A recurring theme in the Knit with attitude newsletter is our community, the joy of sharing and being joined together by our love for our crafts and the joy of creating and making. We have discussed how the need for such moments of happiness is larger and more important especially in times that seem glooming and actually quite frightening – and how we would love to come up with a way to create more of those: with a wink, a cheeky smile and laughter. In an attempt to do so, create more of those moments that bring happiness, joy and togetherness, we came up with The For the Love of … Show and Tell Challenge!
We made 3 categories, open to a well of interpretations, it was totally up to you what meaning to put into them: Best Disguised Mistake, Travelling Stitches and Technique Conqueror. Inviting our dear newsletter subscribers*, yes that you guys, to contribute we were over the moon discovering how many of you that wanted to come play along!
I am literarily bursting with excitement as I welcome you to our very first For The Love Of … Show & Tell Challenge! Our gallery is now open and voting can commence. Yes, there will be some prizes and rewards – but remember, this is to be done with humour and friendliness, we are not looking for the perfect nor the ‘best girl in the class’ – this is for us all to find joy and a moment of happiness through our Love for knitting, yarn, crochet, fibre, making and creating … and everything between.
This challenge has ended, and it is no longer possible to vote.
Click here to see who the winners were.
Best Disguised Mistake
Project #01 – by Susan
This was my first ever Stephen West project and I went full on for it also being my first MKAL.
Tackled to help me come to terms with huge changes following my husbands surgery to have a brain tumour removed in August 2020. He didn’t recover as was expected and although hugely improved now we are both adjusting still.
I used stash yarns including some possum and some silk I brought back from our ‘retirement trip’ to New Zealand in Jan/Feb 2020.
So – it holds many memories , it saved my sanity, taught me new stitches and patience !! To a point…. The shell buttons hide mistakes I kept repeating as I neared finishing , I tried to work each one back and correct it as I got to it – that didn’t work . So I opted for embellishment .
I loved doing it and went on to make this last MKAL of Stephens too .
I can really relate to happysadness – great word
Project #02 – by Maria
I was making the Home Cardigan,(caidree) brilliantly written pattern. Thought I’d slightly alter the front band to moss stitch. Got carried away and picked up about half(or just over) the number of stitches and forgot to add in the rest. Of course I finished and cast off and the result was both front bands way too short and puckered at the edges. But, when I’d pulled back the cast off and a couple of rows and the whole thing relaxed I liked the rise at the front….now not as risen as before. A outlet of extra rows to change the neckline and a better cast off and I’m so pleased with my ‘design’ I’ve worn it lots already. I will make another one soon, in a different yarn, as it’s such a great pattern. Perhaps I’ll have a different Happy accident!
Project #03 – by Kristin
I was so pleased to have made my other glove whilst down with the flu. I’m putting this in for best disguised mistake, as surprisingly few people could work out why I posted this entitled F*** 🤣🤣
Travelling Stitches
Project #01 – by Debbie
Thank you for this great idea of getting everyone involved with this, it will be lovely to see the variety of projects. Please see attached my contribution For The Love of Travelling Stitches. The pattern is Stairway by Susanne Sommer, from the 52 Weeks of Shawls book.
The pattern contains 2 colour brioche creating a double sided stairway pattern. I am new to flat brioche, so initially it was a challenge but I relaxed into it as I went along.
To me this wrap represents the upward struggle of the stairway that we have all faced over the past couple of years, and continue to do so. This finished project has created a lovely reward of a warm hug. Something that we all deserve right now.
Project #02 by Lorna
Here’s my submission for the Travelling Stitches category of your fun shop challenge.
