Hello and welcome everyone to the preliminary kick off of the Game of Thrones Mystery Knit-a-long! I am so excited to have you all here and I can't wait to see what everyone's projects look like! As promised, today I will go over some of the specifics of the MKAL (ie. how to participate, gauge, etc) and next week I will release the official first "clue" or piece of the pattern.



For those of you who are new to Mystery Knit-a-longs, we refer to each part of the pattern as a "clue" because the project itself is a mystery. You probably won't know exactly what we are knitting until about half of the way through and the design elements are definitely a mystery throughout until each clue reveals what comes next. For this KAL, I will release each clue on Sunday morning, starting on March 31st. Now, I know that the 31st is Easter and I apologize for the timing, but that is when the first episode of Season 3 of Game of Thrones actually starts. Hopefully this won't deter anyone from participating. You'll have an entire week to knit Clue 1 before Clue 2 comes out.

Here is some of the important, need-to-know info for the MKAL:

-Yarn: We are using 2 skeins of Lorna's Laces Haymarket yarn in the "Winter is Coming" color or another color of your choice. If you would prefer to stash bust or use something different, you'll need about 430 yds of a worsted weight yarn.

-Needle Size & Gauge: US Size 8- 24" or shorter circular needle to acquire a gauge of 20 sts and 24 rows = 4" in Stockinette St. This gauge was unblocked and taken from my piece knit in the round.

*to knit a gauge swatch, cast on 24 sts or more and create a border around your 20 stitch stockinette section. This will help you get a more accurate gauge. Please adjust needle size if needed to get gauge. Feel free to swatch in the round if you find your gauge to vary significantly in the round vs flat.

-Skills needed: knitting, purling, knitting in the round, basic increases and decreases (yo, ssk, k2tog, k1f&b, etc.), simple lace using either written directions or a chart, and an understanding of short rows. If any of these skills are new to you, you might want to practice them a bit before we kick off next week.

-Ravelry: Be sure to check out the Jimmy Beans Wool Ravelry Group. For each blog post, we will create a new thread in the group specifically for help on that piece of the pattern. I'll also create a "spoilers" thread so that GoT fans can talk about the show or books freely without risk of spoiling the story for anyone. If you haven't read all of the books or aren't planning on watching the new season right away, be sure not to venture into Spoiler territory if you don't want to know what happens. I'll be staying out of that thread myself as I've only gotten through book 3. :)

-Remember that the Ravelry Groups are an intrinsic part of the KAL. Be sure to head there to ask for help from your fellow KAL participants. The group is the "community" aspect of the KAL and only works if we all participate.

-About a month after the GOTMKAL (short for Game of Thrones Mystery KAL) is over, I will release the full version of the pattern as a Free PDF on the Jimmy Beans Wool website on the Free Patterns page. It will be re-formatted and re-edited, much like Lady Violet's Dinner Gauntlets from the Downton Abbey Mystery KAL. It takes me that amount of time to properly re-edit the pattern, have professional photography done, and what not.

I am really truly excited for this KAL! I can't wait for the season to start and for you all to knit this little project I've cooked up for you. I think it's going to be a blast! Of course, if at any time you have a question for me directly, please feel free to e-mail me on Ravelry. I answer e-mails at the JimmyBeansWool account and also my personal account, Marinade, and I am always happy to help!

Lastly, I couldn't help but search around for a fun quiz we could all take to get a little more excited for season 3 (as if we really need it). I found two different quizzes for "What Game of Thrones Character Are You?" so I will share them both with you:

http://www.buddytv.com/personalityquiz/game-of-thrones-personalityquiz.aspx?quiz=500000095

http://quizfarm.com/quizzes/quiz/Churchill14/which-game-of-thrones-character-are-you/

I found the second one to be a bit more in depth. On the first one I was as Arya Stark and on the second I was Eddard Stark. I guess it's pretty safe to say I'm a Stark of Winterfell which is perfect because Winter is Coming, and I am ready. :)

Happy knitting

Well hello everyone! Welcome to the final week of the Downton Abbey MKAL! It's funny, when I set out to do this, I didn't realize that PBS was planning to shorten the DA season by combining episodes 6 & 7 to make last week's mega episode and then airing the Christmas special (this week) as the 7th episode. In any case, the season was actually a week shorter than anticipated, but luckily, I planned to wrap up a week "early" so it all works out in the end!

Check out Rachel's finished gauntlets!

That said, I would like to thank you all SO much for joining me in this journey. It's been a blast and I've learned a lot and I hope you all have too. I am already cooking up the next KAL so hopefully you'll join me there as well.

