Knitters, Your Mystery Awaits

 The idea of knitting with others is as old as knitting itself I would guess.  The evolution of a Knit-Along where everyone knits the same item became popular with the evolution of online groups and websites like Ravelry in the early 2000s.  A Mystery Knit-Along (MKA) is yet another younger evolution born from previous knitting groups.  In a MKA, the participants initially know limited information about a project (like it is: shawl, or sweater or scarf), yarn suggestions, knitting needle sizes  and guage. But nothing about the actual pattern is available until the first “clue” or segment of the pattern is released. Further clues are released on a regular schedule until the finished project is revealed.

In 2025 I joined my first Mystery Knit Along created by Stolen Stitches - a knitting vendor out of Ireland.  The designer and business owner is Carol Feller.  This site has it all: yarn, patterns, on line classes to support most patterns offered, several free instructional videos and a robust community website that houses the classes you have purchased and networking opportunities to interact with others who are working on the same pattern as you.  Last but not least, (at least in my mind), you get to listen to Ms. Feller's lovely lyrical Irish accented English on the video classes.  

The colors in these shawls are truer than in following pictures.

The Mystery Knit Along (MKA) for 2025 was a shawl.  I made two of them. The blue one is made from yarn I selected for this pattern from Stolen Stitches.  The white one is made from yarn I had in my stash.  I really enjoyed making both of them, but I made some rookie errors in the blue shawl which I felt compelled to correct them in the white one.   

The main error was size - I like larger shawls.  And since I used the wrong needle size, I got a shawlette.  Lovely but not what I wanted.  This was not the fault of the designer - but of a knitter (me) who has been at this for about 30 years - and used one size smaller needle thinking it wouldn't make THAT much of a difference.  Well, it did.

Onward to 2026!!

My yarn for the 2026 Mystery Knit Along. I am such a fan of greens!

The 2026 MKA begins tomorrow, February 10.  I enjoyed the first MKA so much that I signed up weeks ago for this one.  I have the right yarn and the right needles.  My yarn for this project has been spun into cakes. I am ready.  

If you join a group and purchase the yarn from Stolen Stitches, a lovely drawstring canvas bag 
comes with your order.  If you sign up for the event, but use your own yarn from your stash,
you are considered a digital member - you get the pattern only.  That is
a nice option if you have a yarn that is appropriate.

PS:  I get no compensation from Stolen Stitches for all the nice things I said about their business.  I am happy to promote businesses that exceed my expectations. But be aware, in our current political climate, products shipped to the US are fair game for the Trump “tax” ... I mean tariffs.  So everything costs more.