Stephen West is teasing us again! It’s that time of year for a Mystery Knit Along or MKAL for short. Stephen West has been delighting and bewildering knitters for years with these ever so exciting MKAL’s. This one is the 10th Anniversary MKAL and called Starflake so I’m hoping for something exciting. This time we are just looking at two colours, four 100g skeins in total and Stephen specifies a plied yarn in contrasting colours and yarns that have crisp definition. So as usual I’ve had a fun afternoon picking out colour combos for fantasy projects I would love to knit. Oh, if only I had the time! He also recommends solids, semi-solids and slightly speckled yarns, so the design details don’t get lost. The fun starts on 4th October so you have plenty of time to pick your favourite colours. But to help you along take a look at these!

A good tip if you are looking at colours and wondering if you will get a strong contrast or a subtle one. Use your camera phone and switch the settings to mono or black and white. That way you will be able to differentiate more easily between darker and lighter colours rather than be bombarded by the colour itself.

I have picked from a selection of plied yarns like Garnsurr Søkke Merino, Fyberspates Vivacious 4ply, Hey Mama Wolf Sockyarn #04, Hedgehog Fibres Twist Sock and Kettle Yarn Beyul. These sturdy yarns are wonderfully soft but crisp enough to hold great definition and I love mixing and matching them together.

Cool Breeze – This combo conjures up a cool spring breeze blowing over the sea. Combining both Garnsurr Søkke Merino in Lekje and Fyberspates Vivacious 4ply in Sea Glass to create a nice contrast but also keeping the palette quite fresh.

Lemon Curd – A really zesty combination in all Garnsurr Søkke Merino. We have here Seivin and Jønnstaur creating a real striking contrast. Bright, sunny and full of life.

Blueberry Muffin – This combo looks so tasty, I love Hedgehog Fibres Silence colour as a base for other colours. The natural, subtly specked Hey Mama Wolf’s Sockyarn #04 looks perfect next to it. Colours here are Hedgehog Fibres Twist Sock in Silence and Hey Mama Wolf’s Sockyarn #04 in Carey

Raspberry Ripple – This combo gives a great contrast but also being quite complimentary. The solid rich pink playing against the pink speckles in the cream giving you a wonderful graphic palette. Garnsurr Søkke Merino in Ørtle and Jarbaer.

Sea Shells – A subtle contrast is created with these two rich tones. I like the idea of using a silk blend yarn, as you will get a gentle shine from where it’s used. Using two rich colours that are completely different but equally as dark will cause the colours to vibrate against each other. Of course there are gentle nods between this combo, as the blue has slightly purply, pink notes. Hedgehog fibres Twist Sock in Method and Kettle Yarn Beyul in Electric Amaranth.

Bonfire – This warming colour combination uses a rich dark grey as a base. I love a dark grey to play colours against. You end up with an almost neon light effect in the dark. Fyberspates Vivacious 4ply in Smokey Joe and Garnsurr Søkke Merino in Gryteflaks #21. The Smokey Joe has a slight warmth to it that unifies this combination.

I’m looking forward to seeing all the combinations people knit up and I can’t wait to start!