Category: K/CAL

GoT Shawls KCal: Week 1

Welcome to Week 1 of the Knit/Crochet Along!

Week 1: March 4-10th

Week 1 GoT Shawls KAL CAL

The Projects and Patterns

Welcome to the kickoff of the Fandom Knitting & Crochet GoT Shawls Knit/Crochet-along! This week, we begin work on some lovely, dragon wing-inspired creations, either the “Lizard” crochet shawl or the “Martinmas” knit shawl.

If you are new to this and haven’t selected a pattern, go back to the original Knit/Crochet-along post to see the options and get all the specifics.

Also, if you landed on this page and haven’t already joined the Knit/Crochet along, you can do that by signing up right here to get all the updates: JOIN THE KCAL NOW!

So, let’s do this thing!

(This post is in no way affiliated with Game of Thrones or HBO. It is simply a fan activity. This post may contain affiliate links.)

Week 1 Schedule: March 4-10th

Have your pattern selected? Your yarn ready? Your hook or needles in hand? Then you are ready to start the Week 1 portion of the patterns. In other words, this is the fun part!

For “Lizard”:

For Week 1 on “Lizard,” work Rows 1-19 of the pattern.

I highly recommend using the written translation instead of/in addition to the chart. I like to print my patterns out, so that’s what I did to begin.

Even with the written-out instructions, “Lizard” can be a bit confusing at first. It is not written in the same manner as other patterns I’ve seen, so it took a bit of deciphering.

Helpful things to note:

  • The instructions don’t say to turn at the beginning of each row (they do, but only at the top fo the pattern, rather than within each row’s instructions. So, don’t forget to turn.)
  • The instructions will indicate things like “DC in the last dc from Row 1.” It might help to think of that as the “first DC” facing you.
  • ALWAYS check your counts at the end of each row. For instance, if the pattern indicates “total of 6dc and 5 ch spaces” make sure that is what you have. If not, go back and see where you went wrong. You will want an accurate count.
  • The turning chain is counted as a stitch throughout the pattern.

Here’s what my progress looked like after completing the first 19 rows. I did use fingering weight yarn and an E-4 hook, as recommended in the pattern. I love the way it is looking so far!

Are you working on the “Lizard” pattern? Be sure to share with us in the Fandom Knitting & Crochet Facebook Group. We’d love to see all of these fantastic shawls in progress!

For “Martinmas”:

For Week 1 on “Martinmas,” complete the Setup and Section 1.

This may not sound like much, but “Martinmas” is a bear to cast-on and setup. You are starting with the bottom of the shawl, which is the largest number of stitches. So, it is an undertaking right from the get-go.

Yarn and Sizing Notes

I worked my “Martinmas” is medium weight yarn. So, the pattern recommends fingering weight (or light fingering, even), but I went with the gorgeous Lion Brand Heartland yarns in Badlands and Black Canyon (which I recommended in an earlier post) because I couldn’t resist the color combo and because it would make a larger shawl. I did size up the needles, too, to a size US 9. With the larger yarn and needles, I opted to work the “small” version of the shawl, knowing it will work out to be pretty sizable.

Helpful things to note:

  • You will need looooooong circular needles. The pattern calls for 40″ circular needles, and I was all, “no one needs that long of a circular cord.” But, turns out it is very challenging to squeeze all the cast on and setup stitches onto a 29″ cord. So, do yourself a favor and go with at least a 36″ cord.
  • You will need stitch markers. 3 to be exact (and more in a contrasting color if you are worried about keeping track of all those stitches). It will be very hard to keep track of where you are and what you are doing without them.
  • The pattern suggests using a cable cast-on. I am solely a long-tail cast-on gal, so I just pulled out about 10 yards worth of yarn before starting my long-tail cast on. It may have been a bit excessive, but I would much rather have too much yarn pulled out than not enough and have to start over.

Here’s what my progress on the “Martinmas” looks like after the cast on, and first four rows of Section 1 (before the repeats and color changes). Hard to tell what it will look like at this point, but I am hopeful!

ARE YOU WORKING ON THE “Martinmas” PATTERN? BE SURE TO SHARE WITH US IN THE FANDOM KNITTING & CROCHET FACEBOOK GROUP. WE’D LOVE TO SEE ALL OF THESE FANTASTIC SHAWLS IN PROGRESS!

The Inspiration: The Dragons!

My Lizard shawl is very much a Viserion-inspired color and the Martinmas is all Drogon. Sorry, Rhaegal. Maybe next time.

via GIPHY

Share your KCal Progress!

