Monday, January 26, 2015

#hkkal2015

Swatching Cafe au Lait 
It's that time of year again - time for the Holla Knits Knit Along!  I joined this last year and managed to knit my Eastwood Cardigan within the 3 months of the KAL (which was amazing for me - I'm such a slow knitter).


This year, I plan to knit Cafe au Lait, a pattern I've been in love with since Holla Knits showed a sneak peak of the cable and lace months before it's spring 2014 release.  Hell, I even went online and bought the yarn the day the pattern was released.  And then the damn yarn has been sitting in my sewing room for months, so it's about time to get this done.

Cardboard Cafe Swatch
I started swatching, using the recommended yarn and needles, and it turned out pretty good.  Preblocked, the length was dead on, but the width was 3.5 inches instead of 6.  A bath and an overnight stay on my blocking mat mostly solved this.  I wet blocked it to 6 inches, but it shrunk down to 5 3/4 inches once dried.  I didn't block it that aggressively though, and if needed I could get the additional 1/4 inch out of it.  But I did some Math, and I think this will reduce the width by 2 inches.  Considering that I'm making size 48", which will give me 9 inches positive ease from my upper bust, I'm okay with losing a couple of inches of width.

This pattern is a little hard to switch to though.  I've been working on another pattern with a ton of cables, and the added lace is throwing me off.  Glad I did the swatch though, not only because it gave me an idea of the sizing and gauge, but I also got a feel for the pattern before it needs to count.  I made a couple of mistakes in the swatch, but it's a swatch so I let it be.  Think I now have a feel for the pattern.

Knit Picks Palette
ANYWAYS, this is going to be a fun KAL.  I'm also considering knitting Hodgepodge mitts out of the colours above, and I'm itching to make that black version of Deco Daisies I mentioned a while back.  Ambitious plans for a slow knitter like me, but what the heck, it's worth a try.

Any knitters out there considering joining along?  Holla Knits has some really innovative and unique patterns available, and I know from experience that this KAL is a ton of fun!  Oh, and did I mention the prizes?
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2 comments:

  1. Michelle27 January 2015 at 07:18

    I just commented on the KAL thread that you're shaming me with all of your diligent swatching! But I can't swatch for the KAL until I am finished with Dragonflies and started on Twenty Ten- for that whole knitting event thing. But, I will be bringing my yarn and needles for Cafe au Lait with me and I hope to at least swatch by the beginning of the KAL. I'm really excited about this KAL. I've been unfocused lately and I need motivation to work thru stash.

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    Replies
    1. Heather27 January 2015 at 09:21

      Yeah, I'm looking forward to the KAL focussing me a bit, and I'm planning on knitting down some of the yarn I've been sitting on for a while. I have a lot of yarn bought specifically for certain projects (Cafe au Lait, Henri, Hodgepodge mittens, and a bulky yarn for a plain pullover) and I want to get those done. I was pretty excited to find a skein of black sock yarn in my stash that's been there since our old LYS shut down two years ago, so it's about time I found something for it - HELLO DAISIES!

      I wish you the best of luck on finishing your sweaters before the retreat!

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