Knit-Alongs

We seem to be going through a phase of Knit Alongs at Once A Sheep, having never participated in one before, I now find myself involved in three!

The Ishbelalong (Ishbel, Ravelry link) is coming to an end, I have photographed just some of the beautiful finished shawls but am waiting to get final shots of them all for one big collage. Here's what we have so far!

You can see how totally different each one turned out with variations in the chosen yarn, needle size and pattern repeats.

After my first I was asked to do one for my daughter Rhona in a Gothic purple which I love. I then cast on a third for myself in Cream Kidsilk Haze which I am beading to give it weight. (This is as yet unfinished but is due to go away on holiday with me in two weeks so I really should get the beads sourced soon!)

The second KAL came about because Moira brought in a lovely short sleeved shrug knit in a chunky yarn (Kaya on Ravelry). I had conincidentally just taken delivery of some undyed chunky yarn in a lovely blend of 70% merino, 20% alpaca, 10% silk which I thought would be perfect for the pattern. I think we have 7 knit alongers for the Kaya which has turned out to be an exceedingly quick knit with my own Kaya turned out in just 2 days! The beauty of this yarn is that whilst it is lovely in its own right, it is also ideal for dyeing and once the shrugs are all knit up it'll be fun to see if anyone personalises theirs in colour! This is mine, a collage of all the FOs will follow.

And the third KAL just launched for July is a toe-up sock challenge. Whilst I think we all have at least one sock on the go at any given time, many of us have not mastered the toe up and so a KAL seemed a great way to get us all experienced in Judy's Magic Cast On. I have chosen Firestarter (Ravelry pattern) which I added to my "must knit" list a long time ago but was put off because it was toe up. Now all I need to do is choose my yarn, whatever I choose though it will definitely be red! (Did I mention I love red.)

What's New at Once A Sheep?

Magazines
All the new editions are in including Designer Knitting, Crochet Today and The Knitter

Books
Swing, Swagger, Drape by Jane Slicer-Smith
Knitting Green by Ann Budd
Get Spun by Symeon North
Beginner's Guide to Crochet by Pauline Turner
Hats Gloves Scarves by Louisa Harding
Knitting Little Luxuries by Louisa Harding
Really Wild Tea Cosies by Loani Prior
Easy Knitted Socks by Jeanette Trotman
Think Outside The Sox 60+ Winning Designs from The Knitter's Magazine Contest
Pet Heaven by Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne

Notions
Clover pom pom makers in small, large and heart shaped
Clover Yarn Threaders
Clover Knitting Registers (traditional "on needle" style)


Yarns
Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock in Ysolda Red, Blackberry and other assorted solid/semi solid shades (57g)
Camus Natural Wools, Undyed Hebridean from a small pedigree flock in Duror of Appin, Argyll. Available in Aran (50g/100g) and DK (100g).
Undyed Chunky 70% merino, 20% alpaca, 10% silk (100g/67m)
Breagha hand dyed in Laceweight, Sockweight/4ply and Chunky