If you are on Instagram, share your pics with the hashtags #gotshawls #fkcal #fandomkal or #fandomcal. Follow me there to see my photographic updates, too: @fandom.knitting.crochet

Again, if you haven’t already signed up for the email list, you will want to do that to get all the official KAL/CAL updates and weekly schedule.  Also, be sure to join the Fandom Knitting & Crochet Facebook Group to share your progress and interact with your fellow stitchers throughout the process!

Happy KCal-ing!

GoT Shawls KCal 2019

Knit/Crochet Along Prep & Yarn Recs

March 4-April 14

Shawls are coming! It is almost time to kick-off our Game of Thrones-inspired Knit and Crochet Along here at Fandom Knitting + Crochet. We are going to be making some lovely shawls as we await the premiere for the FINAL season of Game of Thrones, which airs on April 14th.

So, how do you get started?

(This post is in no way affiliated with Game of Thrones or HBO. It is simply a fan activity. This post may contain affiliate links.)

Step 1: Sign up to Get the Updates

First thing’s first – if you would like to get the email updates, including the weekly schedule, tips, etc, you can sign up here: JOIN THE KCAL NOW!

Step 2: Choose your Pattern & Prep

We will be working two shawls – one knit and one crochet. These were the most popular choices (as determined in the Fandom Knitting & Crochet FB Group) (Not a member? Go and join – you will find many fandom/yarny friends and you can share your progress there.)

So, we have a knit shawl and a crochet shawl.  They are not meant to look the same, just a general “feel” in common. They are loosely inspired by the dragons from Game of Thrones. Here at FKC, we tend to lean toward the more “inspired by” rather than literal interpretations of fandoms. (Note: we LOVE literal fandom projects – we just try to skew toward loose interpretations for our KCals.)

GoT Shawls FKC KAL/CAL Patterns:

“Lizard” image ©Morben Design, “Martinmas” image ©Izamight

“Lizard” by Jasmin Räsänen (Crochet)

 “Martinmas Shawl” by Sarah B. Abram (Knit)

You can get the full scoop on these pattern choices by going to the original GoT Shawls KCAL post right here: GoT Shawls.

Step 3: Get Your Supplies

The beauty of a shawl is that you don’t have to follow the yarn and needle/hook guidelines precisely.  If you want to make the shawl larger or smaller, you can adjust your yarn size and how many rows you complete.  Easy peasy.  So, if you want to work up the shawl faster, try using a light weight yarn, rather than fingering.  Just be sure to size-up your needles or hook accordingly, as well.

The recommended yarn weight and yardages are here, and I have some specific yarn and supply recommendations included here, as well.

Note: I am providing two yarn weight suggestion options: fingering weight and medium weight. The patterns call for fingering weight, so I’m giving some of those suggestions, but I’m also including medium-weight suggestions for people that would rather use a larger yarn.

You will have time to find or order some yarn as we will be working on this over 6 weeks. So, you can catch up if your yarn is a few days late. 😉 Of course, any yarn from your stash dying to be used will work just as well, too.

The Inspiration: The Dragons!

I decided to go with color schemes inspired by Dany’s dragons from GoT, Drogon (black with red markings), Rhaegal (green with bronze markings), and Viscerion (cream with gold markings).

via GIPHY

Lizard Yarn Suggestions

  • Recommended Yarn Weight: Fingering
  • Yardage Needed: 776 yards. (if using a greater yarn weight, you’ll need fewer yards)
  • I recommend:
Game of Thrones yarn recommendations.
  1. Hawthorne Fingering Kettle Dye Yarn – Blackbird (Fingering Weight, Drogon) – http://shrsl.com/1h7gj
  2. Stroll Tonal Sock Yarn – Matcha (Fingering Weight, Viserion) – http://shrsl.com/1h7g0
  3. -5. Lion Brand Heartland Yarn – Black Canyon (Drogon), Acadia (Rhaegal), and Saguaro (Viserion) (Medium Weight, http://shrsl.com/1h7in)

Martinmas Yarn Suggestions

  • Recommend Yarn Weight: Light fingering/Fingering weight yarn
  • Yardage Needed: 350-420 yards each of two different colors (if using a great yarn weight, you’ll need fewer yards)
  • I recommend:
  • 1-2. Lindy Chain in Black and Hollyberry (Fingering weight, Drogon); Lindy Chain in Linen and Tumeric (Fingering weight, Rhaegal) – http://shrsl.com/1h7lb3-5. Heartland in Black Canyon and Badlands (Medium weight, Drogon); Acadia and Grand Canyon (Medium weight, Rhaegal); Heartland in Saguaro and Mammoth Cave (Medium weight, Viscerion) – http://shrsl.com/1h7in

Step 4: Mark your Calendar

Mark you calendar for the schedule of the Starting Date! You’ll want to get your supplies by the first week, if possible. Our kick-off is March 4th!

