Go Go Dynamo: Westknits MKAL 2024

This year’s shawl is very bold, dynamic, and playful.

2 contrasting solid yarns will be very bold and graphic. 
1 solid + 1 splashy speckled or variegated yarn will be very fun and painterly. 
I designed Go Go Dynamo to work with all kinds of yarn types and color effects, so have fun with your color combo and choose colors that you love!

Mohair Dare
For those of you that love adding fluffy mohair fibers to your shawls, we are doing an optional Mohair Dare. Collect 1 ball of lace weight mohair silk yarn to add a frothy halo to various sections of the shawl. Your lace weight mohair/silk can be added in a matching color for a subtle effect or choose a new contrasting color of mohair to spice up your Go Go Dynamo Shawl! I will specify exactly where to use your Mohair Dare in the instructions and video tutorials this October.⁠ Again, this is totally optional and it’s a fun way to spice up your shawl and make it extra adventurous and unique.

You can purchase the pattern on Ravelry. The first clue will be coming out on October 3rd. I haven’t had time to put together combinations. Hopefully next week.

We had a crazy busy day in the store today. Fall is coming. Thanks to everyone who visited!!! There is going to be a lot of happy people playing with new yarn tonight including me. I am going to start my Snowflower KAL. Dad, Beth and the dogs left for the cottage this morning. We were going to stay home this weekend but Beth and I decided yesterday afternoon that the weather looked good and we were going.

Finished Projects

Doreen dropped by this morning wearing her Tessellated Vest (pattern purchased on Ravelry). It is gorgeous!!!

Doreen knit the third size. The Dyed in the Wool colour is Ghost Ranch and the Suri Silk colour is Set Sail. The main colour (navy) isn’t available anymore but I suggest Malabrigo Arroyo in Prussia Blue. Here are more colour combinations on the website.

There is a bit of a sad story (with an happy outcome) about the vest. Doreen did most of her knitting at the cottage. She took her vest to the dock to knit and dropped a full skein of Dyed in the Wool into the lake. The skein got caught on the grasses at the bottom and was unsalvageable. Doreen had to purchase another skein and luckily it matched very well and you can’t tell where she used it.

Seeing Doreen in her vest is going to spark me on to get mine finished. I have one armhole and the neckband to do. It is so close.

Karen sent a photo of her Alpine Bloom hats.

Anyone else addicted to Alpine Bloom hats besides me?
Three hats in less than two weeks most fun Knit ever.

I could definitely knit another Alpine Bloom Hat. It was fun to see the colours changing. I believe that Karen used Spincycle Dyed in the Wool that were leftover from other projects.

Tomorrow is Snowflower cast on day. I have my yarn at home in case I’m up early and the pattern is released in the morning.

Rearranging

Last night before leaving the store I decided that rearranging was needed. I brought out some grid and there is a display for Rowan Felted Tweed Colour. For now the other half is Traveler Shawl kits. The back of the grid is going to hold Rowan Alpaca Classic.

I need to play with this but all the colours are Alpaca Classic are hanging.

One of the boxes that arrived yesterday was from Emma’s. These are brand new colours of Practically Perfect Sock. I haven’t added them to the website yet. I was busy in the store and now I’m getting ready for my Fantasy Football draft. 

Stephen West sent out a newsletter this morning with a little more information on the upcoming MKAL.

Designed for two contrasting colors, you can go bold with solid shades or mix it up with a speckled contrast color paired with a solid main. The two main colors are the Go and the Go—the Dynamo is your optional mohair dare!

I haven’t put combinations together yet. It looks like the shawl will take 2 skeins of each colour but we won’t know until Saturday. That is actually an excuse - I was way too busy today to play with skeins. Thanks to all who came in and ordered online. Mr. UPS and Mr. Canada Post took a lot of boxes today. 

The front and back are finished and the shoulders are joined. Now I can start the sleeves on the weekend.

Day of Boxes

I had visits from all my friends. Mr. FedEx, Mr. Canpar and Mr. UPS.

And this isn’t all of them. A few have already been moved to the front room.

I’ve opened up a few of the boxes and these are ready to go out tomorrow.

New Dyed in the Wool. Poppy

Standard Blues

Fluorite

Soft Power

Felted Tweed fans - here are the 7 new colours for fall. These are available online.

I’m going to wish you all a good evening so that I can get to work updating the website. 

Frame Your Face

Andrea Mowry released a new pattern today. This is the Frame Your Face Cowl (pattern purchased on Ravelry).

After creating the colorwork motif for the Framed Sweater, you know I had to keep playing with it! This cowl is so fun to knit and so easy to wear. You can knit it up in either Worsted or Sport weight yarn and then just pull it over your head to stay cozy with effortless style! It is knit in a tube in the round, twisted a half turn, and then seamed together using the Mattress stitch method.