So here is our final bit of knitting for the DAMKAL!

Thumb Gusset (continue working in the round):

Needle 1: Knit as follows-

• Round 1: k to last 5 sts, pm, k1f&b, k3, k1f&b,
• Round 2: k
• Round 3: k to marker, slip marker, k1f&b, knit to last stitch, k1f&b
• Round 4: k

Needle 2: Continue working in Rosebud Lace pattern picking up where you left off, starting with round 9. While you are knitting the thumb gusset, you will continue working this pattern for 12 more rounds ending on row 4 of the pattern.

Needle 3: For this section, you will no longer knit eyelets. At this point you should have a total of 14 eyelets. You will now just knit regular stockinette stitch on this needle until the directions say otherwise.

-Remove provisional cast on and place stitches back on your needles dividing the stitches evenly among the needles and rejoin yarn to resume working in the round. (This is a good opportunity to knit those 4 rounds IFyou missed them at the beginning.)
-Increase to 52 sts if you do not  already have that number on the needles by knitting a round and spacing your increases evenly throughout the row. Use your preferred method of increasing.
-Purl one round
-*k1, k1f&b; repeat from * to end of round. (78 sts now on the needles)
-Rearrange sts on the needles so that you have 26 sts on each needle.

Work Shell Lace Edging pattern as follows:
Shell Lace Edging Pattern

Rnd 1: *k2tog, k9, ssk; repeat from * to end of rnd. (66 sts)
Rnd 2: Knit
Rnd 3: *k2tog, k7, ssk; repeat from * to end of rnd. (54 sts)
Rnd 4: Knit
Rnd 5: *k2tog, yo, (k1, yo) 5 times, ssk; repeat from * to end of round (78 sts)
Rnd 6: Purl

*Repeat rows 1-6 two more times. (A total of 3 repeats)
Bind off and weave in ends. Feel free to block your gauntlet if you'd like. If you do, be sure to pin out the points on your lace edging. 

There you have it folks! The conclusion of the Downton Abbey Mystery KAL. I truly hope you've enjoyed the journey and I can't wait to look through all of the finished gauntlets on the project page!! I will be formatting the KAL pattern over the next couple of weeks into a downloadable PDF complete with photos and charts so stay tuned. I should have that up in about two weeks. I will make sure that it gets a mention in one of our upcoming twice monthly newsletters.

Also, some of you may be curious about our next KAL. Well, we couldn't help but love having a theme based off of a popular series, so starting March 31st, we'll begin our Game of Thrones Mystery KAL complete with it's own custom color of Lorna's Laces! Stay tuned for more info in our Friday, March 1st Newsletter! I hope you'll join me!

With that I bid you farewell, until we meet again.

Happy knitting!
Kristen

Hi everyone and welcome to Week #6 of the Downton Abbey KAL!

By now, you should be pretty sure what will come next. Some of you may have even figured it out already! In any case, this week, I will take you all the way up to the thumb gusset and next week we will finish up the left gauntlet. Here are the directions for week 6:

*You should have just finished up your 4 rows of straight knitting. The next set of directions will be broken down by needle just like the directions in Clue #1.

Divide sts onto needles same as for right gantlet with 14 sts on Needle #1, 25 sts on Needle #2, and 13 sts on Needle 3.

Needle #1: 

Knit every round.

Needle #2 (Rosebud Lace Panel, 25 sts wide, OPTIONAL):



Needle #3:

Hi everyone!

Welcome to week #5 of the Downton Abbey Mystery KAL! I hope everyone's projects are coming along ok. From what I've been observing on Ravelry, most of you are doing just fine and have been great about helping everyone out as well. Thank you to all of you for creating such a wonderful and positive community!

Elegant and functional!

I asked in the comments on my last post for folks to weigh in about what to knit next and I've decided to do a little of both. Many folks chose to reverse the pattern on their own and knit two at a time. I decided to address the lacing for the gauntlets as the main topic for this post. After the lacing, I'll include instructions for casting on and getting started on your second gauntlet. Hopefully this will cover both sides of the spectrum!

My gauntlet fully ruched.

So now that you have at least one gauntlet finished, you may be wondering how those eyelets will be used. Well today, we will be knitting a skinny i-cord to run through the eyelets, and tie with a bow to complete the ruched look of the gauntlet. Gathering the side of the gauntlet like this will help to tighten the fit of the gauntlet on your arm and will also create a feminine and ladylike fit as well that is appropriate for the time period in which Downton Abbey takes place.

