b (5 times), slipping marker when you come to it. (You should have 3 increases on the right side of the marker and 2 on the left side.)
-K to 4 sts before the next marker.
-Knit next st with main needle, slip 2nd st onto extra needle holding towards the inside of your work (or you can use a darning needle to thread in your waste yarn).
-Continue working the next 8 stitches in this manner, knit one with main needle, slip one on extra needle or waste yarn. Remove stitch marker when you come to it.
-You will have knit 5 sts on main needle, and slipped 5 onto extra circular or waste yarn.
-Leaving main needle for a minute, use extra circular needle or waste yarn to slip all stitches up to 5 sts before the next marker.
-Slip next stitch with extra double point needle (DPN) or cable needle and hold to front, slip next stitch onto circular needle or waste yarn held in back.
-Continue slipping 1 stitch onto DPN or cable needle, and the next stitch onto extra circular or waste yarn until you have 5 sts on the DPN or cable needle. Remove stitch marker when you come to it.
-You should now have 66 sts (this is the back) on extra circular or waste yarn with 5 sts on either end that overlap with 5 sts on the front section. The back section's sts will be on the inside while the front is on the outside.
-Slip stitches from DPN or cable needle onto right side end of main circular needle.
-You should now have 64 sts on main/front needle, this is the front.

Leaving the back sts on holder, work front panel as follows:

-Row 1: k 5, pm, p to last 5 sts, pm, k 5

-Begin working modified Bird's Eye Lace as follows while at the same time working button holes (directions are just below the lace directions.)

Bird's Eye Lace:

Set-up lace rows 1-6:

             -Row 1 (RS): k5, *k2tog, yo2, k2tog; repeat from * to 2 sts before marker, k2tog, k5. (63 sts)
             -Row 2 (WS): k5, p1, *p1, (k1, p1) into double yo, p1; repeat from * to marker, k5.
             -Row 3: k5 *yo2, k2tog, k2tog; repeat from * to 1 stitch before marker, yo2, k1, k5. (65 sts)
             -Row 4: k5, *p1, (k1, p1) into double yo, p1; repeat from * to last double yo, k1, p1, k5. 
             -Row 5: k5, k1, *k2tog, yo2, k2tog; repeat from * to 2 sts before marker, k2tog, k5. (64 sts)
             -Row 6: k5, *p2, (k1, p1) into double yo; repeat from * to 2 sts before marker, p2, k5. 
             
Lace Pattern repeat:

              -Row 7: k5, k1, *yo2, k2tog (twice); repeat from * to 1 st before marker, yo2, k1, k5. (66 sts)
             -Row 8: k5, p1, *(k1, p1) into double yo, p2; repeat from * to 3 sts before marker, (k1, p1) into                 
                          double yo, p1, k5.
             -Row 9: k5, *k2tog (twice), yo2; repeat from * to 4 sts before marker, k2tog (twice), k5 (64 sts)
             -Row 10: k5, *p2, (k1, p1) into double yo; repeat from * to 2 sts before marker, p2, k5. 
             
*repeat rows 7-10 of the Birds Eye Lace until front measures 5.5" ending with a row 10.

Button Holes:  

*Every 6th row or so, you will work button holes in the 5 sts on either side of the lace pattern on the outside of the stitch markers. You want your button holes to be spaced about 1"-1.5" apart. This isn't an exact science, so space them however you prefer.  

-k2, yo, k2tog, k1, slip marker, work Birds Eye Lace across on whatever row you are on, slip marker, k1, k2tog, yo, k2

-Once your piece measures 5.5" and you've finished your Birds Eye Lace, you should have about 5 or 6 button holes depending on how closely you spaced them.

 Here is a swatch of the lace pattern knit up:

Notice how the double yarn overs are alternated/staggered? The result should be a very open lace pattern. Almost like chain mail. ;)

Finishing:

-Work 6 rows of garter stitch (knit every row).
-Bind off.

This is it for Clue #4! I will try to check in later this afternoon if there are questions on the Ravelry Group, but I have family obligations most of the day. I will definitely be back tomorrow and easy to reach then. I know this is a lot of info and it may be new to some of you. You CAN do it! Just take a breath, relax, and as my co-worker Jeanne always says, "It's JUST knitting." 

Happy knitting everyone, and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day!

Kristen


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The MKAL of Ice and Fire Clue #2

by : KristenJBW
Greetings fair citizens of Westeros! I hope this week has proven fun and productive for all of you! I’ve been lucky enough to attend VK Live in Seattle this past weekend and have had the immense pleasure of meeting some of you in person! It’s always such fun to meet customers in person, but it’s a huge honor to meet those of you who have joined me in this little online community through these KAL’s. Thank you for being here. I am truly one lucky gal to have such wonderful and kind folks supporting my passion. I truly appreciate you all.

Sorry to get all sappy on you, but I thought you should know how much y’all mean to me. :) As a reward, I give you this GoT themed meme. The gals at the JBW office and I got a good kick out of it. I hope you do too:



So, as promised, this week we are knitting some short rows. By now you should have completed Clue #1. If you haven’t yet done so, or you missed it, be sure to check out last week's post before starting this section. 