Only when I looked again at the project I knit with my souvenir skein of Garn Surr from KWA in 2019 did I find all these references to travel. The pattern I chose for my special skein was the Trig Point Shawl. Trig points were installed 80 years ago to enable accurate mapping so travellers could find their way. Garn Surr supported refugees In Norway so aiding those who travel, not by choice but by necessity. I travelled from my home in Aberdeenshire to London to visit both my daughters there, navigated my way to your shop, then travelled home to Scotland to knit with this gorgeous yarn. My lovely shawl is traversed by travelling stitches. It’s the perfect reminder, especially when refugees are so much in our thoughts, that travel helps broaden the mind whilst stitches soothe our soul.
Project #03 by Sally
For the love of……..my great niece! Travelling stitches category I’d say.
Oh those cables! But they did cure my dread and aversion to charts! I always thought I preferred my patterns written out line by line until the challenge of the wandering cable!
Project #04 by Nicole
I love the idea of the For the love of… challenge 😄I thought about my projects this weekend and which one I wanted to submit… “Best disguised mistake” is a great one but realistically, I don’t often make mistakes I can fudge or live with in knitting, I always end up going back to fix them! In the end I decided on my Water Bearer (Jacqueline Cieslak) cardigan, it’s one of my most favourite makes, and I think for me it fits in the travelling stitches category. It’s brioche, so the waves are made with brioche increases and decreases rather than cables or slipping, but for me the effect is so clearly like waves moving or travelling that it works. TBH it could also go in technique mastery, because you have to keep track of a LOT in this pattern, but it’s so worth it. The yarn was my perfect Aquarian match as well, a sparkly turquoise from Dusty Dimples.
Looking forward to seeing what everyone else puts forward!
Project #05 – by Janet
I thought I’d send you a picture for your competition, I have a pair of really comfy socks that I knitted ages ago, and they’re wearing rather thin. I didn’t have any of the yarn left over so I’ve gone for Visible Mending lol, and giving them a new life. I think they could go under the heading of Travelling Stitches, because these socks can now continue their travels with me.
Technique Conqueror
Project #01 – by Gillian
Your newsletters always raise a smile, and the George Bernard Shaw quote resonated with me as I am often happy when it may seem inappropriate to be – my nature simply doesn’t compute misery as a state of mind.However, I’ve struggled a little recently – I had surgery to remove a bone in my hand due to arthritis two weeks ago, and as an avid knitter, gardener and golfer, to be told I’d be in plaster, and then in a splint for twelve weeks unable to do anything I enjoyed has been difficult. So I decided that I’d try to teach myself new skills that would allow me to knit despite the splint – continental and Portuguese-style knitting! The little red swatch in the picture may not look like much to anyone else, but to me it is a huge achievement. It represents 14 days of trying with gritted teeth to find a way to hold the needles without using my thumb, and then getting used to tensioning the yarn left-handed. And I think it qualifies as a technique conquered!I hope I am now in a position to cast on something simple to help the next ten weeks pass – and you never know, I may even decide to continue knitting this way!
Project #02 – by Heleanna
For the love of…Here’s my contribution to the category TECHNIQUE CONQUEROR:
The technique needed to conquer looks similar to Rosemine, I think (although nevet tried this) and I was required to do it for one of the test knit for Teti Lutsak for the new LITLG book – the Arrow Sweater. I’ve attached two pictures.It was the first (and only time so far!) I used the technique and I was really worried about my tention, getting it wrong, taking too long, etc. but it wasn’t like that at all, but had to really concentrate and even out and pull the yarn through a couple of times. At the end I loved it. And love the effect it creates!
Project #03 – by Eveline
After reading the KWA newsletter this morning, I decided to jump in and send you an e-mail with my latest endeavour: I designed my own colourwork sweater!! I had some rustic woollen yarn in a wonderful copper colour (hjelholts dansk pelsuld) which perfectly matched some mohair (Filcolana Tilia in Sienna) I had in stash, which in turned combined perfectly with another mohair (Tilia in Midnight) but the perfect sweater eluded me. I spent hours and hours on Ravelry, but somewhere I knew I had to think this one up myself. So I sketched and consulted the knitting books (Principles of knitting and Strange Brew by Tincanknits) and I came up with a Selbu inspired colourwork yoke with a colour shift from darkblue to copper.