Knitting this i-cord is quite simple and all you need is either two DPNs in the size you used for your gauntlet, or your circular needle in the size you use, preferably a 24" length or shorter and your gauntlet yarn. The shorter circular length will make it much easier to work your i-cord. If you would prefer, you can use a different yarn for your i-cord to create a fun contrast. Don't feel like you HAVE to use the same yarn as your gauntlet. However, should you choose to use a different yarn, I would recommend using one that is the same weight or lighter than the sport weight yarn you are using.

**Please note, you can't use straight needles to knit your i-cord in the method I am about to show you. It will not work.**

I-cord Instructions (Make 2):

Step 1: Using your US 3 needles, cast on 2 sts

Step 2: Slide your sts to the opposite end of the needle so that the stitch closest to the tip of the needle does NOT have the working yarn attached to it.

Working yarn is on the stitch to the left.

Step 3: Knit those 2 sts pulling the working yarn snugly on that first stitch to close any gap that might occur.

What it looks like when you pull it snug as you knit the first stitch.

Step 4: Slide your sts to the opposite end of the needle again.

Step 5: Knit those 2 sts pulling the working yarn snugly on that first stitch.

Step 6: Repeat Steps 4 & 5 until your i-cord measures 17" long.

The completed i-cord.

Step 7: To finish, knit those 2 sts together, cut your yarn, and run your strand through the loop to tie off. Weave in your ends and run your i-cord through your eyelets as shown in the photo below weaving in and out up one side of eyelets towards the thumb and back down the other so that both tails are on the same end when it's finished.Then cinch up your gauntlets to the desired fit and tie a bow to secure them. Wear while drinking tea out of fancy cups with your pinkey finger in the air!

How to lace up your gauntlet...

For those of you who knit two at a time, this is the end of the KAL for you! Now you can kick back, relax and enjoy the rest of the Downton season! The rest of us will be starting on our second gauntlets!

Beginning of Gauntlet #2:

**This part is the same as gauntlet #1**

Hi everyone!

Hope your week has gone well. Things have been crazy in JBW-land as we gear up for a fun and exciting couple of months. My apologies for not popping into the Ravelry group as much this past week. Hopefully all questions were answered, and of course, feel free to message me directly anytime if you have an urgent question. I am always happy to help! :)

So hopefully by now you've all finished the hand on your right gauntlet and are ready to take out your provisional cast on and find out what fun is in store. Here we go!

-Remove provisional cast on and place stitches back on your needles dividing the stitches evenly among the needles and rejoin yarn to resume working in the round. (This is a good opportunity to knit those 4 rounds IF you missed them at the beginning.)
-Increase to 52 sts if you do not  already have that number on the needles by knitting a round and spacing your increases evenly throughout the row. Use your preferred method of increasing.
-Purl one round
-*k1, k1f&b; repeat from * to end of round. (78 sts now on the needles)
-Rearrange sts on the needles so that you have 26 sts on each needle.

Work Shell Lace Edging pattern as follows:

Shell Lace Edging Pattern

Rnd 1: *k2tog, k9, ssk; repeat from * to end of rnd. (66 sts)
Rnd 2: Knit
Rnd 3: *k2tog, k7, ssk; repeat from * to end of rnd. (54 sts)
Rnd 4: Knit
Rnd 5: *k2tog, yo, (k1, yo) 5 times, ssk; repeat from * to end of round (78 sts)
Rnd 6: Purl

*Repeat rows 1-6 two more times. (A total of 3 repeats)

Bind off and weave in ends. Feel free to block your gauntlet if you'd like. If you do, be sure to pin out the points on your lace edging. Otherwise, you can also wait to block both gauntlets together at the end. I'm the impatient sort when it comes to things like this, so I definitely blocked my first glove before the second. But that's just me. It's entirely knitter's choice. :)


Also, the photos show my right gauntlet when it was blocking since I can now show you what it looks like. Hopefully you all have some similar results. :)

Ok, so this is it for week 4! I hope you all have a fantastic week coming up and happy knitting to you all!

Kristen

Hi everyone! Welcome to week three! I am going to keep this week's post pretty brief because this week's clue has a less knitting than the prior weeks. I'm sure this will work out perfectly giving you plenty of time to brew some tea and enjoy the rest of your day. I hope you are all enjoying the holiday weekend. Wait, what IS a weekend? Right? :)

Jumping right in, here are links to the first two clues if you are just joining our KAL:

Clue #1

Clue #2

We've just finished the thumb gusset and put those stitches on a holder. You also joined the hand and worked rows 5-8 of the Rosebud Lace pattern one last time.