You can knit the cowl in sports weight or worsted weight yarn. Here are some yarn suggestions.

Sports weight

• Dyed in the Wool
• Malabrigo Arroyo
• Madelinetosh Woolcycle Sport
• Juniper Moon Patagonia
• Zauberball Starke 6
• Rowan Felted Tweed

Worsted weight

• Dream State
• Malabrigo Rios
• Cascade 220 Superwash Merino
• Cascade 220 and Cascade 220 Heathers
• Biches & Buches Le Lambswool
• Madelinetosh Vintage
• Noro Ito

Photos © Andrea Mowry

Beth and I were up early and started cleaning the cottage. The weather forecast was hot, humid and possible thunder storms. Jackson doesn’t do well in the heat. Part Bernese Mountain Dog and Part Saint Bernard. Too big. Too much hair. He likes it cool. We were on the road early and home just after 12. Unfortunately I forgot my store keys at home so I had to go there before coming to the store. I just missed Mr. UPS with the new Spincycle colours. 😂. It was probably a good thing because I will want to knit the new cowl. 

There wasn’t a lot of knitting at the cottage. I don’t know what I did but I was busy. I might finish the short row shaping on the back neck of Framed tonight.

Sticks are the best thing in the world. And the bigger the better.

If I miss a post or two this week don’t worry. I am busy trying to get all the new Rowan online for the launch on September 1st. There is a lot to add. I also have the new Opal to add which should be coming next week. 

Stay cool!

Cottage Life

My office this morning was the front deck at the cottage. I could get used to this. I wrote my post early because there could be a nap this afternoon. I did some knitting last night but haven’t finished the ribbing on the back neck yet. Maybe after I finish this and a few emails. 

It’s that time of year - Stephen West’s next MKAL. All the information will be available on Saturday and cast on is October 3rd. From reading on Instagram I think the shawl will be knit with 2 colours this year but I won’t know until Saturday. Then I will put together colour options.

Here are the four brand new colours of Dyed in the Wool that are coming on Wednesday. I already showed Fluorite but I had to show it again because it is so beautiful.

Standard Blues

Soft Power

Poppy

Cottage life is hard.

Snowflower KAL

I got on the road early this morning and was at the marina before 11. Here is my knitting spot for the afternoon. The only problem is I have to keep moving as the sun moves. 

I’m watching TV on my iPad while knitting. It’s the perfect set up. The family is out fishing so I’m enjoying some quiet time. Let’s see if I can get the shoulders finished (front and back) and get onto the sleeves while I’m here.

I wrote a post yesterday and forgot to hit Publish. Here it is.

The response to Rowan’s Snowflower KAL has been amazing. So good that we ran out of one of the colours. I placed an emergency order on Monday hoping the box would be here yesterday. It wasn’t. I’m heading to the cottage in the morning and was going to come home on Monday so I could meet Mr. FedEx on Tuesday morning to get the box. I would quickly pack orders and ship out all the kits. To my surprise Mr. FedEx brought my box this morning. I almost cried. The driver is my regular driver and knew I was waiting on the box. FedEx doesn’t normally deliver to businesses on Saturday but he did it for me. The kits are packed and dropped at the UPS store to be shipped out on Monday. Now we might stay at the cottage until Tuesday.

You still have time to purchase a kit. I will be shipping again on Wednesday and most orders go out by UPS. Your box should make it by Friday. If you live on the West Coast it might take a few more days but you’ll have it early next week.

I finished one shoulder on the front of Framed last night. There are short rows and they are very easy. If you do exactly as Andrea writes it they work out. You can’t see them in the ribbing. 

Lynn finished a sweater

Lynn came to help me today and she brought her finished sweater. It is fabulous!!! This is the Skylights Tee (pattern purchased on Ravelry) knit out of Noro Silk Garden Sock (colour 1). She used 3 balls and knit on 3.75mm needles. Lynn used the 3.75mm needles for everything including the I-Cord edging. She chose the 40” finished bust.

Lynn was kind enough to leave the sweater for me to display in the store.

A classic raglan tee, but make it elegant. With a pretty eyelet detail at the shoulders and a statement panel down the front that features both lace and cables, this tee is anything but basic. I chose to knit mine to a slightly cropped length, a style that I find I’m reaching for more and more these days. Knit in my favourite fingering weight yarn, this tee is my new summer staple.

I made it to the ribbing on the back of Framed. 

Dad and the dogs share an ice cream cone every night. The dogs end up eating more than him. We keep telling him it’s for him but he just keeps giving it to them. They aren’t fighting it.