You can see this WIP (it’s definitely not finished yet, I am relishing the journey!) in the pictures below!
Project #04 – by Jan
Some years ago my best friend, Faith, asked me to knit her a Fairisle cardigan – it took a while but I managed (it is hanging on the chair in the photo) – she loved it and wore it frequently. Sadly my friend died of cancer and when the family were sorting out all her things they gave the cardigan back to me and I now wear it with a mixture of sadness at having lost a good friend and happiness that I managed to knit the cardigan for her.
Project #05 – by Sally
I am a ‘Thrower’. For a long time however, I wanted to do Continental Knitting. I was able to do the plain knit side but on the purl side, or for purl knitting, it seemed so awkward for me, like writing with my left hand! Come LoveCraft and their recent video on learning Continental knitting. The tutor introduces Norwegian Purl knitting and it looks so clear on her video and I am getting it and am endeavouring to do this now on the purl side of my little cardigan for a sister’s baby. The pattern is the Isabella Cardigan by Joanna Scrace. This technique will open up so many opportunities and I thought I would share this with you and all your knitters.
Project #06 – by Tish
So attached are a few photos of my Persian Tile shawl by Virtual Yarns. This is the first time I have used a steek and what a challenge that was. Cutting up the steek was pretty scary, but I did it and took my time finishing the shawl and sewing in the steek. I am very proud of the finished product, with many thanks to the wonderful videos on line that guided me through this project.
Project #07 – by Susan
Despite having knitted and designed for years, I have only just started knitting all in ones in the round and the example above is the first time I have attempted both short rows and a turtle neck. I followed the boylands knitworks pattern very carefully at the top – another first, as I hardly ever follow patterns very rigorously- it was hugely enjoyable to make using much of my stash of dark colours, and I was very pleased with the result.
Project #08 – by Lesley
For the Love of …. Fair Isle.
I’ve knitted since I was a wee girl (over 45 years). My granny taught me. She knitted me a few fair isle sweaters but until now I’ve never had the confidence to try it.
So I’ve learned two handed knitting and, before I started, how to steek. I even helped a friend steek a top she’d made. My turn now!
This one is Alcott by Mary Henderson. My maiden name, but no relation.
Project #09 – by Clare
For years I had been avoiding socks – too difficult too fiddly
A lovely friend gave me 52 Weeks of Socks and a ball of yarn for Christmas … and now I’m addicted!!!!
And here’s the proof
Project #10 – by Janet
I’m a big sock knitter but I’d like to nominate myself for the technique conqueror
Not only did I have to learn Judy’s magic cast-on method (Don’t talk to me while I’m doing this !!!) but also Elizabeth Zimmerman’s sewn bind-off method (love it! Where have you been all my life)
These socks (there will be 2 I promise) are Heartichoke from Josephine & the seeds from 52 Weeks of Socks. Great pattern to knit
Project #11 – by Mary
As a young wife and mother 30-40 years ago, I wanted to knit socks. I bought the wool and the pattern but got no further. I stopped knitting 😕. I then moved to the UK and brought the unused wool and pattern with me. That was 20 years ago. I am now retired and a grandmother and loving knitting again. I have finally finished my first pair of socks and am so pleased with them. They fit me too! Now for the next @pairfor my daughter. She requested some when she saw the photo I sent her. Does this make me a Technique Conqueror? I feel like one! Thank you for your newsletter which I read with pleasure. My photo shows my socks, the old pattern ( modern patterns are so much better) and the wool label which I kept. Rather tatty now though. I doubt they make the yarn anymore.
JUST WOW!!! How many amazing projects that you guys have come up with, I am in awe!!! Now off to vote, let’s find out who’s our favourites! You’ll find the ‘ballot’ here. you can submit your vote up until midnight UK time Friday May 6th. We’ll do the count and announce winners in the newsletter Sunday May 8th. Happy Voting!
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