Again, if you haven’t already signed up for the email list, you will want to do that to get all the official KAL/CAL updates and weekly schedule.  Also, be sure to join the Fandom Knitting & Crochet Facebook Group to share your progress and interact with your fellow stitchers throughout the process!

GoT Shawls? 2019 FKC Spring K/CAL

Winter (Spring, really, but go with it) is Coming – let’s make shawls!

“Lizard” image ©Morben Design, “Martinmas” image ©Izamight

By popular demand in the Fandom Knitting + Crochet Facebook Group, here is the unveiling of the Spring 2019 GoT Shawls FKC Knit/Crochet-along. That is a mouthful, no? How about GoTFKCal, for short?

Join the KCal Now!

The Plan: How the KCal Works

Choose one of the common patterns to make.

Gather Your Supplies

Because these are shawls, gauge is not as important as in other projects. So, if you are not a fan of fingering weight yarn and want to size up, go for it! Just increase or decrease the hook or needle sizes to get the look you want for your yarn. I strongly recommend just making a swatch to see if you like the way the stitches look and the size of them.

For “Lizard,” the recommendations are:

  • Fingering weight yarn ( Category 1), 776 yards.
  • Size E-4 (3.5 mm) crochet hook.

I’ll try to put out some specific yarn recommendations based on GoT, too, so keep an eye out.

For “Martinmas,” the recommendations are:

  • Light fingering/Fingering weight yarn (Category 1), 350-420 yards each of two different colors.
  • Size 4 (3.5mm) 36-inch (or larger) circular knitting needles.

Just as for the crochet pattern, I’ll have some ideas on specific yarns to share with you, too, if you aren’t sure what to use. Remember – if you don’t want to work with fingering weight yarn, you can always size up with shawls!

Timeline

Kickoff March 4th working on sections each week for 6 weeks until April 14th.

As you may know, I’m seriously not big into having a lot of “rules” for our group or our K/Cals. No change to that philosophy now. But, I’m happy to give some guidelines so we can try to keep on pace with one another and have the fun of working along with our fellow Fanatics.

Of course, you can work at your own pace, faster or slower than this suggested schedule.  I just thought it might be helpful to break the patterns down a bit to help people stay on track.  So, we have a 6-Week timetable, which is designed to make it a comfortable pace for people to keep up but still get this baby done by the April 14 Game of Thrones premiere!

Specific weekly details will be given out week by week. Be sure to sign up for the FKC mailing list to get all the weekly KCal updates.

Let’s Do This!

via GIPHY

Sharing & Support

Throughout the process, no matter the stage, I highly encourage you to share and get support in the Fandom Knitting & Crochet Facebook Group.  We’re in this together, after all, so if you need help, have tips, or simply want to share pics of your progress, be sure to do so! I’d love to see it (and so will the rest of the group).

I can’t wait to see what everyone creates!

Join the KCal Now!

Reflections on Our First Knit and Crochet-Along

After finishing the first ever Fandom Knitting and Crochet Knit/Crochet-Along, I share my finished projects, thoughts, and some plans for the future.

That’s a Wrap! (or, more aptly, a Shawl)

The very first Fandom Knit/Crochet-Along has come to an end, and man, did I have fun!  Not only did I complete two shawls I would never have finished otherwise, I got to work along with some awesome fellow knitters and crocheters.  What you’ll find here are some photos of my finished projects, a few comments and notes about the patterns and the kal/cal process, and some ideas for the future.  Spoiler: I learned a lot and can’t wait for the next one!

(This post contains affiliate links.  All opinions are my own.  I recommend things that I personally love.)

The Projects: Secret Paths Shawl and Reyna Shawl (and Power Wave Scarf)

For the knit/crochet-along, we (the members of the FKC Facebook Group – if you aren’t already a member, you should join!), decided to work on a shawl.  That said, we have some knitters, some crocheters, and plenty of folks not really wanting to commit to a “big” project.  So, the patterns we worked from were:

For me, it was go big or go home, so I went with both the Secret Paths and the Reyna Shawls.

My Secret Paths Shawl

The biggest surprise for me in the whole CAL was how much I loved the Secret Paths Shawl.  I am not a “shawl person,” per se, and I’ve only really made and wore one shawl.  So, much to my surprise and delight, I really loved making this shawl (it works up quickly!) and I am so happy with the result.

I used Lion Brand Mandala yarn in Centaur, which is a dk weight yarn, and a H-8 crochet hook.  This is a larger yarn and hook than specified in the pattern, but the result is a good-sized cozy (and really, really cute) shawl.  In other words…I strongly urge you to give this pattern and yarn a try.  There are so many gorgeous colors of Mandala, and it is really affordable.  So, go treat yo’ self to some and make this delightful shawl.  You can shop Mandala yarn here.