Finishing the Hand:

-K 5 more rounds
-Try on your gauntlet and measure how close you are to your ideal hand length. This part is customizable. If you only need 3/4" or less to be at your ideal length, move on to the garter stitch portion. If you need more than 3/4", knit a few more rows first.
-Work in Garter Stitch (knit a round, purl a round) for 10 more rounds or approximately 3/4".
-Bind-off and weave in ends.

Finishing the Thumb:

-Using your DPNs and beginning with the right side (lace side) of the gauntlet facing you, place your thumb stitches back on the needles in the following order: 5 on the first needle (needle 1), 6 on the second needle (needle 2), 5 on the third needle (needle3).
-Re-join your yarn at the last stitch on needle 3 and knit 1 round, picking up 2 sts along the opening between the thumb (on needles 1 and 3) and the rest of the hand to close up the gap.

*Note* If your thumb seems significantly smaller than the thumb opening after picking up these stitches, decrease the number of stitches on the thumb when you knit the next round by knitting these two picked up stitches together with the stitches on the right or left of them. (K2tog the first two sts of Needle 1 and K2tog the last two sts of needle 2.) Or, if you think you need more then that, decrease by however many stitches you think you need evenly throughout the row. I will leave this up to knitter's choice. However, you must pick these stitches up in order to seamlessly close up the thumb gap, but once you've done that, it's very easy to decrease back down to a size that works for you.

-Knit 4 rounds.
-Knit 6 rounds in garter stitch (knit one round, purl one round)
-Bind off and weave in your ends.

Thus endeth Clue #3!

Next week we get to find out what that provisional cast on was all about! :)

Happy knitting!
Kristen

PS. If you are interested in knitting this same Rosebud Lace pattern but as a pair of socks, fellow Ravelrer patchworkgandalf has written up a simple sock pattern incorporating the lace pattern and wanted to offer it to you all for free. You can find it as a Ravelry Download here. She hasn't yet fully tested the pattern but is working on it! :)

Wow, what a week! It sounds like most of you got off to a good start with your gauntlets which is so awesome to hear! Episode one of Season 3 of DA was equally awesome but I won't talk shop here in case some of you haven't watched yet. I will say, that The Secrets of Highclere Castle special on PBS (about the castle where Downton is filmed) was also really cool. If you haven't watched that yet, I highly encourage you to do so. The history geek in me really enjoyed it.

Ok, so on to the reason you are all here--Clue # 2 of Lady Violet's Dinner Gauntlets! This week's clue should prove to be much easier than last week's since you are already familiar with the lace and eyelet patterns. I have absolutely loved seeing all of the WIPs on Ravelry in the Downton KAL Photo Gallery Thread by the way! It's amazing how differently the Sportmate in the Downton color can knit up depending on gauge and where you begin your skein. So many cool versions of the pattern! Not only that, but I love seeing how these gauntlets are shaping up in different yarns too!

Clue #2:

*If you are just getting started, please see my blog post for Clue #1 before reading this post.

By now, you should have knit four rounds in stockinette and then two full repeats of the lace panel and you should have eight sets of eyelets on needle 1. This is a total of 36 rounds.

Here is what you do next:

**Remember, you are working all needles' directions in the round at the same time. The directions are broken down by needle.

Needle 1: Continue working eyelet pattern for 24 more rows ending with a total of 14 eyelets. (If you have one more or one less, don't fret. Just go with it. The number of eyelets isn't super important as long as it's close.)

Needle 2: Work one more repeat of the lace section and then work rounds 1-8 of the lace section again.

Needle 3: K every round

Once you've completed this portion, congrats! You are done with the arm of the gauntlet. Next we will begin the thumb gusset. For those who aren't familiar with this term or have never knit fingerless gloves before, a thumb gusset is the part where you increase the number of stitches on your needles where the thumb will be. It's a method of shaping.

Thumb Gusset:

Needle 1: For this section, you will no longer knit eyelets. At this point you should have a total of 14 eyelets. You will now just knit regular stockinette stitch on needle 1 until the directions say otherwise.

Needle 2: Continue working in Rosebud Lace pattern picking up where you left off, starting with round 9. While you are knitting the thumb gusset, you will continue working this pattern for 12 more rounds ending on row 4 of the pattern.

Needle 3: Knit as follows-

• Round 1: k1f&b, k3, k1f&b, place marker, k to end of round.
• Round 2: k
• Round 3: k1f&b, k to last st before marker, k1f&b, slip marker, k to end of round.
• Round 4: k