We all love a new knitalong, right? This one is really something special, not just because of the stunning pattern, (and it really is stunning), but because of the intention behind the KAL and the way everyone joining is encouraged to participate! Of course, everyone in a knitalong loves to see everyone’s progress photos, and naturally we’ll be doing that in this KAL, and also Soohyun has this wonderful idea to check in as you’re knitting by sharing where you are in your life while knitting your Mignonne Shawl. More on that later, let’s get into the details first.
Soohyun Nam, a knitwear designer from Toronto, is hosting a knitalong for her latest shawl design, Mignonne, starting on March 1. It’s a great opportunity to connect with other knitters, work on a beautiful shawl, and share your progress and experiences.
The Mignonne shawl is a triangular masterpiece with a gentle flower stitch pattern and a stunning border. It’s designed for advanced beginners to intermediate knitters, and perfect for chilly evenings or as a easy and elegant accessory for any outfit. Plus, there are some fantastic prizes up for grabs! Soohyun has teamed up with Unwrapped Yarn to offer the cutest little heart and sheep progress makers and other notions as prizes! I have a little collection of stitch markers from Unwrapped Yarn myself and I love them all.
To make it more interactive and fun, Soohyun has created a group board thread on Ravelry where participants can share photos from their project pages, check out details on other projects, and chat with other knitters. She’ll be checking in every couple of days and hosting the group directly. If you’re a regular Ravelry user, this is a great way to participate! If not, you can also participate on Instagram by following her on Instagram as @sootangos and using the hashtags #mignonneKAL and #mignonneshawl to stay updated. And if you have any questions, just tag Soohyun in your post, and she or another knitter will respond.
Soohyun wants this to be a unique and interactive experience for everyone involved. So, if you want to be a part of this creative journey, she encourages participants to share project photos, but also how they feel while making the shawl and where they are in their lives as they knit. It’s a chance to check in, share something, and journal if you feel like it. And don’t worry if you’re a bit shy – you can join in silently and just enjoy what everyone else is sharing.
I love this twist on the traditional KAL because most of us can look at a piece that took a month or longer to complete and can remember where we were at the time, what was going on in our lives and how we felt while we were knitting it. In that way, knitting can be a lot like journaling, and that’s the feeling Soohyun is evoking with this KAL. A shawl she released two years ago, her Héloïse Shawl, is a vert dear pattern to me. The first time I knit it, I was living in a pretty condo but didn’t love the building. I was just getting into knitwear design myself, reworking patterns for my dog and learning a lot along the way. The Héloïse Shawl really taught me a lot about slipped stitches and all the magic they hold. While knitting that shawl the first time, I decided I was going to figure it out and make an effort to really build a wardrobe I loved from my hand knits and not just knit whatever caught my eye at the time. Looking back, I think the confidence I got from finishing this shawl helped me to start releasing my own patterns.
Héloïse in Travelling Yarn Héloïse in KokonLinen Merino
Then, I knit it again and I was in a completely different head space the second time around. The first time I knit it, I was in the condo with no intention to move any time soon. I knit it in the original Less Traveled Yarn sport weight yarn in the original colours. One of my teenagers loved it so much I hardly saw it for a while and she asked for her own. So I cast on for my second Héloïse, this time in some gorgeous Kokon merino linen and Knitting for Olive merino from my stash she had been eyeing. Shortly after casting on, I found myself house hunting and while I have moved far more times than most people, (this was our 18th move), it was a particularly stressful time for me and I found a lot of comfort in my evening ritual of knitting on my shawl before bed or in the early hours of the morning before boxes and paperwork and packing tape took over my day. I knitted on it every morning and every evening, sometimes only a row or two because that’s all the time I had to give. I even knitted on it as we were unpacking and getting settled and finished it in our new place, once we were totally moved in and settled. It was my first finished project in what is now one of my favourite places I’ve ever lived. I am looking forward to sharing my Mignonne Shawl knitting experiences. The timeline of this KAL starts as one of my teens has a milestone birthday and another one graduates high school! It’ going to be an exciting time and my Mignonne will be along for the ride!
Let’s cast on on March 1 and see everyone’s progress and finished Mignonne shawls! I’m casting on this week with a fun collection of bright yarns, paired with more subtle yarns. I’m using two dusty colours from a fade from DeBoer Yarn Co in a purple / pink / grey tone, held with a bright orange / pink / green variegated and a speckled blue and almost green sock from Hue Loco.
Love this story of making, memories, and life! Thank you for such a beautiful post, May!