I noticed some of you struggling with the tension of the garter stitch section and I just wanted to mention that if you are still struggling, sometimes going down a needle size just for the edging is helpful. It might prevent some of the rolling that seems to be occurring.Then, you can bump back up to the regular gauge size for the rest of your work. It’s just a suggestion. Feel free to ignore it. :)

Ok, so onto Clue #2 (if you’ve not marked the beginning of the round with a stitch marker, you’ll want to do so before starting this section):

-Rnd 1: K to 6 sts before marker, yarn forward, slip next stitch, yarn back, slip same stitch back to left needle, turn work.
-Rnd 2: P to 6 sts before marker, yarn back, slip next stitch, yarn forward, slip same stitch back to left needle, turn work.
-Rnd 3: K to 6 sts before last wrapped stitch, yarn forward, slip next stitch, yarn back, slip same stitch back to left hand needle, turn work.
-Rnd 4: Purl to 6 sts before last wrapped stitch, yarn back, slip next stitch, yarn forward, slip same stitch back to left needle, turn work.

*Rnds 5-8- repeat rnds 3 & 4 twice more.

Rnd 9: K to 2 sts before marker (picking up slipped stitch wraps and knitting them together with the slipped stitches as you come to them), yarn forward, slip next stitch, yarn back, turn work to purl back the opposite direction.
Rnd 10: Purl to 2 sts before marker (picking up slipped stitch wraps and purling them together with the slipped stitches as you come to them), yarn back, slip next stitch, yarn forward, turn work to knit back the opposite direction.
Rnd 11: Knit all the way around to marker (picking up slipped stitch wrap and knitting the two stitches together, you will not turn your work on this round.)
Rnd 12: Purl (picking up wrapped stitch and purling the two together when needed.)

*Repeat rounds 1-12 (entire short row section) twice more.

That’s it for Clue # 2! If you are searching for a nice looking way to pick up those wrapped stitches so that they are as invisible as possible, you’ll like this tutorial from my talented friend Julia (Farwell-Clay) over at her blog Moth Heaven. I really liked her explanation and I even used it myself to make picking up the wrapped stitches really nice looking.

Also, if you are new to short rows, aka “wrap and turns” this Instructional Video starring Jeanne is particularly helpful.

Again, please let me know if you have any questions! I’ll try and check in at some point on Sunday, but I must apologize in advance for my absence today. I will be at VK Live working all day and probably not have many opportunities to check in but I promise I’ll be back online on Monday. Thanks so much for understanding. If you just so happen to be in the Seattle area, feel free to stop by the Jimmy Beans/ Cascade yarns booth and say hello or get help on your project. I’ll be there all day. :)

In the meantime, I wish you all a wonderful week ahead and happy knitting!
Kristen  


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The MKAL of Ice and Fire- Clue #1

by : KristenJBW
Source: HBO.com

Greetings GoT fans! Is everyone super excited for tonight? I know I certainly am--my hubby and I have been waiting with baited breath since the end of season 2 and we are preparing to join some friends for the big premier viewing at a local brewery this evening. We've been seeing tons of teasers from season 3 online as I'm sure most of you have as well. Ach! I am SO excited I can hardly stand it!

Source: The NY Daily News

I'm really excited to kick of the official knitting portion of the MKAL tonight, but I have to warn you, with this MKAL I am going to break you all in really easy. We are just doing some simple knitting in the round today, nothing too fancy, but it will set you up quite nicely for some short rows next week. :)

Also, I wanted to let you know that I understand that printing from this blog may be an issue for some of you with finicky browsers. I highly recommend that if you plan to print this post, to copy and paste the directions into a word document and print it from there. Printing from this post may result in many pages of stuff you don't really need. Once the MKAL is over, I will provide a downloadable PDF of the pattern, but in the meantime, the blog is the only way to get it. Let me know if you have questions about this and I am happy to help!

Alright, let's cut to the chase, I know what you are really here for and it's not to read my questionable prose. :) I am so excited for you all to begin knitting so here is part one of the MKAL of Ice and Fire!

Materials:
-2 skeins of Lorna's Laces Haymarket (or 430 yds of a worsted weight yarn)
-US 8- 24" (or shorter) circular needles
-1 stitch marker
-Some episodes of Game of Thrones to enjoy while you knit!

Abbreviations/Definitions:
-CO- cast on
-sts- stitches
-pm- place marker
-garter stitch (in the round)- knit 1 round, purl 1 round
-stockinette stitch (in the round)- knit every round

Directions:
-CO 120 sts
-pm and join for working in the round
Rnds 1-6: knit in garter stitch (see above abbreviations for instructions on how to knit garter stitch in the round)
Rnds 7-14: knit in stockinette stitch (see above abbreviations for instructions on knitting stockinette in the round)
Rnd 15: purl

*Repeat rounds 7-15 twice more.

And that is it for clue #1! I know, I know, easy and painless right? I promise to challenge you a bit more next week. In the meantime, kick back, relax, enjoy your Easter (that is if you observe) and als the premier! It's bound to be a good day!

Happy knitting,
Kristen

PS. As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions, I'll check in on Ravelry as both Jimmy Beans Wool and Marinade (my personal account) a few times throughout the day and this coming week as well. Also, remember that the JBW Ravelry Group will have a Thread for Clue #1 as well as for general chat about the show and MKAL. If you don't do Ravelry, you can comment on this post with a question, or e-mail me directly: kristen (at) jimmybeanswool (dot) com. Thanks again for joining us! :)

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