A little mystery…

A couple of weeks ago, I embarked upon a “mystery knitalong” – something which, I must confess, I hadn’t heard of until last year, and have never participated in before now. So, if the concept is new to you, a mystery knitalong is a pattern which is released in stages and which you knit in community, sharing your progress as you go along. The one I’m participating in currently is Helen Stewart’s Snowmelt Shawl. And, oh my goodness, I am so enjoying myself!

I have never knitted a garment before that I didn’t have some semblance of an idea of how it would look when finished. But, that said, I didn’t have any trepidation about entering into this experience with Helen as all her patterns are just so beautiful. I can’t imagine a design of hers that I wouldn’t love. 

So far, the first two ‘clues’ have been released, each clue consisting of around 20% of the overall pattern. I’ve spent much of today immersed in the second clue, only just finishing it this evening. And I can’t tell you how pleased I am with how it’s looking! In fact, I just cannot wait to wear the completed shawl. I may even wear it to the Edinburgh Yarn Festival next month – an event I’m very much looking forward to attending. 

The worst thing about this mystery knitalong? I now have to wait until next Thursday for clue 3! Such delicious anticipation. To keep my hands occupied in the meantime, I have started on a second shawl design of Helen’s called Asana which will include some beading. I’ve never added beads to my knitting before, but have wanted to learn this particular skill for a while now, as I have visions of a future project that includes beaded knitting. This is another step to bringing that vision into reality. 

In truth, so much of the skills that I’m learning in my knitting right now feel like they’re contributing towards something greater, some bigger picture which I can’t quite see the whole of yet… but I’m excited to discover what that might be!