My Reyna Shawl

Ah…the Reyna Shawl.  I have some mixed feelings about how my Reyna turned out.  First off, it is really much more of a “shawlette” than a shawl when knitted with the recommended yarn and needles, which I did.  So, I used fingering-weight yarn in three solid colors: white, grey, and black.  My inspiration were the dire wolves from Game of Thrones, and I used white as my predominant color for my favorite of the dire wolves, Jon Snow’s “Ghost.”

While I do think it is a nice pattern and am overall happy with it, I would do a few things differently.  I would likely use a nice, hand-dyed, fancy yarn next time around.  The color changes were not fun on this because there is such a delicate edge for weaving in loose ends, and it adds bulk.  I’d probably also use a larger weight yarn and needles so the finished shawl would be bigger.  Just personal preference.

Oh, and I’d pay better attention as I was going so I wouldn’t have made mistakes in my mesh sections.  I love the mesh sections and feel like they really “make” the shawl what it is.  However, I Shruted it (Office fans, anyone?) and have some “character” in my mesh sections.  Such is life, I suppose.  I can live with it.

Reflections on the Process and Looking to the Future

Overall, the Fandom Knit/Crochet-Along was a huge success.  Not only did we have an overwhelming amount of participation from fellow stitchers, which made it so much fun, I personally completed two projects I might not have had the motivation to finish all on my own.

One thing I’d do differently is to shorten the overall amount of weeks on the schedule.  I didn’t want to rush or overwhelm people, so I really spread it out, but I think some people lost their momentum in the process.

So, would I do it again? You betcha!

I’m currently planning a Halloween-themed Knit/Crochet-Along.  So, if you have some ideas of what you’d like to make, comment and let me know!  Halloween is one of my favorite times of year and I have some fabulous yarns in mind to work with.  Who’s excited?!?

Let’s Connect!

I’d love for you to follow Fandom Knitting & Crochet.  I so appreciate any support, and I love the community of fellow knitters and crocheters!  Join our email list here: Sign up! I also have a Facebook Page and a Facebook Group, which you can join here: Fandom Knitting & Crochet – Group.

Thanks for stopping by!

 

 

Fandom Knit/Crochet-Along 2018: Let’s Get it Started!

It’s Kickoff Time!

The time has come to begin the FKC Summer 2018 Knit/Crochet-Along! We’ve been planning for weeks, and it is time to start stitch

ing.  If you haven’t already downloaded or printed out your pattern, be su

re to go back to the original KAL/CAL page to find the links.   Our awesome pattern options are: Reyna (knit), Secret Paths (crochet), and Power Wave Scarf (knit or crochet versions).

Suggested Schedule

I’m seriously not big into having a lot of “rules,” and this is our first K/CAL, so I’m definitely learning as I go to a large extent, but I thought it might be helpful to have a general timeline for working through the shawl patterns.  Of course, you can work at your own pace, faster or slower than this suggested schedule.  I just thought it might be helpful to break the patterns down a bit to help people stay on track.  So, we have an 8-Week timetable, which is designed to make it a comfortable pace for people to keep up.

So, here’s what I had in mind for each shawl:

Reyna

  • Week 1 (May 25-May 31): Cast-on through Row 28
  • Week 2 (June 1-7): Rows 29-48
  • Week 3 (June 8-14): Rows 49-72
  • Week 4 (June 15-21): Rows 73-104
  • Week 5 (June 22-28): Rows 105-136
  • Week 6 (June 29-July 5): Rows 137-140
  • Week 7 (July 6-12): Catch up (if needed) and Bind-off
  • Week 8 (July 13-20): Weave in loose ends and block

Share your work! Post to the Fandom Knitting & Crochet Facebook Group.

Secret Paths

  • Week 1 (May 25-May 31): Rows 1-8
  • Week 2 (June 1-7): Rows 9-18
  • Week 3 (June 8-14): Repeat Rows 5-9
  • Week 4 (June 15-21): Repeat Rows 10-18
  • Week 5 (June 22-28): Repeat Rows 5-9
  • Week 6 (June 29-July 5): Repeat Rows 10-16
  • Week 7 (July 6-12): Catch up (if needed) and Edging
  • Week 8 (July 13-20): Weave in loose ends and Block

Share your work! Post to the Fandom Knitting & Crochet Facebook Group.

Power Wave

If you are making either the knit or crochet versions of the Power Wave Scarf, I’d suggest just trying to hit the half-way mark by the end of Week 4.

Sharing & Support

Throughout the process, no matter the stage, I highly encourage you to share and get support in the Fandom Knitting & Crochet Facebook Group.  We’re in this together, after all, so if you need help, have tips, or simply want to share pics of your progress, be sure to do so! I’d love to see it (and so will the rest of the group).

I can’t wait to see what everyone creates!